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Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation CEO Angela Rodell speaks to the House Finance Committee on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Rodell was fired as CEO on Dec. 10 by APFC's board, a decision which has lawmakers and others asking 'why?' (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

Lawmakers want answers on CEO firing at permanent fund corp

Record earnings reported.

Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation CEO Angela Rodell speaks to the House Finance Committee on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Rodell was fired as CEO on Dec. 10 by APFC's board, a decision which has lawmakers and others asking 'why?' (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)
Technicians at the Alaska State Crime Lab recently identified the human remains found in a shoe that washed up near the Seawalk in 2020. (Courtesy photo / Department of Public Safety)

How it works: crime lab specialist talks ID’ing human remains

Deep muscle tissue is best for identifying workable DNA.

Technicians at the Alaska State Crime Lab recently identified the human remains found in a shoe that washed up near the Seawalk in 2020. (Courtesy photo / Department of Public Safety)
This photo available under the Creative Commons license shows a New Mexico whiptail. The lizards are obligately parthenogenetic(capable of reproduction without fertilization) and unisexual (female). (Courtesy Photo / Greg Schechter)

On the Trails: Parthenogenesis in vertebrates

There’s another way to be a single parent.

This photo available under the Creative Commons license shows a New Mexico whiptail. The lizards are obligately parthenogenetic(capable of reproduction without fertilization) and unisexual (female). (Courtesy Photo / Greg Schechter)
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 Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021

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

  • Dec 14, 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)
Ice on Mendenhall Lake is never completely safe to walk on, said a Capital City Fire/Rescue officer. That’s because of widely varying and hard-to-discern conditions under the surface., but common sense can mitigate some risk. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Easy on the ice: CCFR recommends caution around icy lakes

The safest way to not fall through thin ice is to not go out onto it in the first place.

Ice on Mendenhall Lake is never completely safe to walk on, said a Capital City Fire/Rescue officer. That’s because of widely varying and hard-to-discern conditions under the surface., but common sense can mitigate some risk. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. Putting an end to the COVID-19 pandemic will mean priming the immune systems of everyone on Earth but the virus is mutating and could take years to "settle down," says an expert. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-NIAID/National Institutes of Health

State detects 1st omicron case in Anchorage resident

The person had previously tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling internationally in November

This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. Putting an end to the COVID-19 pandemic will mean priming the immune systems of everyone on Earth but the virus is mutating and could take years to "settle down," says an expert. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-NIAID/National Institutes of Health
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, NIAID-RML

COVID at a Glance for Monday, Dec. 13

Numbers come from reports from the City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, as well… Continue reading

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, NIAID-RML
Copies of the Alaska State Constitution were available outside the Lt. Governor’s office on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, but if voters choose to have a constitutional convention next year, the state’s foundational document could be re-written entirely. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Group warns of costs, time and changes from constitutional convention

You say you’ll change the constitution.

Copies of the Alaska State Constitution were available outside the Lt. Governor’s office on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, but if voters choose to have a constitutional convention next year, the state’s foundational document could be re-written entirely. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
The city eased requirements for masks for vaccinated individuals indoors on Dec. 13, 2021. Masks will still be requireed in all City and Borough of Juneau facilities. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

City lowers community risk level

Very little will change, save that the vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks indoors.

The city eased requirements for masks for vaccinated individuals indoors on Dec. 13, 2021. Masks will still be requireed in all City and Borough of Juneau facilities. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
A float plane takes off over Gastineau Channel in Juneau, Alaska., on May 30, 2018. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, that he will propose a $5 million grant in his upcoming budget to support tourism marketing efforts amid the ongoing pandemic. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)

Dunleavy proposes grant for Alaska tourism effort

Proposal part of upcoming budget.

A float plane takes off over Gastineau Channel in Juneau, Alaska., on May 30, 2018. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, that he will propose a $5 million grant in his upcoming budget to support tourism marketing efforts amid the ongoing pandemic. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)
The Juneau headquarters of Alaska Light & Power on Dec. 9. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

Grant process leaves city high and dry, but electrification plans still on deck

When will their ship come in?

The Juneau headquarters of Alaska Light & Power on Dec. 9. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)
Ginger Buck and her daughter, Miranda (11), select a name from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree at Mendenhall Mall on Dec. 11. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

‘Juneau is always very generous’: Toy drives underway

Opportunities to share holiday cheer abound.

Ginger Buck and her daughter, Miranda (11), select a name from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree at Mendenhall Mall on Dec. 11. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)
Holly Johnson, left, and Laura Martinson were named Juneau’s Citizens of the year on Thursday night. Martinson, who owns Caribou Crossings, and Johnson, president of Wings Airways, received the award in recognition of their leadership of the Protect Juneau’s Future committee. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

Chamber names Citizens of the Year

Martinson, Johnson share honor

Holly Johnson, left, and Laura Martinson were named Juneau’s Citizens of the year on Thursday night. Martinson, who owns Caribou Crossings, and Johnson, president of Wings Airways, received the award in recognition of their leadership of the Protect Juneau’s Future committee. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)
This photo shows the Alaska State Capitol. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

Cities hope to see full state budget, bolstered by federal funds

School bond debt.

This photo shows the Alaska State Capitol. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)
Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire This photo shows vehicles at the city impound lot in Lemon Creek on Dec. 9, 2021. Space is perpetually at a premium in the impound lot, which holds vehicles for all sorts of reasons.

Junk car disposals are on the rise, city seeks to do more

Clearing abandoned vehicles from city property can be admistratively tricky.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire This photo shows vehicles at the city impound lot in Lemon Creek on Dec. 9, 2021. Space is perpetually at a premium in the impound lot, which holds vehicles for all sorts of reasons.
This January 2020 photo shows the Seawalk in front of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Labor on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Authorities ID remains found near Seawalk

Police say foot belonged to man who went missing in 2017.

This January 2020 photo shows the Seawalk in front of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Labor on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, NIAID-RML

COVID at a Glance for Friday, Dec. 10

Numbers come from reports from the City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, as well… Continue reading

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, NIAID-RML
Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer is seen on the floor of the Alaska House on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, in Juneau, Alaska. Meyer, a Republican who oversees elections in Alaska, in November 2020, announced plans for a hand-count review of votes cast on a successful ballot initiative, which would change how elections in Alaska are conducted, casting the review as a way to calm questions that had been raised about the validity of election results. The Associated Press received emails on Nov. 30, 2021, hat were received by Meyer’s office with complaints or concerns about the election, more than a year after they were requested. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

Email complaints scarce before ballot review

By Becky Bohrer Associated Press Alaska Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer last year said the issue his office seemed to be getting the most email on… Continue reading

Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer is seen on the floor of the Alaska House on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, in Juneau, Alaska. Meyer, a Republican who oversees elections in Alaska, in November 2020, announced plans for a hand-count review of votes cast on a successful ballot initiative, which would change how elections in Alaska are conducted, casting the review as a way to calm questions that had been raised about the validity of election results. The Associated Press received emails on Nov. 30, 2021, hat were received by Meyer’s office with complaints or concerns about the election, more than a year after they were requested. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
A forest growing on Malaspina Glacier in southern Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Martin Truffer)

Alaska Science Forum: Elephant Point and trees growing on ice

Pointing out the origins of a name.

A forest growing on Malaspina Glacier in southern Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Martin Truffer)
Dorothy Thomson stands while giving a thumbs down as Gov. Mike Dunleavy gives his State of Alaska Address during the 2019 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. The 2019 convention was the last in-person convention as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the meeting to go digital for the second year in a row. (Eric Engman/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)

‘Relationships are key’: AFN Convention brings leaders to the table

All levels of leadership.

Dorothy Thomson stands while giving a thumbs down as Gov. Mike Dunleavy gives his State of Alaska Address during the 2019 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. The 2019 convention was the last in-person convention as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the meeting to go digital for the second year in a row. (Eric Engman/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)