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State Sen. Jesse Kiehl (D-Juneau) discusses a fisheries bill on the Senate floor on May 20, 2025. Kiehl recently spoke at the Oct. 6 Juneau Chamber of Commerce Luncheon alongside	(Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire file photo)

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What does the future hold for the permanent fund dividend?

As Alaska braces for another challenging budget season, state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, is calling for realism in…

High school culinary arts teacher and former Juneau Education Association President Chris Heidemann testifies before the Board of Education on Oct. 28. (Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire).

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Juneau School District initiates arbitration. The teacher’s union disagrees

This step comes after months of collective bargaining.

Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire
Local artist Johanna Griggs looks at “The Ocean Mirror,” her favorite piece from her exhibit “Landscapes of Southeast Alaska,” on display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center.

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Juneau painter explores local color and reflection

The exhibit display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center through November.

Juneau International Airport stands on Shell Simmons Drive. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

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Juneau flights not yet affected by FAA restrictions

Although local departures are unaffected, connecting flights from Sea-Tac are at risk.

The entrance to the Anchorage Correctional Complex is seen on Aug. 29, 2022. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

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Alaska parole rates are among the lowest in the nation. Advocates want to know why.

At its annual public meeting, the Alaska Board of Parole offered little explanation, but advocates want to know…

“I voted” stickers are seen on display in the headquarters offices of the Alaska Division of Elections in Juneau on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

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Alaska Division of Elections begins reviewing petition to repeal election reform law

Based on state law and the number of people who voted in the 2024 statewide election, repeal supporters…

City Hall stands at 155 South Seward Street. (file photo, Clarise Larson/Juneau Empire File)

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Juneau Assembly reckons with city budget following municipal tax cuts

City plans on future service cuts.

Members of Juneau Education Association and supporters of the union dress in green at the Board of Education Meeting on Oct. 28, 2025. (Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire)

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Teacher’s union speaks on lapsed contract as board members shuffle

Juneau Educators Association’s contract expired at the end of July.

“Tide Pools” is part of the “Landscapes of Southeast Alaska” exhibit by Johanna Griggs, presented by Juneau Arts & Humanities Council. The exhibit will open at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Friday, Nov. 7 2025. (courtesy Juneau Arts and Humanities Council)

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November’s First Friday: Here’s what to see

Juneau Arts & Humanities Council announces community events at attend Nov. 7.

One of the houses on Telephone Hill stands vacant on Wednesday, Nov. 5. A lawsuit filed against the city Friday seeks to reverse the eviction of residents and halt demolition of homes on the hill. (Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire)

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Telephone Hill residents file lawsuit against city to stop evictions and demolition

The city says legal action is “without factual or legal support.”

“Hair ice” grows from the forest floor in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Ned Rozell

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‘Hair ice’ enlivens an extended fall in Interior Alaska

Just when you thought you’d seen everything in the boreal forest, a reader points out white whiskers sprouting…

Goldbelt Inc. illustrates a potential cruise ship port and development along the coast of west Douglas Island. (Port of Tomorrow MG image)

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Assembly approves one step in Douglas cruise port plan, but pauses next move

Goldbelt’s “new cultural cruise destination” in west Douglas is still years out.

Kelsey Ciugun Wallace, president of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, looks over a collection of frozen sockeye salmon on Oct. 30, 2025. The salmon was donated from the Copper River basin and is part of the collection of traditional Native foods donated for the Yukon-Kuskokwim residents displaced by Typhoon Halong. The salmon and other foods have been stored in a large freezer trailer at the heritage center, pending distribution to families and organizations.

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Alaska typhoon victims’ losses of traditional foods go beyond dollar values

A statewide effort to replace lost subsistence harvests is part of the system of aid that organizations are…

Photos by Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire
Yuxgitisiy George Holly, center, leads a Lingít dance and drumming class at Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx – Glacier Valley Elementary School on Oct. 23, 2025.

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Q&A: Lorrie Heagy and Yuxgitisiy George Holly talk language revitalization

The Juneau Alaska Music Matters program uses the power of music to teach language.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy discusses his new proposed omnibus education legislation at a news conference on Jan. 31, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

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Alaska declares disaster over federal food aid failure, diverts $10 million for temporary help

Following a request by state legislators and similar action by other states, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday…

Yuxgitisiy George Holly and Lorrie Gax.áan.sán Heagy (center left and right) stand alongside Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom (left) and other honorees at the Governor’s Arts and Humanities Award ceremony in Anchorage on Oct. 28, 2025. Holly won the Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Alaska Native Arts and Languages, and Heagy won the award for Individual Artist. (photo courtesy of Yuxgitisiy George Holly)

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Two Juneau educators win Governor’s arts awards

Holly and Heagy turn music and dance into Lingít language learning, earning statewide arts awards.

Support your friends and neighbors by shopping close to home this holiday season. Photo credit: Canva stock.

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Keeping it local: How shopping close to home strengthens Juneau

Every dollar spent locally helps create jobs, fuel community growth and keep Juneau’s economy strong

HESCO barriers line the Mendenhall River on Monday, May 12, 2025. (File photo, Jasz Garrett/Juneau Empire)

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Army Corps to fund next steps of flood barrier improvements

CBJ accepts federal help for flood mitigation

Alaska Division of Forestry photo
Alaska attorney Aaron Peterson, seen here in a February 2024 photo, is expected to be nominated by President Trump to one of two vacancies on Alaska’s federal court bench.

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Trump plans to nominate state fish and game attorney for Alaska federal judgeship

Aaron Peterson was an early selection of Sen. Dan Sullivan; Lisa Murkowski offers support late

Alaska’s natural gas pipeline would largely follow the route of the existing trans-Alaska oil pipeline, pictured here, from the North Slope. Near Fairbanks, the gas line would split off toward Anchorage, while the oil pipeline continues to the Prince William Sound community of Valdez. (Photo by David Houseknecht/United States Geological Survey)

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Tokyo Gas signs preliminary agreement with trans-Alaska gas pipeline developer

The largest gas company in Japan has signed a letter of intent signifying that it would buy up…