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.”

Two reporters sit at a desk with a third reporter on a zoom monitor.

What to expect from the 2024 legislature | Alaska Insight

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Alaska Public Media's Legislative Reporter Eric Stone, and Anchorage Daily News Politics Reporter Iris Samuels to discuss what to expect from this year's session.
Merbok debris

Sweeping FEMA changes aim to eliminate red tape, financial burdens for disaster survivors

The changes won’t apply to hundreds in Western Alaska who are still cleaning up from spring floods and Typhoon Merbok.

Anchorage middle school reports suspected mumps case

Romig Middle School staff canceled after-school activities Thursday when they learned of the case. The school is being disinfected, pending test results.
Barack Obama

‘Cozy’ relationship between Boeing, feds draws scrutiny amid 737 Max 9 mess

Boeing's latest safety lapse renews concerns about its Beltway influence, and federal regulators' delegation of oversight authority to its employees.

Alaska Legislature fails to override governor’s veto of $87M in public school funding

The vote failed 33-26. Three quarters of the combined bodies, or 45 votes, would have been required to override the veto.
pillars and dome of u.s. capitol

Congress averts a shutdown until at least March, and Alaska’s delegation votes for the bipartisan stop-gap

Rep. Mary Peltola says a handful of "wrecking balls" can derail the House, but she hopes Speaker Johnson keeps his job.
a parking garage

EasyPark rates at Anchorage garages and lots will soon rise to $2 an hour

EasyPark officials say the rate increase, Anchorage's first since 2016, won't affect metered parking on Downtown streets.
Blue and red police lights.

Mat-Su Assembly urges residents to arm themselves amid crime fears

Borough Assembly members passed the resolution unopposed during a Tuesday meeting, after some residents asked how it would improve safety.
North Wind Apartments with "Now Leasing" sign (for rent)

Anchorage homeless rental program gets $1.5M boost

The Assembly also set aside $500,000 in alcohol tax revenue for a potential tiny home, transitional shelter pilot project.
Supreme Court photo

How a Supreme Court case about herring fishermen could upend federal regulation, on land and sea

An Alaska sustainable fisheries advocate calls it an "attempt to dismantle federal agencies and their authority to manage resources."
pipeline

State expects Willow and Pikka to push oil production up 30% by 2032

Natural Resources Commissioner John Boyle told lawmakers he expects a more than 30% production increase by the start of the 2033 fiscal year.
a power plant

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative proposes nearly 15% average rate increase

President and CEO Bill Stamm said that the cooperative is proposing a rate increase because “everything is more expensive.”
a poster

Alaska adults of childbearing age advised to get testing for syphilis

The state says all sexually active adults under 45 should get a test at least once this year, after new recommendations issued by federal health officials.
a newspaper box

Juneau Empire to get new owner as parent company faces revenue loss

Canada-based Black Press Media didn’t answer questions about layoffs or whether its three Alaska papers would continue to publish long-term.
Two people walk through a prison.

3 Alaska prison inmates die in 2024’s opening weeks

In the first 15 days of 2024, Alaska prisons have seen nearly a third of the entire statewide inmate death toll recorded last year.
a damaged airliner

Amid scrutiny, Boeing promises more quality checks. But is it enough?

The aircraft maker is under renewed pressure to strengthen quality management. But critics say a fundamental cultural shift is needed.
Senate president at desk

Education funding dominates first day of 2024 Alaska legislative session

Debates over education funding dominated as lawmakers gathered in Juneau Tuesday for the start of this year’s legislative session.

Supreme Court puts an end to Alaska governor’s lawsuit over union dues. The fight over how he paid for it lives on.

Gov. Dunleavy wanted to make it harder to deduct dues from union members' paychecks. The U.S. justices decline to hear the case.

Under a new executive director, Alaska’s LGBTQ+ health clinic is researching what queer Alaskans need

Alaska’s only health clinic centered on the needs of LGBTQ+ people has a new executive director. Identity Alaska in Anchorage serves patients in person and statewide through telehealth.
caribou

Oil field road traffic disrupts North Slope caribou more than previously recognized

A new study adds to mounting evidence about caribou sensitivity to roads, raising questions about further development in their habitat.