Alex McCarthy

The city-owned property at 9290 Hurlock Avenue currently houses a Juneau Youth Services building. (Courtesy photo | City and Borough of Juneau)

Applicants for Valley property share details of plans

Five local organizations are vying to take over a former Juneau Youth Services property, and representatives from each of them had a chance to speak… Continue reading

The city-owned property at 9290 Hurlock Avenue currently houses a Juneau Youth Services building. (Courtesy photo | City and Borough of Juneau)
Dee Longenbaugh at her desk at her bookshop, The Observatory, in Juneau, Alaska, on July 29, 2009. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Longtime business owner, community figure dies at 84

Longtime Juneau business owner and community figure Iris D. “Dee” Longenbaugh died at her Juneau home this past Friday, and word spread quickly. Longenbaugh, who… Continue reading

Dee Longenbaugh at her desk at her bookshop, The Observatory, in Juneau, Alaska, on July 29, 2009. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Debrah Clements, with her 19-month-old daughter, Ezmae, talks about the airport shopping district at their shop, Martha’s Flowers, in the Airport Shopping Center on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Businesses near airport band together

Small signs have begun popping up in the windows of businesses near the Juneau International Airport: “Proud member of Juneau’s Airport Shopping District.” Still in… Continue reading

Debrah Clements, with her 19-month-old daughter, Ezmae, talks about the airport shopping district at their shop, Martha’s Flowers, in the Airport Shopping Center on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
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Southeast Conference summit looks to lay out solutions to economic issues

More than 40 speakers will take a look at the future of the region’s economy at the Southeast Conference’s Mid-Session Summit this week. The conference,… Continue reading

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Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO of Hydro One Limited, left, listens to Dennis Vermillion, Senior Vice President of Avista Corp. and President of Avista Utilities, during a public meeting with leadership from AEL&P, Avista and Hydro One at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

RCA will address public questions, but not about Snettisham hydroelectric project

Juneau residents have filed an unusually high amount of public comments about the proposed purchase of the city’s electric utility, and the Regulatory Commission of… Continue reading

Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO of Hydro One Limited, left, listens to Dennis Vermillion, Senior Vice President of Avista Corp. and President of Avista Utilities, during a public meeting with leadership from AEL&P, Avista and Hydro One at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO of Hydro One Limited, center, gives an overview of the Ontario-based electric utility as Scott Morris, Avista Chairman, President and CEO, left, and Dennis Vermillion, Senior Vice President of Avista Corp. and President of Avista Utilities, listen during a public meeting with leadership from Hydro One, Avista and AEL&P at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Multiple organizations request new public comment period after lengthy Hydro One statement

This Monday night, Hydro One and Avista Corp. issued a joint reply to the dozens of comments that Juneau residents have made in reference to… Continue reading

Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO of Hydro One Limited, center, gives an overview of the Ontario-based electric utility as Scott Morris, Avista Chairman, President and CEO, left, and Dennis Vermillion, Senior Vice President of Avista Corp. and President of Avista Utilities, listen during a public meeting with leadership from Hydro One, Avista and AEL&P at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Annika Schwartz, left, Jinyue Trowsil, center, and Clara Don, all eighth grade students at Montessori Borealis, react with smiles after winning the Juneau School District final in the Battle of the Books at Floyd Dryden Middle School on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Battle of the Books team repeats as middle school champs

A dozen books, hundreds of pages and months of reading all led to Thursday afternoon for a group of Juneau middle school students. The annual… Continue reading

Annika Schwartz, left, Jinyue Trowsil, center, and Clara Don, all eighth grade students at Montessori Borealis, react with smiles after winning the Juneau School District final in the Battle of the Books at Floyd Dryden Middle School on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
The city-owned property at 9290 Hurlock Avenue currently houses a Juneau Youth Services building. (Courtesy photo | City and Borough of Juneau)

Glory Hole withdraws application to move to Valley

The Glory Hole Shelter will not be moving to the Mendenhall Valley anytime soon. This week, the shelter’s board of directors withdrew its application to… Continue reading

The city-owned property at 9290 Hurlock Avenue currently houses a Juneau Youth Services building. (Courtesy photo | City and Borough of Juneau)
Jane Lindsey, director at Juneau-Douglas City Museum, talks on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, about her upcoming retirement. Lindsey has worked at the museum for 18 years and has been the director since 2005. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Museum director retiring after 13 years

For the past 18 years, Jane Lindsey has tried to answer a key question for the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. “How do you tell a pretty… Continue reading

Jane Lindsey, director at Juneau-Douglas City Museum, talks on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, about her upcoming retirement. Lindsey has worked at the museum for 18 years and has been the director since 2005. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Juneau School District Director of Student Services Bridget Weiss, right, and Superintendent Dr. Mark Miller talk about the district’s decision on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, to send a formal request to the Alaska School Activities Association to consolidate its football, cheer and hockey teams to Juneau-Douglas High School. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

City on verge of committing funds to Pre-K programs

City officials are on the verge of something they haven’t done in recent memory: committing money specifically for early childhood education. A count of students… Continue reading

Juneau School District Director of Student Services Bridget Weiss, right, and Superintendent Dr. Mark Miller talk about the district’s decision on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, to send a formal request to the Alaska School Activities Association to consolidate its football, cheer and hockey teams to Juneau-Douglas High School. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Avista, Hydro One file response to critics of proposed purchase

The proposed purchase of Juneau’s electric utility has drawn a massive amount of local response, much of it wary of Canadian electric company Hydro One… Continue reading

Michael Penn | Juneau Empire  A Capital Towing company employee pulls a vehicle up the embankment at Twin Lakes on Tuesday. The driver suffered minor injuries in the one vehicle accident.

Car slides off road, takes a tumble near Twin Lakes

As a driver came around a curve on Douglas Highway on Tuesday evening, he saw the flashing lights of a school bus and tried to… Continue reading

Michael Penn | Juneau Empire  A Capital Towing company employee pulls a vehicle up the embankment at Twin Lakes on Tuesday. The driver suffered minor injuries in the one vehicle accident.
City Manager Rorie Watt (left) speaks as City Attorney Amy Mead listens during the Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 Committee of the Whole meeting. Watt will enter into negotiations with Alaska Electric Light & Power about the city’s priorities during Canadian company Hydro One’s purchase of AEL&P’s parent company, Avista Corp. If the Assembly decides to intervene in the process, Mead will head up that process. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

City officials pursuing ‘intervening’ in purchase of city’s utility

The City and Borough of Juneau is one step closer to becoming a so-called “intervener” in Canadian power company Hydro One’s purchase of the parent… Continue reading

City Manager Rorie Watt (left) speaks as City Attorney Amy Mead listens during the Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 Committee of the Whole meeting. Watt will enter into negotiations with Alaska Electric Light & Power about the city’s priorities during Canadian company Hydro One’s purchase of AEL&P’s parent company, Avista Corp. If the Assembly decides to intervene in the process, Mead will head up that process. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Smoke rises from a small fire on Douglas Island on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. The U.S. Forest Service extinguished the fire, as homes nearby were not in danger. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

Fire by Lucky Me doesn’t put homes in danger

On Sunday afternoon, white smoke began to rise over the trees on Douglas Island near Lucky Me, a community about a mile from the end… Continue reading

Smoke rises from a small fire on Douglas Island on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. The U.S. Forest Service extinguished the fire, as homes nearby were not in danger. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Former Rep. Beth Kerttula, left, introduces former University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh during a rally in support of state funding for the University of Alaska in front of the Capitol on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. University of Alaska Southeast Faculty Senate and Student Government hosted the event. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Education advocates gather at capitol to show support for University of Alaska system

Students, faculty and other supporters of the University of Alaska system had to hold tightly to their signs during a rally Friday on the steps… Continue reading

Former Rep. Beth Kerttula, left, introduces former University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh during a rally in support of state funding for the University of Alaska in front of the Capitol on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. University of Alaska Southeast Faculty Senate and Student Government hosted the event. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Former real estate agent sentenced to brief jail stay for stealing about $30K in company money

Almost two years after she was indicted for misusing tens of thousands of dollars while working as a real estate agent, Juneau woman Rosalinda Ainza,… Continue reading

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Domestic dispute ends in stabbing

Early Saturday morning, a domestic dispute on Gastineau Avenue turned bloody. According to a release from the Juneau Police Department, a neighbor called JPD at… Continue reading

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JPD tracks down man after standoff

What could have been a simple warrant arrest turned into a standoff Thursday night. When Juneau Police Department officers approached James Urbanec outside a Tongass… Continue reading

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Grants Administrator Linda Landvik, right, and Chief Integrated Services Officer Doug Harris, talk about the recent merging of JAMHI and NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) Juneau to make access to both organizations’ services more convenient for the community. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Nonprofits merge to combine mental health, addiction treatments

The timing was just right. Those at the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Juneau had been looking to partner with another agency… Continue reading

Grants Administrator Linda Landvik, right, and Chief Integrated Services Officer Doug Harris, talk about the recent merging of JAMHI and NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) Juneau to make access to both organizations’ services more convenient for the community. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Steve Behnke, the chair of the Juneau Commission on Sustainability’s Energy Committee, speaks to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Committee of the Whole on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018. The committee voted to forward the Renewable Energy Plan to the full Assembly, which will then vote on whether to adopt the goal of using 80 percent renewable energy by 2045. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

City moves closer to adopting ambitious energy use goal

City officials are one step closer to officially setting the goal to have Juneau be 80 percent renewable by 2045. By a unanimous vote Monday,… Continue reading

Steve Behnke, the chair of the Juneau Commission on Sustainability’s Energy Committee, speaks to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Committee of the Whole on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018. The committee voted to forward the Renewable Energy Plan to the full Assembly, which will then vote on whether to adopt the goal of using 80 percent renewable energy by 2045. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)