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House Speaker Cathy Tilton, a Wasilla Republican, listens Monday morning to amendments to a bill she sponsored that seeks to bar the state and local governments in Alaska from mandating restrictions or closures to firearms and retailers in the event of a disaster. (Clarise Larson/ Juneau Empire)

News

Bill disallowing firearm restrictions during emergencies moves toward third reading

It’s expected to have its final reading Wednesday.

This photo provided by Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office shows a recently installed sign at the main entry point to U.S. Army Garrison Alaska Fort Wainwright on April 5, 2023, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The mother of Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, one of the three soldiers killed last week when two U.S. Army helicopters at Fort Wainwright collided as they were returning from training in a remote part of Alaska, said her son loved his country and his family and lifted others up. An investigative team flew to the crash site Monday, May 1. (Eve Baker / Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office)

News

For soldier killed in Alaska crash ‘family was everything’

Mother said her son loved his country and his family and lifted others up.

A thumb hovers over a smartphone screen displaying the Juneau Empire app. While many people read the Empire on their phones or tablets today, that option didn't exist in 1996 when the Empire first went digital. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

An e-history of the Juneau Empire

The Website rose in spurts from a ragged debut in 1996, as “monster circulation” of newspaper declined

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, left, addresses constituents during a town hall event on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

News

Nikiski senator’s bill ‘lumbers’ toward governor’s desk

Senate Bill 87 aims to make locally milled lumber more widely available for the construction of housing in…

From left to right, Megan Peirce, Ava Grimes, Kyra Wood and Johnathan Gee-Miles star in Juneau high school’s collaborative production of the classic “The Wizard of Oz” at JDHS auditorium. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

News

Are you off to see the wizard?

Play wraps up run with shows this weekend.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire State Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, speaks in opposition to a bill allocating 75% of spendable Permanent Fund earnings to state programs and 25% to dividends during Monday’s floor session.

News

Senate passes $1,300 PFD bill despite dissension

Four majority members vote no on “75-25” bill, making it vulnerable to veto or other politicking.

Thx

Neighbors

Thank you letters for the week of April 30, 2023

Thank you, merci, danke, gracias, gunalchéesh.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

News

Police calls for Saturday, April 29, 2023

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

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion

Opinion: Scratch out summer, spring and fall on your calendar. Replace with ‘cruise Season’

Everywhere in and near Juneau is vulnerable to cruise business gluttony.

(Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

Letters to the Editor

Opinion: Bethany Marcum is unfit to serve on University of Alaska Board of Regents

“She cannot be trusted to make sound decisions to benefit the UA system”

JDHS junior Oliver Zigmund (15) blocks a shot at Adair-Kennedy Field on Saturday against Ketchikan High School for the Bears’ first two conference games of the season. Zigmund puts in extra playing time by playing with both the JV and varsity team. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Sports

JDHS boys soccer keep undefeated season alive with wins against Kayhi

Crimson Bears record sits at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in conference.

The Juneau Empire’s printing press prints pages for the last time Friday evening after 36 years of service on Channel Drive. The Empire will now print the newspaper in Washington, shipping them up to Juneau on a twice-weekly basis. ( Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Empire prints its last paper in Juneau

The Juneau-based printing press retired after 36 years of service.

Alaska State Troopers logo.

News

Troopers: Seward correctional officer provided illegal drugs to inmate

KENAI — An officer at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward was arrested Thursday on allegations that he…

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

News

Police calls for Friday, April 28, 2023

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

Brig. Gen. John Lubas address the press in regards to the Black Hawk helicopter crash, Thursday, March 30, 2023, outside of Fort Campbell in Christian County, Ky. There have been three U.S. military helicopter crashes and a rollover recorded so far this year, in Alabama, Kentucky, and Alaska. Two of the crashes involved Black Hawk helicopters; the third crash and the rollover involved Apache helicopters. (Liam Kennedy /The Tennessean)

News

Recent U.S. military helicopter crashes in training missions

There have been three U.S. military helicopter crashes and a rollover recorded so far this year.

Kristen Rozell skis past grizzly bear tracks pressed into a snowmachine trail near Fairbanks on April 23, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Bear tracks on snow a sign of the season

Melt season is a sad time for people who enjoy the magic of snow crystals bonding so well…

Math

Neighbors

Gimme a Smile: Math is weird.

Sometimes math doesn’t make sense conceptually.

In this photo released by the U.S. Army, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, fly over a mountain range near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, on June 3, 2019. The U.S. Army says two Army helicopters similar to the ones in this picture crashed Thursday, April 27, 2023, near Healy, Alaska, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The helicopters were returning from a training flight to Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks. (Cameron Roxberry / U.S. Army)

News

Army grounds aviators for training after fatal crashes

The U.S. Army has grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers died within the last month in…

(Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion

Opinion: Another legislative session fails on the budget front

A fragmented approach to a complex problem is wrong.

City and Borough of Juneau Docks and Harbors board members discuss a lease extension agreement with the University of Alaska Southeast during its Thursday evening meeting. The agreement would include the city offering a variety of “education benefits” to university students in exchange for a less than fair market value annual lease cost. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Board approves hefty benefits to UAS in exchange for land lease extension

Free Eaglecrest lift tickets, bus passes to students OK’d by Docks and Harbors.