Site Logo
Green Elephant Gardens gardener Scott Jones cares for a marijuana plant on Green Elephant’s first day of operation in June 2017. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire file) Green Elephant Gardens gardener Scott Jones cares for a marijuana plant on Green Elephant’s first day of operation in June 2017. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire file)

News

Two years on, Alaska’s marijuana industry keeps growing

October collections might set a new record.

Democrat gubernatorial candiate Mark Begich, a former U.S. Senator for Alaska and former mayor of Anchorage, speaks during an interview in Juneau on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

News

Begich talks Juneau issues on last campaign stop before election

The race has changed, but Begich’s views haven’t.

An unused sexual assault evidence kit, colloquially known as a “rape kit,” is seen Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire file) An unused sexual assault evidence kit, colloquially known as a “rape kit,” is seen Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire file)

News

Department of Public Safety proposes permanent fix for rape evidence kit backlog

Testing all of the kits is expected to take years.

The Mendenhall Glacier. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

News

Alaska judge dismisses youth climate lawsuit

An appeal would go to the Alaska Supreme Court.

The Holland America Line ship Amsterdam sits at port in Juneau on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. The Amsterdam is one of nine ships that have received Notice of Violations for air opacity issued by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

News

Alaska negotiating settlements with cruise companies over air, water violations

Closed-door meetings decide how much cruises will pay for summer violations.

Republican Mike Dunleavy, left, and Democrat Mark Begich, right, are the two leading candidates in the race to replace incumbent independent Gov. Bill Walker. (Composite image)

News

Begich, Dunleavy stand at dividend divide in final debate

The candidates’ plans for the Permanent Fund differ sharply.

Legislature’s new ethics law extends to private discussions

News

Legislature’s new ethics law extends to private discussions

A new conflict-of-interest law covers discussions behind closed doors, not just public debate.

Rep. Jason Grenn, I-Anchorage (left) speaks to Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River (standing center), Rep. George Rauscher, R-Sutton (standing right) and Rep. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River (seated) before the final vote Friday, May 11, 2018 on House Bill 44. (Brian Hild | Alaska House Majority)

News

Walker makes second legislative endorsement

Walker’s first endorsement was of another independent candidate.

In this April 20, 2018 file photo, a marijuana plant is seen on Hippie Hill in San Francisco. (Josh Edelson | The Associated Press File)

News

New Alaska marijuana tax rate could benefit fans of edibles

More tax changes are possible in the next Legislative session.

Hotel workers strike for a wage increase in front of a Marriott hotel Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, in San Francisco. Alaska’s minimum wage is set to rise to $9.89 per hour on Jan. 1. (Ben Margot | The Associated Press)

News

Alaska’s minimum wage to rise Jan. 1

Inflation increased, so the wage will rise.

Juneau Empire file. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

News

Analysis: How mines, dams would be permitted under Ballot Measure 1

How your vote could affect permitting for major construction.

Former state Senate Mike Dunleavy, left, Gov. Bill Walker, center, and former U.S. Senator Mark Begich shake hands after a debate at a Juneau Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Centennial Hall on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

News

New poll finds Begich, Dunleavy tied for support

The governor race between Mike Dunleavy and Mark Begich is tighter than ever.

State departments have an eye toward budget hikes

News

State departments have an eye toward budget hikes

Legislative and governor candidates have vowed across the state to further cut Alaska’s budget, but many state departments…

A sign supporting the Stand for Salmon ballot initiative lies on the grass near the intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Erin Thompson | Peninsula Clarion File)

News

Ballot Measure 1 spending tops state-level record

The electoral fight over Ballot Measure 1 is the most expensive state-level campaign in Alaska history, according to…

Gov. Bill Walker meets with House District 33 independent candidate Chris Dimond and his supporters at the IBEW union hall to give his endorsement to Dimond on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

News

Governor endorses Dimond for House seat

Gov. Bill Walker is out of his race for re-election, but he is jumping into others.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, speaks to his amendment to the state’s operating budget to inflation-proof the Alaska Permanent Fund in the Senate at the Capitol on Thursday, April 12, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

News

Democratic Anchorage senator declaims pro-Dunleavy ads

A Democratic senator from Anchorage is asking a campaign backing Republican governor candidate Mike Dunleavy to stop using…

In this Sept. 6 file photo, Democratic nominee for governor of Alaska Mark Begich, right, speaks as Gov. Bill Walker listens during a chamber of commerce gubernatorial candidate forum on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in Juneau, Alaska, On Friday, Oct. 19, Walker announced he was dropping his bid for re-election, though his name remains on the ballot. He threw his support behind Begich, who will face Republican Mike Dunleavy in November. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

News

Walker’s support for Begich is ‘narrow’

When he gave a speech announcing his withdrawal from the election, Gov. Bill Walker told his audience that…

In this Oct. 2, 2018, file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, during The Atlantic Festival, in Washington. On Monday via Twitter, Clinton endorsed 17 Democratic governor candidates, including Alaska’s Mark Begich (Alex Brandon | The Associated Press)

News

Hillary Clinton endorses Begich for governor

Hillary Clinton has endorsed Mark Begich for governor.

A king salmon during the 67th annual Golden North Salmon Derby at the Don D. Statter Memorial Boat Harbor in August 2013. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

News

Analysis: How Ballot Measure 1 could affect everyday activities

This is the first of three articles the Empire looking at Ballot Measure 1’s legal language.

FILE - In this Aug. 19, 2018 file photo, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy, second from left, stands near his campaign table at a meet-and-greet event in the lobby of Anchorage Baptist Temple in Anchorage, Alaska. As a kid growing up on the East Coast, Mike Dunleavy dreamed of coming to Alaska, of hunting caribou, fishing in wild streams and losing himself in the state’s vast, open spaces. Now, after nearly 35 years in his adopted state, the conservative Republican is vying to become Alaska’s next governor. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File) In this Aug. 19 file photo, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy, second from left, stands near his campaign table at a meet-and-greet event in the lobby of Anchorage Baptist Temple in Anchorage. (Becky Bohrer | The Associated Press File)

News

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation endorses Dunleavy

Republican governor candidate Mike Dunleavy picked up the endorsement of another major regional Native corporation on Friday when…