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.”

Destruction and milkshakes in Sitka

A chocolate milkshake made the difference for Tess Heyburn, when a small plane crashed into and destroyed her Sitka home on Monday afternoon. KCAW's...

Talkeetna murder trial concludes

Closing arguments were heard today in the murder trial of Michael Lawson, a 49-year old Anchorage man accused of killing a young Talkeetna woman...

Investigation and recovery underway following Sitka small plane crash

Investigators have confirmed, but are not releasing, the names of the four people on board the small aircraft that went down in a residential...

Hubbard Glacier threatening salmon spawning in Situk River

One of Southeast Alaska’s few advancing glaciers continues to threaten the river that produces most of Yakutat’s salmon. The Hubbard Glacier came within a...

Yukon's Zelma Lake drains half away in just a month

In Canada, water is draining away in Old Crow at a catastrophic rate. A group of scientists is monitoring Zelma Lake on Old Crow...

Small plane crashes into downtown Sitka home

A small plane crashed into a home in downtown Sitka a little before 1:00 p.m. today. According to a press release from the Sitka...

NTSB issues preliminary report on fatal Ketchikan small plane crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says weather conditions were quickly deteriorating at the time of a fatal float plane crash two weeks ago...

Great white sharks prowling Alaskan waters

When you think about top predators in Alaska, Great White sharks probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind. But the giant fish...

Governor Palin calls for special October session on petroleum tax

Governor Palin today said she will call a special legislative session beginning October 18th to deal with changes to the oil and gas tax...

Could Minneapolis-style collapses affect Alaska's spans?

Yesterday the Federal Highway Administration advised state transportation departments to begin conducting inspections of bridges similar to the collapsed Interstate 35-W bridge in Minneapolis....

Two Fort Richardson paratroopers die in Iraq

The Army says two Fort Richardson paratroopers were killed Tuesday in Iraq. They were assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry...

Stevens, Murkowski and Young sign on to new ethics rules, with quibbles

The U.S. Senate today gave final Congressional approval to new ethics rules for federal lawmakers and more stringent controls on lobbyists and fundraising. The...

Governor Palin to call for special session on oil profits tax

Tomorrow Governor Palin will announce her plans for calling a special legislative session this fall on action needed to deal with the Petroleum Profits...

Pebble Mine ownership goes 50-50; may push project to final development

The much-debated Pebble Mine project near Iliamna just received a huge infusion of capital from mining giant Anglo American, the third-largest mining company in...

Proposed healthcare coverage expansion for children up for debate

Legislation to expand the federal program that provides funding for Denali KidCare was before the U.S. House and Senate today. The House passed a...

Water projects funding may be drained by Bush veto

A long-delayed authorization for federally-funded water projects around the country is on the verge of clearing Congress -- but the Bush Administration is threatening...

Unregulated international fishing activity frustrating Stevens

During a Commerce Department oversight hearing today, Senator Ted Stevens asked Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez about combating International Unregulated, Unreported (IUU) fisheries. Stevens says...

Watchdogs: Drop Stevens from committees now; Senators: Let investigation proceed

A day after federal law officers searched Senator Ted Stevens Girdwood home, Senate colleagues urged caution before jumping to conclusions that he's caught up...

Republican House leader Boehner declines to take action against Don Young

Meanwhile, as conjecture and suspicion swirls around the latest Stevens news, Don Young's legal troubles drew comments from Republican Minority Leader John Boehner. Boehner...

Coastal erosion in northern Alaska's NPR-A doubled in last 50 years

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed a new study of coastal erosion in the Northeast portion of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The...