News

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Police calls for Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
A cruise ship visitor prepares to depart Juneau, a view of Telephone Hill from above and a home falls into the flooded Mendenhall River. (Photos by Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire, City and Borough of Juneau, and a screenshot from a video by Sam Nolan)

Juneau’s top 10 news stories for 2023

Mendenhall Glacier issues, hillside areas, unhappiness with local leaders head the headlines.

A cruise ship visitor prepares to depart Juneau, a view of Telephone Hill from above and a home falls into the flooded Mendenhall River. (Photos by Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire, City and Borough of Juneau, and a screenshot from a video by Sam Nolan)
S-s-s-s-omething scary hiding in a downtown garden on Dec. 11.

Art in Unusual Places

The Juneau Empire welcomes reader-submitted photos of art in unusual or unexpected places. To submit, email your photos and captions to editor@juneauempire.com. All photos in… Continue reading

S-s-s-s-omething scary hiding in a downtown garden on Dec. 11.
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Police calls for Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
A sign asks visitors to exercise restraint at a food pantry in Eagle River on April 21, 2023. (Mark Thiessen / Associated Press file photo)

Alaska opts out of $40 per-child summer EBT program

Administrative requirements “greatly exceeds the benefit that would be issued to children,” state says

A sign asks visitors to exercise restraint at a food pantry in Eagle River on April 21, 2023. (Mark Thiessen / Associated Press file photo)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Police calls for Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
A fire hose lies along an uphill driveway to a residence in the 15000 block of Glacier Highway that caught fire early Thursday morning. Firefighters were forced to pull the hose about 100 yards up the driveway to the home because the fire truck was unable to access it due to slippery conditions. (Photo by Capital City Fire/Rescue)

Fire damages front of home near Auke Village Recreation Area

All occupants escape house unharmed, slippery driveway complicates firefighters’ efforts

A fire hose lies along an uphill driveway to a residence in the 15000 block of Glacier Highway that caught fire early Thursday morning. Firefighters were forced to pull the hose about 100 yards up the driveway to the home because the fire truck was unable to access it due to slippery conditions. (Photo by Capital City Fire/Rescue)
The front page of the Juneau Empire on Dec. 30, 2005. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Capital City Weekly

Empire Archives: Juneau’s history for the week of Dec. 31

Three decades of capital city coverage.

The front page of the Juneau Empire on Dec. 30, 2005. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The ocean surface at the Chukchi Borderland is seen on Aug. 10, 2016, from the Coast Guard icebreaking Cutter Healy. At the time, an international and multi-disciplinary team of scientists, media personnel, and educators were conducting a mission to the Arctic’s Chukchi Borderland onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. That mission, called Hidden Ocean 2016, was among the many scientific voyages conducted by the Healy in the Arctic each summer and fall. The Chukchi Borderland is an area of complex underwater topography located about 600 miles north of the Bering Strait. The area is part of the large swath of newly mapped extended continental shelf in the Arctic where the U.S. is seeking to assert sovereignty. (Photo provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

U.S. preparing to claim new ocean territory off Arctic Alaska and in central Bering Sea

Includes an area within the Arctic Ocean that is bigger than California.

The ocean surface at the Chukchi Borderland is seen on Aug. 10, 2016, from the Coast Guard icebreaking Cutter Healy. At the time, an international and multi-disciplinary team of scientists, media personnel, and educators were conducting a mission to the Arctic’s Chukchi Borderland onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. That mission, called Hidden Ocean 2016, was among the many scientific voyages conducted by the Healy in the Arctic each summer and fall. The Chukchi Borderland is an area of complex underwater topography located about 600 miles north of the Bering Strait. The area is part of the large swath of newly mapped extended continental shelf in the Arctic where the U.S. is seeking to assert sovereignty. (Photo provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
A chart shows gale-force winds of up to 70 miles per hour are expected in downtown Juneau and Douglas on Wednesday. (National Weather Service Juneau)

Gale-force winds of 70 mph expected in parts of Juneau starting Wednesday afternoon

Wet week of snow and rain also ahead as new front moves in, according to forecast

A chart shows gale-force winds of up to 70 miles per hour are expected in downtown Juneau and Douglas on Wednesday. (National Weather Service Juneau)
Massacre Bay at Attu. the westernmost of Alaska’s Aleutian Island, is seen on Aug. 23. 2017. Waters around the Aleutian Islands recorded their highest winter temperatures since 1900, according to an annual ecosystem status report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service. (Photo by Lisa Hupp/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Ecosystem reports show continuing effects of warming in Alaska’s marine waters

Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska reveal mixed signs for fish stocks.

Massacre Bay at Attu. the westernmost of Alaska’s Aleutian Island, is seen on Aug. 23. 2017. Waters around the Aleutian Islands recorded their highest winter temperatures since 1900, according to an annual ecosystem status report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service. (Photo by Lisa Hupp/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials work at the Ouray National Fish Hatchery in Utah. (Photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Analysis of Northwest, other salmon hatcheries finds nearly all hurt wild salmon populations

More than 200 studies across 40 years reveals impacts of large-scale hatchery programs

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials work at the Ouray National Fish Hatchery in Utah. (Photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Police calls for Monday, Dec. 25, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police and fire officials respond to an injury accident at the Fred Meyer intersection on Saturday, Dec. 23. Limited safety improvements at the intersection scheduled for completion by Oct. 31 have not been finished due to supply chain and other issues, according to a state transportation department spokesperson. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Safety upgrades at Fred Meyer intersection still awaiting completion two months after due date

Supply chain issues hamper speed limit signs, weather delays work on turn lanes, according to DOT.

Police and fire officials respond to an injury accident at the Fred Meyer intersection on Saturday, Dec. 23. Limited safety improvements at the intersection scheduled for completion by Oct. 31 have not been finished due to supply chain and other issues, according to a state transportation department spokesperson. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
A wide view of the Mendenhall Glacier along the Nugget Falls Trail on Dec. 24. (Photo by Deana Barajas)

Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of the Juneau Empire’s paywall. Don’t have a… Continue reading

A wide view of the Mendenhall Glacier along the Nugget Falls Trail on Dec. 24. (Photo by Deana Barajas)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Police calls for Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Police calls for Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Aurora forecast for the week of Dec. 25

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute and available online, along with more data, at www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast. The listings below will… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Steven Kissack and Jennifer Ross accept pizzas from a person who dropped them off anonymously where they were sitting at the sheltered entrance to a building on Front Street on Sunday evening. Ross and Kissack, accompanied by his dog Juno, were among a group of people gathering at the entrance who said they might spend some of Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day at the warming shelter south of downtown, but were uncertain about their plans. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Just a typical Christmas Eve among homeless friends on Front Street

Food, drink, stories and dog adoration share much of the spirit as multitude of gatherings indoors.

Steven Kissack and Jennifer Ross accept pizzas from a person who dropped them off anonymously where they were sitting at the sheltered entrance to a building on Front Street on Sunday evening. Ross and Kissack, accompanied by his dog Juno, were among a group of people gathering at the entrance who said they might spend some of Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day at the warming shelter south of downtown, but were uncertain about their plans. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
A classified “Operation Gift Force” chart warns people in Southeast Alaska about strong winds expected throughout much of the region on Christmas Eve. (National Weather Service Juneau)

Is Juneau going to have a white Christmas? No. (But expect a peak performance for the holiday)

Rain and wind forecast during Santa’s overnight visit, with both increasing in strength on Monday.

A classified “Operation Gift Force” chart warns people in Southeast Alaska about strong winds expected throughout much of the region on Christmas Eve. (National Weather Service Juneau)