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Artists with the inaugural Áak’w Rock Festival gather beneath the mural of Elizabeth Peratrovich on the Juneau waterfront on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. That festival was virtual that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organizers wanted to open the event in person. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

News

Áak’w Rock expanding to three stages

The Indigenous music festival is back and bringing 24 acts to Juneau

This is a photo of a rockslide that occurred Thursday morning along Glacier Highway just beyond Tee Harbor. (Courtesy / Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

News

Multiday heavy rainstorms forecast in Juneau, flood warning issued

A rockfall along Glacier Highway was reported Thursday morning.

Sandi Hughes, right, and Sam Messerschmidt watch the raging Mendenhall River from the Mendenhall River Bridge on their way to Mendenhall River Elementary School on Monday, Sept. 11, 1995. (Brian Wallace / Juneau Empire Archives)

News

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

Three decades of capital city coverage.

Rainwater surrounds a sewer maintenance hole in the Mendenhall Valley area Thursday afternoon. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Reported smell of diesel in downtown sewer system subsides, potential source identified

“There’s a high probability that the problem is solved.”

Juneau resident David Ignell, seen via video link, and departing City Manager Rorie Watt discuss a ballot measure asking voters to approve $27 million toward a new City Hall during a forum Wednesday night at the KTOO studio. (Screenshot from official video of forum)

News

School board candidates agree on much, foes on City Hall ballot measure agree on little during forum

Funding and curriculum dominate education discussion, city’s actions and needs focus of ballot issue.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, administers the House oath of office to Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, standing next to her husband Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., center, during a ceremonial swearing-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Peltola’s husband Eugene has died in an airplane crash in Alaska, her office said Wednesday. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

News

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s husband dies in plane crash

Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr. was piloting plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in western Alaska.

An inmate stands near a bunk at Lemon Creek Correctional Center on Monday. The prison is at about 45% capacity as it is currently undergoing structural repairs and renovations following “extreme wet weather” last fall that caused instability at certain locations and prompted emergency repairs. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau prison at 45% inmate capacity as structural repairs continue

Transferred inmates expected to return upon project completion slated November 2024, officials say.

From left to right, City and Borough of Juneau Areawide Assembly candidates Paul Kelly, Laura Martinson McDonnell and Ella Adkison are the top three candidates so far this municipal election to raise the most funds, according to their campaign finance records with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Campaign cash: Assembly candidates Martinson McDonnell, Kelly and Adkison dominate municipal election fundraising

Donors include current and past mayors, Assembly members and legislators.

Juneau Assembly candidates prepare to answer questions during a 90-minute forum on Tuesday night at the KTOO studios. The forum was hosted by the Juneau League of Women Voters, and moderated by media representatives from KTOO, KINY and the Juneau Empire. (Screenshot from shared video of forum)

News

Assembly hopefuls find some areas of agreement and many differences at candidate forum

Cruise ship limits, homelessness, child care shortages and renewable energy among issues discussed.

A complaint filed in July with the Alaska Public Offices Commission alleges advocates of repealing the state’s open primary elections and ranked choice voting are violating numerous campaign disclosure laws. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Supporters of effort to repeal ranked voting in Alaska violated rules, report finds

Backers of an effort to repeal ranked voting in Alaska violated state campaign finance rules, including by channeling…

Britteny Cioni-Haywood and David Noon discuss local education issues during the Board of Education candidates portion of a forum Wednesday night at the KTOO studio. (Screenshot from shared video of forum)

News

Watch the forum for Board of Education candidates and pro/con arguments of the City Hall ballot initiative

School board candidates discuss funding, curriculum; City Hall portion shows vastly different views.

Deputy City Manager Robert Barr shares an update with the Assembly Monday evening following Resurrection Lutheran Church’s decision to not host the city’s cold weather emergency shelter this year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

City’s struggle to provide a winter homeless shelter continues

Combination of downtown transit center and bus considered as church again rejects hosting shelter.

City and Borough of Juneau Assembly members Alicia Hughes-Skandijs and Wade Bryson listen to public testimony Monday night about whether the city should adopt new maps that show updated landslide and avalanche risk downtown. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Assembly sends hazard maps back to committee following public opposition

The move follows multiple rounds of public testimony advocating against the maps’ adoption.

Retiring City and Borough of Juneau Manager Rorie Watt smiles as he is honored during an Assembly meeting Monday night. Watt will be officially departing at the end of September after announcing his plan to retire in April. Public Works and Engineering Director Katie Koester was selected to take over the role. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Assembly bids farewell to retiring City Manager Rorie Watt

He was honored Monday during an Assembly meeting ahead of his departure at the end of September.

This is a photo of Austin Brady, 28, a village public safety officer in Kake. Brady was arrested on Aug. 29 by Alaska State Troopers after he reportedly assaulted a woman and possessed a weapon while intoxicated. (Courtesy / Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)

News

Kake public safety officer fired following off-duty assault arrest

Austin Brady, 28, was arrested in late August by Alaska State Troopers.

Fruit is displayed at an Anchorage grocery store. Overall consumer prices in Alaska’s largest city were up by an annual rate of 7.5% as of April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food prices were up by 11.3%. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Alaska’s Health Department works through one food stamp backlog only to confront another

Officials from Alaska’s Division of Public Assistance said its staff worked through the backlog of applications for food…

Juneau Assembly candidates discuss a range of issues during a forum Tuesday night at the KTOO studio. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Watch the 2023 Juneau League of Women Voters forum for Assembly candidates

14 candidates discuss cruise tourism, homelessness, child care and proposed new City Hall.

Elizabeth Djajalie sings the national anthem while Juneau Police Department officers and other stand at attention during a ceremony Monday at the September 11th Memorial at Riverside Rotary Park commemorating the terrorist attacks in 2001 that killed 2,996 people. About 100 local first responders, political leaders and other people attended the ceremony that featured the raising of the flag at half-mast at 9:58 a.m., the same time on the East Coast the first World Trade Center collapsed on the day of the attack. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Remembering with awe those who served on 9/11

More than 100 local first responders and other residents pay tribute 22 years after attacks.

This is a photo of the crash site of a downed plane near Juneau Sunday evening. The survivor, reportedly the only person aboard the aircraft, was discovered to be in critical condition. (Courtesy / U.S. Coast Guard)

News

Lone person in plane crash rescued near Juneau

The person was discovered in critical condition.

Thunder Mountain High School players and spectators celebrate as the Falcons score the winning point to prevail in a five-set series over Ketchikan High School on Saturday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Sports

A drama-filled weekend as Juneau’s volleyball teams continue contrasting seasons

TMHS prevails in toughest game yet to stay undefeated; JDHS puts up fight seeking first win.