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.”

airliners

Airlines could soon be banned from charging fees for seating families together

The Biden administration has sought to eliminate airline "junk fees," unexpected and obscured additional costs on travel tickets.
a rendering

Plans to build Juneau’s fifth cruise ship dock can move forward after appeal attempt fails

The Juneau Assembly has sided with a state ruling that the project can legally move forward, despite concerns raised by an activist.
beds

Alaska adds millions to address domestic violence and sexual assault; advocates say more is needed

Service providers say the state’s programs need significant investment to make inroads on reduction.
a walrus calf

Young walrus rescued in Utqiagvik admitted to Alaska SeaLife Center

Staff at the Seward-based center say the female calf was likely left on its own after a walrus herd passed through a beach area.
Akiak

Akiak residents hope month-long power outage will end this week

Residents say the outage has been catastrophic for many who have lost freezers full of subsistence foods.
sockeye salmon

Illegal fishing shuts down Bristol Bay’s Egegik fishery

Last weekend’s closure may have marked the first time a regulation allowing state closures was used in Bristol Bay.
a man

Anchorage officers cleared in Kristopher Handy killing, as police release body camera video

A state investigation released Wednesday "generally corroborated" officers' accounts of events leading up to Handy's May 13 shooting.
the Juneau Assembly

Juneau residents call for more accountability after deadly police shooting

Juneau police officials say they plan to release body camera footage of Steven Kissack's shooting after an investigation is completed.
a group of men

Hamas accuses Israel of killing its top political leader while he was in Tehran

Hamas called Ismail Haniyeh's death "a dangerous event" that would have repercussions across the region.
a judge behind a bench

Alaska Supreme Court positioned to be majority-women for first time

Seven attorneys have thrown their name in the ring for a judicial position in Alaska’s Supreme Court. All seven candidates are women.
a man with a blue tie

Alaska judge’s cases under review after discovery of sexualized relationships with prosecutors

Defense attorneys say former Judge Joshua Kindred’s secret relationships might’ve led to unfair rulings against their clients.
a heat pump

Southeast and Southcentral Alaska awarded $38M to launch heat pump rebate program

Homeowners will be eligible for rebates between $4,000 up to $8,500, depending on household income.
the Alaska Supreme Court

After state judge keeps ranked choice repeal ballot measure, Alaska Supreme Court will weigh in

The Alaska Supreme Court is likely the last chance for opponents of the ranked choice voting repeal to prevent it from coming to a vote.
black bears

Bear cams begin streaming from wildlife area near Wrangell

More than a dozen high-school students worked this summer to install Anan Wildlife Observatory's first two online cameras.
Utqiagvik

NOAA selects Alaska projects for funding from its climate-resilience program

Federal climate resilience grants, including for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, are aimed at helping at-risk communities.
Akiak

Search continues for 2 missing after boat capsizes near Akiak

Search and rescue volunteers are focusing on an area upriver from where a female survivor was found clutching to the riverbank.
boat docks sit on dry, cracked earth

As the Great Salt Lake dries up, it’s also emitting millions of tons of CO2

A new study found that the drying Great Salt Lake in Utah is now a major source of the gas emissions that are causing the climate to warm.
Alaska public health laboratory

Chronic hepatitis C is recently on the decline in Alaska, state says

Infections are higher among Alaska Native people and in rural communities, though researchers say data may be skewed.
man stands at podium

HUD issues grant for 43 affordable homes in Anchorage

Cook Inlet Housing Authority has won a $6 million Indian Housing block grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
a protest

In Anchorage protest, woman’s family says she is convicted killer Brian Smith’s third victim

Cassandra Boskofsky’s family says she is the woman in photos on Smith’s phone released after his murder convictions this year.