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The Seward-based band Blackwater Railroad Company plays onstage ahead of their New Year’s concert in Juneau at Crystal Saloon. (photo courtesy Blackwater Railroad Company)

News

Transience and adventure: Alaska band returns to Juneau for New Year’s concerts

The Blackwater Railroad Company talks about their ‘Alaska Music’ ahead of their shows.

A Douglas street is blanketed in snow on Dec. 6, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

Precipitation is forecast later this week. Will it be rain or snow?

Two storm systems are expected to move through Juneau toward the end of the week.

A residence stands on Tuesday, Dec. 23 after a fatal house fire burned on Saturday, Dec. 20. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

2 house fires burn in 3 days at Switzer Village

Causes of the fires are still under investigation.

A house on Telephone Hill stands on Dec. 22, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

Court sets eviction date for Telephone Hill residents as demolition plans move forward

A lawsuit against the city seeks to reverse evictions and halt demolition is still pending.

Juneauites warm their hands and toast marshmallows around the fire at the “Light the Night" event on winter solstice, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

A mile of lights marked Juneau’s darkest day

Two ski teams hosted a luminous winter solstice celebration at Mendenhall Loop.

A Capital City Fire/Rescue truck drives in the Mendenhall Valley in 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Juneau man found dead following residential fire

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

CBJ sign reads “Woodstove burn ban in effect.” (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

News

Update: CBJ cancels air quality emergency in Mendenhall Valley Sunday morning

The poor air quality was caused by an air inversion, trapping pollutants at lower elevations.

A dusting of snow covers the Ptarmigan chairlift at Eaglecrest Ski Area in December 2024. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

News

Update: Waterline break forces closure at Eaglecrest Friday, Saturday

The break is the latest hurdle in a challenging opening for Juneau’s city-run ski area this season.

The National Weather Service Juneau issues a high wind warning forDowntown Juneau, Southern Douglas Island and Thane due to increased confidence for Taku Winds this afternoon. (National Weather Service screenshot)

News

Taku winds and dangerous chills forecast for Juneau

Gusts up to 60 mph and wind chills near minus 15 expected through the weekend.

Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire
Fallen trees are pictured by the Mendenhall river on Aug. 15, 2025. Water levels rose by a record-breaking 16.65 feet on the morning of Aug. 13 during a glacial outburst flood.

News

Lake tap chosen as long-term fix for glacial outburst floods

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Juneau leaders agreed on the plan.

A buck enters the view of an Alaska Department of Fish and Game trail camera on Douglas island in November 2020. (Alaska Department of Fish and Game courtesy photo)

News

Douglas deer: The island’s hunt faces calls for new rules

Board of Game is seeking public comment on regulation changes that would affect Juneau.

A cat says hello at Juneau Animal Rescue in February 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

New animal shelter site approved by Juneau Assembly

Juneau Animal Rescue secures eight-acre lease, but fundraising remains.

A mound of a snow obscures a “student drop off” sign near Sít’ Eetí Shaanàx-Glacier Valley School. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Juneau schools closed, city facilities delayed Monday due to weather

NWS released a weather warning in effect through the evening.

The emergency cold-weather warming shelter is seen in Thane on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Man charged for alleged rape at warming shelter

Staff have increased the frequency of safety rounds, and are discussing potential policy changes.

Eaglecrest Ski Area photo 
Eaglecrest Ski Area as seen in a photo posted to the hill’s Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2025.

News

Eaglecrest boots up for a limited opening this weekend

15 degree highs usher in the hill’s 50th season.

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is one of the primary health care providers in Juneau, accepting most major public and private insurance plans. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

Marketplace health premiums set to rise in 2026

Here’s what you need to know about how coverage is changing, and for whom.

Capital City Fire/Rescue completes last season’s ice break rescue training at the float pond near Juneau International Airport. (photo courtesy of Capital City Fire/Rescue)

News

On thin ice: Fire department responds to season’s first rescue at Mendenhall Lake

This week’s single digit temperatures have prompted dangerous ice ventures.

Brenda Schwartz-Yeager gestures to her artwork on display at Annie Kaill’s Gallery Gifts and Framing during the 2025 Gallery Walk on Friday, Dec. 5. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

Alaska artist splashes nautical charts with sea life

Gallery Walk draws crowds to downtown studios and shops.

Holiday lights decorate the Governor’s House on Dec. 4, 2019 before the Governor’s Open House on Dec. 10. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Cookies, cider and a 12-foot spruce: Governor’s Holiday Open House returns

The century-old tradition continues Tuesday.

Downtown Juneau experiences its first significant city-level snow fall of the season as pictured on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)

News

Sub-zero temperatures to follow record snowfall in Juneau

The National Weather Service warns of dangerous wind chills as low as -15 degrees early this week.