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.”

Low teenage turnout for vaccine increases COVID case rate in Alaska

We’re a month into the school year and Alaska is experiencing peak Covid-19 cases and a hospital system at max capacity. Alaska Public Media’s Jeff Chen looks at how low teenage turnout for the Covid vaccine increases case rates in Alaska.

Congress Moving to Improve Health Care Law

Libby Casey, APRN – Washington DC Mark Begich says the U.S. Senate now has the votes to repeal an unpopular provision in the...
a mountain behind boats

Alaska’s Mount Edgecumbe volcano shows more signs of reawakening, scientists say

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is planning to install additional instruments on Southeast Alaska’s most prominent volcano.

Pipeline reopens after overnight shutdown

The trans-Alaska oil pipeline has reopened after an overnightshutdown and tankers began taking on oil at the Valdez tanker dock after the weather calmed...
A dark red suc with a taxi sign on it parked in an icy road

Recent shooting of Korean cab driver in Bethel leaves community reeling

Myoung Keun Lee was shot in the face on July 5 and survived the attack. It's the third violent attack on Korean cab drivers in Bethel since 2006.

State to repair parallel runway at Bethel airport next summer

The Alaska Department of Transportation plans to repave the runway after repairing the dips caused by melting permafrost.

As U.S. buys more guns, state agency has more dough than it can handle

The Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation is largely funded by a federal tax on the sale of guns and ammunition, and sales nationwide are booming. But now the division may have to give back a portion of its bounty. Download Audio

Anchorage Assembly considers adding paid parental leave for city workers after mayor revoked policy

It’s the second time in less than two years that Assembly member Austin Quinn-Davidson has attempted to secure paid parental leave for city workers.
A woman performs a break dancing move

Will this Alaskan be the first U.S. Olympic breakdancer in 2024? | INDIE ALASKA

Bri “Snap1” Pritchard is a b-girl from Anchorage who has competed and won breaking competitions across the country. She may be one of the first Olympic breakdancers.
A green yard with a silver building behind it

Former Anchorage Museum employees demand investigation into work environment under director

Five former employees charged the museum’s director, Julie Decker, with fostering an opaque, chaotic and stressful work environment.
a window that says Anchorage Police Department Anchorage Alaska

New draft policy for Anchorage police body cameras criticized for lack of transparency

The new draft comes almost six months after Anchorage voters approved the purchase of the cameras.

‘We’re still not safe’: Nome reckons with sex assaults

For months, the town has been grappling with calls for reform in a system that many claim ignores assault reports from Alaska Native women.

PrEP prevents HIV transmission and it’s free. Why can’t some Alaskans get it?

Robin Lutz, executive director at the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association, or 4-As, said the organization has been talking with people newly diagnosed with HIV. She said Alaskans face many barriers to accessing PrEP.
Float planes tied up in an artificial pond

2 dead, 2 seriously injured in Fairbanks plane crash

Two people were killed in a collision at a private airport in Fairbanks, and a third has life-threatening injuries.
A doctor gives a young girl a shot in her arm as she sits next to her mom.

Alaska expecting COVID-19 vaccines for wider group of kids in coming weeks

The state of Alaska is working on a plan to make sure kids can get vaccinated as soon as possible. State of Alaska Immunization Program Manager Matthew Bobo joined Alaska Public Media's Casey Grove to talk about those plans.
bears

Kodiak bear cubs caught on video after escaping from Florida trainer

Body camera footage shows an unusually playful interaction between the cubs and two people who found them on a Florida road in December.
The Mat-Su Borough School Board meeting on Feb. 21, 2024.

Mat-Su School Board bans 1 book after months of committee review

An advisory committee recommended removal of the novel “This Ends with Us,” for its depiction of domestic violence.

Could polar bears be saved using ANWR lands?

A long-time foe of oil drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has thrown a new argument into the...
soccer players on a field

Mat-Su schools’ ban on transgender girl athletes raises concern for ACLU, may violate federal law

Attempting to ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ teams constitutes illegal discrimination under the federal law known as Title IX, according to the ACLU of Alaska.

Sockeye fire verdict: Not guilty

The trial of Greg Imig and Amy Dewitt, accused of the 2015 Willow area wildfire known as the Sockeye fire came to a dramatic conclusion today. The married couple were found not guilty on all counts. Listen now