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A tree branch bears the weight of accumulated snow. Much of Southeast Alaska saw a foot or more of snow between Friday night and Saturday morning. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Schools keep an eye on the weather ahead of return from break

Winter weather could shutter schools Monday

A tree branch bears the weight of accumulated snow. Much of Southeast Alaska saw a foot or more of snow between Friday night and Saturday morning. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
Sayéik: Gastineau Community School stands against a snowy backdrop on Jan. 4. Students in the Juneau School District are set to return to class on Monday. Despite rising COVID-19 cases across the City and Borough of Juneau, school officials say schools will be open and ready to welcome students. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

Juneau schools to reopen Monday, as planned

Omicron upends return to US schools and workplaces

Sayéik: Gastineau Community School stands against a snowy backdrop on Jan. 4. Students in the Juneau School District are set to return to class on Monday. Despite rising COVID-19 cases across the City and Borough of Juneau, school officials say schools will be open and ready to welcome students. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, leave the chamber after a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Jay Allen Johnson, 65, who faced charges of sending a series of profanity-laced voice messages to the two senators, entered guilty pleas, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in federal court in Fairbanks, Alaska, to two counts of threatening to kill a U.S. official. U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline accepted Johnson’s pleas and set sentencing for April 8. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

Man who threatened US senators pleads guilty

He faces up 10 years in jail on each charge.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, leave the chamber after a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Jay Allen Johnson, 65, who faced charges of sending a series of profanity-laced voice messages to the two senators, entered guilty pleas, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in federal court in Fairbanks, Alaska, to two counts of threatening to kill a U.S. official. U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline accepted Johnson’s pleas and set sentencing for April 8. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
A kingfisher’s diving sequence: a headfirst plunge with wings folded, splash, airborne again. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Video

On the Trails: Diving into birds underwater

There’s a lot going on under the surface.

A kingfisher’s diving sequence: a headfirst plunge with wings folded, splash, airborne again. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Video
(Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)

Police calls for Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

  • Jan 4, 2022
  • Juneau Empire
  • Crime
(Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)
Lucas Kittikamron-Mora, 13, holds a sign in support of COVID-19 vaccinations as he receives his first Pfizer vaccination at the Cook County Public Health Department, May 13, 2021 in Des Plaines, Ill. The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose. (AP Photo / Shafkat Anowar)

City raises risk level amid surging COVID cases

A dozen BRH staff members isolating; boosters likely for teens

Lucas Kittikamron-Mora, 13, holds a sign in support of COVID-19 vaccinations as he receives his first Pfizer vaccination at the Cook County Public Health Department, May 13, 2021 in Des Plaines, Ill. The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose. (AP Photo / Shafkat Anowar)

COVID at a Glance for Monday, Jan. 3

Numbers come from reports from the City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, as well… Continue reading

Waves pummel Sandy Beach on Douglas on Jan. 3. Avalanche debris from a weekend slide on Thane Road is visible across the Gastineau Channel. The avalanche delayed crews in responding to a power outage further down Thane Road. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

New year delivers a cold, snowy week

Falling flakes and temperatures.

Waves pummel Sandy Beach on Douglas on Jan. 3. Avalanche debris from a weekend slide on Thane Road is visible across the Gastineau Channel. The avalanche delayed crews in responding to a power outage further down Thane Road. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)
Faalo Nauer holds Greyson Tafia Nauer on Monday. Greyson, who was born on Sunday, was the first baby of 2022 born in Bartlett Regional Hospital. (Courtesy Photo / Kanani Montalto, Bartlett Regional Hospital)

Hospital welcomes 1st baby of 2022

First born on the second.

Faalo Nauer holds Greyson Tafia Nauer on Monday. Greyson, who was born on Sunday, was the first baby of 2022 born in Bartlett Regional Hospital. (Courtesy Photo / Kanani Montalto, Bartlett Regional Hospital)
It's a police car until you look closely and see the details don't quite match. (Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)

Police calls for Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

  • Jan 2, 2022
  • Juneau Empire
  • Crime
It's a police car until you look closely and see the details don't quite match. (Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)
Participants move quickly but gingerly into the water at the 2022 Polar Dip held Saturday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

PHOTOS: Juneau dips its toes into 2022

Polar Dip returns.

Participants move quickly but gingerly into the water at the 2022 Polar Dip held Saturday. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
A tree branch bears the weight of accumulated snow. Much of Southeast Alaska saw a foot or more of snow between Friday night and Saturday morning. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

‘A lot of people have gotten a lot of snow’

Juneau puts a new foot (of snow) forward in the new year.

A tree branch bears the weight of accumulated snow. Much of Southeast Alaska saw a foot or more of snow between Friday night and Saturday morning. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
The Supreme Court is seen on the first day of the new term, in Washington, Oct. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Chief justice: Judges must better avoid financial conflicts

Roberts made the comments as part of his annual report on the federal judiciary released Friday.

The Supreme Court is seen on the first day of the new term, in Washington, Oct. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
This combination image shows photos from stories that defined 2021. Top left, Vanessa Dickinson adjusts second grade student Kanani Dickinson’s glasses ahead of the first day of school. Top middle, doses of COVID-19 vaccination await arms during a vaccine clinic. Top right, a cruise ship looms large over downtown Juneau. Middle left, a sign marks the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area as part of the Tongass National Forest. Middle, the bygone calendar year is written in the sand. Middle right, Alan Salsman receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from VA nurse Michael Addo at Coast Guard Station Juneau. Bottom left, School board member Emil Mackey casts a ballot in Juneau’s municipal election. Bottom middle, the Alaska State Capitol stands behind a statue of William H. Seward. Bottom left, Sen. Lisa Murkowski talks during a sitdown in the Empire offices. (Juneau Empire Photos, Engin Akyurt / Unsplash)

The stories that shaped our 2021

Some loom large in 2022, too.

This combination image shows photos from stories that defined 2021. Top left, Vanessa Dickinson adjusts second grade student Kanani Dickinson’s glasses ahead of the first day of school. Top middle, doses of COVID-19 vaccination await arms during a vaccine clinic. Top right, a cruise ship looms large over downtown Juneau. Middle left, a sign marks the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area as part of the Tongass National Forest. Middle, the bygone calendar year is written in the sand. Middle right, Alan Salsman receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from VA nurse Michael Addo at Coast Guard Station Juneau. Bottom left, School board member Emil Mackey casts a ballot in Juneau’s municipal election. Bottom middle, the Alaska State Capitol stands behind a statue of William H. Seward. Bottom left, Sen. Lisa Murkowski talks during a sitdown in the Empire offices. (Juneau Empire Photos, Engin Akyurt / Unsplash)
Ellesmere Island National Park in Canada. (Courtesy Photo / Joel Barker)

Alaska Science Forum: Mummified forest tells tale of changing north

Ancient fair-weather trees suggest a very warm period in the far north

Ellesmere Island National Park in Canada. (Courtesy Photo / Joel Barker)
It's a police car until you look closely and see the details don't quite match. (Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)

Police calls for Friday, Dec. 31, 2021

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

  • Dec 31, 2021
  • Juneau Empire
  • Crime
It's a police car until you look closely and see the details don't quite match. (Juneau Empire File / Michael Penn)
This photo shows humpack whales in Juneau. (Michael Penn /Juneau Empire File)

To the rescue: Volunteers stand ready to help stranded marine animals

Part 4. All’s well that ends whale.

This photo shows humpack whales in Juneau. (Michael Penn /Juneau Empire File)
This photo shows an array of fireworks. Juneau Police Department this week reminded Juneau residents to adhere to the city’s fireworks ordinance this holiday weekend. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

JPD encourages safe and respectful fireworks use for New Year’s

The weather may not be ideal for pyrotechnics as is.

This photo shows an array of fireworks. Juneau Police Department this week reminded Juneau residents to adhere to the city’s fireworks ordinance this holiday weekend. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Moisture-laden air coming from the northwest is expected to dump more than a foot of snow on parts of Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, with the heaviest snowfall predicted to hit during the evening of New Year’s Eve. (Screenshot/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Get ready to ring in the new year with wet, heavy snow

Snow is expected to be heaviest as partygoers would be getting started.

Moisture-laden air coming from the northwest is expected to dump more than a foot of snow on parts of Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, with the heaviest snowfall predicted to hit during the evening of New Year’s Eve. (Screenshot/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Cruise ships float at PortMiami, on April 7, 2020, in Miami. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning people not to cruise regardless of their vaccination status because of an increase in cases fueled by the omicron variant detected in ships. (AP Photo / Lynne Sladky, File)

CDC warns against cruises, regardless of vaccination status

Warning comes as over 90 cruise ships under investigation or observation after COVID-19 cases.

Cruise ships float at PortMiami, on April 7, 2020, in Miami. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning people not to cruise regardless of their vaccination status because of an increase in cases fueled by the omicron variant detected in ships. (AP Photo / Lynne Sladky, File)