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.”

Two people walk through a prison.

Alaska correctional officer smuggled drugs and phones into prison, charges say

Angela Lincoln, 43, faces one criminal count each of conspiracy and bribery. She worked as a correctional officer at Goose Creek Correctional Center, a medium-security facility southwest of Wasilla on Point McKenzie, from 2014 to 2020.
A screenshot of a live video shows people standing around the president who is sitting at a desk outside.

Congressman Young, brushing off backlash, cheers Biden’s signing of infrastructure bill

Congressman Don Young, 88, also dispels rumors: Yes, he is running in 2022.
A woman in a hat gets a lick on the face from a dog.

Don’t get dragged! Iditarod musher shares tales from the trail

Blair Braverman says if she lets go of the sled, the dogs will race on without her. The question, she says, is not how to get sled dogs to go. Rather, it's how do you get them to stop?
A school bus pulls up at a school in the dark.

Alaska’s first electric-powered school bus is performing well – even at 40 below

"It has not missed a single day of school,” says Tok Transportation co-owner Gerald Blackard.
Shipping containers stacked on top of one another.

The pandemic economy’s latest victim? The lowly shipping container.

Delayed containers are a symptom of and contributor to global supply chain problems. But imagine a world without them.
A handwritten proclamation on two pages, hung on a wall.

Anchorage mayor throws support behind conservative parent rights organization

The group is part of a national trend of conservative advocacy directed at school districts.
A dining room with empty, roud-top tables and a lit-up bar behind it.

Fairbanks restaurant says no vax, no proof, no service

Lavelle's Bistro, a fine-dining establishment downtown in the Golden Heart City, has started requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for patrons.
People look at maps hanging on a wall.

Critics raise concerns with new Alaska political boundaries

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, known as a hotbed of conservatism, gained the most population since the 2010 Census and will keep the same number of seats in the Alaska Legislature under a new map of state political boundaries that some critics say short-changes the area.
A covid-19 Testing Center is set up in the yard of the Union Station, downtown L.A. where part of the Oscars Ceremony will take place Sunday, April 25, in Los Angeles, California, March 17, 2021. - Academy president David Rubin confirmed this year's Oscars would be broadcast from Los Angeles' cavernous Union Station as well as its traditional Dolby Theatre home in Hollywood. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. COVID cases start to rise again as the holidays approach

After declining most of the fall, new infections are up again in more than half of U.S. states, worrying experts about what the holiday season may bring.
A woman in a dress and face masks paints a black and white piece of art.

With reading and writing close behind, Juneau’s school board approves spoken Lingít teaching standards

These are the first oral narrative standards developed for the Lingít language to be taught to school children.
Dave Bronson at an Assembly meeting

Bronson vetoes 2 ordinances aimed at asserting Anchorage Assembly’s authority

ly Wednesday. The ordinances were aimed at asserting the Assembly’s authority over the chamber and the city’s mayoral appointee confirmation process.
People pull canvas over a steel frame in front of a large brown building

Tumult within Anchorage’s homelessness response team continues with another firing

Nicole Lebo, who oversaw federal housing grants and childcare and shelter permitting for the city, was fired from the health department on Monday.
A photo shows a village on the water.

Alaska without ANCSA? Look to Metlakatla.

At first glance, Metlakatla looks similar to many of the other villages in Southeast Alaska: glacier-cut coastlines, dense temperate rainforests, dramatic mountains in the backdrop. But locals know better — there is something distinctly different about the place. 
A group of kids sit underneath a deck.

After years of waiting, Akiak turns on high-speed internet

It’s the first community in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to bring broadband to all its residents.

Troopers: Russian Mission shooting suspect went on another rampage after evading authorities for months

A suspect in a shooting in Russian Mission had been on the loose for months when state troopers say he went on another rampage last week, allegedly assaulting, threatening and attempting to rob members of the community. Alaska State Troopers finally arrested him five days later.
A woman wearing a military uniform stands in front of a small plane.

Search and Rescue Airman uses her training to fly Alaska’s smallest planes | INDIE ALASKA

Jasmine Chavez is an Air Force veteran aspiring to be a bush pilot in Alaska.
A woman sits on the witness stand in a courtroom.

Providence investigating Alaska CARES workplace complaints against medical director after ‘mass exodus’ of staff

Anchorage Daily News reporter Michelle Theriault Boots says the complaints were about Alaska CARES medical director Dr. Barbara Knox.
A black and white photo of a village.

Winds whip up volcanic ash from 1912 eruption in Alaska

Volcano scientists issued an alert Wednesday, warning that a cloud of ash — from an eruption more than century ago — was headed toward Alaska’s Kodiak Island.

With knowledge of his ancestors, young leader looks to ANCSA’s future

Aaron Tolen has tribal and ANCSA regional corporation affiliations across the state. He aims to balance a modern education with the values and traditions of his people, so he can continue to feel grounded in his culture and also experience success in a contemporary way.
Dozens of teachers with signs gather. Some say: No contract, still working.

Mediator to solve dispute over Anchorage teachers’ contracts

A federal mediator is expected to help resolve differences over key terms of contracts for Anchorage teachers after the union and the state’s largest...