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.”

A green yard with a silver building behind it

Former Anchorage Museum employees demand investigation into work environment under director

Five former employees charged the museum’s director, Julie Decker, with fostering an opaque, chaotic and stressful work environment.
8 faces of different people arranged in a grid

The largest homeless shelter in Alaska will close this month. Many staying there aren’t sure where they’ll live next.

Many guests are waiting for housing to open up, but they’re not sure it will free up before the end of the month. If they don’t find options, some say they’ll camp.
woman in print shirt greets another woman wearing a red cap.

Who will make the top four? US House candidates in Alaska have one more day to appeal to voters.

The special primary election for U.S. House ends Saturday, and it's still far from certain which candidates will move on to the general election in August.
Ivanka Trump's face on a large screen above a panel of lawmakers

New revelations and 3 other takeaways from the first Jan. 6 committee hearing

The committee transported the audience back to Jan. 6 with video of what happened that day. It also made a strong case that former President Trump was responsible for what happened.

Vulnerable residents flown out of St. Mary’s as major tundra fire closes in

Yute Commuter Services sent all its planes to St. Mary’s to evacuate residents. About 60 people arrived in Bethel on Thursday night.
Lora Reinbold stands in a courtroom

Alaska senator faces civil trial after blocking a constituent on Facebook

The verdict could set a precedent for actions online by Alaska’s elected officials.

Rent is increasing rapidly in Anchorage, and experts say the trend will continue

Anchorage real estate broker Kassandra Taggart says rent "has been going up between 20, 30, 40 percent depending on what kind of rental it is.”
ballot and pen

Palin, Begich, Gross and Peltola are top 4 in early results from Alaska’s special US House election

The Division of Elections counted the first batch of ballots on Saturday night – 48,000 of the more than 125,000 ballots cast. Palin, a Republican, has about 33% of the votes counted so far. She’s followed by Nick Begich, also a Republican, who took 17% and independent Al Gross with 15%.
A boy hugs a woman in a kitchen

St. Mary’s residents pitch in to keep their village from burning

A historically massive wildfire is threatening four villages on the Yukon River.
Four people stand together smiling and posing for the camera in front of a multicolored background.

In Alaska visit, federal health department regional director sees challenges and innovation

It was Ingrid Ulrey's first visit to the state as HHS's Region 10 director, and she said she heard a lot about Alaska's unique, health-related challenges, which she hopes the federal health department — and funding through some of its grant programs -- can help with.
A redish sunset

Smoke from Western Alaska wildfires blankets much of the state

Smoke is expected to start clearing in the most heavily populated areas by Monday evening, but in Interior Alaska, the forecast shows that lightning strikes could lead to more wildfires.
A man sits in a folding chair next to an RV

Even with $5 gas, people are still driving RVs to Alaska

One RVer says he's spent more on gas in this last month than he did on a 23-state road trip last year.
A group of people packing medical supplies into red boxes

State to put opioid emergency kits in seafood plants and harbors across Southeast Alaska

“We absolutely do feel safer,” one plant manager said about having overdose prevention resources on hand.
A map, mostly of the Susitna Valley

Alaska road project pits conservative lodge owners against conservative state administration

According to the Anchorage Daily News, a coalition that includes lodge owners and other business people is spending $200,000 on a campaign to defeat the West Susitna Access Road.
smoke on the tundra

Half of Pilot Station is without running water as tundra fire nears

By Monday, the fire burned about 12 miles from the village, and the Pilot Station mayor said that he may soon have to turn off running water to the entire community.
sailboats on the water

4 sailors in Race to Alaska are rescued after boats capsize

The event is in its sixth year and draws contestants from across the country with a goal of being first to get from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska, on a non-motorized vessel that is completely self-supported.
a crowded airport

Summer air travel could be expensive and chaotic. Here’s how to avoid trouble

Air travel demand is back to pre-pandemic levels, while fares are soaring. Staffing shortages leave airlines with little wiggle room when bad weather hits, which could lead to delays and cancellations.
A mother and children sit at the National Guard Armory in Bethel, AK.

People who fled the lower Yukon River tundra fires are asking when they can return home

People who left communities threatened by the East Fork Fire on the lower Yukon River are asking when they will be able to return home.
two people voting

As a test, Alaska’s special US House primary may be too special

A by-mail special election may not be a true test of Alaska's new open primary