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Snow blows off Mount Roberts high above the Thane avalanche chute, where an avalanche blew across the road during a major snowstorm last weekend. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

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Mercurial weather may increase avalanche risk

Snow becoming rain during a storm system is generally bad news.

Sayéik: Gastineau Community School stands against a snowy backdrop on Jan. 4. Students in the Juneau School District are set to return to class on Monday. Despite rising COVID-19 cases across the City and Borough of Juneau, school officials say schools will be open and ready to welcome students. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

News

Juneau schools to reopen Monday, as planned

Omicron upends return to US schools and workplaces

A tree branch bears the weight of accumulated snow. Much of Southeast Alaska saw a foot or more of snow between Friday night and Saturday morning. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

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Schools keep an eye on the weather ahead of return from break

Winter weather could shutter schools Monday

Faalo Nauer holds Greyson Tafia Nauer on Monday. Greyson, who was born on Sunday, was the first baby of 2022 born in Bartlett Regional Hospital. (Courtesy Photo / Kanani Montalto, Bartlett Regional Hospital)

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Hospital welcomes 1st baby of 2022

First born on the second.

Waves pummel Sandy Beach on Douglas on Jan. 3. Avalanche debris from a weekend slide on Thane Road is visible across the Gastineau Channel. The avalanche delayed crews in responding to a power outage further down Thane Road. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

News

New year delivers a cold, snowy week

Falling flakes and temperatures.

Lucas Kittikamron-Mora, 13, holds a sign in support of COVID-19 vaccinations as he receives his first Pfizer vaccination at the Cook County Public Health Department, May 13, 2021 in Des Plaines, Ill. The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose. (AP Photo / Shafkat Anowar)

News

City raises risk level amid surging COVID cases

A dozen BRH staff members isolating; boosters likely for teens

A tree branch bears the weight of accumulated snow. Much of Southeast Alaska saw a foot or more of snow between Friday night and Saturday morning. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

‘A lot of people have gotten a lot of snow’

Juneau puts a new foot (of snow) forward in the new year.

This combination image shows photos from stories that defined 2021. Top left, Vanessa Dickinson adjusts second grade student Kanani Dickinson’s glasses ahead of the first day of school. Top middle, doses of COVID-19 vaccination await arms during a vaccine clinic. Top right, a cruise ship looms large over downtown Juneau. Middle left, a sign marks the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area as part of the Tongass National Forest. Middle, the bygone calendar year is written in the sand. Middle right, Alan Salsman receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from VA nurse Michael Addo at Coast Guard Station Juneau. Bottom left, School board member Emil Mackey casts a ballot in Juneau’s municipal election. Bottom middle, the Alaska State Capitol stands behind a statue of William H. Seward. Bottom left, Sen. Lisa Murkowski talks during a sitdown in the Empire offices. (Juneau Empire Photos, Engin Akyurt / Unsplash)

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The stories that shaped our 2021

Some loom large in 2022, too.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire The Dan Austin Center, run by the St. Vincent De Paul Society of Juneau, is once again the home of Capital City Fire/Rescue’s Community Assistance Response and Emergency Services sobering center.

News

Officials say sobering center operating smoothly

Pickups for the community health program are split between the Valley and downtown.

Moisture-laden air coming from the northwest is expected to dump more than a foot of snow on parts of Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, with the heaviest snowfall predicted to hit during the evening of New Year’s Eve. (Screenshot/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

News

Get ready to ring in the new year with wet, heavy snow

Snow is expected to be heaviest as partygoers would be getting started.

Southeast Alaska’s rural communities are geographically isolated and the SSP works to connect them. While the SSP has programs and partners that span the region, it has historically focused on Yakutat, Sitka (pictured), Hoonah, Kake, Kasaan, and Klawock. With increased financial support, the SSP intends to expand in geography, depth, and focus. (Courtesy Photo / Bethany Sonsini Goodrich)

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Resilient Peoples & Place: Southeast Alaskans should care about the Seacoast Trust. Here’s why

What does this actually mean for the lives of Southeast Alaskans?

Teaser

News

City reports ‘significant’ increase in new COVID cases

Increase likely driven by omicron variant; no new hospitalizations shared.

Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire Snow is piled up Tuesday outside the Mt Jumbo gym building in Douglas.

News

Snow removal debate sparks a flurry of comments

Resident asks city crews to stop blocking driveways

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager demonstrates the proper stance for use of a fire extinguisher on Oct. 30, 2020. Jager had a number of winter safety tips for residents.

News

Fire department talks home safety do’s and don’ts

Are you going 10/10 on this list?

Petco had a small fire in a ceiling heating unit on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, said a Capital City Fire/Rescue officer in a phone interview. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

Fire department responds to small fire at Petco

No one was injured and damage was minor.

Courtesy art /SHI There are ten proposed locations for a “totem pole trail” that the Sealaska Heritage Foundation just received a $2.9 million dollar grant for, as well as the location of a new 360-degree totem pole to be raised separately in the SHI arts campus downtown.

News

Sealaska Heritage gets multimillion dollar grant for totem pole trail

Before these ten go up, however, a unique totem pole will be raised in the new arts campus…

This photo illustration shows some of the things city, state and federal officials told the Empire what they want for Christmas. Less COVID-19 cases and an end to the pandemic were popular requests. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

News

And checking it twice: Officials share their holiday wish lists

Two front teeth didn’t crack the list.

An Alaska Airlines flight lands at the Juneau International Airport on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, amid a day of rain and snow. According to an airlines spokesperson, air travel this holiday season has rebounded to about 85% of what it was before the pandemic. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

News

Air travel numbers are up, still lagging pre-pandemic levels

More than reindeer fly this time of year.

A Juneau man was arrested Tuesday for a sexual abuse of a minor charge for an incident that allegedly occurred several years ago. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

News

Man arrested on sexual abuse of a minor charge

He was wanted on a $15,000 Alaska State Trooper warrant.

A number of complaints filed against Lemon Creek Correctional Center were investigated by the state ombudsman’s office, resulting in a number of changes in the facility’s operations during the fall and winter of 2020. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

News

Prison head addresses issues raised by report

There were four complaints filed, some of which were found reasonable by the state ombudsman.