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.”

Anchorage Assembly likely to maintain progressive supermajority as 3 incumbents hold off challengers

East Anchorage Assembly member Forrest Dunbar, West Anchorage member Kameron Perez-Verdia and Midtown Anchorage member Meg Zaletel faced a slate of well-funded conservative challengers this year, with Mayor Bronson throwing his support behind unseating the incumbents.

Delta Junction May Need a Hospital

A group in Delta Junction is working to establish a hospital to help area residents who currently have to travel to Fairbanks or Anchorage for treatment.
A boy with dark glasses and a white hospital gown with wires on his chest

Petersburg sets aside differences for 13-year-old battling cancer

The community raised tens of thousands of dollars for a local 13-year-old who was fighting cancer in a Seattle Hospital,
People wearing masks, some in white jackets, stare athead.

Alaska’s largest hospital now rationing care due to COVID surge

Doctors at Providence Alaska Medical Center said Tuesday that they’ve begun to ration care as Alaska endures one of the worst surges of COVID-19 in the country.

Jeff King rolls into Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby

Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King has arrived at the Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby. He pulled in just after 1:00 Thursday afternoon. He told...
People standing in front of white capitol dome holding banners that say protect the Arctic.

Alaska Native enthusiasm for Interior nominee puts Murkowski on the spot

Deb Haaland's confirmation hearing forces Sen. Murkowski to choose between one of her long-held political goals and many of her Native constituents.
An Alaska woman holds a possum by the back of its neck as terrified New Yorkers in a bar look on.

When a possum walked into a Brooklyn bar, Sara Fulton said, ‘I’m from Alaska. I got this.’

A viral video of Fulton, who's originally from Anchorage, shows her grab the possum by the neck and release it, safely, outside on a sidewalk.

Senate to Vote on Health Care Christmas Eve

Leaders in the US Senate announced on Tuesday that they’ll vote on a health care bill early Christmas Eve day. Libby Casey, APRN –...
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. 

PrEP prevents HIV transmission and it’s free. Why can’t some Alaskans get it?

Robin Lutz, executive director at the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association, or 4-As, said the organization has been talking with people newly diagnosed with HIV. She said Alaskans face many barriers to accessing PrEP.

Akiak attempts to banish former VPO, alleged bootlegger

Akiak Native Community IRA Council issued a banishment order for Jacques Anthony Cooper, a former Village Police Officer they accuse of bootlegging. He denies the allegations and says the tribe turned against him on account of his law enforcement work. Listen now

Expecting higher pandemic traffic, hundreds of Alaskans ask for better Turnagain Pass plowing

More than 1,600 Alaskans are asking Governor Mike Dunleavy to restore money for snow plowing in Turnagain Pass, which they say is needed more than ever during the ongoing pandemic.

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.
a sunken boat

Roofs collapse, boats sink under the weight of Juneau’s heavy snow

Two storms have dropped more than 60 inches, which puts 2024 in a tie for the city’s second snowiest January.

Why lagging COVID vaccine rate at rural hospitals ‘needs to be fixed now’

A new survey conducted by the National Rural Health Association and Chartis Center for Rural Health showed that 30% of the 160 rural hospital executives who responded said less than half of their employees had been vaccinated — even though health care workers have been eligible for months now. Only about a third said that 70% or more of their staff were vaccinated.

With new letter, Alaska GOP Gov. Dunleavy stands alone in Pebble’s defense

Mike Dunleavy says he has a responsibility to pursue projects like Pebble -- if they can be safely built -- to help improve the plight of rural Alaska residents.

Audit Deems KABATA Project “Unreasonably Optimistic”

An audit of the Knik Arm bridge finds that the agency handling the project has "overstated" its traffic forecasts. Government auditors expect substantially less toll revenue as a result, leaving the state at risk of having to make up the shortfall.

Senator Stevens appears in Federal Court – Pleads "Not Guilty"

Senator Ted Stevens appeared in federal district court today in Washington DC, to plead “not guilty” to charges of making false statements.  He’s accused...

Governor agrees to reimburse state for children’s travel expenses

Governor Sarah Palin will reimburse the state for costs associated with nine trips taken by her children. The Governor's office says it will...

As lumber prices climb, Alaskans increasingly mill their own

A year and half ago, Rittgers said he was taking orders for one sawmill a week. Now, he and his daughter take deposits for three or four sawmills a day.