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 woman smiles at the camera next to an image of a butchered salmon.

How to heal your soil on an island covered in volcanic ash | INDIE ALASKA

Marion Owen is learning how to repair Kodiak's dense, ashy soil through the power of compost to grow the garden of her dreams.

Anchorage schools resume classes post-earthquake, with some students relocated

Anchorage School District classes resumed today after being closed for more than a week following last month's magnitude 7.0 earthquake. While most of the students are in the schools they've attended all year, two schools had to relocate because of significant damage.

Sullivan calls in Corps to bash EPA over water rule

The controversial “Waters of the U.S.” rule took effect in most states this summer, redefining which bodies of water are covered by the Clean Water Act. While legal challenges progress, the WOTUS rule remains a political hot button. Sen. Dan Sullivan pushed that button at a hearing this morning. Download Audio

Dunleavy points to university budget cut agreement as a model

Nonprofit leaders have said they’re open to working with the governor. But it’s unclear how the approach will work in practice.
A sign says Anchorage School District.

Anchorage’s Service High principal resigns after investigation into ‘community concerns’

Allen Wardlaw had been on administrative leave since April when the district said it launched an investigation into concerns linked to him.

Trump says King Cove road ‘almost completed’

Trump said a controversial road through the Izembek Refuge will be finished soon. It hasn't begun. Murkowski made a pitch for bipartisanship. With cameras rolling, they spent two-and-a-half minutes politely talking past each other. Listen now
three men in suits on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives

Future of education bill uncertain after rural lawmakers raise early objections

Three members representing areas off the road system voted against a key procedural question, throwing the future of the bill into limbo.

Murkowski: Mueller investigation must continue

"I think it is so important, it is so imperative, that this investigation be allowed to go forward," Murkowski said. "And it will take the course that it will take." She didn't commit to supporting a bill to protect Mueller from dismissal. Listen now
A helicopter over a steep, foggy hillside

The Beach Road landslide in Haines is stable for now but could slide again, report says

Geologists say that loose, saturated soil and weak bedrock were behind the December 2020 landslide.
A rid school building with an american flag on top

Mt. Edgecumbe student tests positive for coronavirus, prompting campus lockdown

Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka briefly locked down and quarantined around 25 students, after another student at the state-run boarding school tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week.
A square tan and grey building

State blames obsolete technology on delay in $300 weekly unemployment payments

Dunleavy says he hopes the state can start paying the benefits by the end of this week.
a person stands with a sign that reads "what? do we look like handmaidens?" in front of people at a rally

Abortion access advocates plan several Alaska rallies for Saturday

The rallies scheduled for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Homer come after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade last month, ruling that there is no constitutional right to an abortion.
A public health worker in a tent outside Juneau International Airport bags a freshly collected nasal swab for COVID-19 testing.

Alaska’s COVID hospitalizations hit another record high

The state health department on Wednesday reported 161 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 801 new coronavirus infections.
Cooked turkey on top of a cutting board, next to trays of orange and white platters of food.

For pandemic Thanksgiving, a growing group of Anchorage restaurants are cooking

Amid months of uncertainty and pandemic disruptions, Anchorage restaurant owners say demand for Thanksgiving dinner to-go has been an unexpected boost for business.

Tuckerman Babcock retires from Dunleavy administration

Tuckerman Babcock's resignation letter went out late Friday along with a media release with a statement from Dunleavy thanking Babcock for his service.

Caribou Emigrate From Adak; Feds Struggle to Stop the Spread

Every summer, a team of federal exterminators set up shop in the southwest corners of the state. Their job is to root out non-native animals that might disturb the Alaska Maritime wildlife refuge. Besides the usual rats and foxes, the refuge managers decided to target a new pest this season. Download Audio

$100 Oil: A mixed bag for Alaskans

The price of oil briefly eclipsed $100 per barrel for the first time today. The news is a mixed blessing for Alaskans, who...

Cape Greig walrus are back, ADF&G plans changed fishery boundary again

Last year thousands of Pacific walrus unexpectedly showed up at Cape Greig north of Ugashik Bay, delighting sightseers but complicating fishing and shipping in the busy fishing district. When they left in the fall, biologists were not sure if they would be back the following summer or not. Listen now
Woman with blonde hair in a purple dress stands at a podium

US Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka cited for commercial fishing without crewmember license

Troopers say the offense stems from a video the candidate posted to social media in July. Tshibaka is shown removing fish from a set net on the Kenai Peninsula as jaunty marching-band-style music plays in the background.

Iditarod Front-Runners Looking Forward To Time Away From Competition

The top-10 Iditarod mushers have arrived safely in Nome and their sled dogs are tucked in for a long rest in the dog yard. For most of the front-runners, a top-10 finish is nothing new. Download Audio