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 man stands at a podium, talking into a microphone

It’s August. A VIP is here to tell you where your federal infrastructure dollars are going.

The White House infrastructure coordinator is among a string of federal appointees who came to Alaska this month to announce big-dollar projects.
A person in a baseball hat works on a red road bike.

Volunteers at this Anchorage repair shop won’t fix your bike for you, but they will show you how

“Efficiency isn't the point,” said a volunteer at Off the Chain. “It's about people doing it themselves."
a mountain peak, through the clouds

First climber born and raised in Petersburg summits Devils Thumb

Kyle Knight reached the summit after a lifetime of watching the mountain, dreaming of the climb.
a portrait of a building with mountains in the background

Alaska state payroll department ‘one crisis away’ from workers going unpaid

Almost half of payroll processing jobs are unfilled, causing errors and delays.
people stand on the dock of a large boat as it approaches a glacier

Annual visitor spending near Alaska’s national parks: $1.2B

Alaska's national parks saw 2 million visitors last year. Their spending is down from the pre-pandemic high of $1.5 billion.
firefighters stand near charred forest

Some of Canada’s wildfires likely made worse by human-driven climate change

Climate change intensified eastern Canada's hot, dry, windy weather this summer. That made Quebec's enormous burns about twice as likely, according to a new study.

Anchorage ombudsman recommends firing city IT director for role in election challenge

Ombudsman Darrel Hess also says he believes there may have been a violation of state election law.
burning fire

Alaskan looking for aunt on Maui after wildfires connects via sticky note

Seward resident Judy Odhner asked someone in Maui to post a note on a board outside an evacuation center, looking for her Aunt Annie.
the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Former University of Alaska Fairbanks student sues school, alleging injuries from hot sauce

Ariel Lamp, who left the University of Alaska Fairbanks after the incident, filed suit for more than $100,000 in damages, plus costs.
two people pose for a photo

Alaska’s child care crisis is hitting foster families especially hard

Foster parents often get little notice before they receive a child, and they don't have time to sit on child care waitlists for months.
A man wearing a brown suit jacket and blue jeans stands in front a signpost while speaking into a microphone at Point Woronzof.

Indigenous Place Names Project celebrates 4th Anchorage-area signpost

The new marker along the Coastal Trail says “Nuch’ishtunt,” which means “the place protected from the wind” in Dena’ina Athabascan.
blueberries

New Sitka research could help berry pickers adjust to climate change

A new project at the Sitka Sound Science Center will closely monitor berry plants throughout the seasons, to help harvesters plan for the future.

Leaders in Huslia aim to convince residents to stay with affordable housing

The lack of affordable housing is a crisis across Alaska. It’s one of the reasons the state is losing working-age people every year.
a gavel

Alaska alleges ‘widespread fraud’ by Anchorage ATM business serving villages, small businesses

James Dainis, who owns the business, says the state is mistaken and dissatisfied customers will be refunded.

So far, most of Anchorage’s police technology tax levy has gone to upgrading dispatch service

While most of the attention on the 2021 tax was focused on body cameras, most of the money is going elsewhere.
A picture of a village taken from above in a small plane. The yellow wing is visible.

Western Alaskans send in their ‘American Idol’ auditions by boat and by plane

Show producers partnered with KNOM to create a unique audition process for Alaskans plagued by months of internet outages.
two hunters

‘We were all amazed’: Air Guardsmen save 2 hunters in precarious cliff rescue near Tonsina

A Guard helicopter pilot says the two hunters spent about two hours on the 6,000-foot cliff Friday before they were safely rescued.
A woman in a colorful patterned shirt sits at a desk.

Anchorage women-owned businesses form ‘Outdoor Alliance’ to help each other succeed

Women have been making inroads in the traditionally male-dominated industry, with female leaders apparently concentrated in Alaska.
a cross

2 men say they were sexually abused as children at Juneau’s Echo Ranch Bible Camp

Both men say Bradley Earl Reger’s trips to Echo Ranch gave him access to children with little or no supervision from other adults.
a bus

Tour bus lands in Ketchikan Creek

There were no passengers in the vehicle, owned by Alaska Coach Tours, and the driver was uninjured Wednesday morning.