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 covid test in a us postal service envelope

Free COVID tests by mail are back, starting Monday

The Biden administration says it is trying to prepare for the fall and winter COVID season.
People are outside installing a water and sewer line.

Feds send $440M for water projects in Alaska villages

“It's 10 times the amount of Indian Health Service funding that we had been historically getting,” said Charissa Williar of ANTHC.
bears in a delivery truck

Alaska bears go viral after raiding doughnut van: ‘I’m still getting phone calls,’ store manager says

Shelly Deano says bears are common near the store she manages. But after a pair raided a doughnut delivery van, reporters worldwide are calling.
People sit at tables during a meeting.

Mat-Su library committee recommends removing 4 books from schools

The books include “It’s Perfectly Normal” by Robbie Harris and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison.
a building outside

Anchorage IT director resigns after Assembly pressures mayor for more information on scheme to challenge election

Weeks after an investigator’s report laid out inappropriate behavior, the mayor said he asked for the resignation.
a landslide

Juneau Assembly considers repealing 1980s-era development rules, hazard maps

The new proposal departs from previous attempts to adopt new, more precise hazard maps that would expand downtown homes' land use restrictions.
A building on a corner. The side reads "CITY HALL."

Anchorage’s costs for outside counsel rise amid city attorney shortage

Mayor Dave Bronson said the city is struggling to hire attorneys because of competition from the state and private sector.
Rocky coastline near Nome

Northern Alaska cable break repaired after 14 weeks of internet outages

GCI announced the repairs in an email to customers Monday, more than three months after the cable was cut in an ice scouring event near Prudhoe Bay.
a license plate

Alaska DMV considers eliminating license plate stickers

The DMV is also considering self-service kiosks, a mobile app to renew licenses and registration, and an AI chatbot to answer online questions.
A house that's under construction.

Anchorage Assembly to put off vote on residential zoning reform pending planners’ review 

The proposed residential zones generally allow for more density and more flexibility in terms of both land uses and types of buildings.

Anchorage scrambles to find enough housing for the homeless before winter sets in

With the first snow just weeks away, the city is scrambling to pull together housing options for more than 3,000 unsheltered residents.
people stand in a line, near a casket, as a crowd looks on in a school gym

Hundreds gather in Bethel to pay their respects to the Peltola family

“Well, Buzzy has filled the bleachers in this gym once again,” Ana Hoffman said to the crowd.
bears in a delivery truck

Bears raid a Krispy Kreme doughnut van in Anchorage

The van was stopped outside a convenience store on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson when the bears helped themselves to doughnut holes and other pastries.
Mountains and ocean from a plane window

Aviation experts say infrastructure gaps contribute to Alaska’s air fatality rate

Despite improvements, Alaska aviation safety still lags the rest of the country.
an orb

‘We don’t know what it is’: Scientists baffled by golden orb found in Gulf of Alaska

The orb is being sent along with other samples from the expedition to Washington, D.C. for identification.
a woman

Families affected by Juneau’s flood rebuild or reassess as recovery efforts drag on

Six weeks after Juneau's record-breaking glacial outburst flooding along the Mendenhall River, recovery is just beginning.
the State Office Building

Alaska begins process of examining workers’ pay for competitiveness

The state is seeking a contractor to perform a comparison of state pay in Alaska, pay in the private sector and pay among other governments.

What to know about the new COVID, flu and RSV shots in Alaska this fall  

Alaskans will soon be able to get the new COVID vaccine, with a new respiratory syncytial virus immunization for infants already available.
home builders

Does Alaska have an affordable housing crisis?

Across the state, homebuilding and vacancy rates are down. Rent, mortgage rates and home prices are up.
Two men sit at a desk, speaking with a woman sitting at the end.

Alaska’s Affordable Housing Crisis | Alaska Insight

Across Alaska, it’s a challenge to find affordable housing. Home building and vacancy rates are down, while rent, mortgage rates and home prices are up. The lack of affordable housing drives people into overcrowded homes and homelessness, or out of state. Some officials have begun referring to it as a housing crisis. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Anchorage Assembly Member Dr. Daniel Volland, and Nolan Klouda, Executive Director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development, to discuss the causes, and possible solutions, of Alaska's housing crunch.