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.”

Anchorage leaders wrestle with how to respond to spree of police shootings

Not everyone is in agreement over what should be done, and how quickly to do it.
a collage of sample Alaska license plates

How ‘the license plate bill to end license plate bills’ finally passed

Lawmakers have long criticized the inconsequential bills. But they also weren’t willing to stop spending time on them -- until this year.
dogs

A dog camp atop a Juneau glacier keeps mushing afloat during Alaska’s summer tourism season

Mushers say the sport has become more expensive. Many of them are turning to tourism to pay the bills.
a vessel

NOAA study links massive Bering Sea snow crab loss to climate change

The new study deepens the connection between human-caused climate change and the crabs' die-off in recent years.
lawmakers

Alaska delegation asks Biden to act on Canadian mining near transboundary rivers

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Mary Peltola expressed concern over Canadian mining impacts on U.S. communities.
a vaccine

FDA approves two updated COVID vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to two updated COVID-19 vaccines to protect against recent variants of the coronavirus.
a road

Road section removed at Alaska’s Katmai National Park to protect archaeological sites

The road section, built in 2014 without proper tribal consultation, has now been removed, and the park has improved its procedures.
stickers on a table

Progressive candidates show unusual strength in Alaska state legislative primaries

But amid near-record-low turnout, experts warn against drawing conclusions before the November general election.

One of Alaska’s youngest convicted murderers won an appeal, opening door for others to be resentenced

A decision in an appeal by Winona Fletcher means other young defendants sent to prison for life can ask to have their sentences reexamined.
a storm

Third consecutive Bering Sea storm touches down on Alaska’s west coast

Meteorologists say the brunt of the storm is likely headed for the southern edge of the Seward Peninsula.
a building that says united states border inspection station on it has an american flag in front and two stop signs and signs instructing commercial trucks and buses to go in a specific lane.

Solar panels? A heat pump? Planners weigh how to make a remote Alaska border crossing more eco-friendly

The government is rebuilding its border crossing near Tok. Planners hope to reduce fossil fuel usage there by about 60%.
profile shots of three people

It’s Peltola, Begich, Dahlstrom in U.S. House race

The primary prunes the candidates from a dozen to four. Frequent candidate Gerald Heikes gained name recognition from a negative ad campaign.

Meet the chef making Alaska proud on PBS cooking show | INDIE ALASKA

https://youtu.be/uZjQg9m7nho Music by Universal Production Music

2 people injured in wolf attack while stopped on the Dalton Highway, troopers say

The people bitten Monday afternoon were treated in Fairbanks, troopers said. The wolf ran away after another motorist shot at it.
a home

Prosecutors find officer justified in deadly shooting of Anchorage woman during SWAT standoff

Officials determined that Sgt. John Butler was legally justified in shooting and killing 58-year-old Lisa Fordyce-Blair in June after a lengthy SWAT standoff at her home.
flooding

Coastal Yukon River faces flood advisory as lower Kuskokwim catalogs flood impacts

Meteorologists say Tropical Storm Ampil could back up the Yukon River, causing erosion and structural damage like that on the Kuskokwim.
Emergency sign at a hospital trauma center

CEOs earn big bucks at nonprofit hospitals. But does that benefit patients?

Some researchers wonder if CEOs' ballooning paychecks align with what’s best for patients and taxpayers.

Anchorage police say teenage girl walked toward officer with a knife before fatally shot

Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case released a few additional details about the shooting, but said much still remains under investigation.
A stretch of open highway

Interior sees record temperatures as former typhoon approaches Alaska

Some temperatures in the eastern Interior hit 90 degrees Sunday, as ex-Typhoon Ampil moves toward Western Alaska this week.
A man in a suit poses outside

Anchorage’s local government has a cash flow problem

It's another consequence of city bookkeepers’ delayed, but inevitable corrections to tangled and inconsistent financial recordkeeping.