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Prescriptions drugs, vitamins, hormones, and other drugs left in the drug drop box in the lobby of the Juneau Police Department in September 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police department to host drug take back site

No liquids, syringes or lithium batteries.

Prescriptions drugs, vitamins, hormones, and other drugs left in the drug drop box in the lobby of the Juneau Police Department in September 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Juneauites enjoyed the sun on the downtown waterfront on Friday, April 16, 2021, but the city would normally be gearing up for cruise season. Gov. Mike Dunleavy released a proposal Friday for using more the $1 billion in federal relief money meant to boost local economies and update local infrastructure. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Juneauites enjoyed the sun on the downtown waterfront on Friday, April 16, 2021, but the city would normally be gearing up for cruise season. Gov. Mike Dunleavy released a proposal Friday for using more the $1 billion in federal relief money meant to boost local economies and update local infrastructure. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy, shown here on April 9, held a news conference in Anchorage on April 16, 2021 announcing his office’s plans for supporting tourism in Alaska going forward. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Free vaccines for tourists: Governor talks future of tourism industry

The governor wants $150 million to aid the tourism industry.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, shown here on April 9, held a news conference in Anchorage on April 16, 2021 announcing his office’s plans for supporting tourism in Alaska going forward. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Iliamna Volcano seen from Ninilchik, Alaska, in a photograph by Roy Boone. (Courtesy Photo / Roy Boone, Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Alaska Science Forum: Listening to avalanches half a state away

Scientists are using recorded signals to better understand avalanches in steep, icy country.

  • Apr 16, 2021
  • By Ned Rozell
Iliamna Volcano seen from Ninilchik, Alaska, in a photograph by Roy Boone. (Courtesy Photo / Roy Boone, Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Allison Smith, a member of Juneau Nordic Ski Club, oasses another Nordic skiier on her way back toward the Montana Creek Trail trailhead on Dec. 29, 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Proposed trail from Montana Creek Trail would create problems

“The current proposal would create safety concerns and displace existing non-motorized users.”

  • Apr 16, 2021
  • By Frankie Pillifant
Allison Smith, a member of Juneau Nordic Ski Club, oasses another Nordic skiier on her way back toward the Montana Creek Trail trailhead on Dec. 29, 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire 
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities triggered an avalanche as a mitigation measure above Thane Road on April 15, 2021.

City plans ahead for future avalanche seasons

More snow isn’t bad, but dynamic weather makes predicting avalanches tricky

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire 
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities triggered an avalanche as a mitigation measure above Thane Road on April 15, 2021.
Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 15, 2021, about a bill of his to reform Alaska's elections. An earlier version of the bill drew sharp criticism but Shower says his bill is not meant to be partisan. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 15, 2021, about a bill of his to reform Alaska's elections. An earlier version of the bill drew sharp criticism but Shower says his bill is not meant to be partisan. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Staff at Bartlett Regional Hospital, seen here on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, will be among some of the first to receive a vaccine for COVID-19 once federal authorities give the go-ahead. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Bartlett Hospital considers 4% price increase

Despite the increase, fees remain low compared to other hospitals.

Staff at Bartlett Regional Hospital, seen here on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, will be among some of the first to receive a vaccine for COVID-19 once federal authorities give the go-ahead. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Thunder Mountain’s Oliver Mendoza catches a fly all against Sitka as then-teammate Bryson Echiverri ducks out of the way during the Region V Baseball Championship at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park on Friday, May 24, 2019. TMHS lost 1-7. Mendoza is expected to be a key contributor for the Falcons this year. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Thunder Mountain’s Oliver Mendoza catches a fly all against Sitka as then-teammate Bryson Echiverri ducks out of the way during the Region V Baseball Championship at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park on Friday, May 24, 2019. TMHS lost 1-7. Mendoza is expected to be a key contributor for the Falcons this year. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
A skier makes a run at Eaglecrest Ski Area in January 2021. A perfect storm of heavy snow coupled with pandemic-weary residents eager for outside recreation resulted in an excellent season on the mountain and money in the bank. Ski area officials shared budget projections for the 2022 season with the city’s finance committee Wednesday night. (Courtesy Photo / Eaglecrest Ski Area)

Heavy snow drives successful ski season

Eaglecrest expects to bank money, reduce reliance on city money in 2022

A skier makes a run at Eaglecrest Ski Area in January 2021. A perfect storm of heavy snow coupled with pandemic-weary residents eager for outside recreation resulted in an excellent season on the mountain and money in the bank. Ski area officials shared budget projections for the 2022 season with the city’s finance committee Wednesday night. (Courtesy Photo / Eaglecrest Ski Area)
A man holds a U.S. and a rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington in 2015 after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide. Court documents show the state of Alaska for years maintains a discriminatory policy that denied some same-sex spouses benefits by wrongly claiming gay marriage was not recognized in Alaska, long after courts ordered they be recognized. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin)

Alaska denied benefits to gay couples despite court rulings

Division staff listed about 40 people who were denied.

A man holds a U.S. and a rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington in 2015 after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide. Court documents show the state of Alaska for years maintains a discriminatory policy that denied some same-sex spouses benefits by wrongly claiming gay marriage was not recognized in Alaska, long after courts ordered they be recognized. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin)
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, contracting with Coastal Helicopters, works to reduce avalanche risk on Thane Road by setting off avalanches in a controlled fashion on Feb. 5, 2021.(Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

Thane Road closure scheduled for avalanche hazard reduction

Weather conditions cause cancellation.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, contracting with Coastal Helicopters, works to reduce avalanche risk on Thane Road by setting off avalanches in a controlled fashion on Feb. 5, 2021.(Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)
Doctors at Bartlett Regional Hospital, seen here in this January 2021 photo, often call consultants and specialist for medical advice, but a supreme court case out of Minnesota could make that dynamic legally questionable. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

Bill seeks to shield doctors from liability when consulting

‘Curbside consultations’ are protected under proposal.

Doctors at Bartlett Regional Hospital, seen here in this January 2021 photo, often call consultants and specialist for medical advice, but a supreme court case out of Minnesota could make that dynamic legally questionable. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Teaser

Opinion: We do not have another decade to waste without protecting every Alaskan

Let’s end the cruel, and inhumane legal discrimination against our fellow Alaskans

  • Apr 14, 2021
  • By Beth Kerttula
Teaser
Secretary of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland attends a Cabinet meeting with President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

Biden taps former Obama official as deputy at Interior Dept.

Nominee grew up in Alaska.

Secretary of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland attends a Cabinet meeting with President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
Dr. Lauren Wild smiles during a recent whale necropsy near Sitka. Wild is a UAS researcher and fisheries professor, and yes, you can call her Dr. Wild. (Courtesy Photo / Bethany Sonsini Goodrich and Lione Clare, operating under NOAA Stranding Agreement MMHSRP #18786-04)

Resilient Peoples & Place: What can one find within the body of a whale?

Within their perished bodies, whales may contain secrets to their species.

Dr. Lauren Wild smiles during a recent whale necropsy near Sitka. Wild is a UAS researcher and fisheries professor, and yes, you can call her Dr. Wild. (Courtesy Photo / Bethany Sonsini Goodrich and Lione Clare, operating under NOAA Stranding Agreement MMHSRP #18786-04)
Arriving passengers walk past a sign in the arrivals area at Heathrow Airport in London, during England’s third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began. On Tuesday, City and Borough of Juneau officials said the city has confirmed the first local case of a COVID-19 variant first detected in Britain. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

State lab ID’s British COVID variant in Juneau resident

Public health officials say variant acquired via community spread

Arriving passengers walk past a sign in the arrivals area at Heathrow Airport in London, during England’s third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began. On Tuesday, City and Borough of Juneau officials said the city has confirmed the first local case of a COVID-19 variant first detected in Britain. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
A shop on South Franklin Street in downtown Juneau has its doors open on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. In a normal year shops like this would be preparing for the summer tourist season and the thousands of tourists brought to Juneau daily by cruise ships. But the growth of the cruising in Alaska has some residents concerned about the regions dependence on the industry. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
A shop on South Franklin Street in downtown Juneau has its doors open on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. In a normal year shops like this would be preparing for the summer tourist season and the thousands of tourists brought to Juneau daily by cruise ships. But the growth of the cruising in Alaska has some residents concerned about the regions dependence on the industry. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
This photo shows the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a pop up vaccinations site the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, in the Staten Island borough of New York. The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. (AP Photo / Mary Altaffer)

CDC freeze on Johnson and Johnson vaccine sets clinics scrambling

The odds of being affected are vanishingly rare, but CDC says better safe than sorry.

This photo shows the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a pop up vaccinations site the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, in the Staten Island borough of New York. The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. (AP Photo / Mary Altaffer)
A sign seen on a downtown Juneau business reminds customers that masks are required. As the percentage of vaccinated community members rises, officials are looking to the future and considering which COVID-19 mitigations to jettison and when. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

How will climbing vaccine rates affect the local mask mandate, traveler testing?

City officials consider future of mitigation measures.

A sign seen on a downtown Juneau business reminds customers that masks are required. As the percentage of vaccinated community members rises, officials are looking to the future and considering which COVID-19 mitigations to jettison and when. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)