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 stretch of open highway

Interior sees record temperatures as former typhoon approaches Alaska

Some temperatures in the eastern Interior hit 90 degrees Sunday, as ex-Typhoon Ampil moves toward Western Alaska this week.

Hungry Alaska bears find a new prey: Katmai’s sea otters

One scientist speculates that some of Katmai's bears have long fed on seals, and simply added sea otters to their diets as the marine mammals returned to the area after their near-extinction caused by the fur trade.

Juneau Assembly To Decide Fate Of Haven House

The Juneau Assembly heard an appeal Monday night challenging a transitional home for women who are former inmates. Download Audio
A white and black Alaska husky

Found: Sled dog Jimbo from Richie Diehl’s team located in an Anchorage backyard

Race officials say Jimbo has eaten a meal and is in "good health."

State fines group opposing salmon habitat initiative for violating naming rule

The Alaska Public Offices Commission says the group violated a rule that requires an organization fighting an initiative to clearly state its opposition in its name. Listen now
A woman wearing a military uniform stands in front of a small plane.

Search and Rescue Airman uses her training to fly Alaska’s smallest planes | INDIE ALASKA

Jasmine Chavez is an Air Force veteran aspiring to be a bush pilot in Alaska.
A woman points to a stripe on a large blanket with many stripes of different colors and widths

Each row of this Kenai woman’s crochet project represents a day of COVID case data

The blanket is over 11 feet long and weighs 10 pounds. It represents more than a year of crocheting in front of the TV, watching cases spike and fall.
people walk by a COVID testing sign

New omicron subvariants now dominant in the U.S., raising fears of a winter surge

The subvariants — called BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — appear to be among the most adept yet at evading immunity from vaccination and previous infection.

Alaska Tribal Adoption Case Will Not Go to Supreme Court

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage The U.S. Supreme court has denied hearing an Alaska tribal adoption case, ending a four-year legal battle between the...

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.

Newtok to Congress: thank you for saving our village

The $15 million in this year’s spending bill is just a fraction of what Newtok needs to fund its relocation. But village leaders say it’s crucial seed money that will make everything else possible. Listen now
a man feeds his dogs

A tight pack of top Iditarod teams eye their next move at the halfway mark

Iditarod contenders are recalibrating their race strategies as the trail pushes through its most remote stretches.

DJs discuss the sound of the Arctic at NxN festival

On the tail of the Arctic Council meeting in Fairbanks last week, the Anchorage Museum hosted a multi-day series of events focused on the high north, including artists, academics and policy-makers. Listen now

Alaska Gasline Port Authority asks for reconsideration

The Alaska Gasline Port Authority is asking the state to reconsider its proposal for a natural gas pipeline. It was rejected by Governor...

New Loo Offers Relief In Busy Tourist Season

A ribbon cutting ceremony for a new public facility was held Thursday morning in downtown Ketchikan. The christening of the Stedman –Thomas Neighborhood Loo attracted about 40 people on a sunny and windy morning. Download Audio

Author of measure to cut Ketchikan library funding over LGBTQ content says he doubts it will pass

Former Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly member John Harrington says he filed the initiative petition this summer on behalf of a group of parents that object to LGBTQ content at the Ketchikan Public Library.
an airliner

Alaska Airlines to buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9B

The combined airlines will be based in Seattle, after a deal nearly a year in the making. Hawaiian Airlines will retain its corporate branding.

Fight over Senate B Seat Continues

Governor Palin last night (Tuesday) added another person to her list of candidates for the Senate District B seat representing Juneau, businessman Alan D....

House Fire Near Talkeetna Investigated as Possible Homicide-Suicide

Diana Haecker, KTNA – Talkeetna A house fire in the Talkeenta area is under investigation as a homicide-suicide case after the medical examiner found...