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Rose Burke, 9, a fourth-grade student from Kenai, flips the switch to illuminate the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree during a ceremony Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson watches next to her. (Screenshot from C-SPAN broadcast)

News

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from Wrangell decorated with 10,000 ornaments made by Alaskans is lit

Rose Burke, 9, of Kenai, flips the switch after reading her essay about the tree during ceremony Tuesday.

A recount of ballots from the Nov. 5 election is observed Wednesday morning by Alaska Division of Elections officials and participants in a challenge to the outcome of a measure to repeal ranked choice voting in the state. The recount at the division director’s office in Juneau began Tuesday and is expected to last up to 10 days. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Recount for ranked choice ballot measure begins under watchful eyes of attorneys

Relative handful of oddly marked ballots questioned, few of those “quarantined” for further scrutiny.

The Porcupine lift on the beginner’s hill at Eaglecrest Ski Area is scheduled to open Saturday, but rain is keeping the main portion of the resort closed, officials announced Wednesday. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

Sports

Eaglecrest to open Porcupine lift on Saturday with tickets as low as $11, but rain thwarts full opening

Ski area offering 50% off ticket price for beginner hill lift for people donating to food drive.

Juneau Assembly members, city administrative leaders and other officials gather for the Assembly’s annual retreat where they discuss policy and budget goals for the coming year in the Juneau International Airport’s conference room on Dec. 2, 2023. This year’s retreat is scheduled Saturday at the same location. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

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CBJ’s budget being squeezed by lots of requests for extra funds, finance director warns

City ended FY24 with extra $10M in bank, but Assembly spent extra $6.5M during first five months of…

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé girls head coach Tanya Nizich talks to Crimson Bears players during the first day of girls varsity basketball tryouts Wednesday at the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Sports

JDHS holds first day of basketball tryouts

Crimson Bears head coaches Casperson, Nizich open court to roughly 100 players.

Jeff Campbell moves a Santa figurine into the front yard of his annual Christmas-themed holiday house on West 11th Street in the downtown neighborhood known as The Flats on Thursday, Nov. 28. Campbell begins the decorating after removing Halloween fare and usually turns on the lights in December. Campbell has created this masterpiece annually for over 30 years. Besides Santas, the display includes candy canes, drummer boys, nativity scenes, reindeer and Disney and Winnie the Pooh characters and some of his own creations. He also has thousands of lights and speakers wired to play Christmas music and his electricity bill doubles over the display’s longevity. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

News

An icebreaker, a world-premiere play, a new ski season and holiday events galore arriving at week’s end

Gallery Walk, landmark anniversary for “Nutcracker,” Mexican holy feast day among seasonal celebrations.

Three cruise ships are docked along Juneau’s waterfront on the evening on May 10, 2023, as a Princess cruise ship on the right is departing the capital city. A “banner” year for tourism in 2023, when a record 1.65 million cruise passengers visited the state, lifted workers’ average wages in the Southeast region, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

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Wages for Alaska workers are up, but total jobs remain lower than pre-pandemic levels

The average hourly wage in Alaska was $33.60 in 2023, putting the state in 11th place among all…

Traffic navigates a busy intersection covered with ice and slush on Monday afternoon. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)

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Update: Pedestrian recovering after being critically injured by truck; driver arrested for DUI

Man hit while near his house is conscious and improving at Oregon hospital, fundraising organizer says.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew conducts an on-scene search for five missing people after the fishing vessel Wind Walker was reported to have capsized near Courverden Point Sunday. The combined searches covered over 108 square nautical miles within a span of 24 hours. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Cmdr. Paul Johansen)

News

Coast Guard releases names of five people lost in fishing vessel sinking

Coast Guard District 17 headquarters said today that next of kin of the five persons missing in the…

Juneau Greens owner John Krapek prepares a box of fresh greens for a subscriber while Amy White serves customers at the other end of the long counter at the new hydroponic farm that opened in November at 7820 Honsinger Drive. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

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Turning over a new leaf: Juneau Greens grows fresh food

Indoor greenhouse and farm offers tastes of summer as short days and winter weather sets in.

A map shows projected population changes in Alaska between 2023 and 2050. (Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section)

News

Southeast Alaska’s population expected drop 17% by 2050, by far the most statewide

State expects to lose 15,000 residents, 12,000 of them from Southeast, according to report.

Fritz, played by Dani Hayes, steals the Nutcracker doll from Clara, played by Sachiko Marks, in Juneau Dance Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker” during dress rehearsal Sunday at the JDT studio. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

News

Rodents infest Stahlbaum home for holidays as Juneau Dance Theatre opens 50th season with ‘The Nutcracker’

Company’s performers and leaders share a sense of wonder about ballet being staged for its 20th year.

Marzena Whitmore (elf) and Dale Hudson (Santa), pose for a photo with Benny Orvin (partially obscured), 6, and his siblings Lilly, 4, and Remi, 2, taken by their mother Alex as their father Randy watches during last year’s Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Here’s what’s happening at this year’s Gallery Walk on Friday

More than 50 locations in downtown Juneau hosting performances, exhibits and other activities.

“I voted” stickers are seen on display in the headquarters offices of the Alaska Division of Elections in Juneau on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

News

Alaska election results are official: Here are 5 takeaways

Margin grows in defeat of measure to repeal open primary and ranked choice voting system.

A person walks along the tideline adjacent to the Airport Dike Trail on Thursday. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

News

First update in 20 years of citywide commercial-use rules for parks and trails proposed in new study

Plan to be discussed Tuesday bans commercial use of Perseverance Trail, Sunshine Cove Natural Park.

The fishing vessel Wind Walker fishes near Sitka on March 29, 2022. (James Poulson/The Daily Sitka Sentinel)

News

Coast Guard suspends search for five people aboard fishing boat that reportedly capsized near Juneau

Officials search more than 108 square nautical miles for Sitka-based boat in wintry conditions.

A storm warning for Juneau, extended until noon Monday, shows snow totals expected between 6 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday. (National Weather Service Juneau)

News

CBJ and state closes facilities all day Monday, remote learning day for schools as heavy snowstorm fouls roads

“If you don’t have to be on the road, stay home” due to snowy/icy roads, CCFR warns Monday…

Nine pairs of rubber boots await feet near the entrance to Catherine Fritz’s home in Juneau. The collection includes very early models made in the United States, later imported versions that are steel-toed, insulated and regular. Fritz’s favorite pair is a short version that slip on easily. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

News

Rubber barons: Weirdly fashionable and always functional rubber boots

From boat decks to badge of belonging, XtraTufs are universal.

William James (standing) hands plates of Thanksgiving food to family members during a communal holiday meal hosted by The Salvation Army Juneau Corps on Thursday at the Juneau Yacht Club. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Feeling full and thankful among family, friends and strangers

About 300 people indulge in introductions and feast fixings at annual communal Thanksgiving meal.

Mary McGee, the first U.S. woman to become a professional motorcycle racer, is seen in a documentary of her life that debuted on Thursday, one day after her death. (Promotional photo from ESPN Films)

News

‘Motorcycle Mary’ McGee, a Juneau-born woman who became a racing pioneer, dies at age 87

Life of first U.S. woman to race motorcycles captured in documentary released day after her death