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From left to right: Alaska state Reps. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, and Sara Rasmussen, R-Anchorage, speak on the Alaska House floor on Friday, March 5, 2021. The House passed a Sense of the House on Friday, condemning as inappropriate and objectifying comments Fields had made toward Rasmussen last month. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

House condemns comments about lawmaker’s appearance

Rebuke passed without objection.

From left to right: Alaska state Reps. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, and Sara Rasmussen, R-Anchorage, speak on the Alaska House floor on Friday, March 5, 2021. The House passed a Sense of the House on Friday, condemning as inappropriate and objectifying comments Fields had made toward Rasmussen last month. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, chairs a Senate Finance Committee meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Stedman, who’s chaired the finance committee through multiple legislatures, said time is running out to fix the state’s finances. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

‘Time is running out’ lawmaker warns of state finances

The longer it takes to fix this, my concern is the smaller the dividend will be for the people.”

Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, chairs a Senate Finance Committee meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Stedman, who’s chaired the finance committee through multiple legislatures, said time is running out to fix the state’s finances. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
This combination of photos provided by the Sealaska Hertiage Institute in Juneau, Alaska, shows the front and back of a Tlingit Ravenstail coat. An Alaska Native cultural organization and the luxury department store Neiman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over the sale of a coat with a copyrighted, geometric design borrowed from indigenous culture. (Brian Wallace / Sealaska Heritage Institute)

Sealaska Heritage, Neiman Marcus settle lawsuit over coat

Associated Press An Alaska Native cultural organization and the luxury department store Nieman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over the sale of a coat with… Continue reading

This combination of photos provided by the Sealaska Hertiage Institute in Juneau, Alaska, shows the front and back of a Tlingit Ravenstail coat. An Alaska Native cultural organization and the luxury department store Neiman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over the sale of a coat with a copyrighted, geometric design borrowed from indigenous culture. (Brian Wallace / Sealaska Heritage Institute)
Juneau Police Department officers arrested a man obstructing traffic and acting erratically on Egan Drive Tuesday evening, Feb. 16, 2021. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Juneau man arrested following reports of shots fired

Police say shots were fired outside following an argument.

Juneau Police Department officers arrested a man obstructing traffic and acting erratically on Egan Drive Tuesday evening, Feb. 16, 2021. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
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Alaska Science Forum: Finding out more about the quake that shook Kodiak 120 years ago

By Ned Rozell In 1900, Alaska was home to Native people in scattered villages and camps and recently arrived miners who scraped the creeks for… Continue reading

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Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss, center-right, talks to students as they re-enter Floyd Dryden Middle School on Jan. 11, 2021, the first day of hybrid learning after nine months of distance learning due to COVID-19. The extended break from full-time, in-person learning has meant enrollment changes for the district, which has resulted in reduced grant money. On Wednesday night, the city Finance Committee unanimously agreed to transfer $56,646 to the Juneau School District to help shore up fiscal year 2021 coffers.

Juneau Finance Committee agrees to transfer money to Juneau School District

The money will offset reduced grant money.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss, center-right, talks to students as they re-enter Floyd Dryden Middle School on Jan. 11, 2021, the first day of hybrid learning after nine months of distance learning due to COVID-19. The extended break from full-time, in-person learning has meant enrollment changes for the district, which has resulted in reduced grant money. On Wednesday night, the city Finance Committee unanimously agreed to transfer $56,646 to the Juneau School District to help shore up fiscal year 2021 coffers.
Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, holds a press in front of the doors to the Senate chambers on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Reinbold called the conference to respond to a letter from Gov. Mike Dunleavy saying he would no longer participate with her as chair of the Senate Judicairy Committee. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

State senator demands governor retract critical letter

“We’re all grown-ups here.”

Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, holds a press in front of the doors to the Senate chambers on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Reinbold called the conference to respond to a letter from Gov. Mike Dunleavy saying he would no longer participate with her as chair of the Senate Judicairy Committee. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson works with villages, tribes, businesses, and government to protect the Tongass and advance Indigenous management of natural resources. (Courtesy Photo / Brian Wallace for Juneau Climate Change Solutionists)

Juneau Climate Change Solutionists: Protecting Forests through Indigenous land management with Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson

Our greatest role in the global fight against climate change is to protect our land.

Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson works with villages, tribes, businesses, and government to protect the Tongass and advance Indigenous management of natural resources. (Courtesy Photo / Brian Wallace for Juneau Climate Change Solutionists)
Auditors reported that Juneau's municipal books are clean that their accounting methods follow generally accepted accounting principles. The audits included a look at the City and Borough of Juneau, Juneau Public Schools and Bartlett Hospital. This photo shows Juneau City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 24. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Audit shows CARES Act spending within guidelines

Juneau’s municipal books look good.

Auditors reported that Juneau's municipal books are clean that their accounting methods follow generally accepted accounting principles. The audits included a look at the City and Borough of Juneau, Juneau Public Schools and Bartlett Hospital. This photo shows Juneau City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 24. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
This Sept. 2008 photo provided by the Center for Whale Research taken near Washington state’s San Juan Islands shows scientists looking for clues about the diet of the Pacific Northwest’s endangered orcas using a pool skimmer to collect the scales or other remains of salmon the whales had eaten. A long-term study published Wednesday, March 3, 2021, reaffirmed the importance of Chinook salmon to the whales even when they cruise the outer Pacific Coast, where the fish are harder to find. (Ken Balcomb / Center for Whale Research)

Study: Chinook salmon are key to Northwest orcas all year

That includes fish that spawn in California’s Sacramento River all the way to the Taku River.

  • Mar 4, 2021
  • By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
  • wildlife
This Sept. 2008 photo provided by the Center for Whale Research taken near Washington state’s San Juan Islands shows scientists looking for clues about the diet of the Pacific Northwest’s endangered orcas using a pool skimmer to collect the scales or other remains of salmon the whales had eaten. A long-term study published Wednesday, March 3, 2021, reaffirmed the importance of Chinook salmon to the whales even when they cruise the outer Pacific Coast, where the fish are harder to find. (Ken Balcomb / Center for Whale Research)
Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., listens during the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on her nomination to be Interior secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Some Republican senators labeled Haaland “radical” over her calls to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address climate change, and said that could hurt rural America and major oil and gas-producing states. The label of Haaland as a “radical” by Republican lawmakers is getting pushback from Native Americans. (Jim Watson / Pool Photo)

Senate energy panel backs Haaland for interior secretary

Murkowski was the lone Republican to support Haaland.

  • Mar 4, 2021
  • By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., listens during the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on her nomination to be Interior secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Some Republican senators labeled Haaland “radical” over her calls to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address climate change, and said that could hurt rural America and major oil and gas-producing states. The label of Haaland as a “radical” by Republican lawmakers is getting pushback from Native Americans. (Jim Watson / Pool Photo)
Petersburg resident Sara Hadad-Dembs recently found her biological brother through a DNA testing kit. The pair recently met for the first time when she traveled to Chicago. "This is what it looks like when genetics kick in and a total stranger just gets you," she said in a recent interview. (Courtesy Photo/Sara Hadad-Dembs
Capital City Weekly

Petersburg woman finds long-lost brother after DNA test

Multi-year search ends with additional family members.

Petersburg resident Sara Hadad-Dembs recently found her biological brother through a DNA testing kit. The pair recently met for the first time when she traveled to Chicago. "This is what it looks like when genetics kick in and a total stranger just gets you," she said in a recent interview. (Courtesy Photo/Sara Hadad-Dembs
Women members of the Alaska House of Representatives from both parties meet in the hallway of the capitol Wednesday, March 3, 2021, to discuss a vote to condemn Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, for sexists comments he made on the floor the previous week. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Lawmaker could face formal rebuke for sexist comments

Members to vote Friday.

Women members of the Alaska House of Representatives from both parties meet in the hallway of the capitol Wednesday, March 3, 2021, to discuss a vote to condemn Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, for sexists comments he made on the floor the previous week. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
The 52-foot fishing vessel, Haida Lady, submerged between Cobb Island and Silver Point South of Sitka, Alaska, February 28, 2021. (Courtesy photo / U.S. Coast Guard)

Unknown amount of diesel spilled after boat sinks south of Sitka

Clean up and investigation into the sinking are underway.

The 52-foot fishing vessel, Haida Lady, submerged between Cobb Island and Silver Point South of Sitka, Alaska, February 28, 2021. (Courtesy photo / U.S. Coast Guard)
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Chairman Andy Teuber introduces U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a press conference at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Anchorage. The U.S. Coast Guard was searching for an overdue helicopter piloted by Teuber who is the former head of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Teuber had resigned last week after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him which he denied. Teuber left Anchorage about 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in a black and white Robinson R66 helicopter en route to Kodiak Island. (Loren Holmes / Anchorage Daily News)

Search for missing helicopter, pilot near Kodiak suspended

The former president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has not been recovered.

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Chairman Andy Teuber introduces U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a press conference at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Anchorage. The U.S. Coast Guard was searching for an overdue helicopter piloted by Teuber who is the former head of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Teuber had resigned last week after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him which he denied. Teuber left Anchorage about 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in a black and white Robinson R66 helicopter en route to Kodiak Island. (Loren Holmes / Anchorage Daily News)
Pharmacist Madeline Acquilano draws a syringe of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The first shipments of the vaccine arrived at the hospital this morning. Cities and states are rapidly expanding access to vaccines as the nation races to head off a resurgence in coronavirus infections and reopen schools and businesses battered by the pandemic. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Appointments fill up quick as vaccine eligibility expands

There’s a waitlist.

Pharmacist Madeline Acquilano draws a syringe of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The first shipments of the vaccine arrived at the hospital this morning. Cities and states are rapidly expanding access to vaccines as the nation races to head off a resurgence in coronavirus infections and reopen schools and businesses battered by the pandemic. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Steve Wolf strikes a punching bag as his wife Bev Ingram holds it during a boxing class designed to help fight back against the symptoms Parkinson’s disease through a specific regimen at Pavitt Health and Fitness on March. 2, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
Capital City Weekly

Juneau residents fight back against Parkinson’s

Local class attracts international, virtual crowd of people with the disease.

Steve Wolf strikes a punching bag as his wife Bev Ingram holds it during a boxing class designed to help fight back against the symptoms Parkinson’s disease through a specific regimen at Pavitt Health and Fitness on March. 2, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
In this sample primary ballot released by the state, fictional candidates compete in a primary election. The candidates include a blend of fictional Republican and Democratic candidates. The August 2022 state primary election will be the first to feature open primaries. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
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State begins implementing voter-approved election overhaul

Here’s how it will work.

In this sample primary ballot released by the state, fictional candidates compete in a primary election. The candidates include a blend of fictional Republican and Democratic candidates. The August 2022 state primary election will be the first to feature open primaries. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
Video
J.D. McComas, a wildlife specialist with Juneau International Airport, climbs a Capital City Fire/Rescue ladder truck to rescue a bald eagle trapped in a tree on March 1, 2021. (Courtesy photo / CCFR)

Despite high-climbing rescue, eagle euthanized for injuries

Firefighters, the raptor center and airport personnel worked together to help the bird.

J.D. McComas, a wildlife specialist with Juneau International Airport, climbs a Capital City Fire/Rescue ladder truck to rescue a bald eagle trapped in a tree on March 1, 2021. (Courtesy photo / CCFR)
The Holland America Line cruise ships Eurodam, left, and Nieuw Amsterdam pull into Juneau’s downtown harbor on May 1, 2017. Large cruise ships are unlikely to visit Alaska this summer due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, restrictions at the Canadian border, and a lack of sailing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. However, in a close 5-4 vote Monday evening, the City Assembly decided to relax COVID-19-related travel mandates sooner rather than later and made other changes to make travel easier for the upcoming tourist season. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire File)

Officials say end is in sight, but caution remains necessary

Assembly votes to relax travel restrictions earlier in May.

The Holland America Line cruise ships Eurodam, left, and Nieuw Amsterdam pull into Juneau’s downtown harbor on May 1, 2017. Large cruise ships are unlikely to visit Alaska this summer due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, restrictions at the Canadian border, and a lack of sailing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. However, in a close 5-4 vote Monday evening, the City Assembly decided to relax COVID-19-related travel mandates sooner rather than later and made other changes to make travel easier for the upcoming tourist season. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire File)