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.”

a man surrounded by cameras and phones

Edgmon and Stutes ask Dunleavy to keep his distance from Pebble’s permit quest

In the secretly-recorded"Pebble Tapes," the CEO of Pebble promised an investor firm support from the governor.
A man in a suit faces a woman in a suit. they are in a wood-paneled room in front of a fireplace with a U.S. flag beside it.

Sen. Sullivan meets with Trump’s nominee to Supreme Court

Sullivan he said he met with the nominee, who indicated that she was a strong defender of the Second Amendment.
gross bear

Records: Alaska’s independent U.S. Senate candidate shot bear after “bloodcurdling scream”

Al Gross, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate, has touted the shooting in multiple campaign ads in his challenge to Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. A GOP research apparently filed records requests with the state to find out whether Gross really shot the bear.
A strip of river next to green land and neatly-arranged houses.

Mertarvik residents didn’t get primary ballots. The state says it didn’t know people lived there.

Materials for voting never arrived in Newtok, a sister village, from where absentee ballots were supposed to be taken to Mertarvik.
Two moviegoers

With niche films and empty seats, going to the movies in Anchorage feels different

While some people are nervous about getting back to the theaters, meaning more opportunities for those who choose to go.

Anchorage School District superintendent expects to postpone start of in-person classes

Anchorage Schools Superintendent Deena Bishop said she'll likely push back the return to in-person schooling because of a surge of COVID-19 infections in the city.

Alaska’s COVID-19 cases rise, worries grow over hospital capacity

Alaska has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases over the last week, including five deaths last Friday. Daily case counts had been hovering in the upper double digits earlier this month, but have been above a hundred cases a day for the last six days.
Sen. Maria Cantwel

Washington senator says Congress should block Pebble’s permit

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell says she’ll support a bill to block a permit for the Pebble Mine. She also wants an investigation into whether Pebble’s CEO lied to Congress.
The sign outside the federal courthouse in Anchorage along 7th Avenue with the museum in the background

Indictment: Drug conspiracy that sent kilos of heroin, meth to Alaska led to Anchorage man’s murder

The indictment names Jordan "Two-3" Shanholtzer, 33, as their leader and Matthew "Matt Matt" Moi, 35, as the trigger man in the murder, both described as formerly from Anchorage.
yellow trees along a country road

PHOTOS: As termination dust arrives, a look back at September in Southcentral Alaska

Southcentral Alaska is awash in gold and red, as temperatures slowly drop and winter approaches. Here are some images that capture the feelings and...

An initiative proposes to overhaul Alaska’s elections. But not everyone thinks they’re broken.

The initiative’s drafters argue that Alaska’s election system punishes bipartisanship and rewards partisan loyalty. And they’re proposing an overhaul, but they face opposition from those who say the state's elections work just fine.
Grey and white sled dogs howl in nblack harnesses

Yukon mushers struggle to feed dogs after poor salmon runs

Mushers usually rely on king and chum salmon - this year, both species have hadd poor returns.
A square tan and grey building

COVID-19 unemployment boost may arrive mid-October

A program to boost unemployment benefits for Alaskans out of work because of the pandemic is still weeks away from implementation.  In mid-August, the state...
A railroad track leading into yellow leaves

Trump to OK cross-border railroad line from Alaska to Canada

1,600-mile rail line from Alberta to Alaska would move potash, sulfur, bitumen, and other products from Canada to Alaska where it could be exported overseas.
A fat brown bear's bust

Haines mourns death of Speedy, the ‘Bearoness of the Chilkoot’

The bear was known to wait for people to pass by on the roadside in what appeared to be an attempt to let them pass.
A grey building with a red roof and wooden stairs leading ip next to a boardwalk

Thanks to the pandemic, Medicaid is covering more Alaskans than ever

While Medicaid enrollment has risen over 5% in Alaska since the start of the pandemic, that's less than the rise in most other states.
a person wearing a mask teaching students

‘It has exceeded my expectations’: Here’s what in-person school looks like in Mat-Su

By-and-large, students, teachers and administrators are happy to be back in schools, even if it means wearing uncomfortable masks.
A man in a blue hospital gown and a blue surgical mask passes a swab to a man in a blue hoody from across the table

Flying to Bethel? You could win $1,000 if you get tested for COVID-19

But the number of passengers getting tested at the airport hasn’t changed.

Fish and Game is looking for a black bear that followed and charged people in Anchorage park

The repeated run-ins with the bear were part of the reason that one children's camp decided to move out of Russian Jack to another park.