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Image from the exhibition “For Our Children: Chilkat Regalia Woven in the Lineage of Jennie Thulnaut and Clarissa Rizal,” on display at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum this month. (Photo courtesy of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council)

News

Here’s what’s happening for First Friday

Plenty of colorful displays and activities will still be available to Juneau residents after the last of the…

Nicole Adair, a 2001 graduate of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaat.at Kalé, pitches for the Antiques as teammate Tania Hansen, a 1998 graduate, plays first base and Angi Thibodeau, a 1999 graduate, awaits an opportunity to advance as a member of the Classics during the fourth annual JDHS Softball Alumni Game on Sunday at Melvin Park. (Photo courtesy of JDHS softball)

Sports

Annual JDHS alumni softball game results in classy matchup

Closest-ever finish goes down to the wire as participation opened to public for first time.

Children participate in a watermelon eating contest Monday evening at a community picnic at Sandy Beach in Douglas. (Therese Pokorney / Juneau Empire)

News

Celebrating the freedom to begin Fourth festivities early

Watermelon-eating contests, sand dollar search add flavor to beach picnic on eve of Independence Day

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Bridget Weiss discusses her 39-year career in public education on Thursday, her second-to-last day as superintendent of the Juneau School District, in a break room at Thunder Mountain High School.

News

Wise last lessons from Weiss

Former superintendent looks back at 39-year K-12 career, ahead to new job inspiring future teachers.

T.J. Hovest conducts the Juneau Volunteer Marching Band during an Independence Day weekend concert on Sunday at Sealaska Heritage Plaza. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Marching back to Juneau’s traditions for Independence Day

Concert by Juneau Volunteer Marching Band a prelude to their participation in July 4 parade.

Jim Dalman and his granddaughter Devlin, 6, decorate a bicycle in the Douglas Library parking garage Saturday during the annual pre-July 4 gathering to prepare for the Children’s Parade on Independence Day. (Therese Pokorney / Juneau Empire)

News

Gearing up for the Fourth of July

Red, white and blue abound as kids deck out their rides in Douglas.

The setting sun over Kotzebue Sound is seen on an evening in 2010. (Photo provided by Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs)

News

Would-be child care providers in remote Alaska say it’s all but impossible to get a state license

Kotzebue’s child care center closed more than a decade ago, and the community hasn’t had one since. Tracey…

President Joe Biden speaks about the student debt relief portal beta test in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Oct. 17, 2022. A sharply divided Supreme Court has ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loans for millions of Americans. Conservative justices were in the majority in Friday’s 6-3 decision that effectively killed the $400 billion plan that President Joe Biden announced last year. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

News

The Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt

A sharply divided Supreme Court on Friday effectively killed President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or…

Photos by Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Salissa Thole sings a pop song while a couple dances in the background during a “Neighborhood Cabaret” show at the Glory Hall on Thursday evening. The shows being performed at various location in Juneau are the first of three productions during this year’s Alaska Theater Festival.

News

Sound shelter from the storm

Cabaret show at the Glory Hall an appreciative exchange between musicians, staff and audience.

This photo shows Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is seeking a contractor for an estimated $5-10 million project to address structural repair and renovation at the Juneau prison. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau prison to undergo multimillion-dollar repair and renovation project

State seeks contractor for work estimated to cost between $5-10 million.

Juneau Police Department Chief Ed Mercer is retiring at the end of July after a career of more than 30 years in Southeast Alaska law enforcement. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

News

JPD Chief Ed Mercer retiring

Lifetime Southeast Alaska resident departing July 31 after career of more than 30 years.

Activists demonstrate as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a pair of cases that could decide the future of affirmative action in college admissions, in Washington, Oct. 31, 2022. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that colleges and universities must stop considering race in admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies. In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

News

Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action in college admissions, says race cannot be a factor

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be…

Common Merganser with five chics on Salt Chuck on June 17 in Juneau. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)

Neighbors

Wild Shots

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

The Hubbard and LeConte ferries are seen at a Southeast Alaska port in this picture published June 1. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Marine Highway System)

News

State ferry system says it is unable to provide hiring numbers

Alaska Marine Highway has been short of onboard employees for more than two years.

A temporary pedestrian bridge over Montana Creek, seen here Thursday, is now open as a replacement for the bridge that suffered substructure damage from weather events last September. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Temporary bridge installed over Montana Creek, no funding yet for permanent one

The opening follows 10 months of closure due to substructure damage of previous bridge.

Assembly member Carole Triem chats with Deputy City Manager Robert Barr during a Finance Committee meeting in early May. Triem announced Wednesday she is departing from her role on the Assembly on July 10, citing family medical issues. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Assembly member Carole Triem to resign

She plans to depart in July, citing family medical issues.

A boat crosses under the bridge between the Juneau mainland and Douglas Island on Wednesday morning. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Feds award $16.5M toward design of second Juneau-Douglas crossing

City officials say funding will bring the project to full design.

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP)

News

US Coast Guard says ‘presumed human remains’ found in wreckage of Titan submersible

The U.S. Coast Guard says it has likely recovered human remains from the submersible wreckage.

The Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

News

New state child care task force paints bleak picture of Alaska’s system

It has one year to deliver a final report on solutions to the governor

Bamby Kinville-James (left center) and Jeni Brown (right center) lead a song during a rally held at the steps of the Alaska State Capitol on May 5 to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Justice Department boosts resources for missing and murdered Indigenous cases in Alaska

Four specialists, one possibly in Juneau, will work with tribes and state to focus on rural areas.