News

Sandy Frickey , left, talks about new assistive technology being used at home to help Frickey’s daughter, Gina, be safe. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Assistive living technology helps disabled residents feel secure at home

The Frickey residence, located Out the Road, is in a picturesque spot. Snow-laden trees surround the house, the interior of which is bright, wood-paneled and… Continue reading

Sandy Frickey , left, talks about new assistive technology being used at home to help Frickey’s daughter, Gina, be safe. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Endangered orcas compete with seals, sea lions for salmon

SEATTLE — Harbor seals, sea lions and some fish-eating killer whales have been rebounding along the Northeast Pacific Ocean in recent decades. But that boom… Continue reading

  • Nov 20, 2017
  • By PHUONG LE

Legislature will end special session today

There will be no grand ceremonies or speeches as the Alaska Legislature ends the fourth special session of the 30th Alaska Legislature today. In fact,… Continue reading

Police calls for Monday, Nov. 20, 2017

This report contains public information available to the Empire from law enforcement and public safety agencies. This report includes arrest and citation information, not conviction… Continue reading

Don’t expect alcohol at Eaglecrest this winter, general manager says

This summer, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly approved an ordinance this summer allowing Eaglecrest Ski Area to serve alcohol, but skiers will likely… Continue reading

A sketch of the Taku Dock to Marine Park Urban Design Plan. The plan is up for approval at the Nov. 30 Docks & Harbors meeting. (Courtesy of City and Borough of Juneau)

City considering downtown waterfront development

Juneau’s downtown waterfront could look very different in two years, and the time is now for Juneau residents to share their thoughts on the current… Continue reading

A sketch of the Taku Dock to Marine Park Urban Design Plan. The plan is up for approval at the Nov. 30 Docks & Harbors meeting. (Courtesy of City and Borough of Juneau)

Tour company looks to expand summer use of Treadwell trail

A tour company that brings people on the Treadwell Mine Historic District Trail to its zip line is looking to increase the maximum number of… Continue reading

Assistant District Attorney Angie Kemp speaks to Juneau Police Department Officer Jason Van Sickle during the trial of Leron Carlton Graham in Juneau Superior Court on Wednesday. Graham is representing himself on 14 counts of allegedly assaulting a woman and stealing a car in the Lemon Creek area in March. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Budget cuts hit prosecutors hard

This is a part of a continuing series examining the effects of budget cuts to state services. To see how state budget cuts are affecting… Continue reading

Assistant District Attorney Angie Kemp speaks to Juneau Police Department Officer Jason Van Sickle during the trial of Leron Carlton Graham in Juneau Superior Court on Wednesday. Graham is representing himself on 14 counts of allegedly assaulting a woman and stealing a car in the Lemon Creek area in March. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Maj. Gen. Laurel Hummel speaks during a town hall meeting at the National Guard Armory at the University of Alaska Southeast campus on Thursday. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)

Guard brass talk Southeast challenges

Retaining Alaska National Guardsmen in Southeast Alaska isn’t as easy as it used to be. Cultural and institutional shifts have made it harder, Guard personnel… Continue reading

Maj. Gen. Laurel Hummel speaks during a town hall meeting at the National Guard Armory at the University of Alaska Southeast campus on Thursday. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)
Oke and Robert Rodman talk about their experiences of owning and operating Percy’s Liquor on Front Street on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. They are closing the business after 30 years. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Mom and pop close bottle shop

After 29 years running their downtown bottle shop together, Oke and Robert Rodman have decided to stop and smell the roses. Percy’s Liquor, a stalwart… Continue reading

Oke and Robert Rodman talk about their experiences of owning and operating Percy’s Liquor on Front Street on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. They are closing the business after 30 years. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Alaska Electric Light and Power Company Lemon Creek operations center in Juneau on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

AEL&P rates to remain the same after state decision

This week, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved a permanent rate increase for Alaska Electric Light &Power, the first for the utility since May 2010.… Continue reading

Alaska Electric Light and Power Company Lemon Creek operations center in Juneau on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Father Gordon Blue, left, and Mary Alice McKeen, middle, prepare pie filling at a the Holy Trinity Church on Saturday. Blue and McKeen helped with the church’s “pie-a-thon” charity event, where they made 300 pies for sale and for donation in preparation for Thanksgiving Day. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)

Pie prep pandemonium

What does it take to create 300 apple pies in a day? About 45 volunteers, 600 pounds of apples, hot coffee and careful planning. A… Continue reading

Father Gordon Blue, left, and Mary Alice McKeen, middle, prepare pie filling at a the Holy Trinity Church on Saturday. Blue and McKeen helped with the church’s “pie-a-thon” charity event, where they made 300 pies for sale and for donation in preparation for Thanksgiving Day. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)
Juneau-Douglas’ Koen Schultz (23) celebrates his touchdown reception with quarterback Max Wheat, left, against Thunder Mountain at TMHS on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. TMHS won 10-7 in overtime.

Merged football team will get new name

The Thunder Mountain High School football players will be resting a little easier tonight. They won’t be playing for their cross-town rival Juneau-Douglas High School… Continue reading

Juneau-Douglas’ Koen Schultz (23) celebrates his touchdown reception with quarterback Max Wheat, left, against Thunder Mountain at TMHS on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. TMHS won 10-7 in overtime.
In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an airplane flies over caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. A showdown is looming in the nation’s capital over whether to open America’s largest wildlife refuge to oil drilling. A budget measure approved by the Republican-controlled Congress allows lawmakers to pursue legislation that would allow drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge takes up an area nearly the size of South Carolina in Alaska’s northeast corner. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)

Congress debates oil drilling in largest US wildlife refuge

ANCHORAGE — Sometime next April, pregnant cows in the Porcupine Caribou Herd in Canada will take the lead in an annual migration of nearly 200,000… Continue reading

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an airplane flies over caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. A showdown is looming in the nation’s capital over whether to open America’s largest wildlife refuge to oil drilling. A budget measure approved by the Republican-controlled Congress allows lawmakers to pursue legislation that would allow drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge takes up an area nearly the size of South Carolina in Alaska’s northeast corner. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)

Space heater suspected as cause in construction trailer fire

As the snow began to fall Thursday night, a small fire was burning in the Mendenhall Valley. At 10:05 p.m. Thursday, Capital City Fire/Rescue responded… Continue reading

Police & Fire for Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017

This report contains public information available to the Empire from law enforcement and public safety agencies. This report includes arrest and citation information, not conviction… Continue reading

Turkey Shoot returns

The Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot returns this year on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Juneau Gun Club and Alaska Department of Fish… Continue reading

Monthly poetry slam combines forces with student group

For its monthly poetry slam, Woosh Kinaadeiyí is combining forces with a University of Alaska Southeast student group tonight. At 7 p.m. Friday at the… Continue reading

Erik Scholl with his partner, Tianna Banua, and their children Ezra and Ezlyn Vidal, stand in front of one of their two food businesses in the State Office Building on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017. They operate SOB Grinds and Shaka Shack, both located on either end of the eighth floor atrium. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Say aloha to the SOB’s newest eateries

Erik Scholl’s coffee comes from the side of a volcano in Hawaii. His salt, straight from the island’s famed beaches. Everything at his two new… Continue reading

Erik Scholl with his partner, Tianna Banua, and their children Ezra and Ezlyn Vidal, stand in front of one of their two food businesses in the State Office Building on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017. They operate SOB Grinds and Shaka Shack, both located on either end of the eighth floor atrium. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Meilani Schijvens gives her “Southeast by the Numbers” presentation at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Population, government job decreases expected to continue in Southeast Alaska

As she began a presentation built around economic statistics in Southeast Alaska, Rain Coast Data Director Meilani Schijvens began with an apology. “There’s a lot… Continue reading

Meilani Schijvens gives her “Southeast by the Numbers” presentation at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)