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Sightseeing buses and tourists are seen at a pullout popular for taking in views of North America’s tallest peak, Denali, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, on Aug. 26, 2016. A Utah doctor is accused of lying to get a high-elevation helicopter to rescue him off the tallest mountain in North America and then destroying evidence. Dr. Jason Lance, who is a radiologist in Ogden, Utah, faces three misdemeanors, interfering with and violating the order of a government employee and for filing a false report from his May 2021, attempt to summit Denali, located about 180 miles north of Anchorage. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)

Utah doctor accused of lying for Denali helicopter rescue

The radiologist was charged Tuesday with three misdemeanors.

  • Nov 11, 2021
  • Mark Thiessen Associated Press
Sightseeing buses and tourists are seen at a pullout popular for taking in views of North America’s tallest peak, Denali, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, on Aug. 26, 2016. A Utah doctor is accused of lying to get a high-elevation helicopter to rescue him off the tallest mountain in North America and then destroying evidence. Dr. Jason Lance, who is a radiologist in Ogden, Utah, faces three misdemeanors, interfering with and violating the order of a government employee and for filing a false report from his May 2021, attempt to summit Denali, located about 180 miles north of Anchorage. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)
Douglas Island Pink and Chum had a better year than 2020, and things appear to be improving for next year, said hatchery employees. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

DIPAC clocks good 2021 season

Returns aren’t as good as several years ago but they’re an improvement over 2020’s dismal numbers.

Douglas Island Pink and Chum had a better year than 2020, and things appear to be improving for next year, said hatchery employees. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks at an Anchorage news conference on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, to discuss the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package soon to be signed into law by President Joe Biden. (Screenshot)

‘It is a win for Alaska’ Murkowski touts bipartisan infrastructure bill

Bipartisan bill.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks at an Anchorage news conference on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, to discuss the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package soon to be signed into law by President Joe Biden. (Screenshot)
The season’s first snow greeted people downtown Wednesday, Nov. 10. Later that morning, forecasters at the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory, predicting that two to four inches of snow could fall on the capital city starting late Thursday night and into Friday morning. (Peter Segall/Juneau Empire)

Low-pressure system likely to bring snow to Juneau

That escalated quickly.

The season’s first snow greeted people downtown Wednesday, Nov. 10. Later that morning, forecasters at the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory, predicting that two to four inches of snow could fall on the capital city starting late Thursday night and into Friday morning. (Peter Segall/Juneau Empire)
Flowers lay at the plaque of Juneau’s 9/11 memorial on Sept. 11, 2006. The memorial, located in Riverside Rotary Park in the Mendenhall Valley was the first in the nation. Twenty years ago, Juneau resident Debbie Penrose-Fischer and her husband Brent Fischer harnessed their grief in the face of the national tragedy to become the driving force behind the creation of the memorial, which serves as a gathering point each Sept. 11 and provides a place for community members to reflect on Veterans Day. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire File)

Pausing to remember

Pausing to remember: The story behind a local memorial

Flowers lay at the plaque of Juneau’s 9/11 memorial on Sept. 11, 2006. The memorial, located in Riverside Rotary Park in the Mendenhall Valley was the first in the nation. Twenty years ago, Juneau resident Debbie Penrose-Fischer and her husband Brent Fischer harnessed their grief in the face of the national tragedy to become the driving force behind the creation of the memorial, which serves as a gathering point each Sept. 11 and provides a place for community members to reflect on Veterans Day. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire File)
The author has done plenty of rowing and hiking in the early morning, but he hasn't found a buck. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Crashing waves of doubt

Staying frustrated is more of a problem than getting frustrated

  • Nov 10, 2021
  • By Jeff Lund For the Juneau Empire
The author has done plenty of rowing and hiking in the early morning, but he hasn't found a buck. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Yeilk’ Vivian Mork sits watching a sunset with nephews Timothy and Jackson Person, Wrangell. (Vivian Faith Prescott / For the Capital City Weekly)
Capital City Weekly

Planet Alaska: 10 Southeast Alaskan gratitudes

Berries, arts, salmon and so much more.

Yeilk’ Vivian Mork sits watching a sunset with nephews Timothy and Jackson Person, Wrangell. (Vivian Faith Prescott / For the Capital City Weekly)
Ivan Nance, a Coast Guard veteran, is one of the people enrolled in Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s Veterans’ Options for Independence, Choice and Empowerment, a program designed to give more control to veterans over how their caregiving is delivered. (Courtesy photo / Ivan Nance)

SAIL seeking to expand high-level veteran care program

The program gives veterans with a high need of care more control over their own affairs.

Ivan Nance, a Coast Guard veteran, is one of the people enrolled in Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s Veterans’ Options for Independence, Choice and Empowerment, a program designed to give more control to veterans over how their caregiving is delivered. (Courtesy photo / Ivan Nance)
Peter Segall / Juneau Empire The last cruise ship of the year, the Norwegian Encore, sails out of Juneau on Wednesday, Oct., 20, 2021, ending a cruise ship season that almost didn’t happen. Despite a smaller season this year, local officials expect a robust season in 2022.

An abbreviated cruise season by the numbers

Fewer ships than 2019, but more than 2020

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire The last cruise ship of the year, the Norwegian Encore, sails out of Juneau on Wednesday, Oct., 20, 2021, ending a cruise ship season that almost didn’t happen. Despite a smaller season this year, local officials expect a robust season in 2022.
The final proposed map for legislative districts in the Alaska House of Representatives from the Alaska Redistricting Board and set to be finalized Nov. 10, but the once-a-decade process has always faced litigation. (Screenshot / Alaska Redistricting Board)

Redistricting board draws fire for senate pairings

Lawsuits are expected.

The final proposed map for legislative districts in the Alaska House of Representatives from the Alaska Redistricting Board and set to be finalized Nov. 10, but the once-a-decade process has always faced litigation. (Screenshot / Alaska Redistricting Board)
Lt. Scott Erickson teaches a class on use of force policy to a group of Juneau residents during the Juneau Police Department’s Citizen’s Academy on Nov. 4, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

Juneau residents get look at policing with Citizen’s Academy

A handful of Juneau residents are getting up close and learning some of the fine details of the job.

Lt. Scott Erickson teaches a class on use of force policy to a group of Juneau residents during the Juneau Police Department’s Citizen’s Academy on Nov. 4, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
An American robin perches on a branch, with toes loosely curled. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Why don’t birds fall off their perches?

A growing body of evidence suggests that birds have a second organ of equilibrium.

An American robin perches on a branch, with toes loosely curled. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Rona

State reports 53 COVID-19 deaths

Fifty among residents, three among nonresidents.

Rona
Fritz Moser, 63, waits while registered nurse Lori Higgins test his blood sample for glucose and cholesterol levels at a free screening clinic on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, at Bartlett Regional Hospital. The hospital used to hold regular health clinics to stress the importance of preventive health care but those had to close with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

As pandemic recedes, preventive care returns

Health plans.

Fritz Moser, 63, waits while registered nurse Lori Higgins test his blood sample for glucose and cholesterol levels at a free screening clinic on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, at Bartlett Regional Hospital. The hospital used to hold regular health clinics to stress the importance of preventive health care but those had to close with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Thunder Mountain High School girls volleyball players Molly Brocious, center, #10, and Sydney Strong, left, #11, face off against Juneau Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé player Ashley Laudert, #18, during the Region Five tournament in Ketchikan over the weekend. (Mackenzie Pahang / Kayhi Current)

Thunder Mountain girls volleyball heads to state championship

Proud and pleased.

Thunder Mountain High School girls volleyball players Molly Brocious, center, #10, and Sydney Strong, left, #11, face off against Juneau Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé player Ashley Laudert, #18, during the Region Five tournament in Ketchikan over the weekend. (Mackenzie Pahang / Kayhi Current)
The remains of a 32-year-old Juneau resident missing since late September were discovered near the Flume Trail on Sunday. (Courtesy photo / Juneau Police Department)

Remains of missing man located off Flume Trail

The police are continuing to investigate as the body is flown to Anchorage for autopsy.

The remains of a 32-year-old Juneau resident missing since late September were discovered near the Flume Trail on Sunday. (Courtesy photo / Juneau Police Department)
It's a police car until you look closely and see the details don't quite match. (Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)

Police calls for Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

  • Nov 7, 2021
  • Juneau Empire
  • Crime
It's a police car until you look closely and see the details don't quite match. (Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)
This 2020 photo provided by Polar Bears International shows a polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada during migration. At risk of disappearing, the polar bear is dependent on something melting away on our warming planet: sea ice. (Kieran McIver/Polar Bears International via AP)

The warming Arctic affects sea ice and polar bears. Here’s how

Majestic, increasingly hungry and at risk of disappearing…

  • Nov 6, 2021
  • Seth Borenstein, Camille Fassett and Kati Perry Associated Press
  • Nation-World
This 2020 photo provided by Polar Bears International shows a polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada during migration. At risk of disappearing, the polar bear is dependent on something melting away on our warming planet: sea ice. (Kieran McIver/Polar Bears International via AP)
Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire Juneau Police Department Chief Ed Mercer said that crime numbers were looking good as Juneau steers its way out of the pandemic.

Police: Crime numbers trend down as Juneau navigates out of pandemic

Property crimes were Juneau’s biggest category for the last several years.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire Juneau Police Department Chief Ed Mercer said that crime numbers were looking good as Juneau steers its way out of the pandemic.
Artists of the inaugural Rock Aak’w Indigenous Music Festival gather beneath the mural of Elizabeth Peratrovich on the Juneau waterfront on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. This year the ceremony was all virtual, but organizers wanted to open the festival in person. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Rock Aak’w festival opens with songs, dancing and drumming

Rock Aak’w by seawalk.

Artists of the inaugural Rock Aak’w Indigenous Music Festival gather beneath the mural of Elizabeth Peratrovich on the Juneau waterfront on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. This year the ceremony was all virtual, but organizers wanted to open the festival in person. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)