News

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Friday, Sept. 1, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
David Holmes digs through a pile of board games during Platypus Gaming’s two-day mini-con at Douglas Public Library on Jan. 28. The full convention is scheduled to take place this weekend, the first time ever in September, following the reopening of Centennial Hall. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire File)

Thousands of games, hundreds of players

Platypus-Con happening this weekend for the first time in September

David Holmes digs through a pile of board games during Platypus Gaming’s two-day mini-con at Douglas Public Library on Jan. 28. The full convention is scheduled to take place this weekend, the first time ever in September, following the reopening of Centennial Hall. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire File)
Traffic at the Fred Meyer intersection, formally known as Egan and Yandukin drives, in November 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Assembly to formally urge state to improve safety at Fred Meyer intersection

A special meeting with a resolution seeking action planned Wednesday.

Traffic at the Fred Meyer intersection, formally known as Egan and Yandukin drives, in November 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Environmental Protection Administrator Michael Regan speaks at a news conference on Thursday at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Behind him are Bailey Richards, contamination support program coordinator for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Natalie Cale, chief operating officer for the Ounalashka Corp.; and Aaron Leggett, president of the Native Village of Eklutna. Regan made a five-day tour of Alaska as part of the EPA’s national Journey to Justice program, which focuses on the ways minority, Indigenous and low-income communities are disproportionately burdened by pollution and climate change. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska trip highlights challenges facing Indigenous communities, EPA leader says

Travels to the to the tiny Yup’ik village of Igiugig in the Bristol Bay region, to Utqiagvik at the northern tip of Alaska and to… Continue reading

Environmental Protection Administrator Michael Regan speaks at a news conference on Thursday at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Behind him are Bailey Richards, contamination support program coordinator for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Natalie Cale, chief operating officer for the Ounalashka Corp.; and Aaron Leggett, president of the Native Village of Eklutna. Regan made a five-day tour of Alaska as part of the EPA’s national Journey to Justice program, which focuses on the ways minority, Indigenous and low-income communities are disproportionately burdened by pollution and climate change. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Doug Vincent-Lang, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, explains the state’s position on fisheries management on the Kuskokwim River during a press conference Friday in Anchorage. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced during the event the state is seeking summary judgment in a lawsuit by the federal government that accuses the state of illegal subsistence management practices. (Screenshot from official video by the Governor of Alaska)

Dunleavy, Taylor push to get Kuskokwim case tossed

Jurisdictional battle with feds could have long-ranging implications

Doug Vincent-Lang, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, explains the state’s position on fisheries management on the Kuskokwim River during a press conference Friday in Anchorage. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced during the event the state is seeking summary judgment in a lawsuit by the federal government that accuses the state of illegal subsistence management practices. (Screenshot from official video by the Governor of Alaska)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
This photo shows Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Family of man who died by suicide in Juneau prison sues state for wrongful death, negligence

“It may be the last thing I do, but I intend to do every bit that I can.”

This photo shows Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Sterling Salisbury (right), president of the Juneau Police Department Employees Association, and Travis Wolf, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 4303 in Juneau, explain the format and rules of a Thursday night debate at the KTOO studios about public safety by 13 candidates seeking four open seats on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly.

Assembly candidates debate public safety issues

Wages, affordable housing, other possible remedies for workforce shortages discussed by 13 hopefuls.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Sterling Salisbury (right), president of the Juneau Police Department Employees Association, and Travis Wolf, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 4303 in Juneau, explain the format and rules of a Thursday night debate at the KTOO studios about public safety by 13 candidates seeking four open seats on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly.
Norval Nelson, owner and operator of Star of the Sea, and his wife, Barbara Cadiente, clean and prep the boat in Aurora Harbor on Wednesday, the same day the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced commercial crab fisheries would remain closed again this year. (Meredith Jordan/Juneau Empire)

Commercial crab fishery closed for 2023-2024 season

News comes atop plummeting prices for chum and pink salmon for professional fishers

Norval Nelson, owner and operator of Star of the Sea, and his wife, Barbara Cadiente, clean and prep the boat in Aurora Harbor on Wednesday, the same day the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced commercial crab fisheries would remain closed again this year. (Meredith Jordan/Juneau Empire)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
A sign opposing the participation of trans girls in girls sports is propped against a fire hydrant outside of the George A. Navarre Admin Building on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Alaska Board of Education met in the building to discuss a resolution that would ban trans girls from girls high school sports. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

State Board of Education bars trans girls from girls’ high school sports teams

Alaska becomes 24th state to impose such restrictions.

A sign opposing the participation of trans girls in girls sports is propped against a fire hydrant outside of the George A. Navarre Admin Building on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Alaska Board of Education met in the building to discuss a resolution that would ban trans girls from girls high school sports. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Shannon Mason, 24, visits the Airport Hiking Trail in mid-August, during the transition period between her former job as a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and her new job as a spokesperson for Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Straying on message: Former Dunleavy spokesperson now speaks for Peltola

Juneau resident Shannon Mason says switch isn’t as strange as it might seem, given Alaska’s politics.

Shannon Mason, 24, visits the Airport Hiking Trail in mid-August, during the transition period between her former job as a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and her new job as a spokesperson for Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
This is a photo of a news story on a page of the Juneau Empire published on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 1995, from an archived book. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Capital City Weekly

Empire Archives: Juneau’s history for the week of Sept. 2

Three decades of capital city coverage.

This is a photo of a news story on a page of the Juneau Empire published on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 1995, from an archived book. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Gerry Hatcher, left, and Drake Singleton drag a deflated boat pontoon over wet vegetation to reach Allison Lake near Valdez. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Lakes hold signs of past earthquakes

ALLISON LAKE, ABOVE VALDEZ — Three men dressed in full raingear crept like ants across a bumpy green landscape on Aug. 25, 2023. Using a… Continue reading

Gerry Hatcher, left, and Drake Singleton drag a deflated boat pontoon over wet vegetation to reach Allison Lake near Valdez. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
A promotional image for the 2021 TV series “Alaskan Killer Bigfoot” depicts a creature residents of Portlock say drove them from their fishing village 70 years ago. The nine-episode series on Discovery+ documented a 40-day trip by a team of people seeking clues about the creature. (Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.)
Capital City Weekly

Bigfoot making tracks to Juneau

Juneau hosting a town hall for Sasquatch-curious and devotees.

A promotional image for the 2021 TV series “Alaskan Killer Bigfoot” depicts a creature residents of Portlock say drove them from their fishing village 70 years ago. The nine-episode series on Discovery+ documented a 40-day trip by a team of people seeking clues about the creature. (Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.)
A network of pipelines, seen on Aug. 23, 2018, snakes through a portion of the Greater Prudhoe Bay Unit on Alaska’s North Slope. The oil and gas industry has more impact on Alaska’s economy than any other industry, a new study finds. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Oil and gas companies have outsized economic impact on Alaska, says industry study

The oil industry packs a bigger economic punch than any other industry in Alaska, according to study findings presented on Wednesday at an industry conference… Continue reading

A network of pipelines, seen on Aug. 23, 2018, snakes through a portion of the Greater Prudhoe Bay Unit on Alaska’s North Slope. The oil and gas industry has more impact on Alaska’s economy than any other industry, a new study finds. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
The Assembly Building is seen on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, in downtown Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Legislature’s new apartment building is on budget, on schedule

A project intended to renovate a historic Juneau building into apartments for state legislators and staff is running on time and on budget, officials told… Continue reading

The Assembly Building is seen on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, in downtown Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)