Dana Zigmund

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Staff at Bartlett Regional Hospital, seen here on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, will be among some of the first to receive a vaccine for COVID-19 once federal authorities give the go-ahead. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Bartlett Hospital considers 4% price increase

Despite the increase, fees remain low compared to other hospitals.

 

A skier makes a run at Eaglecrest Ski Area in January 2021. A perfect storm of heavy snow coupled with pandemic-weary residents eager for outside recreation resulted in an excellent season on the mountain and money in the bank. Ski area officials shared budget projections for the 2022 season with the city’s finance committee Wednesday night. (Courtesy Photo / Eaglecrest Ski Area)

Heavy snow drives successful ski season

Eaglecrest expects to bank money, reduce reliance on city money in 2022

 

Arriving passengers walk past a sign in the arrivals area at Heathrow Airport in London, during England’s third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began. On Tuesday, City and Borough of Juneau officials said the city has confirmed the first local case of a COVID-19 variant first detected in Britain. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

State lab ID’s British COVID variant in Juneau resident

Public health officials say variant acquired via community spread

 

A sign seen on a downtown Juneau business reminds customers that masks are required. As the percentage of vaccinated community members rises, officials are looking to the future and considering which COVID-19 mitigations to jettison and when. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

How will climbing vaccine rates affect the local mask mandate, traveler testing?

City officials consider future of mitigation measures.

A sign seen on a downtown Juneau business reminds customers that masks are required. As the percentage of vaccinated community members rises, officials are looking to the future and considering which COVID-19 mitigations to jettison and when. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Courtesy Photo / Kristin Bartlett Juneau School District Charlee Gribbon, infection preventionist at Bartlett Regional Hospital, vaccinates Juneau School District staff member Megan Freas. Freas was one of 86 people to get vaccinated on Friday as Juneau Public Schools hosted onsite vaccine clinics at Thunder Mountain High School and Juneau-Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé High School. Students age 16 and older and staff members were eligible to be vaccinated at the clinic.

CBJ introduces new vaccine strategy

Pop up clinics to replace mass vaccination clinics

Courtesy Photo / Kristin Bartlett Juneau School District Charlee Gribbon, infection preventionist at Bartlett Regional Hospital, vaccinates Juneau School District staff member Megan Freas. Freas was one of 86 people to get vaccinated on Friday as Juneau Public Schools hosted onsite vaccine clinics at Thunder Mountain High School and Juneau-Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé High School. Students age 16 and older and staff members were eligible to be vaccinated at the clinic.
After over 30 years at 3100 Channel Drive, the Juneau Empire offices are on the move. (Ben Hohenstatt /Juneau Empire File)

The Juneau Empire is on the move

Advertising and editorial staff are moving to Jordan Creek Center.

After over 30 years at 3100 Channel Drive, the Juneau Empire offices are on the move. (Ben Hohenstatt /Juneau Empire File)
Peter Segall / Juneau Empire At Wednesday night’s budget kick-off, officials said the city expects $12.8 million in revenue from the federal government, based on the American Rescue Plan. While this cash infusion is helping to stabilize the budget, another season without large cruise ship traffic is putting pressure on the sales tax revenue the city collects. In a typical year, businesses would be getting ready for the flood of local tourists but with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, Alaska’s cruise ship season remains uncertain and Juneau’s downtown waterfront sits empty on Monday, April 5, 2021.

City kicks off the budget-review process

Federal money provides relief from lost cruise ship sales tax revenue.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire At Wednesday night’s budget kick-off, officials said the city expects $12.8 million in revenue from the federal government, based on the American Rescue Plan. While this cash infusion is helping to stabilize the budget, another season without large cruise ship traffic is putting pressure on the sales tax revenue the city collects. In a typical year, businesses would be getting ready for the flood of local tourists but with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, Alaska’s cruise ship season remains uncertain and Juneau’s downtown waterfront sits empty on Monday, April 5, 2021.
At Thursday's ribbon-cutting, Governor Mike Dunleavy said the electric bus is a “terrific bargain” as it only costs about 5 cents a kilowatt-hour to charge the 40-foot vehicle, which seats 40 people and can accommodate larger standing crowds if needed. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire)

Running on rain

Capital transit harnesses local hydropower

At Thursday's ribbon-cutting, Governor Mike Dunleavy said the electric bus is a “terrific bargain” as it only costs about 5 cents a kilowatt-hour to charge the 40-foot vehicle, which seats 40 people and can accommodate larger standing crowds if needed. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire)
Members of the Argus String Quartet play a Brown Bag Concert at the State Office Building on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, during the annual Juneau Jazz Classics Festival. COVID-19 forced the festival online in 2020, but organizers are looking forward to a hybrid festival in May. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire File)
Capital City Weekly

Live classical music will fill the air and airways in May

Juneau Jazz & Classics Festival will resume in a hybrid format

Members of the Argus String Quartet play a Brown Bag Concert at the State Office Building on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, during the annual Juneau Jazz Classics Festival. COVID-19 forced the festival online in 2020, but organizers are looking forward to a hybrid festival in May. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire File)
The city's COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Centennial Hall are now Juneau's premier concert venue. On April 3, local strings group Dynamics followed Grammy-award-winning cellist, Zuill Bailey in a live concert at the clinic. Jayda Skeek, far left, musical coach and teacher Guohua Xia second to the left, students Jin Yue Trousil and Creys Hudson flank Bailey from left to right. (Courtesy Photo / Jim Pfitzer)
Capital City Weekly

City’s vaccination clinics double as live music venue

Musicians enhance vaccine experience

The city's COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Centennial Hall are now Juneau's premier concert venue. On April 3, local strings group Dynamics followed Grammy-award-winning cellist, Zuill Bailey in a live concert at the clinic. Jayda Skeek, far left, musical coach and teacher Guohua Xia second to the left, students Jin Yue Trousil and Creys Hudson flank Bailey from left to right. (Courtesy Photo / Jim Pfitzer)
Michael Penn /Juneau Empire File COVID-19 is preventing the Marie Drake Planetarium from hosting in-person Earth Day events. Instead, volunteers invite the submission of videos about caring for the Earth. The best videos will be shared in the fall when the planetarium re-opens and starts using the new digital projector. Rosemary Walling, a volunteer and board member of Friends of the Marie Drake Planetarium, views Saturn and its moons’ orbits as projected by a visiting digital projector from Seattle’s Museum of Flight in October 2019.

Planetarium prepares to celebrate COVID-cautious Earth Day

Submit a video about caring for the planet

Michael Penn /Juneau Empire File COVID-19 is preventing the Marie Drake Planetarium from hosting in-person Earth Day events. Instead, volunteers invite the submission of videos about caring for the Earth. The best videos will be shared in the fall when the planetarium re-opens and starts using the new digital projector. Rosemary Walling, a volunteer and board member of Friends of the Marie Drake Planetarium, views Saturn and its moons’ orbits as projected by a visiting digital projector from Seattle’s Museum of Flight in October 2019.
Teachers greeted students as they reentered school on Jan. 11 with distancing strategies and mitigation protocols in place at Floyd Dryden Middle School. After several months of partial week attendance to accommodate student cohorts, the school district is expanding in-person learning opportunities. Next week, middle and high school students will return to in-person school four days each week. Many elementary school students returned to four days this week. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

School district announces expansion of in-person learning

Middle and high school students to attend four days a week

Teachers greeted students as they reentered school on Jan. 11 with distancing strategies and mitigation protocols in place at Floyd Dryden Middle School. After several months of partial week attendance to accommodate student cohorts, the school district is expanding in-person learning opportunities. Next week, middle and high school students will return to in-person school four days each week. Many elementary school students returned to four days this week. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)
Rose Lawhorne, a longtime employee at Bartlett Regional Hospital, stands next to the new CEO nameplate outside her office on April 1. She takes over as CEO this week. Lawhorne first joined the hospital staff in 1993 and has worked her way up the ranks in a variety of roles. She expects to draw on her vast experience as she guides the hospital post-pandemic. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire)

Bartlett Regional Hospital’s new CEO is focused on stability

Longtime employee Rose Lawhorne steps into the top job this week

Rose Lawhorne, a longtime employee at Bartlett Regional Hospital, stands next to the new CEO nameplate outside her office on April 1. She takes over as CEO this week. Lawhorne first joined the hospital staff in 1993 and has worked her way up the ranks in a variety of roles. She expects to draw on her vast experience as she guides the hospital post-pandemic. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire)
Courtesy Photo/ Consortium for Ocean Leadership A group of students from Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé won the Tsunami Bowl, a regional ocean science academic competition that is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The team, which uses the name New Squids on the Dock, will join winners from 20 other regional bowls for virtual finals in May.

JDHS students win regional ocean science competition

Next up: virtual finals

Courtesy Photo/ Consortium for Ocean Leadership A group of students from Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé won the Tsunami Bowl, a regional ocean science academic competition that is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The team, which uses the name New Squids on the Dock, will join winners from 20 other regional bowls for virtual finals in May.
Second grade teacher Katie Koski reacts to the news that a student lost a tooth and was visited by the Tooth Fairy, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. Juneau’s students started this school year with distance learning. In January, some students started attending partial, in-person learning. Late Thursday, district officials announced a broader return to in-person learning for elementary school students. Starting next week, students will attend four full days each week. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

District expands schedule for in-person learning for elementary schools

School is in session.

Second grade teacher Katie Koski reacts to the news that a student lost a tooth and was visited by the Tooth Fairy, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. Juneau’s students started this school year with distance learning. In January, some students started attending partial, in-person learning. Late Thursday, district officials announced a broader return to in-person learning for elementary school students. Starting next week, students will attend four full days each week. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
The pageantry of western opera will join forces with the Tlingit culture’s rich history of storytelling, song and dance to create the world’s first Tlingit opera. The opera, which is currently untitled, will premiere at the Perseverance Theatre around 2025. (Courtesy Photo / Sealaska Heritage Institute)
Capital City Weekly

First-ever first Tlingit opera will premiere locally

It is a collaboration between Perseverance Theatre and the Sealaska Heritage Institute.

The pageantry of western opera will join forces with the Tlingit culture’s rich history of storytelling, song and dance to create the world’s first Tlingit opera. The opera, which is currently untitled, will premiere at the Perseverance Theatre around 2025. (Courtesy Photo / Sealaska Heritage Institute)
Roman Motyka, Juneau Nordic Ski Club board member, grooms the trail along Montana Creek Road on Dec. 29. A new trail could be in the works for the popular recreation area. The Juneau Off-Road Association submitted a request to build a hardened trail in the Montana Creek area, making it easier for people to operate all-terrain vehicles there. The proposed trail is approximately 6,800 feet long and 25 feet wide, containing about 3.90 acres and an additional quarter acre for a campsite. Other organizations who make use of the area have expressed reservations about the plan. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

A new road ahead? There’s a proposal for an access road at Montana Creek

State opens comment period for possible work.

Roman Motyka, Juneau Nordic Ski Club board member, grooms the trail along Montana Creek Road on Dec. 29. A new trail could be in the works for the popular recreation area. The Juneau Off-Road Association submitted a request to build a hardened trail in the Montana Creek area, making it easier for people to operate all-terrain vehicles there. The proposed trail is approximately 6,800 feet long and 25 feet wide, containing about 3.90 acres and an additional quarter acre for a campsite. Other organizations who make use of the area have expressed reservations about the plan. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Christine Woll is completing her first six months of service as a City and Borough of Juneau City Assembly member. Last October, she beat out three other candidates to win a three-year term representing District 2. (Courtesy Photo/Christine Woll)

Checking in with Juneau Assembly member Christine Woll

Her first six months of service have unfolded entirely on Zoom.

Christine Woll is completing her first six months of service as a City and Borough of Juneau City Assembly member. Last October, she beat out three other candidates to win a three-year term representing District 2. (Courtesy Photo/Christine Woll)
A new Systematic Racism Review Committee will soon be in place to guide Juneau’s municipal lawmakers as they consider future ordinances. City Assembly members established the committee late last year after racial justice protests took place in Juneau and around the country throughout the summer of 2020. Here, Lacey Davis attends a May 30, 2020, vigil honoring George Floyd, the man whose death while in police custody sparked protests worldwide. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Juneau seats members of the Systematic Racism Review committee

First meeting on April 1, policy review begins in July.

A new Systematic Racism Review Committee will soon be in place to guide Juneau’s municipal lawmakers as they consider future ordinances. City Assembly members established the committee late last year after racial justice protests took place in Juneau and around the country throughout the summer of 2020. Here, Lacey Davis attends a May 30, 2020, vigil honoring George Floyd, the man whose death while in police custody sparked protests worldwide. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
A panel of state and local experts answered questions and encouraged COVID-19 vaccinations during a moderated online discussion Wednesday evening. Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, encouraged all eligible Alaskans to get vaccinated as soon as possible to end the pandemic. Here, department of Veterans Affairs nurse Regina McComber applies a bandage to David Summers’ arm on the morning of March 13, 2021. Summers was among the veterans who were vaccinated at a VA clinic in Juneau. (Ben Hohenstatt/Juneau Empire)

An ounce of prevention through a shot in the arm

Experts gather to talk COVID vaccines, answer local questions.

A panel of state and local experts answered questions and encouraged COVID-19 vaccinations during a moderated online discussion Wednesday evening. Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, encouraged all eligible Alaskans to get vaccinated as soon as possible to end the pandemic. Here, department of Veterans Affairs nurse Regina McComber applies a bandage to David Summers’ arm on the morning of March 13, 2021. Summers was among the veterans who were vaccinated at a VA clinic in Juneau. (Ben Hohenstatt/Juneau Empire)