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.”

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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 satellite image of some streets

Assembly rejects putting millions of dollars toward East Anchorage homeless shelter

The proposal from Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration called for more than $11 million in funding to complete the partially-constructed shelter in East Anchorage.
a couple in a truck

2 Tennessee hikers survived 8 days lost in the woods east of Fairbanks

Jonas Bare said "by simple bad choices" he and Cynthia Hovsepian's three-hour hike turned into eight days of trying to survive in the woods near Fairbanks.
a group singing in front of the Alaska Capitol

New report highlights circumstances around hundreds of Alaska’s missing Indigenous people

The report includes 280 missing persons cases, some dating back to the 1960s.
a man and woman sit at a meeting table, listening

U.S. attorney general announces $22M to help tribes respond to crime and support victims

The U.S. attorney general says he came to Alaska mainly to listen, but also to give tribes what they’ve wanted for a long time: funding to help build a strong foundation for delivering tribal justice.
two men behind a podium, both in suits

Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from the first Republican debate

At the center of the stage, and the center of the debate’s hottest exchanges, was a 38-year-old man who no one expected to be there even a few months ago.
a man in a suit speaks behind a podium

Alaska appeals to U.S. Supreme Court in four-year-old union dues dispute

Judges have repeatedly ruled against the state’s effort to require union members to opt-in annually.
St. Paul Island

St. Paul Island transitions to village public safety officers amid years-long struggle to find stable law enforcement

The remote community hasn’t had a stable police force since 2021 after the entire police department and EMS personnel resigned over a COVID vaccine mandate.
a child reaches for salmon strips

Marshall’s tribal president speaks on the cultural toll of the Yukon River salmon crash

Salmon runs on the Yukon River have been dwindling for years, and the loss of commercial and subsistence fishing has hit communities hard.

Business leaders say Alaska’s child care crisis is hurting employers and economy

“This is a problem that is impacting their bottom line," said Kati Capozzi, president of the Alaska Chamber.
Power transmission lines on poles in the foreground, with mountains in the distance.

Anchorage will likely see higher bills with LNG imports, but some say renewables could delay that

The Northern Journal's Nat Herz reports that renewable energy advocates say conservation, along with more power generated from solar and wind projects, could delay a shift to LNG by up to five years.