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.”

An oil rig in the water in the distancee

Alaska joins 12 other states to sue to undo Biden pause on US oil & gas lease sales

Thirteen states sued the Biden administration Wednesday to end a suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water and to reschedule canceled sales of offshore leases in waters including Cook Inlet.

AK: Orca ‘swims again’ thanks to Homer skeleton builders

Knowing how to assemble a whale skeleton is a rare skill. For a small group of students at Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College in Homer, rebuilding skeletons is all in a day’s work. Listen Now

Missing: Personal Information on Thousands of Alaskans

Personal information about more than 77,000Alaskans is missing -- and officials are concerned that it might have been the result of identity theft. The...
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.

Rescuers found lost Nunam Iqua children in a hole in the snow, huddled around the youngest child

When the searchers arrived, all four children were able to verbally respond to their questions. The searchers said they looked bad, and would not comment further on the children’s physical condition.

‘Like we opened a new business’: Anchorage restaurants adapt to life without dining rooms

Some restaurants are keeping the doors open by adapting to this new normal. But, the transition hasn’t been easy.

Indigenous Leaders Meet in Anchorage

Representatives from indigenous peoples all over the world are meeting this week in Anchorage to prepare for this winter’s climate treaty talks in Copenhagen. Steve...

$1,200 each – Governor Palin unveils her new energy assistance plan

Governor Sarah Palin this afternoon released her plan to help Alaskans meet the high cost of energy throughout the state. It will give...
An Alaska native teen with a black mask getting vaccinated

Alaskans ages 12 to 15 could get COVID-19 vaccine as early as Wednesday

The federal Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the age group. Now, the state is waiting for approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before it starts vaccinating children ages 12 to 15.
Goose Creek Prison. Photo by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA - Anchorage.

‘I don’t want to die from this’: 40% of incarcerated Alaskans contract COVID-19 despite visitation bans

Advocates, inmates, and families are frustrated about what they see as an inadequate and opaque response from the Department of Corrections.

18 more Alaskans, another nonresident seafood worker test positive for coronavirus, state says

The coronavirus cases include an outbreak at a transitional care center in Anchorage and a cluster of cases at the Nikiski Fire Service Area.

Parnell endorses Dunleavy for governor

The announcement came the same day that Mead Treadwell said he has the business experience needed to be governor – and Dunleavy doesn’t. Listen now
People in an assembly chamber cheering

Anchorage Assembly mask testimony has gone on as long as any in recent memory, with more to come

Thursday marks the Anchorage Assembly's sixth session scheduled for public testimony on an ordinance that would introduce a mask mandate for the city. Testimony has been heated, with people arrested at meetings and concerns about anti-Semitic behavior and homophobic remarks.

State works to interpret its newest oil tax credit overhaul

The state's tax division aims to have its interpretation of the newest oil and gas tax credit bill out by January. Listen now
A sign says Anchorage School District.

Anchorage School District administrators recommend closing 6 elementary schools

Closing all six schools could save the district between $3.5 and 4 million, or around 5% of the district's expected budget deficit.
A woman with blonde hair in a black sweatshirt.

‘So much hope’: Alaskans say peer support can make recovery possible

Peer mentors can now receive certification in Alaska to provide support for people in recovery from substance use and mental health issues.
A black and white photo of barracks near mountains and water

Berries, wildlife and toxic land: The continuing push to clean up contamination in rural Alaska

When a string of Yup'ik elders from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, all received the same cancer diagnoses, officials initially shrugged it off as a bizarre medical mystery. But not long after, a different village reported an increase in unusual cancer symptoms as well.
a flu vaccine shot

Alaska’s flu season continues to worsen, epidemiology reports show

Alaska’s flu season is worsening with no signs of leveling off, the latest surveillance report from the Alaska Department of Health showed on Wednesday.

Anchorage elections results favor Berkowitz, utility sale, Prop 1 failure

The majority of votes cast in Anchorage’s municipal elections are in. And while some races remain too close to call, a clear picture emerged Tuesday night on most of the candidates and measures. Listen now

Legislators Gara and French asking ethical questions of major oil companies

Two Alaska lawmakers are calling on major oil companies to disclose whether they coordinated with VECO while the company's executives were bribing state legislators...