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.”

An outdoor sign reads: James M. Fitzgerald United States Courthouse & Federal Buildling

Jury convicts Alaska Nazi prison gang members in grim death

The gang operated inside and outside Alaska prisons.
Demonstrators carrying signs with slogans like "abortion is health care"

Here’s what could happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned

More than 20 states have laws that could restrict or ban abortion soon after the Supreme Court overturns Roe.
Baby birds sit in a pile under a heat lamp

Alaska’s first case of highly contagious bird flu strain confirmed in Mat-Su chickens

State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach says the Mat-Su case confirms that migrating birds have brought avian influenza to Alaska.

Murkowski says if draft opinion holds, it undermines her confidence in Supreme Court

Sen. Murkowski says if a majority of justices vote to overturn Roe v. Wade it shakes her confidence in the court.

Anchorage used car dealership pays thousands in restitution for shady selling tactics

The state received complaints that Anchorage Auto Mart had sold vehicles without disclosing that they lacked valid titles or had reconstructed titles.
A car parked waiting for a Covid test at the former Golden Lion Hotel in Anchorage

Anchorage monoclonal antibody clinic under scrutiny for political donation and patient billing

Anchorage Assembly members and others have been questioning how WEKA got the deal with the city and why it charged patients hundreds of dollars per treatment session.
a person holds a sign that reads "abortion is basic healthcare"

Anchorage group rallies for reproductive rights in wake of Supreme Court leak

Roughly 200 people attended the rush hour reproductive rights rally Tuesday in the wake of the release of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that suggests justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
students sit at a graduation

State Supreme Court affirms Dunleavy decision that drained fund for Alaska college scholarships

The scholarship programs remain funded through at least June 30, and the budget making its way through the Legislature has money to fund the programs in the next fiscal year.
Slushy and watery roads near a gas station.

Alaska House passes bill to suspend motor fuels taxes

The bill, which passed 36-2, next goes to the Senate, with two weeks left in the legislative session.
a person at a gas pump

The Federal Reserve raises interest rates by the most in over 20 years to fight inflation

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by half a percentage point Wednesday, in an effort to cool off demand and lower inflation. Consumer prices have been rising at the fastest pace in 40 years.

US Army Alaska commander says soldier suicide prevention is top priority

That's after the numbers jumped from eight suicides in 2019 and seven in 2020 to 17 in 2021 that are either confirmed or suspected suicides.
A truck with officers

Two years after Anchorage police and fire departments commit to improving diversity, data shows little change

Police and fire officials say they’re hampered by a tight labor market, limited budgets and recruitment barriers that extend outside of their departments.
crab pile

King crab hatcheries could be on Alaska’s horizon as mariculture bill moves past Legislature

House Bill 41 would allow certain nonprofits to pursue mariculture enhancement or restoration projects for species of shellfish — like abalone, razor clams, sea cucumbers and king crab.
A mask on the ground

What COVID might look like in the U.S. once we reach the endemic phase

Andy Slavitt, former senior adviser to President Biden on COVID-19, shares what he thinks the endemic phase of COVID-19 will look like in the U.S. and how we can prepare for that stage now.
A dog in a harness leaps up into the air

Yukon Quest organizations break up

The relationship between the Alaska and Canadian organizations which have run the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race since 1984 has fallen apart.

Anchorage police search for man’s killer nearly 6 years after his disappearance

Jose Guadalupe Gonzalez was 46 in July of 2016, when police say his coworkers reported that he had not shown up for work.

Anchorage police renew push to find missing boy, 9 years after he disappeared

Anchorage police say they’ve exhausted all leads and are reaching out to the public for information on DaShawn McCormick, who was 6 years old when his mother Jasmine McCormick last saw him in 2013.

Alaska cartoonist draws his experience with Parkinson’s | INDIE ALASKA

Peter Dunlap-Shohl was living his lifelong dream, as an editorial cartoonist for the Anchorage Daily News. But in 2002, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
a woman puts a gloved hand on an embroidered art piece

How a 150-year-old Lingít robe is inspiring Alaska’s next generation of engineers

The robe was recently given to Alaska Native Heritage Center but is in such fragile condition that extreme care must be taken anytime it’s handled.