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An excavator on a barge scoops floating debris near the shore of Gastineau Channel on Monday morning. The effort was a part of the recovery process of a 107-foot tugboat that sank at a dock south of the cruise ship docks in late December. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Tagish out of water: Sunken tugboat destroyed after more than a weeklong recovery effort

Recovery and pollution cleanup expected to be complete in coming days, Coast Guard official says

This image shows a schematic design of the exterior the Municipal Way Building downtown that was recently purchased by the Sealaska Heritage Institute. (Sealaska Heritage Institute)

News

SHI purchases downtown building for Indigenous teaching program expansion

The building is adjacent to its downtown Walter Soboleff Building.

People walk the docks as the sun sets in downtown Juneau in August 2022. The City and Borough of Juneau is seeking comments from residents on how they want the city to spend its marine passenger fee money. (Clarise Larson/ Juneau Empire File)

News

City seeks comments on how to spend projected $21.5M marine passenger fee funds

More than 25 projects are being recommended.

Dr. Emily Kane, CBJ Commission on Aging chair who was a part of the effort to join the network, gives a speech at AARP Alaska’s Valentine’s Day-themed event Tuesday evening to celebrate Juneau’s older adult population along with the city’s recent commitment to ​​AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Aging infrastructure: Juneau commits to its older residents

City commits to nationwide networks to make Juneau more “age-friendly”

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire The City and Borough of Juneau expressed support at its Tuesday night Committee of the Whole meeting for the long-term care facility, Wildflower Court, to be acquired by Bartlett Regional Hospital.

News

City expresses support for hospital acquisition of Wildflower Court

Bartlett Regional Hospital officials say merger can help meet current hospice demand.

Two students face off for a match at the 2020 Southeast Alaska Middle School Wrestling Championship at Floyd Dryden Middle School on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. The Juneau School District Board of Education on Tuesday accepted a donation that will provide the middle school with a new wrestling mat. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

News

Floyd Dryden Middle School wrestling gets a surprise donation

The school received a donation of up to $15,000 to pay for a new wrestling mat.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire City and Borough of Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon and Bartlett Regional Hospital Board President Kenny Solomon-Gross sit next to each other during a joint meeting between the Assembly and hospital’s senior leadership team and board to discuss the hospital’s current multi-million dollar deficit and financial state.

News

Joint meeting addresses hospital’s growing deficit

Bartlett Regional Hospital officials outline measures to fix projected shortfall.

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)

News

DOT takes steps toward potential Cascade Point ferry terminal facility

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

A large crowd listens to public testimony at Monday night’s Assembly meeting about a resolution on whether the Assembly should formally adopt the 2020 Visitor Industry Task Force’s cruise ship tourism policy recommendations. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

City adopts tourism task force recommendations

Assembly commits to five-ship limit, dock electrification and Seawalk construction.

Carla Casulucan, shareholder relations manager for Huna Totem Corp., gives public testimony Monday night in support of the Huna Totem development and urged the city to vote against an ordinance that would have allowed the city to spend $300,000 to help plan the location of a proposed cruise ship dock at the downtown subport. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

City decides against spending on cruise ship dock planning

Assembly votes down ordinance after more than a dozen public comments against it.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Juneau’s municipal and state legislative members, their staff, and city lobbyists gather in the Assembly chambers Thursday meeting for an overview of how the Alaska State Legislature and politicians in Washington, D.C., are affecting local issues.

News

Local leaders, lawmakers and lobbyists discuss political plans for coming year

Morning meeting looks at local impact of state, national political climates.

City and Borough of Juneau This is a photo of the current site plan of the proposed Capital Civic Center. Thursday evening the city was given an update on the project’s concept design which is expected to cost up to $75 million and would include amenities like a theater, community hall, gallery, ballroom and business center.

News

City OKs steps toward proposed Capital Civic Center

Advocacy group to seek state and federal funds for the project.

A resident and his dog walk past the taped off portion of the Basin Road Trestle after it suffered damaged from a rockslide earlier this week. The trestle is open to pedestrians, but will remain closed to vehicular traffic until structural repairs are made, according to city officials. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Rocky road: Basin Road Trestle open to pedestrians, remains closed to vehicles

City officials say repairs are currently being assessed after damaging rockfall

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Residents wear matching T-shirts advocating for the proposed off-road vehicle riding park at 35 Mile which was up for permit consideration and later approved at the Tuesday evening planning commission meeting.

News

City OK’s permit for new off-road vehicle riding park

The planning commission approved a conditional use permit for the project at 35 Mile

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Little chairs sit in stacks after the temporary closure of downtown Gold Creek Child Development Center in mid-January, and another closure shortly followed, leaving dozens of families scrambling to find child care. Now, providers are speaking out about the dire situation the industry finds itself in and what needs to be done to fix it.

News

A child care conundrum: Closures make local shortage worse, and providers say solutions may take a while.

“The crisis that we are having and experiencing right now, we are not alone in it.”

This image is a screen grab of an interactive online map that outlines the different pieces of vacant and underdeveloped property in Juneau. According to the map website, privately owned vacant parcels are highlighted yellow, CBJ Lands and Resources owned vacant parcels are highlighted pink and private developed properties below maximum allowable housing density are highlighted green. (Courtesy / City and Borough of Juneau)

News

City hopes new interactive map of vacant properties will expand housing opportunities

“It’s one more tool in the toolbox.”

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire A handful of workers clean the floors of the Centennial Hall ballroom Wednesday evening as renovations continue. According to project’s manager, the renovation are expected to be completed in early August.

News

Ballroom blitz: Centennial Hall space takes on a new look amid closure for renovations.

Rennovations expected to complete in early August

The only electric bus enters the City Borough of Juneau Capital Transit’s bus barn in late August. Capital Transit is preparing for the addition of seven electric buses which are slated to hit Juneau’s roads sometime in summer of 2024. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

Bus down: City preps for incoming electric bus fleet as its current electric bus remains out of commission

Capital Transit expects the new fleet to arrive during the summer of 2024

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Pieces of the gondola that the City and Borough of Juneau purchased from Galsterberg Ski Area in Austria sit scattered in the snow outside Eaglecrest Ski Area. At Monday night’s Assembly meeting the Assembly approved a deal in which Goldbelt Inc. would invest $10 million toward the installation and construction of the gondola project.

News

Gondola project on track for $10M investment

It is expected to open in the spring of 2027

Cruise ships line the downtown docks during a dark evening in late August. On Monday the Assembly voted to delay adopting cruise ship tourism policy objectives recommended by the Visitor Industry Task Force’s final report to allow for further public input. ( Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

News

City puts off adopting tourism task force recommendations, allows more public input

Move made to allow for additional public input.