Laurie Craig

Travelers using the all-gender restroom at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on Dec. 3. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

New this holiday season for travelers in transit at Sea- Tac: All-gender restroom and autonomous wheelchairs

Facilities installed earlier this year in Alaska Airlines concourse; single-sex bathrooms still available.

 

Juneau Greens owner John Krapek prepares a box of fresh greens for a subscriber while Amy White serves customers at the other end of the long counter at the new hydroponic farm that opened in November at 7820 Honsinger Drive. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Turning over a new leaf: Juneau Greens grows fresh food

Indoor greenhouse and farm offers tastes of summer as short days and winter weather sets in.

 

Nine pairs of rubber boots await feet near the entrance to Catherine Fritz’s home in Juneau. The collection includes very early models made in the United States, later imported versions that are steel-toed, insulated and regular. Fritz’s favorite pair is a short version that slip on easily. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Rubber barons: Weirdly fashionable and always functional rubber boots

From boat decks to badge of belonging, XtraTufs are universal.

 

Looking through the dining room and reception area to the front door. The table will be covered with holiday treats during the afternoon open house. The Stickley slide table, when several extensions are added, provides comfortable seating for 22 dinner guests. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

The Governor’s House: Welcoming Alaskans for more than 100 years

Mansion has seen many updates to please occupants, but piano bought with first funds still playable.

Looking through the dining room and reception area to the front door. The table will be covered with holiday treats during the afternoon open house. The Stickley slide table, when several extensions are added, provides comfortable seating for 22 dinner guests. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Maple the dog leads Kerry Lear and Stephanie Allison across the newly completed Kaxdigoowu Heen Dei (also known as the Brotherhood Bridge Trail) over Montana Creek Monday, November 11. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Reconnected: New bridge over Montana Creek reopens portion of Kaxdigoowu Heen Dei

People again able to walk a loop on what’s commonly known as the Brotherhood Bridge Trail.

Maple the dog leads Kerry Lear and Stephanie Allison across the newly completed Kaxdigoowu Heen Dei (also known as the Brotherhood Bridge Trail) over Montana Creek Monday, November 11. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Aurelie Alexander photographs a helicopter hoisting cellular equipment onto the roof of the Marine View building at midday Wednesday. As a resident of the apartment/office building, she and others were notified to leave the building during the helicopter operation. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Hovering around downtown for better phone service

New AT&T equipment installed atop Marine View Building joins other telecom upgrades downtown.

Aurelie Alexander photographs a helicopter hoisting cellular equipment onto the roof of the Marine View building at midday Wednesday. As a resident of the apartment/office building, she and others were notified to leave the building during the helicopter operation. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Rear Adm. Mark Sucato reads the U.S. Navy’s apology to the people of Angoon on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 commemorating 142 years to the day since the military bombarded the village in 1882. (Screen image from Sealaska Heritage Institute)
Video

Angoon accepts U.S. Navy apology for bombardment that destroyed village 142 years ago

“From this day forward, no more crying,” village leader says about declaration sought for generations

Rear Adm. Mark Sucato reads the U.S. Navy’s apology to the people of Angoon on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 commemorating 142 years to the day since the military bombarded the village in 1882. (Screen image from Sealaska Heritage Institute)
Video
Klondike gold rush stampeders stand beside a fragile sign marking the Alaska-Canada border. (Alaska State Library historical collections ASL-P21-54)

Border Patrol: Drawing the line between Alaska and Canada

Southeast Alaska boundary originated as uncertain line created by 1825 treaty between Russia, Great Britain.

Klondike gold rush stampeders stand beside a fragile sign marking the Alaska-Canada border. (Alaska State Library historical collections ASL-P21-54)
A panel discussion about cultural tourism in Alaska takes place Tuesday between (left to right) Camille Ferguson, economic development director of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska; Zach Dunlap, operations manager for Doyon; Susan Bell, vice president of strategic initiatives for Huna Totem Corp.; Emily Edenshaw, president and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center; and McHugh Pierre, president and CEO of Goldbelt Inc. during the opening day of the Alaska Travel Industry Association convention at Centennial Hall. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Native cultural tourism is ‘Alaska’s sleeping giant,’ panel tells industry leaders at statewide convention

“Alaska is not ‘The Last Frontier.’ Alaska always has been and always will be a Native place.”

A panel discussion about cultural tourism in Alaska takes place Tuesday between (left to right) Camille Ferguson, economic development director of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska; Zach Dunlap, operations manager for Doyon; Susan Bell, vice president of strategic initiatives for Huna Totem Corp.; Emily Edenshaw, president and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center; and McHugh Pierre, president and CEO of Goldbelt Inc. during the opening day of the Alaska Travel Industry Association convention at Centennial Hall. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Signaling Alaska: By land, by sea and by air

KTOO’s 50th anniversary celebration has much longer historical ties to Klondike, military.

The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
“We accept this apology,” says Kake elder Ruth Demmert as she addresses the audience at Saturday’s formal apology by the U.S. Navy delivered minutes earlier by Rear Adm. Mark Sucato. The apology in Kake was for the 1869 bombardment and destruction of Kake’s three villages and two forts in winter of that year. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Video

A long time coming: U.S. Navy apologizes for destroying Alaska Native village of Kake in 1869

“From this time forward we will start healing our people,” village president says at historic ceremony.

“We accept this apology,” says Kake elder Ruth Demmert as she addresses the audience at Saturday’s formal apology by the U.S. Navy delivered minutes earlier by Rear Adm. Mark Sucato. The apology in Kake was for the 1869 bombardment and destruction of Kake’s three villages and two forts in winter of that year. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Video
Rush-hour traffic heads toward downtown on Egan Drive on Friday morning. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

How Outer Drive became inner drive: The construction of Egan Drive

In 1970 there was no dispute about need for four-lane highway — conflict was about route across wetlands.

Rush-hour traffic heads toward downtown on Egan Drive on Friday morning. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Workers pave the surface of 10th Street near the intersection of Egan Drive on Wednesday. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Paving the way: 10th Street reconstruction scheduled for completion by end of September

Work part of larger project that includes upgrades to water, sewer, sidewalks, other infrastructure.

Workers pave the surface of 10th Street near the intersection of Egan Drive on Wednesday. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
A gathering of friends rent Skater’s Cabin on Mendenhall Lake from the U.S. Forest Service on a sunny day in July of 2024. The cabin and the West Glacier Trail beyond it were Civilian Conservation Corps projects. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Rock Solid: The 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps built many of Juneau’s recreational, cultural landmarks

Forest Service shelters, trails, totem poles, early ski area among Depression-era program’s fixtures.

A gathering of friends rent Skater’s Cabin on Mendenhall Lake from the U.S. Forest Service on a sunny day in July of 2024. The cabin and the West Glacier Trail beyond it were Civilian Conservation Corps projects. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
A father and daughter share a private voting booth to fill out his official white ballot and her special green ballot on Saturday at the Mendenhall Mall Annex. Only the official ballot is processed. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Early voting continues during final weekend before Alaska’s primary election on Tuesday

U.S. House, state legislative races on ballot; top four finishers in each race advance to Nov. 5 election.

A father and daughter share a private voting booth to fill out his official white ballot and her special green ballot on Saturday at the Mendenhall Mall Annex. Only the official ballot is processed. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Bright red fruit hang from a cherry tree in the Casey-Shattuck Addition in downtown Juneau. The compact neighborhood of small homes is roughly defined by 12th Street, Glacier Avenue, Eighth Street and Calhoun Avenue. It was platted in 1913. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

A bowl of cherries: Abundant red fruit brightens the neighborhood known as ‘The Flats’

Nobody seems quite sure about the origin of the fruit trees, but people have plenty of ideas.

Bright red fruit hang from a cherry tree in the Casey-Shattuck Addition in downtown Juneau. The compact neighborhood of small homes is roughly defined by 12th Street, Glacier Avenue, Eighth Street and Calhoun Avenue. It was platted in 1913. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
The Silverbow Inn on Second Street with attached restaurant “In Bocca Al Lupo” in the background. The restaurant name refers to an Italian phrase wishing good fortune and translates as “In the mouth of the wolf.” (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Rooted in Community: From bread to bagels to Bocca, the Messerschmidt 1914 building feeds Juneau

Originally the San Francisco Bakery, now the Silverbow Inn and home to town’s most-acclaimed eatery.

The Silverbow Inn on Second Street with attached restaurant “In Bocca Al Lupo” in the background. The restaurant name refers to an Italian phrase wishing good fortune and translates as “In the mouth of the wolf.” (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Looking like a gray turtle, an automated mower cuts grass in front of Thunder Mountain Middle School with boxes stacked in a classroom window beyond. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)

Random adventures of robo-mowers…now performing again this summer at Juneau’s schools

Four pillow-sized bots resembling turtles with tiny razor-sharp blades provide class for the grass.

Looking like a gray turtle, an automated mower cuts grass in front of Thunder Mountain Middle School with boxes stacked in a classroom window beyond. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
The burning cruise ship Prinsendam 200 miles from Juneau in the Gulf of Alaska in October 1980 after 519 people abandoned ship into lifeboats and were rescued. An oil leak in the engine room started a fire just as Juneau was celebrating its 100th birthday on Oct. 4. (Credit ASL-P313-12-06)

A dramatic sea rescue saved all from a cruise ship fire on Juneau’s 100th birthday; what would happen today?

519 Prinsendam passengers saved from lifeboats; now officials say best hope is another cruise ship.

The burning cruise ship Prinsendam 200 miles from Juneau in the Gulf of Alaska in October 1980 after 519 people abandoned ship into lifeboats and were rescued. An oil leak in the engine room started a fire just as Juneau was celebrating its 100th birthday on Oct. 4. (Credit ASL-P313-12-06)
A yearling black bear waits for its mother to return. Most likely she won’t. This time of year juvenile bears are separated, sometimes forcibly, by their mothers as families break up during mating season. (Photo courtesy K. McGuire)

Bearing witness: Young bears get the boot from mom

With mating season for adults underway, juveniles seek out easy food sources in neighborhoods.

A yearling black bear waits for its mother to return. Most likely she won’t. This time of year juvenile bears are separated, sometimes forcibly, by their mothers as families break up during mating season. (Photo courtesy K. McGuire)