Mark Sabbatini

A road north of Juneau would have to negotiate the steep terrain of the east side of Lynn Canal, pictured here in February of 2014. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file pohoto)

Juneau Access Road is on the map again, as DOT seeks bids for Lynn Canal transportation study

Project declared dead by Gov. Walker in 2017 to get another look, along with ferry options.

A road north of Juneau would have to negotiate the steep terrain of the east side of Lynn Canal, pictured here in February of 2014. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file pohoto)
The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Feb. 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Reinstatement of fired USDA employees ordered; local glacier center worker says no word yet from employer

Federal review board orders 45-day stay affecting nearly 6,000 workers while legal challenge is heard.

The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Feb. 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
The front page of the Juneau Empire on March 4, 1985. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The front page of the Juneau Empire on March 4, 1985. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
State Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) explains changes to House Bill 69 during a House Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

House education bill sent to floor with smaller $1,000 BSA hike, new policy changes

HB 69 also now includes additional charter school support, open enrollment within districts.

State Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) explains changes to House Bill 69 during a House Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
A building directory in Juneau’s federal building lists departments, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)

NOAA lease, Goldbelt contract among Juneau cuts at DOGE’s website

Trump administration also lists — then withdraws — Ketchikan Federal Building and other sites for possible sale.

A building directory in Juneau’s federal building lists departments, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Terry Allen rides his jet ski at Auke Lake on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Proposal for commercial Jet Ski tours originating downtown sinks before harbor board

Operator says he will seek different site after officials say he implied support that doesn’t exist.

Terry Allen rides his jet ski at Auke Lake on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo
A 1928 Kimball Theatre Pipe Organ in the atrium of the State Office Building is played by Christopher Nordwall on May 30, 2023, as he and Michael Ruppert work on restoring it to a condition suitable for public performances. The two tuners were only able to work on the organ during hours when the building was officially closed.

Here’s what’s happening for First Friday in March

Performance and presentation on historic SOB organ, community exhibit at city museum among events.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo
A 1928 Kimball Theatre Pipe Organ in the atrium of the State Office Building is played by Christopher Nordwall on May 30, 2023, as he and Michael Ruppert work on restoring it to a condition suitable for public performances. The two tuners were only able to work on the organ during hours when the building was officially closed.
The Juneau Courthouse on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Juneau man with child sexual abuse material conviction arrested again on similar charges

Taylor Funderburk, 25, pleaded guilty Feb. 14 to charges in 2021 case, new arrest came 11 days later.

The Juneau Courthouse on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The Cable Innovator, seen docked in Port Angeles, Washington, in May 2022, is scheduled to arrive in Sitka on Monday afternoon. It repaired a subsea communications cable in the vicinity last September and is being tasked with repairing further cable system damage that has knocked out phone and internet service to much of Southeast Alaska. (Creative Commons/DeVos Max)

Some phone and internet services get temporary fix as cable repair ship heads for Southeast Alaska

Same vessel that repaired damage near Sitka last September scheduled to arrive there Monday.

The Cable Innovator, seen docked in Port Angeles, Washington, in May 2022, is scheduled to arrive in Sitka on Monday afternoon. It repaired a subsea communications cable in the vicinity last September and is being tasked with repairing further cable system damage that has knocked out phone and internet service to much of Southeast Alaska. (Creative Commons/DeVos Max)
Passengers aboard an Alaska Marine Highway System vessel are seen on the cover of a draft 20-year plan for the ferry system released Friday. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

20-year plan for Alaska Marine Highway envisions better service, if government provides more money

Draft long-term plan calls for six new ships in eight-ship fleet; public comments open until March 30.

Passengers aboard an Alaska Marine Highway System vessel are seen on the cover of a draft 20-year plan for the ferry system released Friday. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)
A portable FirstNet cell tower to provide ATT service is set up in the parking lot of the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Friday afternoon following a widespread phone and internet outage that began Thursday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Phone and internet outage in Southeast continues Saturday with restoration timeline unknown

ACS says it is working on emergency fix after subsea cable damage; next update scheduled at 10 a.m. Sunday

A portable FirstNet cell tower to provide ATT service is set up in the parking lot of the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Friday afternoon following a widespread phone and internet outage that began Thursday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
President Donald Trump argues with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. For decades or longer, no American president has engaged in such an angry, scathing attack on a visiting foreign leader. And what really seemed to get under Trump’s skin were Zelenskyy’s harsh words about President Vladimir Putin of Russia. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Murkowski ‘sick to my stomach’ about Trump’s berating of Ukraine’s Zelensky in Oval Office

Senator says talk of president ending support for Ukraine, abandoning other allies “a threat to democracy.”

President Donald Trump argues with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. For decades or longer, no American president has engaged in such an angry, scathing attack on a visiting foreign leader. And what really seemed to get under Trump’s skin were Zelenskyy’s harsh words about President Vladimir Putin of Russia. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
A portable FirstNet cell tower to provide ATT service is set up in the parking lot of the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Friday afternoon following a widespread phone and internet outage that began Thursday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Update: Damage to subsea cable system severs phone, internet to much of Southeast; repair time unknown

CBJ regains online access, but phones still out; mixed connectivity elsewhere in town.

A portable FirstNet cell tower to provide ATT service is set up in the parking lot of the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Friday afternoon following a widespread phone and internet outage that began Thursday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The front page of the Juneau Empire on Feb. 23, 1995. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The front page of the Juneau Empire on Feb. 23, 1995. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel Rainier pulls into port at Coast Guard Station Juneau on Sept. 16, 2020 for rest and replenishment of stores. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)

Mass firings begin at NOAA as part of Trump’s federal government downsizing

More than 10% may be let go from agency that oversee weather forecasting, Suicide Basin monitoring.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel Rainier pulls into port at Coast Guard Station Juneau on Sept. 16, 2020 for rest and replenishment of stores. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Daniel Nichols, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, presents results from the organization’s Infrastructure Report Card for Alaska during a presentation Wednesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Daniel Nichols, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, presents results from the organization’s Infrastructure Report Card for Alaska during a presentation Wednesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Officials prepare to move Ashley Rae Johnston from the street where she was fatally shot by police on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2025, near the Mendenhall Valley Breeze In. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Investigation: Fatal shooting of woman with hatchet by JPD officer on Christmas Day justified

Ashley Rae Johnston threatened customers outside store and then police, state report finds.

Officials prepare to move Ashley Rae Johnston from the street where she was fatally shot by police on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2025, near the Mendenhall Valley Breeze In. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
State Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair Bert Stedman (R-Sitka), Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) and Senate President Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak) discuss budget, education and other issues during a press availability Tuesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Two top Alaska GOP leaders on Trump: ‘It’s like Christmas every day’…‘if all you expect is coal in your stocking’

Gov. Dunleavy cheery about state’s prospects; some Republican legislators grim about lost jobs, funds.

State Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair Bert Stedman (R-Sitka), Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) and Senate President Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak) discuss budget, education and other issues during a press availability Tuesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Juneau Assembly members and other visitors examine a meeting room in the Michael J. Burns Building formerly used by the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development on Monday, April 8, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Assembly OKs negotiations to relocate city offices to Burns building; concerns about cost linger

Building owners asking $12M for space assessed at $9.3M; city manager says alternatives are limited.

Juneau Assembly members and other visitors examine a meeting room in the Michael J. Burns Building formerly used by the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development on Monday, April 8, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Juneau Municipal Clerk Beth McEwen listens to a discussion during a Juneau Assembly meeting Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. She was named the Municipal Clerk of the Year by the Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks the previous week. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Juneau City Clerk Beth McEwen announces retirement after nearly 30 years with CBJ

Winner of statewide Municipal Employee of the Year in 2015 and Municipal Clerk of the Year in 2023.

Juneau Municipal Clerk Beth McEwen listens to a discussion during a Juneau Assembly meeting Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. She was named the Municipal Clerk of the Year by the Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks the previous week. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)