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.”

Tiny fish swimming in green-colored water.

‘More hungry mouths’: Bristol Bay sockeye are abundant but shrinking

Most fish that returned this year only spent one or two years in the ocean instead of three, but they’re also getting smaller for their age.
A group of children play in puddles.

Masks will be required inside Juneau schools when classes begin next week

The Anchorage School District is also requiring everyone in school building to wear face masks when classes start next week.
A woman getting an ultrasound while wearing a face mask.

Vaccinating during pregnancy has become even more urgent as ICU beds fill up, says CDC

Only 23% of those pregnant in the U.S. have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, statistics show. And with the delta variant surging, those who are unvaccinated are especially vulnerable.
a medical professional swabs a driver's nostril

Boom in COVID testing prompts Anchorage to open new drive-through site

Daily demand for tests in August is nearly quadruple the June average.
A row of homes in evening light.

Judge rules in favor of Alaska Federation of Natives to keep fund lowering power costs

The ruling on Wednesday will keep more than $1 billion dollars in the Power Cost Equalization Endowment Fund.
A waiter in an apron and a face mask delivers food to a table.

Wages are going up and so is inflation. Consumer prices have hit a 13-year high.

Consumer prices rose 5.4% in the 12 months ending in July, matching the highest rate of inflation in nearly 13 years. The cost of rent, food and gasoline continues to climb.

Ask a Climatologist: What’s with all the rain?

Sunday was the rainiest day Anchorage has seen in almost six years. Meanwhile, parts of Western Alaska recently saw their wettest month on record, and forecasters are expecting an atmospheric river to soak Southeast.
Mountains and ocean from a plane window

NTSB: Pilot in fatal Ketchikan floatplane crash had prior accident one month ago

The pilot of a sightseeing plane that crashed last week near Ketchikan, killing all six on board, was involved in another accident less than a month earlier, according to federal investigators. 
A portrait of an older man in a suit.

Fauci says COVID-19 booster shots are needed for those who are immunocompromised

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Biden, says an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose is needed for people who have compromised immune systems.
Spring Creek Correctional Center. (Department of Corrections photo)

Prisons in Seward, Ketchikan and Eagle River go into lockdown as COVID-19 cases rise

The lockdowns mean that communal meals and recreation are on hold, and that family visits are canceled. The Department of Corrections says attorney visits are still allowed. 
a server brings water to a large table of diners on the top floor deck of a busy restaurant

2020 census data is out. Here’s how Alaska has changed in the last 10 years.

The share of Alaska’s population that identifies as a race or ethnicity other than solely white rose from less than a third of the population to more than than 40%.
People walk on a dock, with a cruise ship in the background.

Cruise ships returned to Southeast Alaska, but don’t call it a comeback

The year before the pandemic, Alaska set record numbers for cruise ship tourism. This year, it’s estimated Juneau will see about 10% of its usual cruise traffic.
A photograph of homes and a big blue sky.

Dunleavy won’t appeal judge’s ruling that state must fund program for lower energy costs

Gov. Dunleavy said the ruling provided clarity and that the Power Cost Equalization program provides an essential service. 
A glacier and snowy mountain with hikers.

Mendenhall Glacier’s retreat is exposing new land. The Forest Service doesn’t want it to be mined.

In 1952, the Forest Service took the land around the Mendenhall Glacier off the table for mining. Now there’s a strip of land exposed by the shrinking glacier.
A person with purple gloves puts a shot in someone's arm.

FDA authorizes third COVID-19 dose for people with weakened immunity

The FDA amended its emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow for an additional dose for some immunocompromised people.
children playing on a playground

Census figures show Mat-Su gained most new residents

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough north of Anchorage gained the most people in the last decade, according to U.S. Census data released Thursday.
A white man in a black suit

Amid recall effort, lingering budget problems and pandemic, Alaska Gov. Dunleavy will seek re-election

Dunleavy disclosed his bid in an interview Thursday with Alaska Public Media. In it, he reflected on the challenges and lessons from his first term, and offered his outlook on the pandemic, Alaska’s budget problems and other issues facing the state.
A photo of a big beetle on a white background.

1st live Asian giant ‘murder hornet’ of 2021 spotted in Washington state

Entomologists confirm the report of the world's largest hornet — a worrisome invasive species that originates from East Asia and Japan — by a person in a rural area near the Canadian border.
A Canadian and a U.S. flag fly near a bridge.

Canada to require air, train and cruise ship travelers to be vaccinated

The Canadian government will soon require all air travelers and passengers on interprovincial trains to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
A blue ship sails in the water with mountains in the background.

Earthquake may have triggered sunken fishing vessel to spill diesel off Kodiak Island, officials say

A shipwreck from decades ago has begun leaking diesel fuel off Kodiak Island. State officials suspect last month’s massive earthquake may be to blame.