Empire Archives is a series printed every Saturday featuring a short compilation of headline stories in the Juneau Empire from archived editions in 1985, 1995 and 2005.
This week in 1985, with fog halting landings and takeoffs at Sea-Tac Airport, holiday travelers coming to and departing from Juneau are discovering patience is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity. Both Alaska Airlines and Western Airlines, the two major carriers serving Juneau, report flight delays — some lengthy — due to fog in the Seattle area the past two days. Jerry Kvasnikoff, Alaska’s Juneau manager, said after checking the Seattle weather forecast “it’s still pretty unsure when there will be any lasting improvement” in Sea-Tac weather. Although Alaska has not had to cancel flights, very few have operated on time, he said. Passengers arriving at Sea-Tac for departing flights have been bused to Boeing Field or, if necessary, to Portland.
The fog persisted for several more days, with a banner Empire headline of “THE FOG” on Dec. 23 detailing ongoing woes and a Christmas Day story detailing those still hindered on the holiday, although the situation at Sea-Tac was by then showing some signs of improvement.
Original Story: “Fog slows Christmas air traffic,” by Leslie Murray. 12/20/1985.
This week in 1995, the partial federal shutdown that started on Friday, Dec. 15, at midnight affected about a quarter of Juneau’s 1,200 federal workers as of Monday morning, said Jim Donaghey, president of the Juneau Federal Executive Association. That number was expected to increase during the coming days since the U.S. Forest Service would also have to furlough its employees during the week — leaving only 16 of about 240 USFS workers on the job. Access to the Tongass National Forest will not be limited and law enforcement officers will stay on the job, said Steven Ambrose, a USFS spokesperson. Workers will not be called back unless Congress and President Clinton agree to a budget package or a temporary funding measure, such as one that happened in November ending a partial government shutdown.
Today a similar situation exists with the threat of ongoing federal shutdowns due to standoffs between Republicans in Congress and a Democratic president. A shutdown that would have affected many local agencies, including the USFS, was averted with a last-minute deal on Sept. 30, but resulted in turmoil in Congress as the Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted and replaced soon after. However, two more deadlines of Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 are ahead for portions of the budget.
Original Story: “Federal workers staying home,” by Svend Holst. 12/18/1995.
This week in 2005, a Juneau Assembly member is questioning if three businesses that serve alcohol and food are breaking the city’s smoking law. The city will take a closer look at whether all such establishments are complying with smoking ordinances next year when they need to renew their liquor licenses, Assembly member Dan Peterson said. The Hanger on the Wharf, the Alaskan Hotel, and the Breakwater Inn Restaurant and Lounge were in question at Monday’s Assembly meeting, but the panel decided to delay action until next year. Smoking is not allowed in restaurants or restaurants with bars, but only in places classified as bars, according to the city ordinance that went into effect in January after it was passed in 2004.
Today smoking restrictions are tougher, including a 20-foot buffer outside restaurants, and a ban on smoking in bars and most other public places. The statewide law also applies to vaping. Marijuana laws, however, have been relaxed.
Original Story: “City scrutinizes bars over smoking,” by Andrew Petty. 12/23/2005.
