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Sightseeing buses and tourists are seen at a pullout popular for taking in views of North America's tallest peak, Denali, in Denali National Park and Preserve in August 2016. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)

Denali National Park worker dies after triggering avalanche

DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE — A Denali National Park and Preserve employee died when he was caught in an avalanche while skiing in the… Continue reading

Sightseeing buses and tourists are seen at a pullout popular for taking in views of North America's tallest peak, Denali, in Denali National Park and Preserve in August 2016. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)
Catherine Edwards, co-chair of Tlingit and Haida’s Violence Against Women Task Force hugs Áakʼw Ḵwáan spokesperson Fran Houston at at the steps of the Alaska State Capitol Friday evening for a rally and march to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day held each year on May 5. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

‘This is now a plea’: Rally brings awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous people

“We want answers — our families deserve answers on what happened to our people.”

Catherine Edwards, co-chair of Tlingit and Haida’s Violence Against Women Task Force hugs Áakʼw Ḵwáan spokesperson Fran Houston at at the steps of the Alaska State Capitol Friday evening for a rally and march to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day held each year on May 5. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, listens to Sen. Löki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat, as she speaks in support of a bill Stevens sponsored that would require Alaska high school students to complete a civics education course or receive a passing score on a civics assessment exam in order to graduate. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

Senate passes bill implementing new civics requirements to graduate high school

The bill advances as recent national data shows declining test scores on the topic.

Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, listens to Sen. Löki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat, as she speaks in support of a bill Stevens sponsored that would require Alaska high school students to complete a civics education course or receive a passing score on a civics assessment exam in order to graduate. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire State Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, explains during Wednesday’s floor session how a bill she is sponsoring will add to the number of Alaska Native languages officially recognized by the state and expand the role of a Native language preservation council.

Alaska Native language expansion passes House

Bill by Juneau lawmaker adds more officially recognized dialects, expands preservation council’s role

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire State Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, explains during Wednesday’s floor session how a bill she is sponsoring will add to the number of Alaska Native languages officially recognized by the state and expand the role of a Native language preservation council.
A red dress hangs on a tree in the courtyard at Winnipeg City Hall during a rally, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to call on the city to cease dumping operations at Brady landfill and conduct a search for the remains of missing and murdered indigenous women believed to be buried there. Friday, May 5, 2023, marks Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day, a solemn day meant to draw more attention to the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have vanished or have faced violence. (Daniel Crump / The Canadian Press)

Wearing red, Indigenous families honor missing relatives

“I join in raising awareness about an injustice that was once invisible.”

A red dress hangs on a tree in the courtyard at Winnipeg City Hall during a rally, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to call on the city to cease dumping operations at Brady landfill and conduct a search for the remains of missing and murdered indigenous women believed to be buried there. Friday, May 5, 2023, marks Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day, a solemn day meant to draw more attention to the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have vanished or have faced violence. (Daniel Crump / The Canadian Press)
Bears greet each other on Chichagof Island in this picture from the fall of 2022 that won first prize for best feature photo from the Alaska Press Club during its annual awards banquet in April. It was the main photo for a Planet Alaska feature published in the Capital City Weekly in October of 2022. (Photo by Elleana Elliott)

Empire staff and contributors earn 11 Alaska Press Club awards

The Juneau Empire won 11 Alaska Press Club awards at its annual banquet, which took place five days after the newspaper announced a cutback in… Continue reading

Bears greet each other on Chichagof Island in this picture from the fall of 2022 that won first prize for best feature photo from the Alaska Press Club during its annual awards banquet in April. It was the main photo for a Planet Alaska feature published in the Capital City Weekly in October of 2022. (Photo by Elleana Elliott)
This combination photo shows Cameron McEwen and an avatar associated with a Snapchat account that authorities say was used by McEwen, who was recently arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of making extortionate interstate communications. (FBI)

FBI looks for more possible victims after New York man arrested in ‘sextortion’ investigation

Authorities say man used Snapchat to obtain sexually explicit photos, videos from teen in Alaska.

This combination photo shows Cameron McEwen and an avatar associated with a Snapchat account that authorities say was used by McEwen, who was recently arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of making extortionate interstate communications. (FBI)
Rep. Andrew Gray, an Anchorage Democrat, speak to a crowd outside at the steps of the Alaska State Capitol in January. Gray introduced a bill Monday that would make short-term rental registration a requirement and limit operators to just one unit per person in Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini/ Juneau Empire File)

Lawmaker introduces bill to require short-term rental registry, limits in Alaska

The bill would limit units to one per person beginning January 2025.

Rep. Andrew Gray, an Anchorage Democrat, speak to a crowd outside at the steps of the Alaska State Capitol in January. Gray introduced a bill Monday that would make short-term rental registration a requirement and limit operators to just one unit per person in Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini/ Juneau Empire File)
Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, an Anchorage Democrat, speaks to members of the Alaska Senate about a bill she sponsored that would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday in Alaska. The senate passed the bill 16-4 Thursday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Alaska Senate passes bill recognizing Juneteenth as paid state holiday

The bill will now head to the House.

Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, an Anchorage Democrat, speaks to members of the Alaska Senate about a bill she sponsored that would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday in Alaska. The senate passed the bill 16-4 Thursday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Alaskans for Better Government members La quen náay Liz Medicine Crow, Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson and ‘Wáahlaal Gidáak Barbara Blake embrace on the floor of the Alaska State Senate following the passage of House Bill 123, a bill to formally recognize the state’s 229 federally recognized tribes.

Tribal recognition bill clears Senate, nears finish line

Senators say recognition of tribes was overdue.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Alaskans for Better Government members La quen náay Liz Medicine Crow, Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson and ‘Wáahlaal Gidáak Barbara Blake embrace on the floor of the Alaska State Senate following the passage of House Bill 123, a bill to formally recognize the state’s 229 federally recognized tribes.
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, left, addresses constituents during a town hall event on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski senator’s bill ‘lumbers’ toward governor’s desk

Senate Bill 87 aims to make locally milled lumber more widely available for the construction of housing in Alaska

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, left, addresses constituents during a town hall event on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Flames are visible from the Beluga Point parking area near Anchorage on July 19, 2016, as a wildfire near McHugh Creek burns. A recent series of wildfires near Anchorage and the hottest day on record have sparked fears that a warming climate could soon mean serious, untenable blazes in urban areas — just like in the rest of the drought-plagued American West. (Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News)

Climate change sparks disaster fears in Alaska’s largest city

This is the new reality.

Flames are visible from the Beluga Point parking area near Anchorage on July 19, 2016, as a wildfire near McHugh Creek burns. A recent series of wildfires near Anchorage and the hottest day on record have sparked fears that a warming climate could soon mean serious, untenable blazes in urban areas — just like in the rest of the drought-plagued American West. (Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News)
This photo provided by Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office shows a recently installed sign at the main entry point to U.S. Army Garrison Alaska Fort Wainwright on April 5, 2023, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The mother of Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, one of the three soldiers killed last week when two U.S. Army helicopters at Fort Wainwright collided as they were returning from training in a remote part of Alaska, said her son loved his country and his family and lifted others up. An investigative team flew to the crash site Monday, May 1. (Eve Baker / Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office)

For soldier killed in Alaska crash ‘family was everything’

Mother said her son loved his country and his family and lifted others up.

This photo provided by Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office shows a recently installed sign at the main entry point to U.S. Army Garrison Alaska Fort Wainwright on April 5, 2023, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The mother of Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, one of the three soldiers killed last week when two U.S. Army helicopters at Fort Wainwright collided as they were returning from training in a remote part of Alaska, said her son loved his country and his family and lifted others up. An investigative team flew to the crash site Monday, May 1. (Eve Baker / Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office)
Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire State Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, speaks in opposition to a bill allocating 75% of spendable Permanent Fund earnings to state programs and 25% to dividends during Monday’s floor session.

Senate passes $1,300 PFD bill despite dissension

Four majority members vote no on “75-25” bill, making it vulnerable to veto or other politicking.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire State Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, speaks in opposition to a bill allocating 75% of spendable Permanent Fund earnings to state programs and 25% to dividends during Monday’s floor session.
House Speaker Cathy Tilton, a Wasilla Republican, listens Monday morning to amendments to a bill she sponsored that seeks to bar the state and local governments in Alaska from mandating restrictions or closures to firearms and retailers in the event of a disaster. (Clarise Larson/ Juneau Empire)

Bill disallowing firearm restrictions during emergencies moves toward third reading

It’s expected to have its final reading Wednesday.

House Speaker Cathy Tilton, a Wasilla Republican, listens Monday morning to amendments to a bill she sponsored that seeks to bar the state and local governments in Alaska from mandating restrictions or closures to firearms and retailers in the event of a disaster. (Clarise Larson/ Juneau Empire)
Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Frank Hughes pulls a tote filled with Alaska Native artifacts at the Juneau International Airport Thursday afternoon. Hughes is apart of the repatriation effort to retrieve the artifacts back to the Organized Village of Kake from George Fox University in Oregon.

Kake to welcome artifacts — some over 200 years old — back home

‘When I looked at them it was like looking at my past and my elders’

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Frank Hughes pulls a tote filled with Alaska Native artifacts at the Juneau International Airport Thursday afternoon. Hughes is apart of the repatriation effort to retrieve the artifacts back to the Organized Village of Kake from George Fox University in Oregon.
In this photo released by the U.S. Army, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, fly over a mountain range near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, on June 3, 2019. The U.S. Army says two Army helicopters similar to the ones in this picture crashed Thursday, April 27, 2023, near Healy, Alaska, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The helicopters were returning from a training flight to Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks. (Cameron Roxberry / U.S. Army)

Army grounds aviators for training after fatal crashes

The U.S. Army has grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers died within the last month in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky, the… Continue reading

In this photo released by the U.S. Army, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, fly over a mountain range near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, on June 3, 2019. The U.S. Army says two Army helicopters similar to the ones in this picture crashed Thursday, April 27, 2023, near Healy, Alaska, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The helicopters were returning from a training flight to Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks. (Cameron Roxberry / U.S. Army)
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, listens to a procedural discussion by senators during Friday’s floor session about a bill modifying how Permanent Fund dividends are calculated. The bill, which reduce PFDs significantly from those under previously calculations unless the state has an abundance of revenue, is scheduled for further debate and a vote on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

‘75-25’ PFD plan reaches Senate floor

Change would drastically shrink dividends, allocate most Permanent Fund earnings to state spending

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, listens to a procedural discussion by senators during Friday’s floor session about a bill modifying how Permanent Fund dividends are calculated. The bill, which reduce PFDs significantly from those under previously calculations unless the state has an abundance of revenue, is scheduled for further debate and a vote on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Teaser

State association considers transgender ban on student sports

Change would limit girls teams to birth-assigned sex; public meeting scheduled Monday

Teaser
Brig. Gen. John Lubas address the press in regards to the Black Hawk helicopter crash, Thursday, March 30, 2023, outside of Fort Campbell in Christian County, Ky. There have been three U.S. military helicopter crashes and a rollover recorded so far this year, in Alabama, Kentucky, and Alaska. Two of the crashes involved Black Hawk helicopters; the third crash and the rollover involved Apache helicopters. (Liam Kennedy /The Tennessean)

Recent U.S. military helicopter crashes in training missions

There have been three U.S. military helicopter crashes and a rollover recorded so far this year.

Brig. Gen. John Lubas address the press in regards to the Black Hawk helicopter crash, Thursday, March 30, 2023, outside of Fort Campbell in Christian County, Ky. There have been three U.S. military helicopter crashes and a rollover recorded so far this year, in Alabama, Kentucky, and Alaska. Two of the crashes involved Black Hawk helicopters; the third crash and the rollover involved Apache helicopters. (Liam Kennedy /The Tennessean)