Top Stories

News stories, radio and TV episodes that warrant one of six spots on our homepage. The homepage is in chronological order of publication date, so stories are moved off the homepage as more are categorized “top stories.”

Impacts from shutdown on military were set to intensify Monday

The standoff over the weekend threatened furloughs, facility closures and work without pay for service-members at Alaska bases and around the globe. Listen now

Zinke signs land trade to allow road for King Cove

Alaska's congressional delegation ticked another item off its decades-old to-do list Monday: Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke signed a land swap agreement to allow a road in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge for King Cove. Listen now

Tsunami warning DOWNGRADED to an advisory

The National Weather Service has lifted the tsunami warning for coastal Alaska. It has been downgraded to a tsunami advisory. That means that while a wave *has* been recorded in the Gulf of Alaska, it’s not big enough to require evacuations.

7.9 earthquake was an intriguing one for seismologists

The 7.9 earthquake was an interesting one that will "garner a lot of attention, scientifically."

Tsunami warning prompts hundreds of Alaskans to evacuate to higher ground

Alaskans across the state woke up to the shaking and an emergency alert buzzing their cell phones, warning them to move away from the coast. Listen now

Permanent fund leader says budget plan puts fund’s future into question

Permanent Fund Corp. CEO Angela Rodell presented a study that predicts a nearly 50 percent chance of the fund losing value in the next decade, if it’s used to pay for state government as lawmakers have proposed. Listen now

Gulf of Alaska quake prompts alerts, evacuations and review of response

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska early Tuesday prompted emergency alerts from the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, as well as state emergency management officials. Listen now

Video: The oceans are changing. Can crabs adapt?

Researchers in Kodiak are working to understand whether crabs can adapt to ocean acidification.

Walker appoints Kotzebue resident John Lincoln to vacant House District 40

Lincoln is the vice president responsible for managing lands for NANA Regional Corp. Listen now

Southeast lawmakers agree on need for fiscal plan but differ on components

Sitka Republican Sen. Bert Stedman, for example, doesn’t see the need to pass a broad-based tax now as part of the fiscal plan. But he does want to limit permanent fund draws. Listen now

Alaska House Democrats confirm John Lincoln to District 40 seat

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon was enthusiastic about Lincoln’s appointment.

Alaska lawmakers release draft harassment policy

The draft is modeled on Oregon’s policy, which is more detailed than the current version, adopted in 2000. Listen now

AK: Mysterious pink pond prompts a question and a quest

A hydrologist’s marker dye is unlikely, but there are a variety of biological processes that could be responsible for discoloration of the pond that’s located about 4 miles down the Herbert Glacier trail. Listen now

Delegation to Zinke: Thanks, but no thanks, for huge leasing plan

The congressional delegation has asked Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to exclude all but three areas from his plan for oil and gas leasing off Alaska's shores. Listen now

EPA head reverses course on Pebble, saying it may pose ‘unacceptable’ risk

EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said the agency is suspending its effort to reverse an Obama-era proposal to put restrictions on the mine. Listen now

Following assault allegations, House Majority Coalition calls for Rep. Zach Fansler to resign

The leader of the Alaska House Majority Coalition, Rep. Bryce Edgmon, is asking House District 38 Rep. Zach Fansler to resign following accusations of assault. Listen now

Number of House members calling for Fansler resignation grows

The House majority caucus meets Monday evening and could remove representative, accused of assault, from the caucus and his committee assignments. Listen now

Alaska’s US senators split on abortion vote

The U.S. Senate on Monday rejected a bill to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of only two Republicans to vote “no” on the procedural motion. Listen now

Fansler hasn’t responded to House leaders’ resignation request

Speaker Bryce Edgmon, a Dillingham Democrat, said in a press availability Tuesday morning that the caucus is giving Rep. Zach Fansler time. Listen now

Bad timing: Power outage hit Earthquake Center before 7.9 shaker

The tsunami warning that rattled Alaskans last week exposed weak spots in the disaster safety net. A fluke caused the Alaska Earthquake Center to go dark for an hour. Listen now