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Win Gruening (courtesy)

Opinion

Opinion: Affordability message delivered to Juneau Assembly; but will it matter?

On October 7, frustrated voters passed two ballot propositions aimed at making Juneau more affordable and decisively defeated…

Downtown Juneau experiences its first significant city-level snow fall of the season as pictured on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

Neighbors

Weekend guide for Dec. 12-14

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at jahc.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon 
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference in Juneau on Thursday, April 27, 2023. To his side is a screen displaying significant budget deficits and exhausted savings accounts if oil prices perform as expected.

News

Disasters, dividends and deficit: Alaska governor unveils first-draft state budget

In his final year, Gov. Dunleavy again proposes to spend from savings in order to pay a larger…

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks Wednesday, April 23, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska Senate. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

News

State senators express skepticism about proposed Juneau ferry terminal backed by Dunleavy

In a Friday hearing, members of the Alaska Senate spoke critically about a proposed new ferry terminal in…

Gulls hunting seeking scraps of fish swarm the docked fishing vessel Gold Rush, which harvests pollock and other groundfish, and Trident Seafood's Kodiak plant on Oct. 3, 2022. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council set 2026 Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska ccatch limits for pollock and other groundfish species, but the prolonged federal government shutdown interrupted the flow of information that would normally be used to set those harvests. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Without completed 2025 reports, federal fishery managers use last year’s data to set Alaska harvests

Lacking the usual amount of data to guide them, federal fishery managers relied on last year’s reports to…

Alaska Children’s Trust Photo
Natalie Hodges and Hailey Clark use the online safety conversation cards produced by the Alaska Children’s Trust.

Opinion

My Turn: Staying connected starts with showing up

When our daughter was 11 and the COVID lockdown was in full swing, she, like many of the…

Web only: letter to the editor typewriter

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Affordable housing in Juneau

Dear Editor,

Telephone Hill as seen from above (Photo courtesy of City and Borough of Juneau)

Opinion

Letter: For Telephone Hill, remember small is adaptable

Writer finds the finances don’t add up on planned development

A totem pole, one of 13 on downtown’s Totem Pole Trail in Juneau, Alaska, Nov. 27, 2024. (Christopher S. Miller/The New York Times)

News

Weekly guide: Community calendar for Dec. 8-12

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council for more details on this week’s happenings.

Map showing approximate location of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Courtesy/Earthquakes Canada)

News

7.0-magnitude earthquake hits Yukon/Alaska border

Earthquake occurred about 55 miles from Yakutat

Peggy McKee Barnhill (Courtesy photo)

Neighbors

Gimme a smile: My roommate’s name is Siri

She hasn’t brought a lot of stuff into the house, and she takes up very little space.

photo courtesy Tim Harrison 
Rev. Tim Harrison is senior pastor at Chapel by the Lake.

Neighbors

Living and Growing: I Wonder as I Wander

The Rev. Tim Harrison reflects on the Christmas season.

Doug Mills/The New York Times 
President Donald Trump disembarks the USS Harry S. Truman before delivering remarks for the Navy’s 250th anniversary in Norfolk, Va., Oct. 5, 2025.

Opinion

Opinion: Trump’s job is done

The ultra-rich have completed their takeover of America.

Jeff Lund photo 
The author heard what he thought was a squirrel. It was not a squirrel.

Neighbors

I Went into the Woods: A change of plans

It was only a 30-hour trip but it’s always better to bring more food than you count on…

A commercial bowpicker is seen headed out of the Cordova harbor for a salmon fishing opener in June 2024 (Photo by Corinne Smith)

News

Planned fiber-optic cable will add backup for Alaska’s phone and high-speed internet network

The project is expected to bring more reliable connection to some isolated coastal communities.

Members of the Alaska Air and Army National Guard, Alaska Naval Militia, and Alaska State Defense Force work together to load plywood onto a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, in Bethel, Alaska, Nov. 2, 2025, bound for the villages of Napaskiak, Tuntutuliak, and Napakiak. The materials will help residents rebuild homes and restore community spaces damaged by past storms. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Ericka Gillespie)

News

Gov. Dunleavy approves Alaska National Guard assisting ICE in Anchorage

The National Guard said five service members will assist with administrative support; lawmakers and civil rights advocates worry…

Google Maps screenshot
The star shows the approximate location of the proposed Cascade Point Ferry terminal by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities in partnership with Goldbelt, Inc.

Opinion

Opinion: An open letter to Cascade Point ferry terminal proponents

To: Governor Dunleavy, DOT Directors, and Cascade Point ferry terminal project consultants,

Browsers crowd into Annie Kaill’s gallery and gift shop during the 2024 Gallery Walk. (Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Gallery Walk guide for Friday, Dec. 5

The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council and the Downtown Business Association announced community events taking place during Gallery…

Opinion

My Turn: Supreme Court decision treats Alaskans with mental illness worse than criminals

A criminal in Alaska who’s in custody must be presented with charges in court within 48 hours or…

The Alaska State Capitol is seen on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

News

Alaska Senate Republicans confirm Rauscher, Tilton and open two vacancies in state House

The Alaska Republican Party is moving quickly after Republicans in the Alaska Senate confirmed Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s picks…