Home2

A red ant stimulates aphid to produce honeydew. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Ants are busy critters

There are more than 20,000 species of ants, including such noticables as picnic ants, sidewalk ants, carpenter ants, and so on. Less noted by most… Continue reading

A red ant stimulates aphid to produce honeydew. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
A voter sits behind a privacy screen while filling out a ballot during the City and Borough of Juneau 2022 municipal election. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Juneau, like U.S., also needs new leadership at the top of the ticket

The decision by President Joe Biden to remove himself from the current presidential election was momentous. The decision was based on reality and overdue from… Continue reading

A voter sits behind a privacy screen while filling out a ballot during the City and Borough of Juneau 2022 municipal election. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Cloudy sky silhouettes a solitary raven near Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center early Tuesday morning as the bird perched atop the U.S. Forest Service pavilion framing the glacier’s blue ice across Mendenhall Lake. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)

Gimme A Smile: Be my guest

Life in Alaska is one of great beauty and adventure. But with great beauty comes great responsibility. If you live in Alaska, sooner or later… Continue reading

Cloudy sky silhouettes a solitary raven near Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center early Tuesday morning as the bird perched atop the U.S. Forest Service pavilion framing the glacier’s blue ice across Mendenhall Lake. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Detained migrants in Italy are moved onto a ferry bound for Sicily, May 4, 2023. (Fabio Bucciarelli/The New York Times)

Living and Growing: Lessons in compassion

After recently traveling to Lesvos, Greece with Shepherd of the Valley I gained a new appreciation for refugees after meeting with several during the trip.… Continue reading

Detained migrants in Italy are moved onto a ferry bound for Sicily, May 4, 2023. (Fabio Bucciarelli/The New York Times)
A memorial on Front Street for Steven Kissack on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: A ‘homeless’ man’s death, charity and justice

Steven Kissack’s presence with his dog Juno in downtown Juneau gave a face and a name to homelessness. Unhoused, though, is more appropriate here: Steve’s… Continue reading

A memorial on Front Street for Steven Kissack on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
A male sockeye salmon makes its way upstream. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Life history patterns

Most organisms have one of two basic, genetically programmed life histories. Some can (potentially) reproduce several times during their lives; they are said to be… Continue reading

A male sockeye salmon makes its way upstream. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
A return envelope for the 2022 special primary election in Alaska. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Repealing ranked choice voting a chance to restore fair play and transparent government

I usually ignore Rich Moniak’s excursions into misdirection, although most are written well enough to seem logically convincing to the unwary. His July 12 column… Continue reading

A return envelope for the 2022 special primary election in Alaska. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)
Juno, a dog who belonged to Steven Kissack, watches after her owner was fatally shot by police Monday in downtown Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Juno’s howling downtown will be missed, more help needed for people like her owner

My family and I moved to Juneau this April for a refreshing, peaceful new way of living, away from big city life. Ironically, I work… Continue reading

Juno, a dog who belonged to Steven Kissack, watches after her owner was fatally shot by police Monday in downtown Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Athletes practice new moves while wrestling during a 2023 Labor Day weekend clinic at the Juneau Youth Wrestling Club. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Neighbors briefs

Juneau Youth Wrestling Club hosting two clinics this summer The Juneau Youth Wrestling Club is hosting nationally renowned wrestling clinicians to lead clinics taking place… Continue reading

Athletes practice new moves while wrestling during a 2023 Labor Day weekend clinic at the Juneau Youth Wrestling Club. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Dancers rehearsed in front of “Tahku,” the whale sculpture ahead of the Climate Fair for a Cool Planet in 2021. (Courtesy of Mike Tobin)

My Turn: Thank the cool, rainy heavens we live in Juneau

Thank heavens we don’t live in Houston, oil capital of the U.S., where the remnants of Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane to ever form… Continue reading

Dancers rehearsed in front of “Tahku,” the whale sculpture ahead of the Climate Fair for a Cool Planet in 2021. (Courtesy of Mike Tobin)
Gov. Bill Walker, left, and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott are seen at their 2014 inauguration in Centennial Hall. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: The election fantasy of a hopeful fool

“We have an opportunity now to lower the volume of this race,” Elliot Ackerman wrote in the Atlantic a few days after an assassin’s bullet… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker, left, and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott are seen at their 2014 inauguration in Centennial Hall. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Ingredients for cauliflower shrimp salad ready to prepare. (Photo by Patty Schied)

Cooking for pleasure: Cauliflower shrimp salad

I realize that this combination sounds a bit odd, but I’ve become quite fond of it. Many years ago in a now-defunct local restaurant, a… Continue reading

Ingredients for cauliflower shrimp salad ready to prepare. (Photo by Patty Schied)
Fred LaPlante is the pastor at the Juneau Church of the Nazarene. (Photo courtesy of Fred LaPlante)

Living and Growing: Your story matters

Have you ever noticed on social media how most posts seem glamorous? A friend goes on a beautiful vacation, another buys a new home full… Continue reading

Fred LaPlante is the pastor at the Juneau Church of the Nazarene. (Photo courtesy of Fred LaPlante)
The Nogahabara Dunes spill into a lake 35 miles west of the village of Huslia as seen from the back seat of a Super Cub piloted by Brad Scotton of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Galena. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Sand dunes a unique Alaska landscape

NOGAHABARA DUNES — From a molded seat of sand dug into the western rim of a 5-mile oval of desert, I’m looking out over a… Continue reading

The Nogahabara Dunes spill into a lake 35 miles west of the village of Huslia as seen from the back seat of a Super Cub piloted by Brad Scotton of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Galena. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Fly fishing for salmon in the saltwater might reduce the opportunity to get quick limits, but there’s nothing like it. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Silvers on the fly

A school of a few dozen fish moved slowly through the teal water in front of the skiff. They maintained their trajectory and tolerated my… Continue reading

Fly fishing for salmon in the saltwater might reduce the opportunity to get quick limits, but there’s nothing like it. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
A sign on the Douglas Highway advertises a home for sale on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Home prices in Alaska have been increasing for the past two years but an expected increase to interest rates might cool off the market. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Juneau’s high cost of living persists, let’s connect the dots

Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL) released its annual Cost of Living survey this month. Contained in the July issue of Alaska Economic… Continue reading

A sign on the Douglas Highway advertises a home for sale on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Home prices in Alaska have been increasing for the past two years but an expected increase to interest rates might cool off the market. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)
A common aerial wasp forages on cow parsnip flowers. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Cow parsnip flowers

Cow parsnip is known in our field guides as Heracleum lanatum, although it sometimes has other names. The flowers are typically displayed in big, flattish… Continue reading

A common aerial wasp forages on cow parsnip flowers. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
An array of stickers awaits voters on Election Day 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: The case for keeping the parties from controlling our elections

Next month Alaskans will participate in the second open primary under the ranked-choice system approved by voters in 2020. Groups calling them themselves Alaskans for… Continue reading

An array of stickers awaits voters on Election Day 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Photo by Maxim Gibson)

Living and Growing: The silence of God and the language of creation

“There is one God who revealed Himself through Jesus Christ His Son, who is His Word which came forth from silence.” — St. Ignatius of… Continue reading

(Photo by Maxim Gibson)
(City and Borough of Juneau photo)

My Turn: ‘Ship-free Saturdays’ will nullify progress made toward controlling cruise ship impacts

Alaska’s wildness and communities are what draw people to this incredible part of our world, and it is vital that we protect it for future… Continue reading

(City and Borough of Juneau photo)