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Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire State Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, right, asks Ajay Desai, director of the Alaska Division of Retirement and Benefits, about the assumptions used to calculate pensions earned by state employees under a fixed-amount plan in effect until 2006 and a subsequent 401K-type plan during a Senate Finance Committee hearing Thursday at the Alaska State Capitol.

News

Report has some lawmakers ready to shed tiers

401k-style state pensions perform worse than expected in first in-depth study of 17-year-old system

Members of the Glacier Swim Club pose for a group photo in Anchorage during the 2023 Alaska Age Group Champs. (Courtesy Photo / Shireen Taintor)

Sports

Glacier Swim Club places 2nd in Anchorage meet

Four swimmers broke team records.

Sherry Patterson, president of the Black Awareness Association, gives the keynote address to Juneau residents during the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 2018 Community Celebration sponsored by the Black Awareness Association at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. On Saturday, the Black Awareness Association will host its Rise fundraiser in celebration of Black History Month at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. (Michael Penn /.Juneau Empire File)

News

Black Awareness Association invites community to ‘Rise’ to the occasion

Saturday’s event also serves as scholarship fundraiser.

TMHS sophomore Cailynn Baxter (center) is swarmed by teammates following a last-second, game-winning shot against JDHS Tuesday night. The teams have met two times so far this season and each game has come down to the wire. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

TMHS secures another close win against JDHS

The Juneau teams will meet again on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, watches his fellow House members censure him by a 35-1 vote Wednesday. The censure, which came after he asked about potential economic benefits from the deaths of abused children, is the second for Eastman, the only House member ever reprimanded in such a manner. Eastman was the lone vote against the motion.(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Eastman gets 2nd censure for questions about dead abused children

Controversial Wasilla legislator causes uproar by asking if deaths offer economic benefits

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski challenges the Alaska State Legislature to “right the ship” by taking necessary action to secure federal funds for ferries, infrastructure and other needs during her annual speech Wednesday at the Alaska State Capitol.

News

Murkowski gives Legislature ‘tough love’ in speech

U.S. senator asks state lawmakers to make federal funds count in speech.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau addresses a crowd during a recent rally outside the Alaska State Capitol. Hannan is the sponsor of a bill that would ban licensed practitioners from performing “conversion therapy” in the state.

News

Lawmaker says ban on conversion therapy can help address LGBTQ+ youth suicide

The bill, sponsored by Juneau Rep. Sara Hannan, awaits a House committee hearing.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Bridget Weiss, superintendent of the Juneau School District, speaks during a rally seeking an increase in public school funding Jan. 23 at the Alaska State Capitol. Weiss, who is stepping down as superintendent June 30, is scheduled to take on a broader statewide role as the new liaison for the University of Alaska College of Education Consortium starting July 1.

News

Weiss tapped to be first-ever liaison for UA program that recruits, trains teachers

It’s a new role for the departing Juneau superintendent.

A school bus drives past the entrance of The University of Alaska Southeast on Tuesday afternoon. Pat Pitney, president of the statewide university system, highlighted ongoing and new efforts to by campuses including UAS to lure students into the teaching programs and subsequently remain as public school teachers in the state. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Sky’s the limit for recovering UA, president says

“State of the University” highlights fiscal and enrollment stability, unique programs such as drones

TMHS junior Thomas Baxter rises for a layup on a fastbreak during a Saturday night game against Ketchikan. Baxter on Feb. 9 became the fastest Falcon to reach 1,000 points and is now the school's third leading scorer. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Baxter passes 1K points, now eyes Thunder Mountain’s scoring summit

He’s the fastest in school history to hit 1,000-point mark.

An excavator on a barge scoops floating debris near the shore of Gastineau Channel on Monday morning. The effort was a part of the recovery process of a 107-foot tugboat that sank at a dock south of the cruise ship docks in late December. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Tagish out of water: Sunken tugboat destroyed after more than a weeklong recovery effort

Recovery and pollution cleanup expected to be complete in coming days, Coast Guard official says

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

News

Three arrested, $1.1M in drugs seized

SEACAD was in charge of the investigation.

The sun partially sines on the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center as it sets Monday evening. Tuesday is the last day for the public to submit comments to the U.S. Forest Service on proposed changes to the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Mendenhall Glacier area comment period closing soon

The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public input on seven plans that vary in impact on the area.

A ConocoPhillips oil rig operating during winter on Alaska’s North Slope is featured on the cover of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s report recommending approval of the Willow oil project ConocoPhillips is seeking to develop. The Alaska State House on Monday approved a resolution asking the Biden administration to give final approval to a project allowing three drilling pads with the possibility of a fourth (compared to the five pads the oil company originally sought), as recommended by the BLM. (U.S. Bureau of Land Management)

News

Alaska House unanimously OKs Willow resolution

Supporters say North Slope oil project overwhelmingly favored by locals, addresses opponents’ worries.

Family and friends of Daniel Sargent shoot flaming arrows into Auke Bay on Saturday during Sargent’s memorial at Raven Shelter. Sargent was one of the founding members of the Juneau Archery Club and was survived by his wife Lavena and daughter Tiffany Sargent Hallquist. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

News

Keeping his flame alive: Family remembers archery club founding member with volley of fire

Family remembers archery club founding member with volley of fire

Caleb Scussel from Floyd Dryden Middle School and Luke Bell from Haines Glacier Bears square off against each other for the first of the final matches for this year’s Southeast Alaska Middle School Regional Wrestling Tournament on Saturday at Floyd Dryden Middle School. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Southeast Alaska Middle School Regional Wrestling Tournament comes to Floyd Dryden

Over 200 wrestlers from 13 different schools.

University of Alaska Southeast students run out of the freezing water after jumping into the waters of Auke Bay on Saturday afternoon for the 25th UAS Polar Plunge. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Freezin’ for a reason: UAS students and Juneau residents take a plunge at Auke Bay

According to officials, the water temperature was 37 degrees during the time of the plunge.

The tide was out at Eagle Beach with three snow geese feeding on seaweed. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)

News

Wild Shots

Reader-submitted photos of Mother Nature in Southeast Alaska.

The three generations of Wileys who have operated the Ben Franklin Store are shown inside the shop. Seated are Fred and Sally Wiley, holding a painting of the 1930s Blomgren Building. Standing are Meagan Wiley Bishop and her father Mike Wiley who currently run the popular downtown Front Street business. (Michael Penn / Downtown Business Association)

Neighbors

Rooted in Community: The Wiley family celebrates 50 years in Front Street’s Blomgren Building

A downtown historic district fire 100 years ago made way for one of Juneau’s most enduring downtown businesses:…

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Professor of Alaska Native languages at the University of Alaska Southeast, X’unei Lance Twitchell, analyses a ChatGPT story in Lingít while teaching his Intermediate Tlingit II class Thursday evening.

News

Does AI have a place in Tlingit language revitalization?

UAS professor weighs in.