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.”

Southcentral Alaska gas utility says high demand is straining gas storage system

“This is the most strained I’ve seen the system,” ENSTAR President John Sims said at a press conference Thursday.
A sign reads "Nesbett Courthouse," behind the sign, pedestrians walk on the sidewalk.

Homeschool ruling is on hold — but only through the end of June, judge rules

The judge’s order denying the state’s motion for a longer stay of the ruling also clarifies key aspects of the case.

Where to weep or cheer election returns in Anchorage

If your habit on election night was to roll down to the Egan Center and watch the returns projected onto the wall, forget about it. The Alaska Division of Elections has discontinued Election Central, due to budget constraints. But you don’t have to weep or cheer at home alone. In Anchorage, at least, people have options. Listen Now

Search for lost Denali hikers intensifies

Searchers in Denali National Park are ramping up efforts to find missing backpackers Abby Flantz and Erica Nelson. The searchnow involves 3 helicopters,...
A child with a mask and a doll gets a shot

FDA authorizes first COVID booster for children ages 5 to 11

The Food and Drug Administration expanded authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID vaccine to enable kids ages 5 to 11 who were vaccinated at least five months ago to get a third shot.

Rural Alaskans brace for impact as Power Cost Equalization funds disappear

As legislative gridlock continues over funds included in an annual sweep into state savings, rural Alaskans soon could see more expensive electricity bills.
A gray concrete building labeled Eklutna Power Plant along a snowy road

The governor has a big decision to make about the Eklutna River and hydro project. Here’s what to know. 

The governor has an Oct. 2 deadline to review the plan, comments, any alternatives, and try to smooth out any disagreements.

Tribal and State Summit Focuses on Suicide Prevention

A three-day gathering of tribal and state agencies focused on the staggering numbers of suicide in Alaska wrapped up today in Anchorage. Brenda Moore,...

2 hikers rescued from Kenai Peninsula Glacier

Two hikers who were stranded on a glacier on the southern Kenai Peninsula since Friday night, were rescued by crews with the Alaska Air National Guard just after noon on Tuesday. Download Audio

Counterfeit pills with fentanyl flood Alaska’s black market

Overdose deaths have been rising in Alaska for the past several years. Most of that is due to illegal fentanyl. And, it’s been showing up more and more in pills that look like prescription drugs, but are counterfeit.
An oil rig at Prudhoe Bay.

Murkowski sends letter questioning oil companies about drop in Alaska hire

Murkowski cited a recently released Alaska Department of Labor report, stating the share of out-of-state workers in Alaska's oil industry rose to 37.1 percent in 2016. Listen now
A woman smiles into a camera for a selfie in front of some snowy mountains

Here’s how a Bethel woman survived 2 nights on a mountainside after being charged by bears near Palmer

After getting lost on the trail, she said that she was charged by multiple bears and survived by eating last year’s cranberries.
People cut up meat in a kitchen.

On appeal, state wins right to challenge subsistence hunting decision for Kake

The state can try again to get a judge to rule that a 2020 emergency hunt was illegal.

How would lifting the Roadless Rule change Tongass logging? Not much, both sides say

But at a U.S. House hearing Wednesday, people for and against the rule agreed that removing the roadless restrictions won't make much difference for an industry that's already a shadow of its former self.

Democratic presidential candidates spent seven hours talking climate change. Alaska wasn’t discussed.

In the first-ever prime-time presidential climate change forum, Democratics spent seven hours on the issue. But there was no substantive discussion of Alaska, even though the state is one of the most affected by global warming.

Why Alaska utilities can build now, ask for rate increases later

Alaska’s privately owned electric utilities can’t increase their rates overnight. They first have to go through a process with the state’s regulatory commission to demonstrate a need. That’s what Juneau’s utility — AEL&P — is at the beginning stages of doing. But customers get little say about projects already on the books. Listen Now

Crab fisherman overboard and missing northwest of Cold Bay

A crab fisherman aboard the Kodiak-based Seabrooke fell overboard this morning when his foot got tangled in a line while he was setting pots...
people in wooden desks on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives

Alaska Legislature breaks record for days in session, with frustration rising to the surface

The Alaska Legislature set a record on Thursday for the number of days that it’s been in session in a year — 212. But that doesn’t mean lawmakers have been in the Capitol lately. There’s an impasse on what changes should be made to balance the state’s budget in the long term. 
Solomon Atkinson

U.S. Navy to name ship after Metlakatla veteran Solomon Atkinson

The decision was announced last week by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Metlakatla’s Founders’ Day holiday, Aug. 7.
dog jumps into the air after a toy his handler threw

Dozens of diving dogs test just how far they can jump in Palmer

Dogs and their owners took to the water for the 2022 Alaskan Diving Dogs Qualifier.