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(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Friday, Dec. 27, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Juneau Empire file photo)

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Aurora forecast through the week of Dec. 29

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute and available online, along with more…

Juneau-related stories about tourism and flooding from The Guardian, The Washington Post and The New York Times were typical of most global coverage about Alaska’s capital city during 2024. (Screenshots from mobile websites of the respective publications)

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Global warping: How the world saw Juneau in 2024

An “amusement park” for cruise tourists; site of “Titanic moment”; on Chick-fil-A fan’s bucket list.

Firearms and counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl seized by law enforcement agents in Alaska are shown in this undated photo. The volume of drugs seized this year at Anchorage's airport was nearly twice that seized last year. (Photo provided by the Alaska State Troopers)

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Alaska agencies seized 317 pounds of drugs at Anchorage airport this year, nearly doubling 2023

State’s fatal overdose numbers continued to climb, a contrast with decreases nationally.

An American bald eagle perched in a tree on Buttons Creek, which is part of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, June 14, 2022. The bald eagle became the national bird of the United States on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. Once an endangered species in the U.S., the bald eagle represents “independence, strength, and freedom,” according to the bipartisan bill signed by President Biden. (Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)

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The bald eagle is (finally) the national bird of the United States

The bald eagle received a title this week that many may have assumed it already had: the national…

The Columbia state ferry is the first to provide Wi-Fi service to passengers. (Alaska Marine Highway System photo)

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AMHS debuts passenger Wi-Fi aboard Columbia, releases schedule for next summer

No cross-Gulf sailings planned until at least 2027 due to ongoing maintenance issues, officials say.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Monday, Dec. 23, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Voters at Anchorage City Hall wait in line to cast their ballots on Nov. 4, 2024, the day before Election Day. City Hall, in downtown Anchorage, was one of the designated early voting sites in the state’s largest city. The director of the Alaska Division of Election answered some pointed questions at a legislative hearing last week. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

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Alaska legislators, citing some citizen complaints, probe management of 2024 election

State elections director defends process as secure, trustworthy and fair, despite some glitches.

Officials prepare to move Ashley Rae Johnston from the street where she was fatally shot by police on Wednesday near the Mendenhall Valley Breeze In. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Woman with hatchet shot by police on Christmas Day has long been in ‘a very dark place,’ mother says

Ashley Rae Johnston, 30, suffered early family hardship, first lived on the streets at the age of 12.

Juneau Police Department officers close off an area around the intersection of Glacier Highway and Trout Street on Wednesday morning following an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a woman believed to be experiencing homelessness. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Update: Woman wielding hammer, hatchet dies in officer-involved shooting near valley Breeze In

Woman threatened person at convenience store with hammer, officers with hatchet, according to JPD

An aerial view of L’áan Yík (Channel inside or Port Camden) with cars and people gathered on the bridge over Yéil Héeni (Raven’s Creek) during a May 2024 convening on Kuiu Island. Partners that comprise the Ḵéex̱’ Ḵwáan Community Forest Partnership and staff from the Tongass National Forest met to discuss priorities for land use, stream restoration, and existing infrastructure on the north Kuiu road system. (Photo by Lee House)

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Woven Peoples and Place: U.S. Forest Service’s Tongass collaboration a ‘promise to the future’

Multitude of partners reflect on year of land management and rural economic development efforts.

Maria Laura Guollo Martins, 22, an Eaglecrest Ski Area employee from Urussanga, Brazil, working via a J-1 student visa, helps Juneau kids make holiday decorations during the resort’s annual Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade gathering on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Foreign students working at Eaglecrest trade Christmas Eve traditions for neon lights and lasagna

26 employees from Central and South America are far from family, yet among many at Torchlight Parade.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Police calls for Friday, Dec. 20, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The newly named Ka-PLOW is seen with other Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities equipment in Juneau in a video announcing the names of three local snowplows in a contest featuring more than 400 entries. (Screenshot from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities video)

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Newly named DOT snowplows probably won’t visit Juneau neighborhoods until after Christmas

Berminator, Salt-O-Saurus Rex, Ka-PLOW selected as winners in contest with more than 400 entries.

Sunset hues color the sky and the snow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus on Feb. 26, 2024. The University of Alaska system and the union representing nearly 1,100 faculty members and postdoctoral fellows are headed into federal mediation in January. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

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University of Alaska-faculty contract negotiations head for federal mediation

Parties say they’re hopeful; outcome will depend on funding being included in the next state budget.

A bear family sculpture decorated for the holidays awaits visitors at the entrance of the DIPAC Macaulay Salmon Hatchery on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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DIPAC sounds alarm about proposal reducing Southeast hatchery pink and chum production by 25%

Backer says limits needed due to threat to wild chinook statewide; numerous similar proposals have failed.