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.”

AK: A 12-Year-Old Ambassador

Imagine you arrive in a world where it rains all year round, and daylight swings from 17 hours in summertime to a paltry six in winter. And you’re only seven years old. That’s the situation Jasmine Molina found herself when she first got to Sitka, over 5,000 miles from her native city of Manila in the Philippines. Sitka’s Filipino population has grown substantially in the past five years, but there remains no formal system to help new students transition to school. That is, until Jasmine came to town. Listen now:

Alaska’s popular walrus cam streams again after a decade

A popular webcam showing large male Pacific walruses lying on the beach is once again streaming on the Internet.

Data show positive skill-building improves Anchorage youth behavior

Newly compiled data shows kids in Anchorage are better behaved than they were 20 years ago. A comparison of data from 1995 and 2013 shows teenagers are participating in fewer risky behaviors like smoking, drinking, and unprotected sex. And it may be because we're relating to kids differently. Download Audio:

‘Baby Raven Reads’ Program Nurtures A New Generation of Tlingit Speakers

Sealaska Heritage Institute is helping to foster the next generation of Tlingit speakers in Juneau. It recently launched a free early childhood program. Download Audio:

‘Seeking the Source’ of Anchorage’s Trails and Their Community

People traveling on the Chester Creek Trail in midtown Anchorage this week might notice a group wandering about in Kelly green vests and sashes adorned with a distinctive merit badge. They aren’t overgrown Girl Scouts; they’re artists who are “Seeking the Source” of the trail and it’s role in the community. Download Audio:

Maps Merge Data on Birds and Ships to Mitigate Oil Spills

A local scientist and entrepreneur is leadinga mapping project to find out where potential oil spills could have the worst effects on seabirds.

Grocery Shopping To Cross the Stikine Icefield

Explorers Børge Ousland and Vincent Colliard are in the midst of skiing the Stikine Icefield in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia. The journey is part of a decade-long project to traverse the world's 20 largest ice fields. Download Audio:

Suspect arrested for attack on biker on Chester Creek Trail

A man biking to work along the Chester Creek trail near the Goose Lake overpass was assaulted by a group of three young men on Monday morning and struck in the face by a thick branch.

Inside Alaska’s First Cannabis Convention

Alaska residents and a wide variety of local and national retailers gathered at the Dena'ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage this weekend for the NW Cannabis Classic. While smoking was prohibited, the trade show featured marijuana-oriented retail products as well as information sessions for hobbyists and business owners hoping to navigate the nascent cannabis market in Alaska.

AK: Biking a Century

Have you ever thought about biking one hundred miles in one go? KSKA's Anne Hillman did, so she signed up for the Clean Air Challenge. It's a bike ride the American Lung Association hosts every year to raise money for education and research on lung disease. At first Anne was in it more for the challenge of the ride than for the cause. But then something happened along the way. Download Audio:

Fairbanks Robotics Team Heads to World Championship

A Fairbanks high school team took the top honor at the recently competed First Tech Challenge World Robotics Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. The kids, who have been competing together for the last four years, demonstrated the best mix of technical engineering, performance and sportsmanship.

Out of the ashes: a downtown eyesore is transformed

In 2004, an awning patch-job went bad and led to a fire that razed a historic commercial building in the heart of downtown Juneau, where the grand opening of Sealaska Heritage Institute's Walter Soboleff Building will happen Friday. Listen now:

Hooligan Run Lowest in Years on the Chilkoot

Hooligan fishing is a tradition for many people in the Upper Lynn Canal. But this spring, those who fish in the Chilkoot had disappointing results. Researchers say the mysterious fish seem to have turned right instead of left into the Taiya, near Skagway, instead of the Chilkoot. And there’s no way to know exactly why. Download Audio:

Anchorage Hospitals Compete For New ER Beds

Two big hospitals in Anchorage have competing visions for how to expand access to emergency care. Alaska Regional wants to build two freestanding emergency departments on opposite ends of the city while Providence is hoping to add beds to specialize in pediatric emergencies on its campus. Listen now:

‘TV doesn’t do it justice’: first cruise ship visitors arrive in Skagway

Skagway’s modern gold rush – the cruise ship season – has begun. The town of around 1,000 people expects almost 800,000 cruise ship passengers this summer. And the first 2,000 of those passengers had a chance to explore town Tuesday. The Celebrity Solstice sailed north from Vancouver, with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Listen now:

Mine-Sweeping, Playground-Building, Parachuting Sapper Brigade Leaves JBER

The deactivation of an engineering unit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson this month is a small piece amid larger changes for the Army in Alaska. Download Audio:

Dillingham Fires Up New Incinerator at landfill

This week, Dillingham landfill employees began burning municipal trash. Download Audio:
(Photo via http://www.thesamuraimusher.com)

AK: Samurai Musher

If you didn't hear the rendition of the Alaska Flag Song by a Japanese choral ensemble last week at Anchorage's Alaska Performing Arts Center, you missed something special. The finale of the musical play, "Samurai Musher" brought the audience to its feet to sing along with the cast.  The play told the story of Japanese musher Jujiro Wada, and although the curtain has come down on the play, Wada's story is still unfolding. Download Audio

How events unfolded inside Juneau schools after threatening phone calls

Juneau schools have received five phone calls threatening school shootings in the past two weeks. In each instance, nothing was found, but the threats had to be addressed. Here’s how schools and police responded to the incidents.

Right to Mush? Kennel Conflict Heads to Court in Nome

A disagreement between neighbors living several miles outside Nome city limits is set to go to trial over a dispute that centers on what’s acceptable when it comes to noise—and smell—from a dog kennel. Download Audio: