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Looking through the dining room and reception area to the front door. The table will be covered with holiday treats during the afternoon open house. The Stickley slide table, when several extensions are added, provides comfortable seating for 22 dinner guests. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

News

The Governor’s House: Welcoming Alaskans for more than 100 years

Mansion has seen many updates to please occupants, but piano bought with first funds still playable.

Current senior Kerra Baxter (22) shoots a free throw for now defunct Thunder Mountain High School in last season’s ASAA state championship 4th/6th place game against the Mountain City Christian Academy Lions. Baxter has signed to play Division II college basketball with the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. Baxter will play for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé this season. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Kerra Baxter signs to play for UAA Seawolves

Twin tower elects to stay in state and close to home fan base

Media members and other observers gather at the Alaska Division of Elections office on Wednesday evening as the results of all ballots, including ranked choice tabulations, were announced. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Ranked choice voting repeal fails by 0.2%, Begich defeats Peltola 51.3%-48.7% on final day of counting

Tally released Wednesday night remains unofficial until Nov. 30 certification.

An aerial view of people standing near destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8, 2024 in Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

News

Members of U.S. Senate back disaster aid request amid increasing storm severity

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s request for nearly $100 billion in natural disaster response and recovery funding is…

Glacier Swim Club members, left-to-right, Cora Soboleff, Clara Van Kirk, Natalie MacKinnon, Ellie Higgins, Leon Ward, coach Lisa Jones, Zach Holden, Josh Ely and Henry Thatcher during the 2024 November Rain swim meet at Petersburg last weekend. (Photo courtesy Glacier Swim Club)

Sports

Glacier Swim Club competes at Petersburg’s November Rain

Juneau’s Glacier Swim Club participated in the November Rain Invitational swim meet last weekend at Petersburg’s Aquatic Center.

The Douglas Island Breeze In on Wednesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

New owner seeks to transfer Douglas Island Breeze In’s retail alcohol license to Foodland IGA

Transfer would allow company to take over space next to supermarket occupied by Kenny’s Liquor Market.

Low clouds hang over Kodiak’s St. Paul Harbor on Oct. 3, 2022. Economic woes in Alaska’s seafood industry have affected numerous fishing-dependent communities like Kodiak. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Dire condition of Alaska’s seafood industry has many causes and no easy fixes, experts say

Legislative task force charged with helping communities considering broad range of responses.

Noah Teshner (right) exhibits the physical impact military-grade flood barriers will have on properties with the help of other residents at a Juneau Assembly meeting on Monday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Locals protesting $8K payment for temporary flood barriers told rejection may endanger permanent fix

Feds providing barriers free, but more help in danger if locals won’t pay to install them, city manager…

Juneau Assembly members confer with city administrative leaders about details of a proposed resolution asking the state for more alcohol licenses during an Assembly meeting Monday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Petition seeking one-third expansion of alcohol-serving establishments gets Assembly OK

Request to state would allow 31 licensees in Juneau instead of 23; Assembly rejects increase to 43.

The drive-through of the Mendenhall Valley branch of True North Federal Credit Union, seen on June 13, is where a man was laying down when he was fatally struck by a truck during the early morning hours of June 1. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Police: Driver of CBJ truck not at fault in death of man struck in drive-through lane of bank

Victim laying on pavement during early-morning incident in June couldn’t be seen in time, JPD chief says.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé 140-pound junior Marlin Cox wrestles during last weekend’s Lancer Smith Memorial Wrestling Tournament at Wasilla’s Menard Sports Center. (JDHS courtesy photo)

Sports

JDHS wrestlers get largest mat treatment of the season

Crimson Bears grapplers battle through Lancer Smith Memorial.

A voter talks to election officials at a early voting station at the State Office Building on Monday, Nov. 4. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Ranked choice voting repeal trails for first time in ballot count; Begich’s lead exceeds uncounted votes

Finally tally scheduled Wednesday; recounts possible after certification on Nov. 30.

Glacier Swim Club athletes Valerie Peimann, 16, Emma Fellman 18, and Lilly Francis, 15, at the 2024 Commonwealth Cup in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Glacier Swim Club)

Sports

Glacier Swim Club top athletes compete in Virginia

Fellman, Peimann and Francis bring small squad — but big results

Tlingit “I Voted” stickers are displayed on a table at the voting station at the Mendenhall Mall during early voting in the Nov. 5 general election. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Ranked choice voting repeal coming down to wire, Begich claims U.S. House win in latest ballot counts

Repeal has 0.28% lead as of Saturday, down from 0.84% Thursday — an 895-vote gap with 9,000 left…

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Emilio Holbrook battles for a puck with North Pole junior Hunter Simons (37) during the Crimson Bears’ 5-2 loss to the Patriots on Saturday at the Treadwell Ice Arena. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Unlucky bounces ice Crimson Bears in second game against North Pole

JDHS falls 5-2 in physical, penalty-laden loss to the visiting Patriots.

(Getty Images)

News

Rural Alaska mayor takes office, cancels elections, pleads guilty to felony election interference

Arthur Sammy Heckman Sr. has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of unlawful interference with an…

U.S. Geological Survey geologist Geoffrey Ellis stands on Oct. 29 by a poster diplayed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that explains how pure hydrogen can be pooled in underground formations. Ellis is the leading USGS expert on geologic hydrogen. He was a featured presenter at a three-day workshop on geologic hydrogen that was held at UAF. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Alaska scientists and policymakers look to hydrogen as power source of the future

The key to decarbonization may be all around us.

A map shows properties within a proposed Local Improvement District whose owners could be charged nearly $8,000 each for the installation of a semi-permanent levee to protect the area from floods. (City and Borough of Juneau map)

News

Hundreds of property owners in flood zone may have to pay $7,972 apiece for Hesco barrier levee

City, property owners to split $7.83M project cost under plan Juneau Assembly will consider Monday.

A statue of William Henry Seward stands outside the Dimond Courthouse in downtown Juneau on Monday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau man arrested on suspicion of murdering 1-month-old girl after seven-month investigation

James White, 44, accused of killing child by fracturing her skull in a motel room in April.

North Pole senior Kagen Kramer (9) and Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Elias Schane (18) battle for puck position during the Patriots 4-2 win over the Crimson Bears on Friday at the Treadwell Ice Arena. The two teams play again Saturday at 3 p.m. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Home ice ‘unPatriotic’ for JDHS as North Pole skates to win

Crimson Bears look for a rematch win on Saturday against the Patriots