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The roundabout at the intersection of Mendenhall Loop Road and Stephen Richards Memorial Drive on Monday morning after it was reopened following a shooting between two men in vehicles shortly after midnight. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

News

Motorist fatally shoots driver he says was threatening him with a gun at Mendenhall Valley roundabout

Shooter released after initial JPD investigation; 16-year-old victim had pellet/BB-style CO2 rifle

State Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (right), I-Sitka, answers a question from Rep. Jubilee Underwood (right), R-Wasilla, about a bill increasing per-pupil public school funding during a House Education Committee meeting on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Legislators and governor form working group seeking quick education funding and policy package

Small bipartisan group plans to spend up to two weeks on plan as related bills are put on…

A worker paints over a wall mural featuring words such as “fairness,” “leadership,” “compassion,” “diversity” and “integrity” at the FBI Academy at Quantico on Wednesday. (Anonymous photo provided to The New York Times)

News

Mass deletion and alteration of federal websites includes Alaska reports and data

Forest Service climate assessment, Alaska Native education program, FEMA strategic plan among deletions.

A map shows properties within a proposed Local Improvement District whose owners could be charged nearly $6,300 each for the installation of a semi-permanent levee to protect the area from floods. (City and Borough of Juneau map)

News

81 of 466 property owners object to flood district plan ahead of Assembly vote on Monday

Residents in zone would have to pay about $6,300 each for barriers if plan approved.

The front page of the Juneau Empire on Jan. 24, 1995. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Empire Archives: Juneau’s history for the week ending Feb. 1

Three decades of capital city coverage.

A street sign on Pederson Hill. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

News

Effort to reduce street fatalities is first CBJ project put on hold due to Trump’s vow to slash federal budget

Open houses to get public input on grant-funded program canceled due to uncertainty about funds

Kate Sheehan (left foreground), director of the Alaska Division of Personnel and Labor Relations, and Paula Vrana, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, discuss an ongoing statewide salary study during a House State Affairs Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Dunleavy’s delay in releasing state salary study frustrates legislators, union leaders

Draft report to assess competitiveness completed last June, but not released publicly.

The front page of the Juneau Empire on Feb. 8, 1995. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Empire Archives: Juneau’s history for the week ending Feb. 8

Three decades of capital city coverage.

The renovated Edward K. Thomas Building, used by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, has been frequented in recent days by residents seeking tribal IDs. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Natives in Juneau rushing to get tribal IDs amidst fears of immigration detentions

115 IDs issued Tuesday is “incredibly not normal,” tribal president says; no local detentions confirmed.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé students, along with a handful of state legislators and staff members, march from the school to the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 4, 2024, in a protest seeking more state funding from lawmakers. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Alaska students rank 51st among 53 U.S. jurisdictions in 3 of 4 categories in annual ‘Nation’s Report Card’

Dunleavy administration says it shows failure of public schools, other say it reflects lack of funds.

Juneau Police Department cars are parked outside the downtown branch station on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

66% drop in reported drug crimes first half of ‘24, staffing woes continue, JPD states in annual report

Decline in drugs cases reflects shift to larger cases that take more time to investigate, chief says.

Mike Satre (left), chair of Eaglecrest Ski Area’s board of directors, talks about the resort’s plans with Mayor Beth Weldon and Juneau Assembly Member Neil Steininger following an Assembly Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday night at City Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Assembly members say they’re willing to loan Eaglecrest money until gondola is ready

Report criticizing ski area’s finances and maintenance also contains enough promise for city leaders.

State Sen. Löki Tobin (right), D-Anchorage, discusses possible impacts of a freeze on federal grants and loans during a press conference with other members of the Senate majority including Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Judge blocks Trump’s freeze on federal grants and loans until Monday

Alaska lawmaker says disruption “could be catastrophic” for education, homeless, other programs.

Guests ride the Porcupine chairlift at Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

News

Eaglecrest to open Ptarmigan lift to top of ski area on Wednesday

Hooter lift providing access to lower part of eastside terrain scheduled to open on Saturday.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivers his State of the State speech at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, with Senate President Gary Stevens, at left, and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, at right, in the background. (Klas Stolpe/Juneau Empire)

News

Gov. Dunleavy takes victory lap with selective portrayal of Alaska in second-to-last State of the State

Some legislators criticize “mixed messages” about cooperation, omission of problems needing work.

State Rep. Maxine Dibert (right), a Fairbanks Democrat, confers with Rep. Calvin Schrage (I-Anchorage) about a resolution opposing the change of Denali back to Mount McKinley during the House floor session at the Alaska State Capitol on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Alaska House majority rejects GOP effort to turn protest of Denali name change into Trump tribute

Resolution opposing restoration of Mt. McKinley name is first legislation to pass House this session.

President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington on Thursday, Jan., 23, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

News

White House freezes all federal grants and loans

Juneau leaders say city should be able to cope, but express concern about smaller towns and uncertainty.

Hosts and guests mingle at a fundraising brunch on behalf of the Alaska Cultural Trust at the Rie Muñoz Gallery on Sunday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Practicing the art of of seeking funds from lawmakers during a lean year at the Alaska State Capitol

Alaska Cultural Trust seeks $733,000 — $1 per resident — for grants it hopes to start awarding this…

Mount McKinley, officially renamed from Denali as of Friday, is seen in the distance. (National Park Service photo)

News

It’s official: Denali is again Mount McKinley

Interior Department says change effective as of Friday; Gulf of Mexico is also now Gulf of America.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) walks to the Senate chamber ahead of a vote at the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times)

News

Murkowski says she will vote against Hegseth, making her first GOP senator to oppose a Trump Cabinet pick

Defense Secretary nominee facing barrage of accusations including sexual assault, drinking.