James Brooks

  • 1410 Stories
  • Page 11 of 71
Jaden Capua-Flores, left, and Piper Robidoux, both 13, share a float as they cool off with other children at Auke Lake on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau sees first 80-degree day of 2018

Juneau’s thermometer reached a new high point for the year on Tuesday as the National Weather Service station at Juneau International Airport topped 80 degrees.… Continue reading

Jaden Capua-Flores, left, and Piper Robidoux, both 13, share a float as they cool off with other children at Auke Lake on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Alaska Supreme Court justice Joel Bolger is seen in a 2015 photo from the Alaska Court System. (Contributed photo) Alaska Supreme Court justice Joel Bolger is seen in a 2015 photo from the Alaska Court System. (Contributed photo)

Alaska Supreme Court elects new chief justice

Former Kodiak Superior Court judge Joel Bolger has been named chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, effective July 1. Bolger, who was appointed to… Continue reading

Alaska Supreme Court justice Joel Bolger is seen in a 2015 photo from the Alaska Court System. (Contributed photo) Alaska Supreme Court justice Joel Bolger is seen in a 2015 photo from the Alaska Court System. (Contributed photo)

Walker urges Trump administration to stop splitting children from parents

Gov. Bill Walker has joined opponents of the Trump administration’s effort to separate illegal immigrant children from their families. In a statement Tuesday, Walker called… Continue reading

Capital city loses jobs, wages between 2016 and 2017

Alaska’s ongoing recession has coincided with a plateau and decline in wages paid to Juneau workers, according to figures released by the Alaska Department of… Continue reading

Alaska Electric Light and Power Company’s Lemon Creek operations center in Juneau is seen July 19, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Alaska Electric Light and Power proposes steep rate cut

Alaska Electric Light and Power is proposing cheaper electricity for Juneau. On Friday, the capital city’s electric company filed a formal request with the Regulatory… Continue reading

Alaska Electric Light and Power Company’s Lemon Creek operations center in Juneau is seen July 19, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)
The Alaska Department of Labor building is seen in 2015. (Juneau Empire file)

Alaska job losses continue as recession enters third year

Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped a statistically insignificant 0.1 percent between April and May, according to preliminary figures from the Alaska Department of Labor,… Continue reading

The Alaska Department of Labor building is seen in 2015. (Juneau Empire file)
Chum salmon swim beneath the surface of Salmon Creek on Monday afternoon, Aug. 3, 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Ballot measure opponents get financial boost

Some of Alaska’s biggest mines are putting more money into their fight against a pro-fisheries ballot initiative scheduled for this fall’s general election. According to… Continue reading

Chum salmon swim beneath the surface of Salmon Creek on Monday afternoon, Aug. 3, 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Malfunction knocks out power briefly

A brief power outage Thursday evening interrupted electrical service for much of the City and Borough of Juneau. According to Alaska Electric Light and Power… Continue reading

Walker signs anti-crime bills

Correction: The Office of Victims’ rights, not the Violent Crimes Compensation Board, is in charge of restitution to victims under House Bill 216. This article… Continue reading

Captain Dan Blanchard, CEO of Uncruise Adventures, speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce during its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, June 14, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

UnCruise plans to push early tourist season for Southeast

Adventure cruise company UnCruise Adventures will spend as much as three quarters of a million dollars to expand the spring tourism season, CEO Dan Blanchard… Continue reading

Captain Dan Blanchard, CEO of Uncruise Adventures, speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce during its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, June 14, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Ryan Friend, left, loses to Ralph “Animal” Austin during the log rolling contest at the 27th Annual Gold Rush Days Competition at Savikko Park on Sunday, June 18, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

This is how we roll: Lessons in log-rolling from some of Southeast’s best

On a sunny weekend day in June, take a walk along the Twin Lakes trail and look for a man atop a log. He might… Continue reading

Ryan Friend, left, loses to Ralph “Animal” Austin during the log rolling contest at the 27th Annual Gold Rush Days Competition at Savikko Park on Sunday, June 18, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signs state spending bills during a ceremony Wednesday at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Walker did perform some line-item vetoes, including rejecting funding for a bridge project that would link Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and a Vitamin D deficiency study. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Analysis: Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signs deficit-slashing budget, but ‘shadow deficit’ remains

On Wednesday in Anchorage, Gov. Bill Walker signed a $10.4 billion state operating budget, a $1.5 billion capital construction and renovation budget, a mental health… Continue reading

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker signs state spending bills during a ceremony Wednesday at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Walker did perform some line-item vetoes, including rejecting funding for a bridge project that would link Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and a Vitamin D deficiency study. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Walker keeps funding for Juneau Access but nixes money for Anchorage bridge

Gov. Bill Walker declined to veto additional money for the Juneau Access Project, but he did nix funding for another Alaska road-building project before signing… Continue reading

The C-SPAN traveling bus is seen in a 2017 file photo from the organization. The bus, and a team of seven people, will be visiting Juneau next week as part of a nationwide tour. (Courtesy photo)

C-SPAN roadshow will visit Juneau next week

The public affairs cable channel C-SPAN will bring a nationwide roadshow to Juneau next week with a two-day stay Monday and Tuesday in the capital… Continue reading

The C-SPAN traveling bus is seen in a 2017 file photo from the organization. The bus, and a team of seven people, will be visiting Juneau next week as part of a nationwide tour. (Courtesy photo)

Alaska Department of Labor considers safety standards for zipline industry

The state of Alaska may soon begin drafting universal safety standards for the state’s ziplines, which have become popular attractions for summer tourists. In July,… Continue reading

The back side of the Swan Lake reservoir near Ketchikan is seen in an undated photo from winter 2017-2018 provided by the Southeast Alaska Power Agency to the National Weather Service. At the time, water levels at Swan Lake were so low that hydropower production stopped, forcing Ketchikan to rely on diesel generation. (Courtesy photo)

Southeast Alaska dries up in rare problem: a drought

If it sounds unusual to have a drought in a rainforest, it is. Low snow and little rain combined to deliver an almost unprecedented drought… Continue reading

The back side of the Swan Lake reservoir near Ketchikan is seen in an undated photo from winter 2017-2018 provided by the Southeast Alaska Power Agency to the National Weather Service. At the time, water levels at Swan Lake were so low that hydropower production stopped, forcing Ketchikan to rely on diesel generation. (Courtesy photo)
Three incumbents face seven challengers for Goldbelt board

Three incumbents face seven challengers for Goldbelt board

Correction: An earlier version of this article reversed the definitions of “directed” and “discretionary” voting. It also did not note Goldbelt’s unique handling of discretionary… Continue reading

Three incumbents face seven challengers for Goldbelt board

Sealaska board voting deadline approaches

Correction: An earlier version of this article reversed the definitions of discretionary and directed voting. Three independents and five board-supported candidates are vying for five… Continue reading

This artistic rendering of the proposed Archipelago Properties development is seen in a 2017 document posted by the City and Borough of Juneau. Allen Grinalds, director of real estate for Morris Communications, parent company of Archipelago, said the final look of the development is still under consideration. (City and Borough of Juneau)

Developer plans more shops for South Franklin Street waterfront

The former parent company of the Juneau Empire is pressing ahead with plans for a 13,000 square-foot retail development on one of the last open… Continue reading

This artistic rendering of the proposed Archipelago Properties development is seen in a 2017 document posted by the City and Borough of Juneau. Allen Grinalds, director of real estate for Morris Communications, parent company of Archipelago, said the final look of the development is still under consideration. (City and Borough of Juneau)
Marie Darlin was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame for her citizen advocacy for senior citizens and Alaska’s heritage in 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Advocate, historian and longtime Juneauite Marie Darlin dies at age 93

Juneau historian, community organizer and advocate Marie Darlin has died. She was 93 years old. Darlin, born in Juneau in 1925, was a third-generation Juneauite,… Continue reading

Marie Darlin was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame for her citizen advocacy for senior citizens and Alaska’s heritage in 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)