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.”

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DOD releases plan for Interior basing of F-35s

The Fairbanks-North Pole area is at the start of a mini-boom, as the region prepares for the basing of two squadrons of F-35 fighter jets at Eielson Air Force Base. Listen now

Alaska unions defiant in wake of punishing Supreme Court decision

The Janus v. AFSCME decision by the U.S. Supreme Court denies public sector unions from forcing workers to pay dues. The 5-4 ruling could affect about 10 percent of Alaska’s workforce. Listen now

First Y-K Delta tribe marches against Donlin Gold in Bethel

The mine would be built in a region where many residents practice subsistence and would be one of the biggest gold mines in the world. Listen now

Trump says King Cove road ‘almost completed’

Trump said a controversial road through the Izembek Refuge will be finished soon. It hasn't begun. Murkowski made a pitch for bipartisanship. With cameras rolling, they spent two-and-a-half minutes politely talking past each other. Listen now

Juneau Empire report finds state tsunami response system has critical flaws

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake off the coast of Alaska rattled the state in the early morning hours of January 23rd, setting into motion a series of various emergency warnings and tsunami evacuations. In the end, a destructive tsunami never materialized, but the response revealed some flaws in how Alaskans get warned about possible disasters. Listen now

During Eielson visit, Defense Secretary Mattis highlights Alaska’s strategic military role

Mattis spoke at a news conference this morning at Eielson Air Force Base, after a tour of the missile-defense facility at Fort Greely. Listen now

State one step closer to gas pipeline, but not the one the Walker administration wants

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put out a draft of the final environmental review of the in-state gas pipeline project. Listen now

Power lunch: US senators transfixed by Bear Cam

Even U.S. senators got in on the joy of Katmai Bear Cam this week, and that's not the only Alaska delight the senators sampled from afar. Listen now

Fansler sentenced to year of probation, alcohol treatment and community service

Former Alaska state Rep. Zach Fansler pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree harassment in connection with a January incident in which he struck a woman in his hotel room. Listen now

What they mean when they say ‘immigration problem’

Lawmakers paint different pictures of what the immigration problem actually is and who the victims are. That's true even within Alaska's all-Republican delegation to Congress. Listen now

In Alaska, family separations evoke past trauma

A survivor of a BIA boarding school for Alaska Natives says the separation of children at the border is reminiscent of her own experiences. The context is different: but the traumatic effects are arguably similar. Listen now

State receives $56 million in federal relief for 2016 pink salmon season disaster

On Wednesday, the state learned how much of $200 million in federal funds will go to recovery from the 2016 pink salmon season disaster in the Gulf of Alaska. Listen now

Alaska delegation mulls Trump order keeping children detained with parents

President Trump signed an order Wednesday to address the family separations at the southern border, but it raises new questions for Congress. Listen now

ASMI says Chinese tariff increase will not apply to secondary processing

Since last week, processors have been waiting to find out whether secondary processing of Alaska fish will be subject to a new 25 percent tariff, which China announced Friday in retaliation to American tariffs on Chinese goods. Listen now

Walker asks Trump administration to protect people with pre-existing conditions

Walker has been working with a bipartisan governors’ group over the past year on health care issues. Listen now

Alaska senators veer apart on family separations

A gulf has opened between Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan on how to end family separations at the border. She signed a letter asking the attorney general to stop it immediately. Sullivan says it'll take a new law. Listen now

Murkowski zeroes in on Trump admin to stop splitting families at border

“The time is now for the White House to end the cruel, tragic separations of families," Murkowski said in a written statement. If the administration doesn't act quickly, she said, Congress must. Sen. Dan Sullivan called the situation complicated and called for a bipartisan solution from Congress. Listen now

Supreme Court agrees to hear Alaska Hovercraft case again

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to rehear the case of an Alaska moose hunter whose use of a hovercraft in the Nation River got him in trouble with the National Park Service. Listen now

Murkowski, Young respond to Chinese tariff on American seafood imports

Alaska’s economy could suffer as a result of China’s 25 percent tariff on American seafood imports and that worries U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In a written statement, Murkowski urges President Donald Trump to reach a trade policy with China that protects the export market. Listen now

China to slap tariffs on Alaska seafood, among other U.S. products

China plays a major role Alaska’s seafood industry, so the tariffs would affect a significant portion of the market. Listen now