Featured Articles from KTUU.com

Fire fighters say they're starting to “roll into longer and more frequent wildfires,” due to the recent trend of dry conditions along with the typical lightening season, some human caused fires and a delayed “green-up.” There were 39 active wildfires as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center. The Alaska Division of Forestry says there were more than a dozen fires in the Interior, near McGrath and Tok. “This is the time of year when we get a little thin on resources and have to prioritize,” said Norm McDonald, Fire Management Officer with AK Division of Forestry, Mat-Su Area.

    An online video is offering a dramatic look at a 2012 plane crash near the Fairbanks International Airport that left two people with minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board's probable cause report on the crash of the Beechcraft F33A Bonanza, released Wednesday, says the aircraft was leading a group of 12 aircraft on a tour of Alaska when it took off from the airport on July 26. According to the report, pilot Dale Hemman reported that his preflight inspections and checks leading to takeoff didn't show any issues.

It is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the post office, and it's more than just long lines at customer service counters. Transporting the mail is a major process that takes the work of hundreds of men and women. "The holiday seasons are always busy, year after year," said USPS Spokesman Josh Phillips. Whether you're sending a letter across town or across the world, that small piece of mail starts or ends its journey in this massive sorting facility across the street from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

"We get a lot of people from the lower 48 and they actually think they're going fishing, but they're not," Melody Dosier, an Employment/Seafood Specialist at the midtown Job Center in Anchorage. Job experts say May could be the perfect time for those looking for seasonal jobs to apply. The latest national jobless numbers, released Friday, show a national rate dropping slightly from 7.6 percent to 7.5 percent. Alaska's unemployment numbers are typically released every third week of the month, but the most recent numbers shows the state's jobless rate at 6.6 percent in March.

What is Airwave ? Airwave is a groundbreaking new mobile application that allows users to live stream all newscasts and special reports from Channel 2 News in real-time. The application also features an “On Demand” function which automatically stores news broadcasts and special reports for up to seven days, giving users unparalleled access to Channel 2 News' award-winning broadcasts. What devices support Airwave? Airwave is available on any iOS or Android smart phone or tablet.

Two climbers died and two more were critically injured on Mount McKinley after a fall in Denali Pass Wednesday night, bringing the death toll for this year’s climbing season in the Alaska Range to seven in less than a month. The National Park Service says mountaineers at the 17,200-foot high camp saw the four-person rope team fall from the pass, at nearly 18,000 feet, at about 11 p.m. Wednesday. Air National Guard pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron reached the falling climbers, confirming that two had died in the fall.

A well-known Anchorage attorney, as well as a racer who withdrew from the 2013 Iron Dog snowmachine race, were seriously injured Sunday after a support plane following the race crashed. According to Alaska State Troopers, Robert Stone, 44, and Jason Wichman, 31, were in a chase plane that went down in Rainy Pass on Sunday afternoon. Stone is an Anchorage attorney, and Wichman had plans to race this year but withdrew because of an injury last week. Kalei Rupp, spokeswoman with the Alaska Air National Guard, said the plane crashed shortly after 3 p.m. about a mile from the Rainy Pass Lodge.

Outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops formally announced its plans to enter the Anchorage market Tuesday, saying it will open a 100,000-square-foot Mountain View store in time for 2013's fishing season. In a Tuesday statement, the chain praised the new store's location -- in the Glenn Square Shopping Center, on the Glenn Highway at its intersection with Mountain View Drive -- as convenient to both Merrill Field and anyone headed north from Anchorage for backcountry recreation. About 60,000 square feet of retail space at the shopping center is being fast-tracked for expansion to accommodate the store.

Father's Day is on Sunday, and right about now you're probably wondering what color of tie Dad might like this year. Or maybe you're not -- after all, Anchorage was honored as one of the worst-dressed cities in America, according to a recent poll . Since Carhartt doesn't yet make oil-resistant neckware, we put together a list of items we think dads might enjoy just a little bit more than the standard Father's Day gifts. These Alaskan-friendly gift ideas will get you started as you spend Saturday searching for the perfect last-minute-gift.

Designer drug users have become more prevalent in Downtown Anchorage than chronic inebriates, according to the security director for the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. Cory Evans addressed the extent of the problem during a free course Friday teaching people what designer drugs are, how to identify someone high on them and what to do. Former Anchorage prosecutor Jennifer Messick helped teach the course. "I would say we're at the beginning of the designer drug era, not anywhere near the end of it," Messick said.

A Homer man died Sunday afternoon after he lost control of his motorcycle and was struck by an oncoming pickup truck northeast of the town, according to Alaska State Troopers. A Monday AST dispatch says Travis Coffey, 34, was declared dead at the scene of the crash, Mile 19 of East End Road. Soldotna troopers received multiple 911 calls at about 2 p.m. reporting the 2000 Triumph motorcycle's crash, which occurred while Coffey and his friend were driving separate cycles. “Coffey was outbound on East End Road when he lost control of the motorcycle, sliding into the oncoming lane,” troopers wrote.

STORY UPDATED AT 8:38 p.m. 2/18/13: On day two of the Iron Dog race, five teams scratched, leaving 34 teams on the trail, as of early Tuesday evening. Iron Dog officials said mechanical issues hit three teams and injuries took two others, and said it has “ not yet received any word of any life threatening injuries .” Details of the injuries have yet to be released, but a couple of rookie teams scratched at the McGrath checkpoint due to injuries, including Team 4 of Chad Dow and Chris Kruse after declaring their 14-hour layover and took out Team 5 of Ray Chvastasz and Jens Hopson.

A helicopter crash near Delta Junction Tuesday killed a 63-year-old Missouri man, according to Alaska State Troopers and the National Transportation Safety Board. The crash, involving a McDonnell Douglas 600N helicopter owned by Aurora Aviation with only pilot James Hopper on board, occurred at a remote site of the Pogo gold mine about 5 p.m. Tuesday. AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen said Wednesday that Hopper was en route to pick up miners at the remote site when his chopper crashed into the side of a hill and rolled a considerable distance.