News

A large still is a centerpiece in the tasting room at the Amalga Distillery at Franklin and Second Streets on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Alaska’s distillery trouble may have been caused by a regulatory blind spot

After almost three years serving cocktails across the counters of their tasting rooms, Alaska distilleries have been told to stop the practice. On Monday, state… Continue reading

A large still is a centerpiece in the tasting room at the Amalga Distillery at Franklin and Second Streets on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Taku. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Ferry Taku may be bound for Portland and become a hipster

The ferry Taku may soon become a Portland hotel. On Friday, Jonathan Cohen of Portland, Oregon was the high bidder when the Alaska Department of… Continue reading

The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Taku. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Conference will consider future of Alaska Marine Highway System

Some of the top tribal, state and municipal and business leaders in Southeast will gather in Haines this week for a conference that may decide… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker speaks to reporters during a Friday press conference in Anchorage. At left are Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth and Col. Hans Brinke, director of the Alaska State Troopers. To the right is Col. Steve Hall, director of Wildlife Troopers. (Alaska Journal of Commerce Photo)

Walker backs rollback of criminal justice reform

Gov. Bill Walker will ask legislators to toughen the state’s penalties for some minor crimes when the Alaska Legislature convenes for a special session next… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker speaks to reporters during a Friday press conference in Anchorage. At left are Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth and Col. Hans Brinke, director of the Alaska State Troopers. To the right is Col. Steve Hall, director of Wildlife Troopers. (Alaska Journal of Commerce Photo)
A large still is a centerpiece in the tasting room at the Amalga Distillery at Franklin and Second Streets on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Bar Wars: Alcohol board bans distilleries from selling cocktails

Amalga Distillery got some sobering news from the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board on Wednesday: distilleries may no longer serve cocktails, effective immediately. It was… Continue reading

A large still is a centerpiece in the tasting room at the Amalga Distillery at Franklin and Second Streets on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Sockeye salmon splash their way up Steep Creek in 2012. Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott has rejected a ballot initiative that would have made it more difficult to build projects that affect salmon streams. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Mallott kills fish measure

Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott has rejected a proposed pro-fisheries ballot initiative as inappropriately restricting the powers of the Alaska Legislature. On Tuesday morning, the lieutenant… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon splash their way up Steep Creek in 2012. Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott has rejected a ballot initiative that would have made it more difficult to build projects that affect salmon streams. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)
In this March 2016 photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, questions Dr. Susan McCauley, Interim Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, during a Senate Education Committee on SB 191 at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Dunleavy quits governor’s race; Huggins is in

There’s been a shakeup in the Republican lineup for the 2018 governor’s race. On Tuesday morning, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, announced that he is suspending… Continue reading

In this March 2016 photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, questions Dr. Susan McCauley, Interim Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, during a Senate Education Committee on SB 191 at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
This August 2016 photo shows Skilak Lake with Mt. Redoubt in the background on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The state of Alaska is engaged in two lawsuits at the federal level with national implications, one of which involves a set of rules for hunting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, finalized in March 2016. (Elizabeth Earl | Peninsula Clarion File)

Two state lawsuits hold national implications

The state of Alaska is caught up in two fish and wildlife-related lawsuits in federal courts that could set precedents around the nation for years… Continue reading

This August 2016 photo shows Skilak Lake with Mt. Redoubt in the background on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The state of Alaska is engaged in two lawsuits at the federal level with national implications, one of which involves a set of rules for hunting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, finalized in March 2016. (Elizabeth Earl | Peninsula Clarion File)
In this April 2011 photo, Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho, left, and former Juneau Rep. Bill Hudson, right, speak with John Torgerson, chairman of the Alaska Redistricting Board during a break in hearing public testimony at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

State seeks to end partisan gerrymandering nationwide

The state of Alaska is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule partisan gerrymandering illegal. On Tuesday, the Alaska Department of Law announced it has… Continue reading

In this April 2011 photo, Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho, left, and former Juneau Rep. Bill Hudson, right, speak with John Torgerson, chairman of the Alaska Redistricting Board during a break in hearing public testimony at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Coast Guard reports busy Friday with twin Southeast medevacs

Coast Guard Air Station Sitka reported a busy morning with a pair of medevacs from unrelated medical emergencies in Southeast Alaska. According to Coast Guard… Continue reading

Anything made at least 51 percent in the state of Alaska can feature this logo, including marijuana businesses.

State allows marijuana businesses to apply for ‘Made in Alaska’ logos

The state-run “Made in Alaska” program is accepting applications from marijuana businesses. According to records obtained by the Empire via a state information act request,… Continue reading

Anything made at least 51 percent in the state of Alaska can feature this logo, including marijuana businesses.
Alaska Electric Light and Power’s Lynn Canal fiber-optic cable is seen in 2016. GCI has announced that it is considering laying a similar cable between mainland Alaska and Unalaska, the nation’s largest fishing port. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

GCI considers fiber-optic cable to Unalaska

GCI is considering a plan to lay undersea fiber-optic cable to one of Alaska’s most remote communities. On Aug. 24, a GCI contractor began seafloor… Continue reading

Alaska Electric Light and Power’s Lynn Canal fiber-optic cable is seen in 2016. GCI has announced that it is considering laying a similar cable between mainland Alaska and Unalaska, the nation’s largest fishing port. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)
In this April 2014 file photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, left, speaks with Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, before their Senate Finanace Committee meeting at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Meet Gov. Walker’s first big challenger

Five years ago, Mike Dunleavy ran for Alaska Senate and asked residents of the Mat-Su to kindly not shoot him. “Mike Dunleavy knows that Alaska… Continue reading

In this April 2014 file photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, left, speaks with Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, before their Senate Finanace Committee meeting at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
An Alaska Airlines 737 passenger jet takes off from Juneau International Airport in June. The City and Borough of Juneau may soon sell $6 million in already-authorized bonds for airport work, but fiscal experts say sales like that one will cost local taxpayers more money because of the state’s declining credit rating. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

State’s credit trouble trickles to street level

In the Kenai, they’ll consider a new heating system. Elsewhere, it’s ports, streets or water and sewer projects. October’s round of municipal elections will ask… Continue reading

An Alaska Airlines 737 passenger jet takes off from Juneau International Airport in June. The City and Borough of Juneau may soon sell $6 million in already-authorized bonds for airport work, but fiscal experts say sales like that one will cost local taxpayers more money because of the state’s declining credit rating. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Former state Sen. Rick Halford, left, and current state Sen. Bill Wielechowski answer questions about a lawsuit they filed at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Anchorage. The lawsuit filed by Wielechowski, Halford and former state Sen. Clem Tillion claimed Gov. Bill Walker acted illegally in vetoing half the money designated for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. (Dan Joling | Associated Press)

Alaska Supreme Court upholds PFD veto

The Alaska Supreme Court has upheld Gov. Bill Walker’s veto of a portion of the 2016 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. In a decision issued Friday,… Continue reading

Former state Sen. Rick Halford, left, and current state Sen. Bill Wielechowski answer questions about a lawsuit they filed at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Anchorage. The lawsuit filed by Wielechowski, Halford and former state Sen. Clem Tillion claimed Gov. Bill Walker acted illegally in vetoing half the money designated for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. (Dan Joling | Associated Press)

Nearly a year later, no testing done on sex assault kits

The Alaska State Troopers have more than 1,000 kits containing DNA evidence from sexual assaults across the state. Those kits have rested, shelved and untested,… Continue reading

A male black bear cub, foreground, sits in a tub as a female black bear cub, rear, walks in their enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. The still nameless cubs that were abandoned by their mothers were found emaciated and wandering alone in Alaska hundreds of miles apart about three months ago. (Jeff Chiu | The Associated Press)

Abandoned in Alaskas, black bear cubs find new home at San Francisco Zoo

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO — Two black bear cubs abandoned by their mothers in Alaska are making their debut at the San Francisco Zoo.… Continue reading

A male black bear cub, foreground, sits in a tub as a female black bear cub, rear, walks in their enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. The still nameless cubs that were abandoned by their mothers were found emaciated and wandering alone in Alaska hundreds of miles apart about three months ago. (Jeff Chiu | The Associated Press)

U.S. Attorney General has ‘serious concerns,’ but Gov. Walker stands behind legal marijuana

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has “serious questions” about Alaska’s legal marijuana industry, but Gov. Bill Walker is standing by the results of a 2014… Continue reading

State doubles tourism funding in capital budget

Alaska is betting on tourism. Facing a multibillion-dollar deficit, declining revenue and a public generally opposed to new taxes, the state has cut back on… Continue reading

Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla, left, speaks during a March 2016 meeting of the House Finance Committee. Gattis, who lost her bid for the Alaska Senate later that year, is running for lieutenant governor. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Second Republican enters race for lieutenant governor

A second Republican has joined the race for lieutenant governor. On Thursday, former Rep. Lynn Gattis filed a letter of intent with the Alaska Public… Continue reading

Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla, left, speaks during a March 2016 meeting of the House Finance Committee. Gattis, who lost her bid for the Alaska Senate later that year, is running for lieutenant governor. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)