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.”

Donald Trump Jr. is headed to Juneau for a hunting trip. The cost to join him: $150,000.

Donald Trump Jr. and his son will be embarking on a weeklong hunt for Sitka black-tailed deer and ducks in Southeast Alaska — and a spot to join them was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Community mourns as police investigate the death of Unalaska high school senior

More than 100 people gathered Saturday at Unalaska's high school to mourn the death of 18-year-old Alexis Magalong, a senior who was reported missing and later found dead over the weekend.

How did the Nunam Iqua boys get lost on the snowy tundra? They were chasing a fox.

The boys had been riding their snowmachine around town for four or five hours. Just as they were about to head back inside, something appeared and lured them away from home.

Musher Brent Sass wins 1,000-mile Yukon Quest

The athletic 40-year-old said he spent most of the last stretch of the race pushing and kicking with all his might.

New consultant to Alaska Gov. Dunleavy has ties to national conservative figures Pence, Bachmann

Mary Vought, who worked for Pence when he was a member of Congress, is being paid $4,000 a month. She grew up in Alaska and once had Sarah Palin's father as a substitute middle school teacher.

As it prepares to exit the state, BP donates nonprofit meeting space in Anchorage to community foundation

The Alaska Community Foundation says it will maintain the energy center as a free meeting space for at least the next 20 years.

Crew of cargo ship from China to remain onboard in Unalaska due to coronavirus quarantine

The U.S. Coast Guard is taking precautionary measures with the 711-foot boat in light of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China

Tuntutuliak removed all its 28 stray dogs and put them up for adoption

In January, one village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta removed all its stray dogs with the help of two nonprofits, including Bethel Friends of Canines. It took a lot of planning to ensure that the ambitious effort was a success.

Chief justice to Alaska Legislature: The courts remain independent

Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Joel Bolger assured the Legislature in his State of the Judiciary address on Wednesday that the state’s courts remain independent.

After car trouble on a rural road, an Unalaska teenager dies of hypothermia

The state medical examiner has ruled hypothermia as the cause of death of Alexis Magalong, an 18-year-old high school senior who was found dead Saturday near Unalaska's Summer Bay.

This Anchorage father and daughter are revving up for the world’s longest snowmachine race

The Levines are the only father-daughter team to ever complete the Iron Dog, a grueling 2,400-mile competition that starts in Fairbanks on Sunday.

Alaska Supreme Court says judge was wrong to stall recall of Gov. Dunleavy while appeal plays out

The group seeking to recall Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy can proceed with signature-gathering while an appeal of the campaign's legality plays out, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Are you a BP Alaska employee who didn’t take a job with Hilcorp? Let us know where you landed.

Reach our reporter Tegan Hanlon at thanlon@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8447.

Behind the scenes, Pebble leaned on Dunleavy, pleading for its survival

Publicly, Pebble CEO Tom Collier radiates confidence about his company. His emails to the governor's office tell a different story.

Pentagon is paying to extend North Pole’s water system due to PFAS contamination in wells

The Pentagon is paying for the nearly $30 million project because the substance that contaminated the groundwater beneath Moose Creek came from Eielson Air Force Base. The perflourinated chemical compound called PFAS likely came from the use of firefighting foam at the base.

A new fish processor is buoying King Cove’s fishermen. But now the town’s finances are sinking.

The opening of a new processing plant in a nearby village has reduced frustrations for fishermen in King Cove, who were long frustrated at the limited market for their catch. But with the fish being sold elsewhere, the town of King Cove itself is now contending with a massive budget hole caused by a crash in fish tax revenue.

Coronavirus shutters Southeast Alaska geoduck clam fishery

The coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 has infected more than 60,000 people, mostly in China. Though there haven’t been any confirmed cases in Alaska, geoduck clam fishermen are feeling ripple effects.

Dunleavy defenders withdraw from recall case, attacking judicial impartiality

The organization opposing the recall campaign against Gov. Mike Dunleavy has told its lawyers to withdraw its appeal of the recall.

After years of poor conditions, welcome news for hunters: Bering Sea ice looks normal

Rick Thoman, a climatologist, called it "a big change from the last couple of years and good news for the region.”

Murkowski pushes Legislature for more REAL ID support in rural Alaska

In her annual address to a joint session of the Legislature Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski told lawmakers that the state should do more to help Alaskans get REAL IDs.