Newscasts

KNBA NEWSCAST: Thursday, November 12, 2026

KNBA | By Rhonda McBride

Published November 12, 2026 at 11:11 AM AKST

Election day at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library in Juneau, Alaska on Nov. 3, 2026.

KNBA’s Top Stories:

ELECTION UPDATE: Alaska’s Senate race tightens and the governor’s race remains unsettled as thousands of ballots await counting—with more results expected tomorrow.

Clockwise from lower left, Paul Whitney, Chuck Winters, Chera Wackler and Dan Nelson participate in a candidate forum on Oct. 21, 2026 in Soldotna, Alaska.

SOLDOTNA MAYOR'S RACE: The saying that “Every vote counts” resonated in Soldotna yesterday. After a recount, Mayor Paul Whitney pulled ahead of his challenger by one vote. His opponent was ahead on election night, but absentee and question ballots changed the outcome.

Dempsey Woods Jr. hugs Walter Sampson after receiving the Alaska Federation of Natives’ Gin'tith Richard Frank Military Award in Anchorage on Oct. 23, 2026.

KOTZEBUE VETERAN. On Veterans Day yesterday, the community of Kotzebue celebrated Dempsy Woods Jr., whose family’s military service spans three generations. As KOTZ’s Desiree Hagen reports, Woods carried on that tradition of service under some extraordinary circumstances.

University of Kansas anthropology professor Kelly Graf (black shirt, closest to camera) watches as students Miles Roggero, Kyle Kohlstedt, Isaac Toups and Mia Harbort work to expand excavation at the Shég’ Xdaltth’i’ site in 2026.

ANCIENT DWELLING: Unearthing a home—and 13,800 years of history: researchers near Nenana reveal what may be the Western Hemisphere’s oldest known dwelling.