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 sonar image

Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane possibly spotted in the Pacific by exploration team

The discovery could solve the mystery of Earhart's disappearance with aviator Fred Noonan over the Pacific Ocean on a 1937 flight around the globe.
a ferry ramp

Proposal to put slot machines aboard Alaska ferries gets rough first reception

Gambling would be allowed only when ships are more than three miles off Alaska’s coasts, something already allowed aboard cruise ships.
Donald Trump

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to bar Trump from Alaska election ballots

The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred, appointed by Donald Trump, cited technical issues with the lawsuit's filing.
a man

Demand for minerals sparks fear of mining abuses on Indigenous peoples’ lands

Demand for lithium and other rare metals is soaring. But more than half of these mineral projects are on or near the lands of Indigenous peoples.
committee hearing testimony

Bill backed by Southeast communities would tighten hunting and fishing license residency requirements

Backers of the measure say it would close a loophole that makes it difficult for state wildlife troopers to prosecute nonresidents who obtain the cheaper resident licenses.
Pete Kaiser

Pete Kaiser wins his 8th Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race title

Kaiser arrived in Bethel at 9:25 a.m. Sunday, after distancing Matthew Failor and Travis Beals in the final hours of racing in frigid temperatures.
A woman wearing a beanie and blue coat shovels her driveway.

Overnight snow dump closes Southcentral Alaska schools, sets Anchorage seasonal record

More than a foot of snow blanketed Anchorage during Sunday night's storm, with snowfall set to taper off Monday and give way to subzero cold.

Psychedelic medicine task force would lay groundwork for therapeutic use in Alaska

The task force would look at the role psychedelics could play in addressing Alaska’s mental health crisis.
mushers

The 2024 Kuskokwim 300 is expected to be cold, but it certainly won’t be the coldest

Deep in the race archives, there’s a story about a race so cold it froze a half gallon of rum.
Newtok

‘Inequitable and inefficient’: New report criticizes feds’ climate change response system

For the dozens of Alaska Native communities weighing relocation because of climate change, the path forward isn’t clear.
Mike Dunleavy

Alaska Gov. Dunleavy: No VP inquiry from Trump

Dunleavy met Trump nine times during his presidency and offered an early endorsement in Trump's second presidential campaign.
a man in a suit

A dozen executive orders from Gov. Dunleavy draw scrutiny

The orders are largely aimed at eliminating or reorganizing state boards and commissions, and some lawmakers are skeptical.

Alaska inmates among 53 indicted in drug ring targeting communities, prosecutors say

The alleged drug traffickers sent fentanyl, among other drugs, to urban centers like Anchorage and Fairbanks, but also villages as far away as Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island.
a textbook

New textbook spurs speaking and teaching of Alutiiq language

The new textbook, from the Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak and the Alutiiq Museum, focuses on the language's Koniag dialect spoken in Kodiak.
a highway

Glenn Highway reopens after 37 vehicles crash on Knik River bridges, injuring 13

Troopers say the series of collisions in poor visibility began at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday. According to medics, none of the injuries were life-threatening.
an aircraft

Boeing’s quality control draws criticism as a whistleblower alleges lapses at factory

New revelations from an alleged whistleblower suggest Boeing could be at fault in this month's door plug blowout on a Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9.
a sunken boat

Roofs collapse, boats sink under the weight of Juneau’s heavy snow

Two storms have dropped more than 60 inches, which puts 2024 in a tie for the city’s second snowiest January.
a fire

6 dead in fire at Noorvik home

A woman and five children were believed to have been inside the residence Wednesday at the time of the fire, Alaska State Troopers said.
an airport

Dunleavy seeks to name Fairbanks airport after Alaska’s late Rep. Don Young

Gov. Mike Dunleavy's proposal comes just weeks after Anchorage's port was renamed the Don Young Port of Alaska.
Kasigluk

Kasigluk man dies after setting fire in jail holding cell

Troopers say Kyle V. White, 36, was intoxicated and being held at a tribal jail Tuesday when he used a lighter to ignite his mattress.