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.”

Coast Guard calls off search for Japanese balloonist

The Coast Guard has ended its search for missing Japanese balloonist Michio Kanda. Kanda's hot air balloon disappeared in the North Pacific south of...

State Supreme Court hands down ruling on TAPS rates

The state Supreme Court today wrote what could be the final chapter in the litigation between the state and the other owners of the...

Gold reserves at Donlin Creek mine much larger than expected

Developers at the proposed Donlin Creek Gold Mine announced there's even more gold on site. Donlin Creek is located about 200 miles up the...

Alaska Senate may curtail national ID system

The Senate is considering a bill that would draw the line on the Federal government's attempts to have a national identification system. The "Real...

Bill to move legislative sessions to Anchorage gets hearing in the house

In an abbreviated hearing this morning, a bill relocating legislative sessions to Anchorage beginning in 2010 moved from the House State Affairs committee into...

Nikolski fuel crisis a disaster

The Aleutian village of Nikolski has declared its ongoing fuel crisis to be a disaster emergency and local leaders have appealed to the state...

Federal lands for state and Natives remain in limbo

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne acknowledged today that his department can't meet the goal of completing land conveyances to the state, Native corporations and individual...

Murkowski pushing for national arctic policy revisions

Senator Lisa Murkowski has been pushing several years for the Bush Administration to draw up a new set of Arctic policies. But she now...

Sportsmen come out in favor of climate change legislation

More than 670 hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation organizations have signed on to a letter with the National Wildlife Federation urging Congress to pass...

Shifting winds believed to play a major role in loss of arctic sea ice

A climatologist at the University of Washington says a change in wind direction may help explain the dramatic ice loss in the arctic ocean...

ExxonMobil agrees to sell North Slope natural gas

The company is the largest leaseholder of North Slope gas and has agreed to provide up to 10 billion cubic feet of gas per...

Lance Mackey leads Yukon Quest

Lance Mackey left the Slaven’s Cabin Dog Drop at 3:20 this morning after a 7 hour rest. Fairbanks rookie Ken Anderson left about two...

Iron Dog leaders distance themselves from the field

The leaders of the Iron Dog snowmachine race arrived at Nome this afternoon. Two teams have distanced themselves from the rest of the Iron...

New study expands Alaska's continental shelf

Sonar data from an Arctic mapping mission aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy this past summer suggests the continental shelf off Alaska might...

Coast Guard looks ahead to larger arctic role as ice recedes

The Head of the Coast Guard in Alaska spoke today about the challenges the agency faces in the arctic in the next 10 to...

Conservation group warning fishing industry of ocean acidification impacts

A statewide group of conservation-minded fishermen is calling on the industry to take action against ocean acidification. The Alaska Marine Conservation Council has been...

Governor proposes repeal of Certificate of Need law

Governor Palin’s proposal to eliminate a law that balances community needs with the brick and mortar of health care has local hospital administrators worried. ...

Anchorage school board approves budget

In a special session yesterday, the Anchorage School Board unanimously approved its proposed budget for 2008-2009. The board and administration's next step involves...

Environmentalists push for federal walrus safeguards

An environmental group is petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list Pacific Walrus under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological...

Interior Secretary justifies quick Chukchi lease sale

Today, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne used the numbers from yesterday’s Chukchi Sea oil and gas lease sale as a justification for not delaying the...