Search Results for: SUSTAINABLE ALASKA

State Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, right, asks Ajay Desai, director of the Alaska Division of Retirement and Benefits, about the assumptions used to calculate pensions earned by state employees under a fixed-amount plan in effect until 2006 and a subsequent 401K-type plan during a Senate Finance Committee hearing Thursday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Legislature dives into perilous waters with state workforce issues

We should not assume that what worked 20 years ago will work today.

  • Mar 2, 2023
  • By Win Gruening
State Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, right, asks Ajay Desai, director of the Alaska Division of Retirement and Benefits, about the assumptions used to calculate pensions earned by state employees under a fixed-amount plan in effect until 2006 and a subsequent 401K-type plan during a Senate Finance Committee hearing Thursday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
Christine Kleinhenz of Tide Watcher is the featured artist for the month of March at the Juneau Artists Gallery.  She is a visual artist and will be available to chat 4:30-6 p.m. for the gallery's First Friday event. (Courtesy Photo)

Take a peek at what’s happening for First Friday

This First Friday is going to be a busy one in downtown Juneau. New artistic exhibitions, a special theatrical event and more are planned for… Continue reading

Christine Kleinhenz of Tide Watcher is the featured artist for the month of March at the Juneau Artists Gallery.  She is a visual artist and will be available to chat 4:30-6 p.m. for the gallery's First Friday event. (Courtesy Photo)
Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire 
Coast Guard Cutter Munro docks in Juneau for a scheduled port visit Monday. The port visit marks Munro’s final stop before returning to its homeport in Alameda, California after 11,500 miles and 105 days away from homeport.

Coast Guard Cutter Munro makes stop in Juneau

Munro partnered with NOAA to enforce sustainable fishing.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire 
Coast Guard Cutter Munro docks in Juneau for a scheduled port visit Monday. The port visit marks Munro’s final stop before returning to its homeport in Alameda, California after 11,500 miles and 105 days away from homeport.
(Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Fund the ferries

Let’s not “mess this up.”

  • Feb 9, 2023
  • Dyani Chapman
(Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Senate pages Jenna Carpenter and Zaxon Tomaszewski play “Off To The Races” outside the Senate Chambers exactly 15 minutes before the start of the floor session. Pages then perform the tones alerting senators the session is about to start on all floors of the Capitol where the legislators have offices. The House relies on an electronic bell notification that plays the famous clock chime “Westminster Quarters.” (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

The ABCs of the 33rd Legislature

Legislative business isn’t always as simple as 1-2-3.

Senate pages Jenna Carpenter and Zaxon Tomaszewski play “Off To The Races” outside the Senate Chambers exactly 15 minutes before the start of the floor session. Pages then perform the tones alerting senators the session is about to start on all floors of the Capitol where the legislators have offices. The House relies on an electronic bell notification that plays the famous clock chime “Westminster Quarters.” (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
This is a concept design drawing that was included in the request for proposal sent out by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities seeking outside engineering and design services to determine whether it’s feasible to build a new ferry terminal facility in Juneau at Cascade Point. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

DOT takes steps toward potential Cascade Point ferry terminal facility

It would accommodate the Tazlina and or Hubbard, shorten trips to Haines and Skagway

This is a concept design drawing that was included in the request for proposal sent out by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities seeking outside engineering and design services to determine whether it’s feasible to build a new ferry terminal facility in Juneau at Cascade Point. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)
Dorolyn Alper collage art, seen here, is part of her newest series, “Juneau with a twist” and will be available for viewing on First Friday. Alper is Juneau Artists Gallery’s featured artist for the month of February. (Courtesy Photo / Juneau Artists Gallery)

Here’s what’s happening for First Friday

Dorolyn Alper is Juneau Artists Gallery’s featured artist for February.

Dorolyn Alper collage art, seen here, is part of her newest series, “Juneau with a twist” and will be available for viewing on First Friday. Alper is Juneau Artists Gallery’s featured artist for the month of February. (Courtesy Photo / Juneau Artists Gallery)
This combination image shows former Alaska Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin, left, and current director Neil Steininger presents portions of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budgets at the start of his first and second terms in 2019 and 2023, respectively. The two represent vastly different approaches the governor has taken in interacting with legislators at the start of those two terms. 
Michael Penn and Mark 
Sabbatini / Juneau Empire

A tale of two terms

Lawmakers say governor’s appointments, agenda vastly less confrontational this time.

This combination image shows former Alaska Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin, left, and current director Neil Steininger presents portions of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budgets at the start of his first and second terms in 2019 and 2023, respectively. The two represent vastly different approaches the governor has taken in interacting with legislators at the start of those two terms. 
Michael Penn and Mark 
Sabbatini / Juneau Empire
In this Jan. 18, 2014, file photo, endangered orcas swim in Puget Sound and in view of the Olympic Mountains just west of Seattle, as seen from a federal research vessel that has been tracking the whales. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson File)

Opinion: Southeast trollers aren’t ‘starving’ orcas

The WFC lawsuit is a contagion of extremist judicial activism that must be stopped.

  • Jan 30, 2023
  • By David Richey
In this Jan. 18, 2014, file photo, endangered orcas swim in Puget Sound and in view of the Olympic Mountains just west of Seattle, as seen from a federal research vessel that has been tracking the whales. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson File)
The Tazlina is docked at the Auke Bay ferry terminal in this November 2021 photo. Over a quarter of a billion dollars is on its way to fund six projects for the Alaska Marine Highway System via grant funding awarded by the Federal Transit Administration. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
The Tazlina is docked at the Auke Bay ferry terminal in this November 2021 photo. Over a quarter of a billion dollars is on its way to fund six projects for the Alaska Marine Highway System via grant funding awarded by the Federal Transit Administration. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy talks about his second-term agenda with members of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, which is doing a two-day legislative fly-in this week, before his speech during the Juneau Chamber’s weekly luncheon Thursday. The speech and subsequent question period was at the Baranof Hotel to accommodate the extra out-of-town guests spending much of their time at the Alaska State Capitol, rather than the usual location at the Juneau Moose Lodge Family Center. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Big carbon and ‘small nukes’ are state’s future, governor says

Dunleavy sells business leaders on greenhouse gas cash, greenhouses with mini nuclear power plants

Gov. Mike Dunleavy talks about his second-term agenda with members of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, which is doing a two-day legislative fly-in this week, before his speech during the Juneau Chamber’s weekly luncheon Thursday. The speech and subsequent question period was at the Baranof Hotel to accommodate the extra out-of-town guests spending much of their time at the Alaska State Capitol, rather than the usual location at the Juneau Moose Lodge Family Center. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Growth is good but the strain on resources makes for tough decisions going forward. The author peers through the brush at anglers on the Russian River and sees the byproduct of economic growth. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Growth mindset

Growth is good but within certain context.

Growth is good but the strain on resources makes for tough decisions going forward. The author peers through the brush at anglers on the Russian River and sees the byproduct of economic growth. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
(Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: I’ve seen the union difference

As a community we can show solidarity…

  • Jan 4, 2023
  • By Miguel Rohrbacher
(Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
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Opinion: SEACC United clears the air on unionization

The results are in: SEACC staff has unionized and awaits recognition by leadership.

  • Jan 2, 2023
  • By Shannon Donahue and Lauren Cusimano
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Many hands help to get the work done. Participants of the Alaska Youth Stewards program in Kake install a Lingít/English road sign, a project in partnership with community elders and the U.S. Forest Service.

Resilient Peoples & Place: A year of building and reconnection

Investing in Southeast Alaska by continuing to place relationships first.

Many hands help to get the work done. Participants of the Alaska Youth Stewards program in Kake install a Lingít/English road sign, a project in partnership with community elders and the U.S. Forest Service.
A bucket of compost awaits pickup by Juneau Composts on Douglas Tuesday morning. The City and Borough of Juneau was earmarked to be included in the $1.7 trillion spending bill which would allocate $2.5 million in funding toward designing and constructing a commercial-scale compost facility in Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

City set to receive $2.5M from feds to create new commercial-scale compost facility

City officials say it could extend the landfill’s dwindling lifespan.

A bucket of compost awaits pickup by Juneau Composts on Douglas Tuesday morning. The City and Borough of Juneau was earmarked to be included in the $1.7 trillion spending bill which would allocate $2.5 million in funding toward designing and constructing a commercial-scale compost facility in Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire 
A gas pump at Petro One gas station off Egan Drive shows prices on Friday that, at about $4.90 a gallon for regular unleaded, are lower than peaks earlier this year but still far above the national average. The price of Alaska North Slope crude oil dropped to $74.22 a barrel on Wednesday, far below the $87 the state needs to average to break even for the fiscal year, however, consumers have cause for good cheer as nationwide gas prices are now cheaper than a year ago, dropping about one-third from their $5 a gallon average.

Oil hits lowest price of ’22 a week before state budget is due

$74.22 a barrel far below $87 break-even price for FY23; governor mum on how drop may affect FY24

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire 
A gas pump at Petro One gas station off Egan Drive shows prices on Friday that, at about $4.90 a gallon for regular unleaded, are lower than peaks earlier this year but still far above the national average. The price of Alaska North Slope crude oil dropped to $74.22 a barrel on Wednesday, far below the $87 the state needs to average to break even for the fiscal year, however, consumers have cause for good cheer as nationwide gas prices are now cheaper than a year ago, dropping about one-third from their $5 a gallon average.
Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire
Juneau state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, left, gives a legislative proclamation to former longtime Juneau Assembly member Loren Jones, following Kiehl’s speech at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s weekly luncheon Thursday at the Juneau Moose Family Center.

Cloudy economy, but sunnier political outlook lie ahead for lawmakers, Kiehl says

Juneau’s state senator tells Chamber of Commerce bipartisan majority a key to meaningful action

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire
Juneau state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, left, gives a legislative proclamation to former longtime Juneau Assembly member Loren Jones, following Kiehl’s speech at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s weekly luncheon Thursday at the Juneau Moose Family Center.
Performers from Juneau Drag put on a show on Front Street from last year’s Gallery Walk 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

Juneau’s Gallery Walk returns to downtown

Over 40 events featured with live music and Holiday Trolley

Performers from Juneau Drag put on a show on Front Street from last year’s Gallery Walk 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)
Emcees, Selah Judge and Almaria Alcantra, open the community feast. (Courtesy Photo /Jennifer Nu)

Resilient Peoples & Place: Food sovereignty, wellness and healing at UAS’ 2nd Annual Community Feast

“I hope you feel a sense of being together and united on this place.”

Emcees, Selah Judge and Almaria Alcantra, open the community feast. (Courtesy Photo /Jennifer Nu)