Site Logo
An aerial shows the footprint of the test well drilled in the mid-1980s on land owned by the Kaktovik Native village corporation within the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Trump wants oil drilling in Alaska. A lease sale in ANWR just flopped.

No bidders for 400,000 acres offered; some Alaska officials said Biden actions ensured failure

A firefighter carries a hose toward a Mendenhall Valley house still experiencing flareups hours after a fire started early Saturday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

JPD: Fire that destroyed home deliberately set by man who died from cause ‘not related to the fire’

Relative suffered life-threatening burns reentering house trying to find man, according to police.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé hockey players and Bartlett High School hockey players work for a puck during the Crimson Bears 10-6 win over the Golden Bears Saturday at the Treadwell Ice Arena. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)

Sports

ASAA concerned incident in JDHS hockey game not reported

Visiting Bartlett High School player had to be restrained and escorted from ice.

2022 Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé graduate Brooke Sanford (5) reacts with teammates during a Regis University Rangers home volleyball match this season in Denver, Colorado. (Regis photo courtesy Makayla Salter)

Sports

Former JDHS volleyball star Brooke Sanford discusses college adjustments

Local 2022 graduate takes game to higher court while pursuing education degree in Colorado.

Frank Richards, president of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., speaks at a Jan. 6, 2025, news conference held in Anchorage by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy is standing behind him. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Unnamed energy company is negotiating takeover of proposed trans-Alaska gas pipeline

Top official for the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. said he expects a formal announcement soon.

The future U.S. Coast Guard cutter Storis, the service’s newest icebreaker, near Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 10, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

News

Coast Guard: ‘It will be several years before families arrive in Juneau’ with icebreaker

Initial crew of 60 expected to be assigned to Storis next summer, but major ship and port upgrades…

A trailer in the Sprucewood Park mobile home neighborhood burns on Monday night. Fire officials said the trailer apparently has long been unoccupied. (Photo by Gerald Mayeda)

News

Fire engulfs unoccupied trailer in the Mendenhall Valley

Wind spreads flames quickly, but neighboring homes escape damage.

A long line of residents pick up groceries at the Southeast Alaska Food Bank on Aug. 20, 2022. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Lawsuits for backlogged public assistance programs result in mandatory monthly progress reports by state

Alaska agrees to such reports for cash assistance after judge orders similar requirement for food stamps.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé juniors Joren Gasga (12) and Tyler Frisby (21) and senior Ahmir Parker (2) rebound with Ketchikan senior Marcus Stockhausen during the Crimson Bears’ 70-63 loss to the Kings on Saturday at the George Houston Gymnasium in Juneau. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Kings fire long-range shots at Crimson Bears, get 70-63 win to sweep two-game series

First time Kayhi has won back-to-back games at Juneau in over a decade.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Emilio Holbrook (37) defends Bartlett senior Dylan Beals (19) during the Crimson Bears’ 10-6 win over the Golden Bears on Saturday at Treadwell Ice Arena. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Crimson Bears sweep Golden Bears in second high-scoring shootout

JDHS stops Bartlett again on Treadwell Ice Arena for 10-6 win.

A firefighter tries to contain a flareup in a house fire on Aspen Avenue on Saturday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

One person killed, one hospitalized in early-morning house fire in Mendenhall Valley

Home considered a total loss, family left without possessions as fire ignites while they’re sleeping.

(Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Teen arrested for New Year’s DUI after collision with parked vehicle that injured three juveniles

Lance Martell, 19, also arrested on assault and endangerment charges after wreck at end of Thane Road.

Juneau residents line up in the Thunder Mountain Middle School auditorium on Friday to ask questions and protest the HESCO flood barriers that are potentially being installed this summer. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

News

Frustrated residents say concerns about short-term flood barrier plan aren’t getting sufficient answers

Some homeowners say they’d rather buy insurance than pay $6,300 for barriers, then focus on long-term fix.

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Dance Team pose for a photo in the JDHS commons before Saturday’s Crimson Bears basketball game against Ketchikan. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

JDHS dance team are top entertainers and athletes

Fans become unglued from seats through every halftime performance.

A new development and policy blueprint for downtown Juneau got unanimous approval Monday from the Juneau Assembly. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

News

Opening lots of land around Juneau to more development gets OK from Assembly

More housing is major goal of new downtown blueprint, rezoning proposals in North Douglas and Auke Bay.

Construction workers attend to outdoor tasks on Dec. 17, 2024, at a residential project being built in downtown Anchorage. Alaska is expected to gain 1,500 construction jobs this year, according to the annual forecast published by state Department of Labor and Workforce Development economists. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Construction and oil expected to lead job growth in Alaska this year

Struggling seafood processors are expected to keep shedding jobs.

Dave Hanna (center), a former Eaglecrest Ski Area board member, addresses the current resort leaders during a board meeting Thursday night at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Eaglecrest’s future may depend on how many cruise passengers will pay $171 to ride the gondola

Operators’ ridership and pricing expectations questionable, says former GM hired by CBJ for study.

Koko Urata and Enrique Bravo with their baby, Enrique, the first born at Bartlett Regional Hospital in 2025, and Lindy Jones, a doctor at the hospital who with his wife made a wooden rocker as a gift for the new family. (Bartlett Regional Hospital photo)

News

Juneau’s first baby of 2025: Enrique Bravo, born at 8:10 p.m. on New Year’s Day

Family has generational ties to doctor at hospital who made wooden rocker as a traditional gift.

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., center, and Rep. Marjorie Tayler Greene, R-Ga., left, talk with fellow representatives as they arrive for the first day of the 119th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

News

Louisiana’s Mike Johnson elected U.S. House speaker by GOP in cliffhanger vote

Nick Begich III sworn in as Alaska’s new statewide House member, votes for speaker.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Paxton Mertl (7) shoots against Bartlett’s Dylan Beals during the Crimson Bears 7-5 win over the Golden Bears Friday at the Treadwell Ice Arena. The teams play against Saturday at 3 p.m. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

Crimson Bears ice Golden Bears

JDHS wins 7-5 scoring shootout against Bartlett.