In this July 17, 2003 photo, the Ketchikan airport ferry Bob Ellis leaves the airport loceated on Gravina Island in Ketchikan. Alaska's so-called bridge to nowhere, which became a poster child for congressional earmarks, appears dead.

Department moving away from ‘bridge to nowhere’

JUNEAU — Alaska’s so-called bridge to nowhere, derided by critics as an example of congressional earmarks run amok, appears dead.State transportation department officials have spurned… Continue reading

In this July 17, 2003 photo, the Ketchikan airport ferry Bob Ellis leaves the airport loceated on Gravina Island in Ketchikan. Alaska's so-called bridge to nowhere, which became a poster child for congressional earmarks, appears dead.

City pot board tables tax, license discussions

After nearly recommending an 8 percent tax on marijuana sales for Assembly consideration, the City and Borough of Juneau Marijuana Committee decided instead to table… Continue reading

Project provides boat access to Chena River in Fairbanks

FAIRBANKS — A project to stabilize the Chena River in Fairbanks is expected to allow for further development in the city’s downtown area.The multi-stage project… Continue reading

Woman dies, 2 children hurt, in fire in village of Chevak

ANCHORAGE — Alaska State Troopers say a 39-year-old woman died and two children were injured in a residential fire in the western Alaska village of… Continue reading

Man pleads guilty to illegal purchase of halibut

KETCHIKAN — A former Ketchikan resident and business owner has pleaded guilty to purchasing nearly 1,000 pounds of halibut that was caught for subsistence and… Continue reading

In this Jan. 26, 2003, file photo, a China Airlines Boeing 747-400 sits on the tarmac at the Chiang Kai-shek International airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan. A woman deported to her homeland Taiwan after giving birth on a China Airlines flight on Oct. 8, 2015, to the U.S. in an apparent attempt to give her baby American citizenship may have to pay hefty compensation for forcing the plane to divert.

Taiwanese woman may face hefty bill for US plane birth

TAIPEI — A Taiwanese woman who gave birth on a flight to the U.S. in what may have been an attempt to give her baby… Continue reading

In this Jan. 26, 2003, file photo, a China Airlines Boeing 747-400 sits on the tarmac at the Chiang Kai-shek International airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan. A woman deported to her homeland Taiwan after giving birth on a China Airlines flight on Oct. 8, 2015, to the U.S. in an apparent attempt to give her baby American citizenship may have to pay hefty compensation for forcing the plane to divert.
Fog forms over Mendenhall Lake as Nugget Falls flows from recent rainfall on Tuesday.

Photo: Foggy formation

Fog forms over Mendenhall Lake as Nugget Falls flows from recent rainfall on Tuesday. … Continue reading

Fog forms over Mendenhall Lake as Nugget Falls flows from recent rainfall on Tuesday.

Blue Jays try to force deciding Game 7 vs Royals in ALCS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have established a reputation for dramatic postseason comebacks the past couple of years, beginning with last season’s… Continue reading

  • Oct 23, 2015
  • By DAVE SKRETTA

Juneau students on mark with state testing

After the first round of standardized testing using a new progress scale, Juneau School District students turned out seemingly satisfying scores, relative to state results.Superintendent… Continue reading

Obama vetoes $612 billion defense bill in rebuke to GOP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama vetoed a sweeping $612 billion defense policy bill Thursday in a rebuke to congressional Republicans, and insisted they send… Continue reading

Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Under GOP grilling, Clinton seeks to close book on Benghazi

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton strove to close the book on the worst episode of her tenure as secretary of state Thursday, battling Republican questions… Continue reading

Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Around town for Thursday, Oct. 23

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

Tlingit Tribe members from Klawock, Alaska Jonathan Rowan, left, and Lawrence Armour unveil a carved Alaskan storage box at the Honolulu Museum of Arts, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, in Honolulu.   A totem pole, stolen by actor John Barrymore during a sailing trip to Alaska in 1931, was returned to the Tlingit Tribe by the Honolulu Museum of Arts today, where it was on display since the early 1980s.  The totem pole was carved by the ancestors of the Tlingit Tribe.  The box was a thank you gift for the return of their totem pole.  (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Alaska tribal members to get back totem pole taken by actor

HONOLULU — A stolen totem pole that went from the garden decor of two golden-age Hollywood actors to the basement of a Hawaii museum was… Continue reading

Tlingit Tribe members from Klawock, Alaska Jonathan Rowan, left, and Lawrence Armour unveil a carved Alaskan storage box at the Honolulu Museum of Arts, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, in Honolulu.   A totem pole, stolen by actor John Barrymore during a sailing trip to Alaska in 1931, was returned to the Tlingit Tribe by the Honolulu Museum of Arts today, where it was on display since the early 1980s.  The totem pole was carved by the ancestors of the Tlingit Tribe.  The box was a thank you gift for the return of their totem pole.  (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Police & Fire for Friday, Oct. 23, 2015

This report contains information provided to the Empire from law enforcement agencies. This report includes arrest and citation information, not conviction information. Anyone listed in… Continue reading

BLM OKs drilling permit in petroleum reserve

JUNEAU — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Thursday that it had approved a drilling permit that would clear the way for the first… Continue reading

An employee of Dawson Construction works on a scaffold outside the House Finance Committee room on the fifth floor of the Capitol building on Wednesday. Workers have been getting the Capitol ready for the Special Session that starts on Saturday.

Photos: Capitol readies for special session

An employee of Dawson Construction works on a scaffold outside the House Finance Committee room on the fifth floor of the Capitol building on Wednesday.… Continue reading

An employee of Dawson Construction works on a scaffold outside the House Finance Committee room on the fifth floor of the Capitol building on Wednesday. Workers have been getting the Capitol ready for the Special Session that starts on Saturday.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to match polio run’s fundraising 2 to 1

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match the money raised by local Rotary clubs’ Saturday inaugural PolioPlus Fun Run two to one. Participants can… Continue reading

Teacher, student killed in stabbing attack on Swedish school

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A sword-wielding masked man who students thought was playing a Halloween prank stabbbed four people at a school with a large… Continue reading

Pentagon: American killed in raid to free Iraqis held by IS

IRBIL, Iraq — Acting on word of an “imminent mass execution” by Islamic State militants, dozens of U.S. special operations troops and Iraqi forces raided… Continue reading

Israeli man shot dead after being mistaken for attacker

JERUSALEM — A Jewish Israeli man was shot and killed in a scuffle with Israeli soldiers who suspected he was a Palestinian attacker, police said… Continue reading