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A bus picks up visitors at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Friday morning. Local tourism companies are being forced to turn away tourists in Juneau seeking to visit the area this summer as commercial tourism limits are being reached rapidly. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

‘Unprecedented’ visitors at Mendenhall Glacier rapidly outpacing allowed capacity

Availability of commercial services likely to be reduced, public transportation negatively impacted.

One of the two 60-passenger cars on the Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway descends Mount Roberts in late May. The tram has been closed nearly every day since last Sunday due to mechanical issues, but a company official said the tram is expected to reopen Saturday. (Clarise Larson/ Juneau Empire File)

News

Tram expected to reopen Saturday after closing for several days for repairs

Mechanical issues force halt of cable cars; Mount Roberts race on Saturday cancelled.

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion

Opinion: Juneau Assembly attempts ‘end run’ around voters

“Information is one thing, but weighing in on an election is another.”

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a two-year spending plan into law Wednesday in Madison, Wis. The budget was authored by Republicans who control the Legislature, but Evers used his partial veto powers to revise portions of it, including locking in annual education funding increases until the year 2425. (AP Photo/Harm Venhuizen)

News

Another state’s governor does a line-item veto of education funding — and increases it for 400 years

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed off on a two-year spending plan Wednesday after gutting a…

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

News

Study: To hire and keep teachers in remote Alaska, school districts need to pay a lot more

Districts that cannot pay high salaries need other solutions like improved working conditions.

Local humpback whale Manunauna is seen this week with trailing yellow crab pot buoys and green satellite tag buoy. (NOAA Fisheries/Suzie Teerlink)

News

Two humpback whales reportedly entangled in fishing gear in Juneau area

Officials seek public assistance in reported sightings.

A complaint filed Wednesday 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

Ranked choice repeal ‘church’ violating campaign laws, complaint alleges

Four organizations and two people leading repeal effort accused of “laundering donations”

Afternoon traffic is seen in downtown Fairbanks on March 1. Significant air-quality improvements have been achieved since 2010, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Alaska and 9 other states threaten to sue EPA over wood-burning stove standards

State says EPA should focus on wood-stove certifications; agency also wants policy for power plants

Hundreds walk the waterfront near Elizabeth Peratrovich Plaza during the 2023 Juneau Maritime Festival in early May. City data revealed a total of 627,220 passengers have visited Juneau so far this cruise ship season and large ships in the last three months came in at 99% of their official capacity. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Mid-season passenger numbers show large cruise ships at — or above — 100% capacity

A total of 627,220 passengers have visited Juneau so far this season.

This is a photo of an phone dialing 9-1-1. The Juneau Police Department’s 9-1-1 system is having technical issues preventing dispatchers from responding to calls as they come in. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Juneau police 9-1-1 system experiencing technical issues

The issues were resolved later that evening, police say.

A sign for a store that accepts food stamps and exchange benefits transfer cards is seen in this 2019 photo. Ten Alaskans are suing the state over its failure to provide food stamps within the time frames required by federal law. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)

News

New data shows measurable progress on Alaska’s food stamp backlog

The division of state government that handles food stamps has made progress in eliminating the backlog of thousands…

Children pick up sand dollars on Sandy Beach on July 3. The end of this week is expected to be ideal beach weather with near-record temperatures forecast in Juneau and elsewhere in Southeast Alaska. (Therese Pokorney / Juneau Empire File)

News

Heat wave expected Friday

Temperatures not expected to break Juneau’s all-time high of 90F set on July 7, 1975.

Juneau author and educator Aidan Key smiles for a photo in the Mendenhall Valley Wednesday morning. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau author’s debut book on supporting transgender students gains national recognition

Aidan Key’s “Trans Children In Today’s Schools” offers guidance in face of anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

Cash isn’t going as far as it used to, but it’s losing value much less quickly so far this year, with an inflation rate of 3.1% in April, compared to an 8.1% rate for all of 2022, according to a state report released Wednesday. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Statewide inflation down sharply so far this year, housing costs still rising

Alaska’s inflation at 3.1% in April after hitting 41-year high of 8.1% for 2022, state reports

Mary Bryant (left) hands off a bag of purchased goods on Monday during the grand opening of Pelican General, the town’s first general store to open in 15 years. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

New grocery store breathes new life into Pelican

The opening on Monday marked the first grocery store to service the town in 15 years.

Fireworks boom above “Tahku” the whale sculpture and downtown during the annual Fourth of July firework display over Gastineau Channel. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau celebrates the Fourth of July

Bright lights in the big city.

The Ati-Atihan Juneau Group proceeds down Egan Drive during Juneau’s annual Fourth of July parade on Tuesday. The group won the top overall prize among parade participants. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

An Independence Day tribute to the seen and unseen

‘Voices of Alaska’ theme at this year’s Juneau parade an opportunity ‘for every voice to be heard’

Leadonna Castillo crosses the finish line during the Final Soapbox Challenge Tuesday afternoon down St. Ann’s Avenue in Douglas. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Hot dogs, box cars and pie mark the Fourth of July in Douglas

Island fun.

Albino Steller sea lion at Faust Rock on June 30. (Photo by Richard Fagnant)

Neighbors

Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…

Don Sakis checks the fire in his Riteway wood stove at his home on Jan. 23, 2018, in Palmer. Sakis and his family have heated their home with the stove for 35 years. Attorneys general from 10 states plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the agency’s testing and certification program for home wood heaters is ineffective — raising health concerns — and that EPA has failed to undertake a timely review of performance standards for new heaters. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

News

Alaska among 10 states planning to sue EPA over standards for residential wood-burning stoves

Attorneys general from 10 states plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying its failure to review…