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SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium’s (SEARHC) new Vintage Park Campus, under construction since the summer of 2022, is seen a few hours after opening for limited services on Tuesday morning. Work on some parts of the facility is scheduled to continue for the next month. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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SEARHC’s new Vintage Park Campus opens with limited services

Urgent care, imaging, lab work available now; optometry, pediatrics, primary care scheduled soon.

State Reps. Andi Story (foreground) and Sara Hannan, both Juneau Democrats wearing red blazers — reportedly by coincidence — greet visitors and family members during an annual holiday open house hosted by the local legislative delegation at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Making a list, checking it off thrice at holiday open house hosted by local legislative delegation

Visitors at Capitol share greetings and hopes for upcoming session with trio of Juneau lawmakers.

Mila Hargrave pitches for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé against Sitka High School on June 3 during the ASAA Division II State Softball Championships. (Courtesy of JDHS Softball)

Sports

JDHS all-star softball player to pitch for U.S. team at international tournament

Mila Hargrave selected for one of 16 teams at The Cup in the Netherlands next month.

People line up at the Ptarmigan lift on Sunday morning in the hope Eaglecrest Ski Area would begin limited operations during the day, but high winds prevented the lift from opening. The ski area is scheduled to begin its daily holiday schedule on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Eaglecrest Ski Area)

Sports

Eaglecrest’s attempted ‘early’ opening Sunday blown by wind, but ski area expects to open Wednesday

Heavy snow prompts effort for limited weekend opening after delays, but high winds prevent lift use.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy poses for a photo at the groundbreaking of the Wasilla airport’s expansion. (Office of the Governor)

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A tour of Gov. Dunleavy’s capital budget

Southeast items include $9.5M to replace patrol vessel, $1.5M to thin “overly dense young forests.”

Doug Chilton works on a canoe journey carving at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé in February of 2016. (Courtesy of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)

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Longtime Tlingit artist and activist Doug Chilton closing his shop Dec. 24, heading south

Juneau-born resident plans to return for One People Canoe Society trips he founded, other events.

(Photo courtesy of the Alaska State Troopers)

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Southeast hunters pay deerly for violations in large-scale joint state-federal operation

53 charges or citations issued during Southern Southeast Sitka Blacktail deer “rut,” AST reports.

Juneau and Palmer players fight for the puck near the Crimson Bears’ goal during Saturday night’s game between Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and Palmer High School at Treadwell Arena. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Sports

JDHS loses pair of games to Palmer in battle between top two teams in conference

Crimson Bears rebound from 5-1 defeat Friday, take Palmer to last minute of OT in 3-2 loss Saturday.

Paul Voelckers (left) offers farewell remarks along with Michael LeVine (right) during their last Juneau Planning Commission meeting Tuesday night. Listening to their remarks are commission members Mandy Cole — who was appointed to the board Thursday — and Erik Pedersen. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Three members appointed to both the planning commission and hospital board

James Kohn joins two incumbents on Bartlett board; Lacey Derr, Jessalyn Rintala new to commission.

Alaska Department of Health Commissioner Heidi Hedberg gave an update on the backlog of food aid applications in the Division of Public Assistance at a news conference for Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed FY 2025 budget in on Thursday. (Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

News

Dunleavy proposes $14 million in food stamp crisis fixes

Commissioner says state can clear the backlog in 90 days, if there are no ‘further interruptions’

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is seen at an appearance earlier this year. (Office of the Governor photo)

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A journalist just reviewed 1,000 pages of Alaska budget documents — so you don’t have to

Items to escalate state’s subsistence fight with feds and enhance drone use for law enforcement.

Juneau School District Administrative Services Director Cassee Olin (center) appears with Karen Tarver (right), a partner with the audit firm Elgee Rehfeld, to discuss an audit of the Juneau School District’s previous fiscal year with the Juneau Board of Education on Nov. 14. Olin resigned from the district as of Dec. 1. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

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School district seeks quick temporary help with budget after administrative services director quits

Cassee Olin resigns as district faces multimillion dollar deficit, audit that found flaws.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Alaska Attorney General Trig Taylor (foreground) discusses litigation the state Department of Law is involved with during Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s (left background) unveiling of his proposed budget during a press conference Thursday at the Alaska State Capitol.

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Legislative Council votes to sue Dunleavy administration in state employee union dues case

Legislators say executive branch violated separation of powers with unauthorized spending.

A summer 2023 sunny day shows off sparkling water and floating docks below Merchants Wharf. (Photo by Laurie Craig)

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Rooted in Community: Merchants Wharf, Part I — Winging it

From $4.50 flightseeing tours in 1937 to a gathering place filled with aviation history today.

Five famous men stand together on a floatplane hangar deck on Aug. 8, 1935. From left to right: Juneau Mayor Izzy Goldstein, Pilot Wiley Post, Novelist Rex Beach, Pilot Joe Crosson, and “Cowboy Philosopher” Will Rogers. (Alaska State Library Ordway photo PCA-87-2631)

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Rooted in Community: Merchants Wharf, Part II — An historic moment captured in one photo in 1935

Endearing local memory with visit by Will Rogers and Wiley Post, followed by a shocking tragedy.

An empty classroom at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon)

News

Plan for Alaska’s first tribally operated public schools inches closer to completion

Tlingit and Haida among five tribes slated to be part of the five-year pilot program.

Eaglecrest Ski Area employees clear snow from a lift chair on Sunday, when conditions for opening by this weekend seemed promising. But warmer and wet weather this week means the bottom of the mountain is still not ready for operation, although Eaglecrest Grill will be open this weekend for people wanting to access snow on the upper part of the mountain on their own. (Photo courtesy of Eaglecrest Ski Area.)

Sports

Eaglecrest won’t be open again this weekend — but its grill will be

Restaurant will be open for people wanting to hike to snow on upper parts of ski area, manager…

The front page of the Juneau Empire on Dec. 14, 1995. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Empire Archives: Juneau’s history for the week of Dec. 17

Three decades of capital city coverage.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy discussed his proposed state budget for next year during a press conference Thursday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Dunleavy’s proposed budget contains “full” PFD, no per-student education increase, $1B deficit

Revenue forecast also released calls for oil prices that could result in supplement to PFD.

An illustration shows a new Welcome Center and plaza area at the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area as proposed in May. The facilities approved in a Notice of Decision on Thursday are similar, but are being relocated further from the face of the glacier to the existing commercial overflow parking lot. (Image from the Notice of Decision published by the U.S. Forest Service).

News

Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area improvement plan gets a final decision

New welcome center and outdoor amphitheater, more trails, no motorized boats in multiyear plan.