News

‘Wonderful Pistachios’ recalled due to Salmonella

The Division of Environmental Health’s Food Safety & Sanitation Program confirmed the Alaska distribution of Wonderful Pistachios, which was recently recalled due to Salmonella contamination.… Continue reading

Bumblebees studied for US protection; found coast to coast

DENVER — Two species of bumblebees found from Alaska to North Carolina and in Canada are under consideration for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species… Continue reading

Sarah Palin: Husband got collapsed lung in snowmobile crash

ANCHORAGE — Sarah Palin has given more details on the injuries her husband suffered in a snowmobile accident in Alaska, saying he remains hospitalized with… Continue reading

3 injured in Lemon Creek car crash

Alcohol was involved in a car crash that injured three people and downed power lines in Lemon Creek Monday night, according to the Juneau Police… Continue reading

Police & Fire for Wednesday, March 16, 2016

This report contains information provided to the Empire from law enforcement agencies. This report includes arrest and citation information, not conviction information. Anyone listed in… Continue reading

30-hour standoff with Bethel man ends peacefully

BETHEL — Police say a 30-hour standoff with a Bethel man who threatened to shoot himself in a home with his children inside has ended… Continue reading

Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich smiles as confetti is released after speaking at his presidential primary election night rally in Berea, Ohio, on Tuesday.

Clinton, Trump win big as Rubio drops out

CLEVELAND — Hillary Clinton triumphed Tuesday in the Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Illinois presidential primaries, putting her in a commanding position to become the… Continue reading

Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich smiles as confetti is released after speaking at his presidential primary election night rally in Berea, Ohio, on Tuesday.
In this Dec. 9, 2015 photo, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In a major reversal, the Obama administration says it will not allow oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. Jewell made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter, declaring that the administration's next five-year offshore drilling plan "protects the Atlantic for future generations." (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US bars Atlantic drilling; Obama builds environmental legacy

WASHINGTON — In a major reversal, the Obama administration said Tuesday it will bar oil drilling off America’s Atlantic Coast, a move cheered by environmentalists… Continue reading

In this Dec. 9, 2015 photo, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In a major reversal, the Obama administration says it will not allow oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. Jewell made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter, declaring that the administration's next five-year offshore drilling plan "protects the Atlantic for future generations." (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

BP reveals plans for more job cuts in Alaska

ANCHORAGE — BP says it is planning to further reduce its workforce in Alaska as the state continues to struggle with low oil prices.Dawn Patience,… Continue reading

Alaska still in future offshore lease sale schedule

ANCHORAGE — The Obama administration’s five-year offshore drilling plan announced Tuesday includes three future lease sales off Alaska and six areas in state waters that… Continue reading

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined by Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., right, talks to reporters following a closed-door caucus meeting at Republican National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Tea party conservatives have blocked a budget plan backed by GOP leaders, a blow to Speaker Ryan and a reflection of the anti-Washington mood pushed by GOP front-runner Donald Trump. The move by the House Freedom Caucus, the same band of conservatives that toppled his predecessor, would mean that the House would fail to pass a budget for the first time since Republicans reclaimed control of the chamber in 2011.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Conservatives block budget; Ryan cites voter anxiety

WASHINGTON — Dealing an embarrassing setback to House Speaker Paul Ryan, tea party conservatives are blocking a leadership-backed budget plan as the candidacy of GOP… Continue reading

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined by Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., right, talks to reporters following a closed-door caucus meeting at Republican National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Tea party conservatives have blocked a budget plan backed by GOP leaders, a blow to Speaker Ryan and a reflection of the anti-Washington mood pushed by GOP front-runner Donald Trump. The move by the House Freedom Caucus, the same band of conservatives that toppled his predecessor, would mean that the House would fail to pass a budget for the first time since Republicans reclaimed control of the chamber in 2011.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
In this Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 photo, bottled water for distribution to town residents is piled up at the Petersburgh Municipal Complex in Petersburgh, N.Y. PFOA, long used in the manufacuring of Teflon pans, Gore-Tex jackets, ski wax, and many other products has turned up in the water in factory towns around the country like Petersburgh, impacting drinking water. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Activists demand action against industrial chemical in water

ALBANY, N.Y. — Prized for its ability to make things super-slick, it was used for decades in the manufacture of Teflon pans, Gore-Tex jackets, ski… Continue reading

In this Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 photo, bottled water for distribution to town residents is piled up at the Petersburgh Municipal Complex in Petersburgh, N.Y. PFOA, long used in the manufacuring of Teflon pans, Gore-Tex jackets, ski wax, and many other products has turned up in the water in factory towns around the country like Petersburgh, impacting drinking water. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
FILE - This image made from undated video posted during the weekend of June 28, 2014 on a social media account frequently used for communications by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows Omar al-Shishani standing next to the group's spokesman among a group of fighters as they declare the elimination of the border between Iraq and Syria. An Iraqi official and a Syrian activist say senior Islamic State group leader Al-Shishani died Monday, March 15, 2016 outside Raqqa, Syria. Shishani was injured in a U.S. airstrikes last week and subsequently died from his wounds, the senior Iraqi intelligence official and Rami Abdurrahman, of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the Associated Press. (AP Photo/militant social media account via AP video)

Senior IS commander dies of wounds from US strike

BAGHDAD — Omar al-Shishani, a top Islamic State commander who was a magnet for fighters from the former Soviet Union, has died of wounds suffered… Continue reading

  • Mar 16, 2016
  • By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and BASSEM MROUE
  • Nation-World
FILE - This image made from undated video posted during the weekend of June 28, 2014 on a social media account frequently used for communications by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows Omar al-Shishani standing next to the group's spokesman among a group of fighters as they declare the elimination of the border between Iraq and Syria. An Iraqi official and a Syrian activist say senior Islamic State group leader Al-Shishani died Monday, March 15, 2016 outside Raqqa, Syria. Shishani was injured in a U.S. airstrikes last week and subsequently died from his wounds, the senior Iraqi intelligence official and Rami Abdurrahman, of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the Associated Press. (AP Photo/militant social media account via AP video)

Pope: Mother Teresa to be made a saint

VATICAN CITY — Mother Teresa will be made a saint on Sept. 4.Pope Francis set the canonization date Tuesday, paving the way for the nun… Continue reading

This undated photo made available by Blue Water Recoveries company on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 shows a rare silver coin called an Indio discovered from the debris of the explorer Vasco da Gama's ship, Esmeralda which sank in a storm in May 1503 off the coast of Al Hallaniyah island in Oman's Dhofar region. (Blue Water Recoveries company via AP)

Site of 1503 shipwreck tied to Vasco da Gama found

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The 500-year-old wreckage of a Portuguese ship piloted by an uncle of explorer Vasco da Gama has been found off… Continue reading

This undated photo made available by Blue Water Recoveries company on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 shows a rare silver coin called an Indio discovered from the debris of the explorer Vasco da Gama's ship, Esmeralda which sank in a storm in May 1503 off the coast of Al Hallaniyah island in Oman's Dhofar region. (Blue Water Recoveries company via AP)
Attorney General Kathleen Kane announces criminal conspiracy charges against leaders of the Franciscan Order located in Holidaysburg, Pa., on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Johnstown, Pa. Three ex-leaders of the Franciscan religious order were charged Tuesday with allowing a friar who was a known sexual predator to take on jobs, including a position as a high school athletic trainer, that enabled him to molest more than 100 children. (Ed Hille /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) PHIX OUT; TV OUT; MAGS OUT; NEWARK OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

3 Franciscan ex-leaders charged in Penn. case

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Three ex-leaders of a Franciscan religious order were charged Tuesday with allowing a friar who was a known sexual predator to take… Continue reading

Attorney General Kathleen Kane announces criminal conspiracy charges against leaders of the Franciscan Order located in Holidaysburg, Pa., on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Johnstown, Pa. Three ex-leaders of the Franciscan religious order were charged Tuesday with allowing a friar who was a known sexual predator to take on jobs, including a position as a high school athletic trainer, that enabled him to molest more than 100 children. (Ed Hille /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) PHIX OUT; TV OUT; MAGS OUT; NEWARK OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

Economic impact of Gold Medal tourney akin to Celebration

Come this weekend, Juneau’s hotels will be brimming with hoops fans from all around Southeast Alaska. Restaurants and grocery stores around town will feel the… Continue reading

Juneau Lions members talk club experience

With the coming of the Gold Medal Invitational Basketball Tournament to prepare for, the Juneau Lions Club has been busy. Some members took some time… Continue reading

Ken Koelsch, second from left, and his wife, Marian, right, celebrate his win for mayor during a party in the Senate Mall building on Tuesday.

Koelsch likely winner of Juneau mayor race

Ken Koelsch held a sizeable lead over opponent Karen Crane in Tuesday’s special mayoral election, a lead that will likely hold after absentee ballots are… Continue reading

Ken Koelsch, second from left, and his wife, Marian, right, celebrate his win for mayor during a party in the Senate Mall building on Tuesday.
Volunteers take the first results of the night in the Assembly chambers on Tuesday.

Koelsch likely winner of mayoral race

Ken Koelsch held a sizeable lead over opponent Karen Crane in Tuesday’s special mayoral election, a lead that will likely hold even after absentee ballots… Continue reading

Volunteers take the first results of the night in the Assembly chambers on Tuesday.