Search Results for: climate

The site of the now-closed Tulsequah Chief mine. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Maybe the news is ‘No new news’ on Canada’s plans for Tulsequah Chief mine cleanup

In 2015, the British Columbia government committed to ending Tulsequah Chief’s pollution of the Taku. It has been nine years since this commitment was made… Continue reading

The site of the now-closed Tulsequah Chief mine. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
A butter clam. Butter clams are found from the Aleutian Islands to the California coast. They are known to retain algal toxins longer than other species of shellfish. (Photo provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Among butter clams, which pose toxin dangers to Alaska harvesters, size matters, study indicates

Higher concentrations found in bigger specimens, UAS researchers find of clams on beaches near Juneau.

A butter clam. Butter clams are found from the Aleutian Islands to the California coast. They are known to retain algal toxins longer than other species of shellfish. (Photo provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
An aerial view of people standing near destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8, 2024 in Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Members of U.S. Senate back disaster aid request amid increasing storm severity

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s request for nearly $100 billion in natural disaster response and recovery funding is on track to sail through the U.S.… Continue reading

An aerial view of people standing near destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8, 2024 in Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Low clouds hang over Kodiak’s St. Paul Harbor on Oct. 3, 2022. Economic woes in Alaska’s seafood industry have affected numerous fishing-dependent communities like Kodiak. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Dire condition of Alaska’s seafood industry has many causes and no easy fixes, experts say

Legislative task force charged with helping communities considering broad range of responses.

Low clouds hang over Kodiak’s St. Paul Harbor on Oct. 3, 2022. Economic woes in Alaska’s seafood industry have affected numerous fishing-dependent communities like Kodiak. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Noah Teshner (right) exhibits the physical impact military-grade flood barriers will have on properties with the help of other residents at a Juneau Assembly meeting on Monday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Locals protesting $8K payment for temporary flood barriers told rejection may endanger permanent fix

Feds providing barriers free, but more help in danger if locals won’t pay to install them, city manager says.

Noah Teshner (right) exhibits the physical impact military-grade flood barriers will have on properties with the help of other residents at a Juneau Assembly meeting on Monday night. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The settlement of Sermiligaaq in Greenland (Ray Swi-hymn / CC BY-SA 2.0)

My Turn: Making the Arctic great again

It was just over five years ago, in the summer of 2019, that the strategic prescience and unorthodox diplomatic brilliance of America’s re-elected Commander-in-Chief, Donald… Continue reading

The settlement of Sermiligaaq in Greenland (Ray Swi-hymn / CC BY-SA 2.0)
U.S. Geological Survey geologist Geoffrey Ellis stands on Oct. 29 by a poster diplayed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that explains how pure hydrogen can be pooled in underground formations. Ellis is the leading USGS expert on geologic hydrogen. He was a featured presenter at a three-day workshop on geologic hydrogen that was held at UAF. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska scientists and policymakers look to hydrogen as power source of the future

The key to decarbonization may be all around us. Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is in the ocean, in the sky, in… Continue reading

U.S. Geological Survey geologist Geoffrey Ellis stands on Oct. 29 by a poster diplayed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that explains how pure hydrogen can be pooled in underground formations. Ellis is the leading USGS expert on geologic hydrogen. He was a featured presenter at a three-day workshop on geologic hydrogen that was held at UAF. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many Louisiana homes were rebuilt with the living space on the second story, with garage space below, to try to protect the home from future flooding. (Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA)

Misperceptions stand in way of disaster survivors wanting to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes

As Florida and the Southeast begin recovering from 2024’s destructive hurricanes, many people are asking: How can we rebuild sustainably and in a way that… Continue reading

  • Nov 11, 2024
  • By Susan Ostermann and Abbie B. Liel, The Conversation
  • floodingOpinion
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many Louisiana homes were rebuilt with the living space on the second story, with garage space below, to try to protect the home from future flooding. (Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA)
Dan Allard (left) and Philip Martinez (center) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers listen to John Bohan, an engineer with the City and Borough of Juneau, as the three men provide information about flood barriers to Juneau Assembly members during a meeting Monday night at City Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
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Experts address flood barrier concerns of Assembly, will meet with residents next week

Advice for homeowners seeking to protect themselves to be offered by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Dan Allard (left) and Philip Martinez (center) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers listen to John Bohan, an engineer with the City and Borough of Juneau, as the three men provide information about flood barriers to Juneau Assembly members during a meeting Monday night at City Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Video
West Juneau homes on Douglas Island late Thursday afternoon. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

What will Trump as president again and a more liberal Alaska Legislature mean for Juneau?

Election appears to shake up federal and state governments in different ways, leaving lots of unknowns.

West Juneau homes on Douglas Island late Thursday afternoon. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
People watch a broadcast of Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivering a speech at Times Square in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times)

Opinion: The Democratic Party’s failure of imagination

Aside from not being a lifelong Republican like Peter Wehner, the sentiment he expressed in The Atlantic a few weeks ago perfectly captures how I… Continue reading

People watch a broadcast of Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivering a speech at Times Square in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times)
Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)

Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears volleyball team pose for a photo in Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow. From left are senior Evelyn Richards, junior Lavinia Ma’ake, senior Nina Jeter, assistant coach Abby Dean, sophomore Amelia Elfers, juniors Cambry Lockhart, Braith Dihle, Neela Thomas, sophomore June Troxel, junior Natalia Harris, sophomore Leila Cooper, assistant coach Mark Ibias and sophomore Braith Dihle. (Courtesy photo)

Crimson Bears face northern test on Utqiagvik courts

JDHS volleyball team learned a lot from Barrow community.

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears volleyball team pose for a photo in Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow. From left are senior Evelyn Richards, junior Lavinia Ma’ake, senior Nina Jeter, assistant coach Abby Dean, sophomore Amelia Elfers, juniors Cambry Lockhart, Braith Dihle, Neela Thomas, sophomore June Troxel, junior Natalia Harris, sophomore Leila Cooper, assistant coach Mark Ibias and sophomore Braith Dihle. (Courtesy photo)
Voters at Anchorage City Hall wait in line to cast their ballots on Monday, the day before Election Day. City hall, in downtown Anchorage, was one of the designated early voting sites in the state’s largest city; however, it is not an Election Day polling site. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

How to vote in Alaska: Options abound, but the deadline is almost here

In-person, mail, electronic and fax voting still possible on Election Day.

Voters at Anchorage City Hall wait in line to cast their ballots on Monday, the day before Election Day. City hall, in downtown Anchorage, was one of the designated early voting sites in the state’s largest city; however, it is not an Election Day polling site. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
A docked cruise ship, the Regent Seven Seas Explorer, is seen in Seward’s harbor on June 19 from the Race Point on Mount Marathon. The Port of Seward received a Clean Ports Program grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for a shore-based system to power cruise ships when they are docked in town. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Seward gets grant for shore-based system to power docked cruise ships

Town on track to be second in Alaska, after Juneau, to provide such facilities.

A docked cruise ship, the Regent Seven Seas Explorer, is seen in Seward’s harbor on June 19 from the Race Point on Mount Marathon. The Port of Seward received a Clean Ports Program grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for a shore-based system to power cruise ships when they are docked in town. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska souvenir name signs are seen on Monday at a gift shop in the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Oliver was the most popular name for baby boys born in Alaska in 2023, according to the state’s annual vital statistics report. Nora was tied as the fourth-most-popular among the names for baby girls, according to the report. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska births and deaths both declined in 2023, and population total held steady, state says

Fewer Alaska babies were born in 2023 than in previous years, but there were also fewer deaths in the state than in prior years, when… Continue reading

Alaska souvenir name signs are seen on Monday at a gift shop in the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Oliver was the most popular name for baby boys born in Alaska in 2023, according to the state’s annual vital statistics report. Nora was tied as the fourth-most-popular among the names for baby girls, according to the report. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Tongass National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

My Turn: Why I oppose privatization of the Tongass rainforest

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been trying to privatize the Tongass for years. Her latest effort, the so-called “Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation… Continue reading

Tongass National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service photo)
The Norwegian Jewel begins its departure from Juneau on Thursday evening, marking the official end of the 2024 cruise ship season. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Cruise ship season dominated by politics ends on a pleasant — and short — day for Juneau visitors

Departure of Norwegian Jewel two hours early due to wind warnings comes in wake of stormy ship debate.

The Norwegian Jewel begins its departure from Juneau on Thursday evening, marking the official end of the 2024 cruise ship season. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Prince of Wales Alaska Youth Stewards crew members perform landslide assessment fieldwork. (Photo by Zofia Danielson)

Woven Peoples and Place: Ḵutí expands across Southeast Alaska

Project seeks to address community concerns about landslides and other natural hazards in the region.

Prince of Wales Alaska Youth Stewards crew members perform landslide assessment fieldwork. (Photo by Zofia Danielson)
A student texts on a cellphone in this stock photo. (Ariel Skelley/Getty Images)

Alaska joins growing number of states considering crackdown on cellphones in schools

Most U.S. adults support cellphone bans in middle and high schools, research shows

A student texts on a cellphone in this stock photo. (Ariel Skelley/Getty Images)