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.”

U.S. Treasury Inspector General warns property purchases might not be acceptable use of CARES Act funds

Federal officials cautioned the Anchorage municipality that the plan to purchase properties for a substance treatment center and housing for people experiencing homelessness may not fall within the allowable use for CARES Act funds.
The Anchorage Assembly chambers at the Z. J. Loussac Public Library in Anchorage.

Assembly passes sweeping CARES Act spending plan

On Wednesday evening, the Anchorage Assembly passed a wide-ranging spending plan for more than $100 million in federal CARES Act funding allocated from the state. Among other things, it includes money for housing assistance, child care, jobs programs and small business and nonprofit relief.

COVID-19 outbreak at Juneau’s Kensington Mine grows to 19

Coeur Alaska’s Kensington Mine reported Wednesday that number of employees testing positive for the coronavirus had risen to 19. And that number could still rise. Juneau city officials say tests for 94 of the 210 workers at the mine are still pending.
A girl in an orange sweatshirt sits next to a girl in a pink shirt at a desk in their home facing the window while the both do school work on laptop computers

Hundreds of Anchorage students didn’t participate in online learning last spring. Will they this fall?

As Anchorage families prepare for distance learning, teachers and administrators are working to implement new tools and techniques to keep every student engaged.
A woman dressed in a white lab coat stands in front of a table. Another woman with protective gear stands in a dooray befhind her.

A sign Anchorage mandates are working, state forecasts a decline in new coronavirus infections

But health officials caution that the forecast could easily change depending on how Alaskans behave.
Three newspapers one on top of the other with the title "Skagway News"

A Skagway newspaper owner was turned back at the Canadian border. Agents deemed her return home “non-essential”

When Canadian border agents deemed one Skagway News publisher’s trip back to Skagway non-essential, it left her operating a local paper… remotely. Gretchen Wehmhoff and...

Family’s lawyers claim recording shows Juneau officer planned fatal shooting

Attorneys for the family of a man fatally shot by a Juneau police officer last December are highlighting audio of the officer talking to himself before the shooting. The attorneys argue that what the officer says shows the officer’s state of mind and indicates that killing Kelly Stephens was planned.

Ravn hopes to relaunch service to rural hubs in September

The company that bought Ravn's core assets initially hoped to relaunch operations around this time, but the new owners now say that they hope to resume flying in another month, in mid-September.
Nurses wear PPE at Providence Hospital in Anchorage

Fighting COVID-19 at home and in Alaska’s largest hospital | Alaska Insight

The number of coronavirus infections in Alaska is growing. And as the disease continues its spread across the state, it’s impacting more and more Alaskans.

Nearly 150 layoffs coming to Ted Stevens and Fairbanks airports in October

One hundred and twenty-three employees at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport are scheduled to be laid off in October. Another 19 employees at Fairbanks International Airport will be laid off at the same time. The majority are restaurant and service workers.
Passengers check in at one of about a half dozen kiosks next to blue Alaska Air banners

Layoffs and shop closures hit Seattle and Portland airports, terminal expansions continue

The recovery in airline travel seems to have hit a plateau in recent weeks, according to Transportation Security Administration checkpoint screening numbers, spelling a warning for two of the largest layover hubs for traveling Alaskans
A 32=foot gilnetter sails in blue waters next to green spruce-covered mountains.

Tribal members shouldn’t need state permits to fish in Metlakatla’s traditional waters, lawsuit argues

Attorneys for Metlakatla point to a Supreme Court case from 1918 that says the reservation included deep waters around the islands.
A ramp leads to a blue door. A sign abovev reads 'Nora Guinn Justice Complex)

Five employees of Bethel courthouse and jail test positive for COVID-19

The positive cases include two Bethel courthouse employees, and three staff members at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center.
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Trump Administration finalizes plan for oil drilling in Arctic Refuge

The decision opens up the entire coastal plain -- 8 percent of the refuge -- to drilling.

After federal pandemic benefits expire, unemployed Alaskans wonder how they’ll survive on $500 a month

There were roughly 52,000 Alaskans who would have qualified for the $600-a-week federal benefits during the last week of July, the first one in which those benefits ran out. That represents about 15 percent of the state's workforce.

DNA tests show brown bear killed near Hope was not responsible for fatal mauling

Fish and Game believes a female brown bear attacked Daniel Schilling while he was clearing a brushy trail behind his cabin, and a black bear later encountered his body.
A line of elementary children line up and walk down the hallway out to recess in the winter

LISTEN: As school starts, here’s the latest science on kids and coronavirus

Dr. Elizabeth Ohlsen, a public health physician with the State of Alaska, explains the latest science of how the coronavirus impacts children and how to mitigate the spread of the disease in schools.
A red arrow with the text 'vote here' and black letters saying 'polling place' are posted on a white fold out sign.

Voters in 6 villages will have no polling places

A spokesperson said despite raising the hourly rate for the temporary workers, the division was unable to overcome fears about the spread of coronavirus.
Two young boys smile at the camera while playing with play-doh at a kitchen table

From ‘pandemic pods’ to private tutors, Anchorage Facebook group offers support

Following a national trend, many families are finding support and resources on social media.
A man in a trump mask holds a sign up through the window of the front half of a blue sedan. The sign says "Uncle Sam I am 1/2 off"

Judge dismisses case against Haines man with epilepsy who drove parade float

The man donned a Donald Trump mask and drove a car that had been cut in half. A week later, local police cited the man, who has a history of seizures, for driving without a license.