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A used gondola being installed at Eaglecrest Ski Area may not begin operating until 2027, according to Goldbelt Inc. President and CEO McHugh Pierre, whose company is providing $10 million for installation costs. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

News

Eaglecrest Ski Area gondola may not open until 2027 due to CBJ delays, Goldbelt CEO says

Agreement with city allows Goldbelt to nix $10M deal if gondola doesn’t open by May 31, 2028.

Cruise ships and passengers in downtown Juneau on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Limit of 16,000 cruise passengers daily, 12,000 on Saturdays, agreed to by CBJ and industry

Pact taking effect in 2026 allows some exemptions, criticized by backers of Saturday ban on ships.

Karla Hart leads a rally in Marine Park on April 9 calling for a ban on large cruise ships on Saturdays in Juneau. Supporters turned in signatures on Thursday for a petition seeking to put the question to local voters. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Supporters of Saturday cruise ship ban say they have enough signatures for ballot initiative

Total only slightly exceeds minimum, but backers will have 10 more days if certified total is short.

Passengers of the Norwegian Bliss look out across downtown Juneau as they wait to disembark on April 17, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

My Turn: Juneau’s economy is not on the line — Ship-Free Saturdays is about better balance

Judging by the “Save Juneau” posters one would think that Juneau’s economic well-being is at stake with the…

Capital Transit buses wait to depart from the downtown transit center on Thursday. Route number 8 was adjusted this spring. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

News

More service, visitor information helping Capital Transit to keep up with extra cruise passenger traffic

Remedies made after residents unable to board full buses last year seem to be working, officials say

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

My Turn: Tourism has destroyed the Juneau I grew up in

Following Paul Fuhs letter May 6, I would say this: I don’t know where in Alaska he grew…

Jasmine Chavez, a crew member aboard the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship, waves to her family during a cell phone conversation after disembarking from the ship at Marine Park on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Cruise industry says Marine Passenger Fees being spent illegally as Assembly members give initial OK to $21M list

$5M for shore power, $3M for Capital Civic Center, $2M for Marine Park improvements among projects

The 1,094-foot-long Norwegian Bliss docks in Juneau early Tuesday morning to begin this year’s cruise ship season. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

First cruise ship of the season arrives to welcomes, planned protest

Passengers get warm reception at dock, may encounter midday rally seeking ship-free Saturdays.

About 20 people gather in Marine Park at midday Tuesday for a rally calling for a ban on large cruise ships on Saturdays in Juneau. Some of the participants are members of a committee planning to gather signatures for a petition to put the question on the ballot for local voters. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Activists hoping to put Saturday ban on large cruise ships on local ballot

Proposed initiative would also make July 4 a ship-free day in Juneau.

Tourists wait at a Capital Transit bus stop about 1.5 miles from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on July 19, 2023. Large numbers of cruise ship visitors taking city buses to get near the glacier last year meant there often wasn’t space for local residents going to other locations. (Photo by Laurie Craig)

News

First cruise ship of season expected to match last year’s record-high traffic arrives Tuesday

Officials say new five-ship daily limit will reduce passengers compared to busiest days last year.

A mountain biker takes advantage of a trail at Eaglecrest Ski Area during the summer of 2022. The city-owned resort is planning to vastly expand its summer activities with a new gondola and the facilities by 2026. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

News

Eaglecrest’s big summertime plans, including the gondola, get OK from planning commission

Ski area also planning new summit lodge, snowtubing park, bike trails and picnic pavilion by 2026.

The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on April 17, 2023, the first cruise ship of the 2023 season. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Free public downtown Wi-Fi, park upgrades, more buses among proposals for marine passenger fees

Public comments being accepted until March 25 for more than $19 million in recommended projects.

This screenshot from a court filing by the Alaska Department of Law shows two identical pairs of wool booties taken from a tourist shop near Denali National Park. One pair bears the label “made in Nepal,” while the other says that it was made in Alaska. (Screenshot)

News

Mythical ‘Yakutat alpaca’ items costs Denali-area clothing shop $53,000 in fines

No such creature exists, despite claims of store officials say re-branded foreign products.

Doug Chilton works on a canoe journey carving at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé in February of 2016. (Courtesy of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)

News

Longtime Tlingit artist and activist Doug Chilton closing his shop Dec. 24, heading south

Juneau-born resident plans to return for One People Canoe Society trips he founded, other events.

Hundreds walk the waterfront near Elizabeth Peratrovich Plaza during the 2023 Juneau Maritime Festival in early May. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Survey: Residents increasingly negative about cruise tourism, but positive opinions still prevail

48% of respondents say overall impacts positive, 22% negative after record-high passenger season.

Visitors take a selfie on the downtown cruise ship docks in July. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

My Turn: Know who you’re sitting with at the table

As a professional who has sat at many a negotiating table, I am all for sitting down to…

Cruise ship passengers walk around in downtown Juneau in late May. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

News

Public suggestions for spending cruise ship passenger fees being accepted starting Monday

More than $21.6M available after record season, but proposals limited to cruise-related projects.

A tourist departs a cruise ship in the documentary “Cruise Boom,” which was screened Friday as part of an Evening at Egan presentation at the University of Alaska Southeast. The film is also scheduled to be shown Saturday at the Gold Town Theater. (Courtesy of Artchange Inc.)

News

Presentation pitching partnerships to address cruise ship impacts proves provocative

“I do not trust these corporations one iota,” says one attendee; others see signs of hope.

Tourists explore downtown Sitka in the documentary “Cruise Boom,” which is screening Friday at the University of Alaska Southeast and Saturday at the Gold Town Theater. (Courtesy of Artchange Inc.)

News

‘Cruise Boom’ showing in Juneau before sailing back to Sitka screen

Documentary and talk slated for Friday at UAS; Saturday afternoon screening at Gold Town Theater.

Juneau Assembly members cast an informal vote during a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night about the volume of cruise tourism they want to see in Juneau in future years. Mayor Beth Weldon (left) and Assembly member Greg Smith (middle) cast neutral votes essentially favoring an as-is approach, while Michelle Bonnet Hale, Paul Kelly and Ella Adkison suggesting they prefer lower numbers than the record 1.66 million passengers that visited this year. Votes by the other four members included one as-is and three “thumbs down,” for a 6-3 vote in favor of the city’s tourism director exploring a strategy for 2026 and beyond that results in fewer annual cruise visitors. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Most Assembly members express preference for fewer cruise visitors after record season

In 6-3 informal vote, members ask tourism director for reduction strategy for 2026 and beyond.