Alaska

A young bar-tailed godwit appears to have set a non-stop distance record for migratory birds by flying at least 8,435 miles from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania, a bird expert said Friday.

Two Russians who said they fled the country to avoid compulsory military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after landing on a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Sea, a senator's office said.

Virtually Alaska's entire shoreline is under some form of alert. Flood and storm warnings cover the west, and craft advisories cover both the Gulf of Alaska and the coast of the North Slope.

Shortly after researchers unearthed the mummified body of a 55,000-year-old Steppe bison in the Alaskan tundra, they sliced off a piece of its neck. To eat!

Under a voter-approved elections process being used for the first time in Alaska elections this year, party primaries have been scrapped and ranked choice voting is being used in general elections.

A construction crew in Alaska found the dog named Lulu in salmonberry bushes after first confusing her for a bear. The pet, which had lost more than 20 pounds, is being nursed back to health at home.

The top four vote-getters in the special primary advance to a special election, set for Aug. 16, in which ranked choice voting will be used.

The former vice presidential candidate filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for the late Don Young's House seat.

Young, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1973, was known for his brusque style. In later years in office, his off-color comments and gaffes sometimes overshadowed his work.

The "Americus Australis" gem weighs more than 11,800 carats and is one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence. It also has a long history.