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The Juneau Police Department and other law enforcement agencies say they are prepared for the possibility of political violence at the Capitol building on the day of the presidential inauguration. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

No known threats of violence, but police say they’re prepared

“The Juneau Police Department and our partners have not received any specific threats,” the agency said.

Students re-entered Floyd Dryden Middle School on Monday with distancing strategies and mitigation protocols in place. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

News

Back in class: Re-entry goes smoothly, says superintendent

More than a thousand students returned to schools this week. There are more to come.

Trail Mix crew members Justine Webb, Sarah Wallace and Allison Mickleson move bridge approach timbers into place. (Courtesy photo / Ryan O’Shaughnessy)

News

Fundraising goal met for Treadwell Ditch Trail improvements

Trail Mix raised more than $230,000 from more than 300 donors, enabling completion by 2023.

Juneau City Hall. The City and Borough of Juneau has distributed nearly $5 million in household and individual assistance grants since October. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

All housing and most personal assistance grants processed

About $5 million in aid is flowing to households and individuals in Juneau.

The Brewer’s Guild of Alaska, a trade organization, is celebrating AK Beer Month through Feb. 14 with a scavenger hunt, beer releases and other deals from breweries in Juneau and across Alaska. (Unsplash / Radovan)

Neighbors

Finally, something to stout about: AK Beer Month is here

In Juneau, the event will be marked with beer drops, deals and a scavenger hunt.

Winter sports enthusiasts set up for a run at Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Eaglecrest Ski Area)

News

Maybe it’s raining at sea level, but Eaglecrest is chillin’

Get up there. Good weekday conditions precede a rough forecast for the weekend.

Douglas Island, part of Tongass National Forest, breaks through the fog on Dec. 15. Sealaska Corporation announced Monday they would terminate logging operations in the Tongass this year. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

News

Sealaska to transition out of Tongass logging this year

The corporation announced Monday that it would focus on healthy ocean-based industries.

This photo shows vials of COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2020. Rollout to the next group of eligible recipients, Alaska residents 65 or over, has been weighted by technical issues and limited vaccine supplies. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

News

Vaccine slots filled within minutes — followed by uncertainty

While there was high demand in Juneau, the state’s vaccine website proved frustrating for many.

This photo shows the Juneau Empire building in July 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

News

The Empire welcomes new reporter

She’s a veteran of the news and communications business.

Cpl. Jose M. Barragan, a bulk fuel specialist with 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, prepares to conduct a live-fire and maneuver range in Fort Greely, Alaska, Feb. 11, 2020, prior to exercise Arctic Edge 20. (U.S. Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Christopher W. England)

News

Elected officials welcome Navy’s new Arctic strategy

The Arctic — and the Navy’s strategy — are changing.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire People gather to view a child through a window at Bartlett Regional Hospital on Dec. 15. Juneau and Alaska’s overall population is shrinking due to high numbers of emigrating boomers and low numbers of childbirths.

News

Few arrivals and many departures: Alaska and Juneau populations continue to shrink

With few exceptions, towns and cities across Alaska are shedding bodies.

Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium nurse Courtney Taber helps Arsenio “Pastor” Credo as he prepares to receive the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at the Ethel Lund Medical Center on Dec. 24, 2020. The City and Borough of Juneau will be holding a clinic to vaccinate seniors and medical professionals at Centennial Hall, with registration beginning on Jan. 11, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau to hold vaccine clinic for people 65 and up, health care workers

Appointments can be made starting at noon on Monday.

Kevin McCallister and Alexus Forehand smile with their recently born daughter, Madelynn Rose. The McCallisters of Skagway are the parents of the first baby born at Bartlett Regional Hospital in 2021. (Courtesy Photo / BRH)

News

Bartlett Regional Hospital welcomes first baby of 2021

The Skagway family will return home with a baby- and a boat.

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

News

Alaska leaders condemn violence at US Capitol

Many of Alaska’s elected representatives were on-site when rioters breached the building.

Abby Jones, an emergency worker for Capital City Fire/Rescue, checks in a Juneau resident for free asymptomatic testing on Dec. 31, 2021. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

City shares testing, vaccination updates

Less than 1 in 100 people being tested is coming up positive.

Petty Officer 1st Class Cynthia Oldham / USCG Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star navigates heavy seas in the Gulf of Alaska, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. The icebreaker is supporting an increasingly prioritized mission in the region, according the the Coast Guard.

News

Coast Guard icebreaker sets U.S. record for northernmost winter approach

The mission is as much to reaffirm presence as to train a new generation of coldwater sailors.

Sherri McDonald and Reid Tippets dry off after their annual dip in the water at Auke Recreation Picnic Area on New Years Day, Jan. 1, 2021. Tippets said he’d done the dip for 11 years in a row. The Polar Bear Dip, held for 30 years at Auke Rec, was canceled this year over pandemic concerns, but some individual households opted to make the dip with their families, with masks, distancing, and care very much in evidence, while other pods had fires or walked dogs next to the cold ocean. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

News

Photos: A (distanced) dip

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A bald eagle found near Montana Creek Road on Dec. 22 had to be euthanized due to injuries, visible here, received from a lead shot fired from a shotgun. The Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for information on the shooter. (Courtesy photo / Juneau Raptor Center)

News

Authorities investigate fatal shooting of bald eagle

The otherwise healthy, adult bird had to be euthanized for its injuries.

Sarah Palmer talks to a driver before administering a COVID-19 test. The City and Borough of Juneau is offering free, asymptomatic testing. The drive-thru testing is available daily through Jan. 10 with the exception of New Year’s Day. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

COVID-19 among leading causes of death for Alaska in 2020

When the final numbers come in, the disease may be fourth or fifth leading cause of death in-state.

Fireworks light up the sky above the Mendenhall Valley the evening of Dec. 31, 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

Police talk fireworks and New Year’s Eve safety

Don’t celebrate the end of 2020 too hard.