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Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Little chairs sit in stacks after the temporary closure of downtown Gold Creek Child Development Center in mid-January, and another closure shortly followed, leaving dozens of families scrambling to find child care. Now, providers are speaking out about the dire situation the industry finds itself in and what needs to be done to fix it.

News

A child care conundrum: Closures make local shortage worse, and providers say solutions may take a while.

“The crisis that we are having and experiencing right now, we are not alone in it.”

This image is a screen grab of an interactive online map that outlines the different pieces of vacant and underdeveloped property in Juneau. According to the map website, privately owned vacant parcels are highlighted yellow, CBJ Lands and Resources owned vacant parcels are highlighted pink and private developed properties below maximum allowable housing density are highlighted green. (Courtesy / City and Borough of Juneau)

News

City hopes new interactive map of vacant properties will expand housing opportunities

“It’s one more tool in the toolbox.”

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire A handful of workers clean the floors of the Centennial Hall ballroom Wednesday evening as renovations continue. According to project’s manager, the renovation are expected to be completed in early August.

News

Ballroom blitz: Centennial Hall space takes on a new look amid closure for renovations.

Rennovations expected to complete in early August

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Arsenio “Pastor” Credo and other Alaska Native veterans listen to a presentation Thursday afternoon how to apply for up to 160 acres of the more than 27 million acres of public land available to Alaska Native veterans who were unable to apply for their acres of in-state land due to serving during the Vietnam War.

News

Millions of acres are available for Vietnam-era Alaska Native veterans, but many in Southeast don’t want it

‘We want Southeast Alaska.’

Juneau-based photographer Mark Kelley smiles next to a photo he took that was a part of his award-winning portfolio featured in the 2022 National Wildlife Magazine photo contest. The annual competition that receives more than 30,000 photos submitted by over 3,100 photographers with images coming in from across the globe. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau resident wins prestigious wildlife photography award

“I think for a wildlife photographer it’s the world’s highest compliment.”

A parcel of land just off the corner of Capital Avenue and Village Street in downtown Juneau was approved to be the first parcel of land owned by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska to be put into federal trust, however, the state of Alaska filed a lawsuit against the federal government and asked the U.S. District Court of Alaska to reverse the federal government’s decision, return the land to Tlingit and Haida and stop future land-into-trust applications. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

State sues feds over Tlingit and Haida land trust

Suit calls DOI decision capricious; Tlingit and Haida president says complaint is mean-spirited.

The Tazlina is docked at the Auke Bay ferry terminal in this November 2021 photo. The Alaska Marine Highway System announced an opportunity to submit written comments about the draft schedule summer schedule. The comment period is currently open and runs until Jan. 26. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

News

DOT seeks input on proposed summer ferry schedule

The public comment period runs until Jan. 26.

Early last week at the Juneau State Courthouse, a Juneau man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison for a felony related to suffocating and torturing one or multiple kittens in early 2020. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Juneau man sentenced to five years for torturing kittens

He was also sentenced on a drug charge.

Kat Moore and a group of volunteer singers sang mid way through the Alaska Music Summit on Saturday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. Moore was a speaker and performer at the event who traveled from Anchorage to attend. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Keynote speakers: Summit celebrates Alaska’s diverse musical ecosystem

Alaska Music Summit held in Juneau for the first time.

Players from the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears hockey team and the Soldotna High School Stars take tumble during the third period of their game Saturday afternoon. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Crimson Bears’ hockey defeated in a nail-biter overtime loss to Soldotna

JDHS coach said he’s hopeful for the remainder of the season

At its Tuesday night meeting the Juneau Board of Education OK’d a series of budget revisions that will balance the district’s operating fund deficit of over $620,000 along with its $63,000 deficit in total governmental funds it owes to the city. Members say it does not fix the district’s structural issues. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

School Board addresses deficits, members say the fix is a ‘Band-Aid’

The board OKs plan to ask Assembly for $2.5M in additional out-of-cap funding

The only electric bus enters the City Borough of Juneau Capital Transit’s bus barn in late August. Capital Transit is preparing for the addition of seven electric buses which are slated to hit Juneau’s roads sometime in summer of 2024. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Bus down: City preps for incoming electric bus fleet as its current electric bus remains out of commission

Capital Transit expects the new fleet to arrive during the summer of 2024

Bartlett Regional Hospital announced it is implementing a three-phase action plan to address its estimated $10 million deficit this fiscal year and its anticipated $2 million loss during the upcoming fiscal year. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

News

‘We’re in unprecedented territory as a hospital’: Bartlett Regional Hospital announces cost-cutting plans

Measures are to address its estimated $10M deficit this fiscal year, $2 million in upcoming year.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Amy Nye and her family await a ride after flying to Juneau from Seattle Wednesday morning. Juneau International Airport Manager Patty Wahto said no flights in or out of Juneau have been delayed due to the overnight outage to the Federal Administration Aviation Notice to Air Missions System caused more than 8,300 delayed flights and 1,200 cancellations across the U.S.

News

Juneau flights spared worst of U.S. flight disruptions

Airport manager monitoring situation after FAA system outage causes

Seven months after a June 2022 incident in which a dozen students and two adults drank chemical floor sealant served as milk during a Juneau School District summer program, the District Board of Education on Tuesday night narrowly voted against moving forward with a third-party investigation of the district’s emergency notification and public communication. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

School board nixes plans for ‘milk’ incident investigation

In narrow vote, members cited past investigations, fiscal impact as reasons for not moving forward.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Pieces of the gondola that the City and Borough of Juneau purchased from Galsterberg Ski Area in Austria sit scattered in the snow outside Eaglecrest Ski Area. At Monday night’s Assembly meeting the Assembly approved a deal in which Goldbelt Inc. would invest $10 million toward the installation and construction of the gondola project.

News

Gondola project on track for $10M investment

It is expected to open in the spring of 2027

Cruise ships line the downtown docks during a dark evening in late August. On Monday the Assembly voted to delay adopting cruise ship tourism policy objectives recommended by the Visitor Industry Task Force’s final report to allow for further public input. ( Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

City puts off adopting tourism task force recommendations, allows more public input

Move made to allow for additional public input.

The University of Alaska Southeast recently announced the selection of five final candidates in the running to fill its chancellor position six months ahead of the expected retirement of current Chancellor Karen Carey. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

University of Alaska Southeast announces chancellor finalists

The position is set to begin July 1, following the retirement of the university’s current chancellor

Reed Stoops bikes stationary with other athletes during a High Cadence Triathlon Team workout at the Dimond Park Field House Thursday evening. Many athletes are still deciding what to do after it was announced in mid-December the Ironman Group announced its decision to cancel the Ironman Alaska races for 2023 and 2024.

News

Ironman Alaska aftermath: Looking back at the impact of the first and — for now — last Ironman race in Alaska

Economic ripple could be felt across the state.

The privately owned 107-foot tugboat named Tagish sits submerged in the water next to the National Guard dock south of the downtown cruise ship docks Tuesday morning. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Sunken tugboat owner on tight deadline to recover vessel

According to the owner, the effort is expected to cost around $300,000.