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.”

an Eielson Air Force Base F-16

Air Force to send ‘Arctic Pay’ to most of its Alaska-based service members

JBER airmen can get a lump-sum payment of $1,000, or $2,000 if they have families. The bonus is double for those at Eielson.
A bunh of cables behind a box

Federal discount on broadband is ending for 25,000 Alaska families

A subsidy helping low-income families afford broadband is running out of money. The Biden administration wants Congress to keep it going.
Plaintiffs who sued the Mat-Su school district over their removal of 56 books without review.

Mat-Su schools book ban goes to federal judge for oral arguments

Parents and students sued the school district over the book removal of 56 books without review from school libraries last April.
a man

After years of trying, the U.S. government may finally mandate safer table saws

After years of false starts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission looks poised to mandate a blade safety brake on all new table saws sold in the U.S.
skiffs

Alaska fishermen and processing plants are in limbo as a state-backed seafood company teeters

"We are all sort of on pins and needles," said a local official in King Cove waiting to learn the fate of Peter Pan Seafoods’ shuttered plant.
a hospital

2 Alaska health care providers sue feds over millions in unpaid costs

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium are seeking about $34 million in contract support costs.
a hat

2 found dead after vehicle crashes into creek near Big Lake

Troopers say Michael Reagan, 52, and Binta Tabane, 30, were found dead Monday inside a vehicle spotted upside down in Meadow Creek.
cows

A person in Texas caught bird flu after exposure to cows that were thought to be ill

Livestock in Texas, Kansas and Michigan are confirmed to have the virus, and herds in New Mexico and Idaho have also tested positive.
A person leaves the sliding glass doors ofa pink building witha white sign above that says "Anchorage Health Department

Anchorage Health Department to offer low-cost baby check-ups

Families can bring babies up to 2 years old to the clinic for routine and preventative care.
a hospital

Juneau’s hospital gets $4M from feds to improve emergency department

The project will expand and renovate the south side of Bartlett Regional Hospital's emergency department with ventilation and electrical upgrades.
a grave

Volunteers uncover fate of Lost Alaskans sent to Oregon mental hospital a century ago

A 15-year volunteer effort is helping identify the fates of thousands of Alaskans who were shipped to a psychiatric hospital in Oregon.
a basketball hoop

Bills targeting trans people are on the rise nationwide and in Alaska — most focus on children

A state House committee has advanced legislation that would restrict the rights of Alaska trans kids.
a protestor

A conservative Oregon county attempts criminal prosecution of a federal employee

A U.S. Forest Service burn boss was due before a Grant County court Monday on charges after a 2022 controlled burn that spread onto private land.
a vole

Alaskapox no more: Newly discovered disease and virus is to be called ‘borealpox’

The disease and virus likely exists in the environment well beyond the state’s borders, making the new name more scientifically accurate, officials say.
A persons arm is seen holding a salmon

Judge rules for the feds in a lawsuit against the state of Alaska over subsistence fishing rights

The state can’t allow salmon fishing on a long stretch of the Kuskokwim River if their orders conflict with federal management decisions, the judge ruled.
the Cannery Loop natural gas storage station

Lots of ideas, but not much time, to address Cook Inlet gas crunch

Lawmakers are trying to figure out the best way forward — and utilities say they have months, not years, to settle on a plan.
Two women and a man sit at a desk on the set of Alaska Insight talking about Alaska Native representation in media.

Alaska Native representation in media | Alaska Insight

Hollywood movies and TV shows have traditionally leaned into stereotypes, too often portraying Indigenous Americans using racist tropes that ripple out from TV screens into society, tainting our perceptions of each other.
a woman

Fairbanks school board president apologizes after criticizing lawmakers’ veto-override votes

Brandy Harty had suggested lawmakers caved to threats from Gov. Mike Dunleavy to vote against overriding his veto of increased school spending.
a sign

Landslide-triggered tsunamis can strike without warning. Alaska researchers are trying to change that.

Human-caused climate change may lead to more wave-generating slides. A new method could help detect them in time.
a truck

After revisions Federal Highway Administration approves most of Alaska’s transportation plan

Federal officials still rejected six transportation projects, including $68.7 million toward the Port of Alaska repair project in Anchorage.