News

Correction

The headline of a news brief in Thursday’s Empire incorrectly characterized the Inter-Island Ferry Authority as a private ferry system. The system is publicly funded… Continue reading

Around Town

GED orientation class, 9 a.m., The Learning Connection, 210 Ferry Way. GED orientation is designed to improve the success rate of those taking the tests.… Continue reading

Fishermen, lawmakers weigh in on proposed fish tax increase

JUNEAU — Fishing industry and lawmakers on Thursday puzzled over the origins of a proposed one percent tax increase in fisheries business taxes and fishery… Continue reading

My Turn: Alaska’s ferries – a successful socialist enterprise

“If you’ve got a business,” President Barack Obama said, “you didn’t build that.”By ignoring his preceding sentence, Republicans quickly turned that into one of the… Continue reading

In this photo taken on Jan. 27, Pakistani acid victim Sidra Kamwal looks herself in a mirror in Karachi, Pakistan. Sidra's attacker is in jail, but his family has been embraced by the neighbors. The family jeers at her, and the neighbors applaud. Sidra, with her painfully disfigured face, is the outcast.

Pakistan women risking all to fight for rights

KARACHI, Pakistan — Kainat Soomro was 13 years old and on her way to buy a toy for her newborn niece when three men kidnapped… Continue reading

In this photo taken on Jan. 27, Pakistani acid victim Sidra Kamwal looks herself in a mirror in Karachi, Pakistan. Sidra's attacker is in jail, but his family has been embraced by the neighbors. The family jeers at her, and the neighbors applaud. Sidra, with her painfully disfigured face, is the outcast.

In Egypt, clamp on academic freedoms sparks scholar backlash

CAIRO — Egyptian authorities are increasingly harassing foreign academics with restrictions, bans on entering the country and deportations. Particularly targeted are those researching anything related… Continue reading

Voters queue at a polling station where a ballot box sits empty Thursday in the capital Kampala, Uganda. Five hours after voting was due to start no voting papers had yet arrived.

Uganda: Opposition candidate briefly arrested after voting

KAMPALA, Uganda — The main opposition candidate for president in Uganda was briefly arrested late Thursday, his aide said, as vote counting started in presidential… Continue reading

Voters queue at a polling station where a ballot box sits empty Thursday in the capital Kampala, Uganda. Five hours after voting was due to start no voting papers had yet arrived.
In this Tuesday photo, North Koreans sit behind a banner with an exclamation mark during a figure skating performance held as part of celebrations on the "Day of the Shining Star" or birthday anniversary of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea.

N. Korea releases new slogans

PYONGYANG, North Korea — Produce more new-generation electric locomotives and passenger cars! Send more satellites into space! Make the whole country seethe with a high-pitched… Continue reading

In this Tuesday photo, North Koreans sit behind a banner with an exclamation mark during a figure skating performance held as part of celebrations on the "Day of the Shining Star" or birthday anniversary of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Some want to limit justices to 18 years

WASHINGTON — Justice Antonin Scalia’s sudden death a month before his 80th birthday and the potential impasse over replacing him is giving new impetus to… Continue reading

Border checkpoint scans eyes, faces of departing foreigners

SAN DIEGO — The federal government is using eye scans and facial recognition technology for the first time to verify the identities of foreigners leaving… Continue reading

Obama to raise human rights during historic trip to Cuba

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Thursday he’ll raise human rights issues and other U.S. concerns with Cuban President Raul Castro during a history-making visit… Continue reading

Flanked by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and first lady Angelica Rivera, Pope Francis is embraced by children on his way to a staging area, for a farewell ceremony, before his departure, at the Abraham Gonzalez International Airport in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Francis returned to Italy after a five-day visit in Mexico. His plane took off from the border city of Ciudad Juarez after night fell Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ivan Pierre Aguirre)

Pope vs. Trump: ‘Not Christian’ to only build border walls

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Thrusting himself into the heated American presidential campaign, Pope Francis declared Thursday that Donald Trump is “not Christian” if he… Continue reading

Flanked by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and first lady Angelica Rivera, Pope Francis is embraced by children on his way to a staging area, for a farewell ceremony, before his departure, at the Abraham Gonzalez International Airport in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Francis returned to Italy after a five-day visit in Mexico. His plane took off from the border city of Ciudad Juarez after night fell Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ivan Pierre Aguirre)

Colorado debates organic labels for marijuana

DENVER (AP) — Marijuana has attracted many labels in its time. On Friday, Colorado lawmakers debate whether the state should give the drug one more… Continue reading

Joshua Madrid hugs his dog, Cheese, as Loki lies next to them in Madrid's bus, parked in a temporary city-approved area for people living in their vehicles in Seattle on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Seattle has the third-highest number of homeless people in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Seattle experiments with new solutions to ease homelessness

SEATTLE — As homeless deaths mounted last fall in Seattle, elected officials declared an emergency, resorting to a tool often reserved for natural disasters to… Continue reading

Joshua Madrid hugs his dog, Cheese, as Loki lies next to them in Madrid's bus, parked in a temporary city-approved area for people living in their vehicles in Seattle on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Seattle has the third-highest number of homeless people in the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Investigation continues into walrus deaths on Alaska shore

ANCHORAGE — Five months after 25 Pacific walrus were found dead on a remote northwest Alaska beach, including some that were missing heads and tusks,… Continue reading

Alaskans honored with Governors Awards

Eight Alaskans were honored with Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities Thursday evening at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center, including three Juneau residents.Hosted… Continue reading

Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks to members of the Alaska media at the Capitol on Wednesday.

In capital stop, Murkowski speaks on Juneau, national issues

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has had a busy week. On Monday, she was leading a field hearing of the U.S. Senate’s energy committee in Bethel. After… Continue reading

Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks to members of the Alaska media at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Joshua Lehauli, 28, is shown in Juneau District Court on Thursday for his arraignment on charges of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery for reportedly assaulting another man with a baseball bat and holding him at gunpoint on Sunday. Lehauli was also wanted for a $5,000 arrest warrant connected to two counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.

Man arrested in connection to home invasion attack

First, the suspect entered an apartment demanding someone open a safe. Then, after his demands were ignored, he used a metal baseball bat and a… Continue reading

Joshua Lehauli, 28, is shown in Juneau District Court on Thursday for his arraignment on charges of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery for reportedly assaulting another man with a baseball bat and holding him at gunpoint on Sunday. Lehauli was also wanted for a $5,000 arrest warrant connected to two counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.

Study: Ferry system has $52 million impact

Inter-Island Ferry Authority, which operates out of Hollis, has a $52.2 million economic impact on Prince of Wales Island and in Ketchikan, a new report… Continue reading

Woman stabs man with steak knife during argument

An officer responding to a 911 call earlier this month found a man with puncture wounds in his upper body and blood stains on the… Continue reading