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Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Ayuq Blanchett and Josaia Lehauli recieve awards for their work at the Tlingit Culture Language and Literacy program at Harborview Elementary School Monday morning.

News

Tlingit language and culture program expands its reach

The optional district program is extending to eighth grade, hiring full-time principal

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Edward Richards, left, a high school student in the Sitka School District, talks about the lack of mental health services in Alaska’s public schools as part of the testimony also offered by district Superintendent Frank Hauser, center, and student Felix Myers during a Senate Education Meeting on Monday at the Alaska State Capitol. The committee is proposing a 17% increase in the state’s school funding formula, which was remained essentially flat since 2017.

News

School’s in at the Capitol

Students and education leaders from around state make case for more classroom cash.

Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire From left to right, AFS and Rotary exchange students Goce Dimitriev, Leni Schilling, Ana Scopel and Wasiq Malik pose for a photo at Floyd Dryden Middle School on Friday. Each met with various classes throughout the day to share their presentations and answer questions from Juneau students.

News

Students expand worldview through exchange programs

Sixteen-year-old Leni Schilling said she’s been dreaming of traveling to America through an international national program since she…

Folks at the Alaska State Capitol openly admit to plenty of fish tales, but to a large degree in ways intended to benefit residents and sometimes even the fish. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

The bizarre bills other state legislatures are considering

Alaska’s Legislature isn’t mulling the headline-grabbers some statehouses have in the works.

JDHS senior Orion Dybdahl (20) shoots over the outstretched arms of TMHS junior James Polasky early in a Crimson Bears comeback win at Thunder Mountain High School. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Sports

‘What a battle’: Fierce fourth quarter propels JDHS to narrow win over TMHS

Second game between Juneau teams went a lot like the first.

Climate activists hold a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

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Climate activists hold rally near the Capitol

Statewide organizations advocate for legislative action

JDHS senior Kai Hargrave sets up to take the first of two free throw shots with 1.7 seconds left in Wednesday night’s game against Thunder Mountain High School. Hargrave’s last second shot secured the win for the Crimson Bears in their first conference game of the season. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Sports

JDHS wins first conference game in the last second

JDHS and TMHS play again Thursday night.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire City and Borough of Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon and Bartlett Regional Hospital Board President Kenny Solomon-Gross sit next to each other during a joint meeting between the Assembly and hospital’s senior leadership team and board to discuss the hospital’s current multi-million dollar deficit and financial state.

News

Joint meeting addresses hospital’s growing deficit

Bartlett Regional Hospital officials outline measures to fix projected shortfall.

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, stands in the well of the House Chambers with other Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to hear Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., deliver remarks shortly after becoming the new minority leader on Jan. 6. The speech came after a nearly weeklong stalemate by Republicans in electing a speaker after they won a narrow majority in November’s election. (Screenshot from C-SPAN video feed)

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Peltola learning the House party is over

Distractions and inaction replace honeymoon headlines as Alaska’s new rep joins minority.

This is a concept design drawing that was included in the request for proposal sent out by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities seeking outside engineering and design services to determine whether it’s feasible to build a new ferry terminal facility in Juneau at Cascade Point. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

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DOT takes steps toward potential Cascade Point ferry terminal facility

It would accommodate the Tazlina and or Hubbard, shorten trips to Haines and Skagway

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

News

Police: Gift card scam connected to hoax Fred Meyer threats

This article has been moved in front of the Empire’s paywall.

These photos show Nova, a 3-year-old golden retriever, and the illegally placed body hold trap, commonly referred to as a Conibear trap, that caught her while walking near Outer Point Trail last week. (Courtesy / Jessica Davis)

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Dog narrowly survives rare illegally placed trap in Juneau

State wildlife officials outlined what to do if found in similar situation

This photo shows Mary Lou King on the trail after being inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018. (Courtesy Photo / King family)

News

90 shorts talks: The work of ‘professional Volunteer’ Mary Lou King

The Southeast Alaska starter kit would look something like this: An Alaska Airlines credit card, a pair of…

This Sunday, June 30, 2019, aerial photo released by Earthjustice shows the Alaska's North Slope in the Western Arctic on the edge of Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska. The Biden administration issued a long-awaited study on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, that recommends allowing a major oil development on Alaska's North Slope, and the move — while not final — drew immediate anger from environmentalists who saw it as a betrayal of the president's pledges to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy sources. (Kiliii Yuyan for Earthjustice via AP)

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Biden administration takes step toward OK’ing Willow Project

Final decision expected no sooner than early March.

Alannah Johnson and Rebecca Kameika, winners of the 2022 Path to Prosperity Competition, pose for a photo at the formal winners’ announcement at the 2022 Mid-Session Summit at Southeast Conference Tuesday. In addition to each being awarded $25,000 to help expand their businesses, they each received a Tlingit wall carving, hand-crafted by Brian Chilton. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

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After winning competition, Southeast businesses ready for next steps

$50,000 Path to Prosperity goes to entrepreneurs in Juneau and Haines.

A vehicle exits the Juneau Fred Meyer parking lot on Wednesday. Juneau Police Department is investigating a report of a threat made against the store. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

Police investigating threat of violence at Fred Meyer

No injuries or use of weapons reported.

Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Daniel Winfree gets a standing ovation from the Alaska State Legislature as he enters the House chamber Wednesday to deliver his final State of the Judiciary speech. Winfree is stepping down next Monday when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Chief justice bids lawmakers a fervent farewell

Daniel Winfree, in State of Judiciary days before retirement, warns about mixing politics and courts

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Young students from the Tlingit Culture Language and Literacy program at Harborview Elementary School dance on stage Wednesday afternoon during a dancing-of-the-robes ceremony for over a dozen Chilkat robes that were weaved by student weavers who participated in a more than two-year-long apprenticeship to learn the craft.

News

Chilkat robes come to life in ceremony

The pieces were created by dozens of student weavers over the past two year

State Senators Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, right, who chairs the Senate Education Committee and Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, discuss a bill proposing a nearly 17% increase in per-student education funding Wednesday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

17% boost in school funding sought by state Senate

Proposal would increase $5,960 per-student allocation by $1,000; first major change since 2017

A large crowd listens to public testimony at Monday night’s Assembly meeting about a resolution on whether the Assembly should formally adopt the 2020 Visitor Industry Task Force’s cruise ship tourism policy recommendations. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

City adopts tourism task force recommendations

Assembly commits to five-ship limit, dock electrification and Seawalk construction.