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.”

Pete Kaiser

Pete Kaiser wins his 8th Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race title

Kaiser arrived in Bethel at 9:25 a.m. Sunday, after distancing Matthew Failor and Travis Beals in the final hours of racing in frigid temperatures.
A woman wearing a beanie and blue coat shovels her driveway.

Overnight snow dump closes Southcentral Alaska schools, sets Anchorage seasonal record

More than a foot of snow blanketed Anchorage during Sunday night's storm, with snowfall set to taper off Monday and give way to subzero cold.

Psychedelic medicine task force would lay groundwork for therapeutic use in Alaska

The task force would look at the role psychedelics could play in addressing Alaska’s mental health crisis.
mushers

The 2024 Kuskokwim 300 is expected to be cold, but it certainly won’t be the coldest

Deep in the race archives, there’s a story about a race so cold it froze a half gallon of rum.
Newtok

‘Inequitable and inefficient’: New report criticizes feds’ climate change response system

For the dozens of Alaska Native communities weighing relocation because of climate change, the path forward isn’t clear.
Mike Dunleavy

Alaska Gov. Dunleavy: No VP inquiry from Trump

Dunleavy met Trump nine times during his presidency and offered an early endorsement in Trump's second presidential campaign.
a man in a suit

A dozen executive orders from Gov. Dunleavy draw scrutiny

The orders are largely aimed at eliminating or reorganizing state boards and commissions, and some lawmakers are skeptical.

Alaska inmates among 53 indicted in drug ring targeting communities, prosecutors say

The alleged drug traffickers sent fentanyl, among other drugs, to urban centers like Anchorage and Fairbanks, but also villages as far away as Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island.
a textbook

New textbook spurs speaking and teaching of Alutiiq language

The new textbook, from the Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak and the Alutiiq Museum, focuses on the language's Koniag dialect spoken in Kodiak.
a highway

Glenn Highway reopens after 37 vehicles crash on Knik River bridges, injuring 13

Troopers say the series of collisions in poor visibility began at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday. According to medics, none of the injuries were life-threatening.
an aircraft

Boeing’s quality control draws criticism as a whistleblower alleges lapses at factory

New revelations from an alleged whistleblower suggest Boeing could be at fault in this month's door plug blowout on a Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9.
a sunken boat

Roofs collapse, boats sink under the weight of Juneau’s heavy snow

Two storms have dropped more than 60 inches, which puts 2024 in a tie for the city’s second snowiest January.
a fire

6 dead in fire at Noorvik home

A woman and five children were believed to have been inside the residence Wednesday at the time of the fire, Alaska State Troopers said.
an airport

Dunleavy seeks to name Fairbanks airport after Alaska’s late Rep. Don Young

Gov. Mike Dunleavy's proposal comes just weeks after Anchorage's port was renamed the Don Young Port of Alaska.
Kasigluk

Kasigluk man dies after setting fire in jail holding cell

Troopers say Kyle V. White, 36, was intoxicated and being held at a tribal jail Tuesday when he used a lighter to ignite his mattress.
A man in a suit speaks at a white podium.

Anchorage Assembly, Bronson trade accusations over subpoena-powers veto and override

The Assembly unpacked misleading statements in Mayor’s Dave Bronson's argument against an ordinance, then overrode his veto of it in a 9-3 vote.
vaping items

Alaska tobacco-control efforts get mixed reviews from American Lung Association

The state's lack of an e-cigarette tax is a problem according to the ALA, which is pushing for passage of a bill aimed at reducing youth vaping.
a pipeline

Political pressure builds as state-led Alaska LNG project goes another year without a deal

Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants to spend another $4.5 million on marketing and development the project. But lawmakers sound increasingly skeptical.
a torn-down house

As Nunapitchuk aims to relocate, it has support from powerful allies

Last fall, Nunapitchuk was selected as a testing ground for a new approach to climate-driven village relocation.
a jet

At United and Alaska airlines, frustration with Boeing’s problems is boiling over

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said he was "angry" about Boeing's 737 Max 9 issues, calling on the company to improve its quality controls.