The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Finance Committee approved a request to increase farebox rates for adults riding Capital Transit buses to $2.

Currently, the adult fare is $1.50.

If approved by the full Assembly, the fares would go into effect July 2.

“It’s a 20 percent increase in some fares and zero increase in others,” Kirk Duncan, city public works director, said. Fares for passengers aged 6 – 18, will not go up, he said.

“(It’s) not something we want to do, it is an economic reality,” Duncan said.

More than seven months have passed since Alaska’s last mine fatality.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration recently announced that a total of 10 U.S. miners died working in the nation’s mines in the first quarter of 2012 — six coal miners and four hard rock miners. The total fatalities are 12 to date.

Five fatal accidents occurred on five consecutive weekends in the first three months of the year, according to Mine Safety’s mine fatality update. Three of the five involved mine supervisors.

Mesa Grill, downtown Juneau’s longtime street vendor of choice for steaming sausages and jalapeño pepper buffalo burgers, has relocated to Marine Way.

Trish Ausdin likes to make her food spicy. The Mesa Grill owner and sole cook said she moved to the U.S. from India. She likes to add a touch of this heritage to her southwest fair, she said.

“I make kind of spicy food,” Ausdin said. She often adds chicken curry to her mostly southwestern menu.

Ausdin has owned businesses in Juneau for 20 years. She first owned an espresso stand, she said.

City and Borough of Juneau Director of Engineering Rorie Watt gave high praises to Juneau’s drinking water at a recent presentation to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce.

"About as good as it gets," Watt said. It’s abundant and "the best of the best in terms of quality."

Juneau residents and businesses pull 4 billion gallons of water from Gold Creek and Salmon Creek for potable water and cruise ships use another 1 billion gallons, Watt said.