News

Marc Ramonda, development recreation manager for the Juneau Ranger District, speaks about renovations at Lena Beach Recreation Area on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018. The area opened this weekend after two new shelters were installed, among other improvements. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

Lena Beach now open after renovations

A few charred pieces of firewood sat on Lena Beach on Saturday morning, evidence of a bonfire the night before. Juneau Ranger District Developed Recreation… Continue reading

Marc Ramonda, development recreation manager for the Juneau Ranger District, speaks about renovations at Lena Beach Recreation Area on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018. The area opened this weekend after two new shelters were installed, among other improvements. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Jamiann Hasselquist, owner of Knock Out Hair & Nails, sits at her studio on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2018 takes stock of the hair collected through her Juneau Hair Drive this summer. The hair collected will go two organizations that make free wigs for children and women battling cancer and other ailments. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

Community effort helps create wigs for those in need

Jamiann Hasselquist has seen firsthand what good hair can do to a person’s self-esteem. Hasselquist, a hairdresser and owner of Knock Out Hair & Nails,… Continue reading

Jamiann Hasselquist, owner of Knock Out Hair & Nails, sits at her studio on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2018 takes stock of the hair collected through her Juneau Hair Drive this summer. The hair collected will go two organizations that make free wigs for children and women battling cancer and other ailments. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Mayor Ken Koelsch speaks about his first year as mayor from his city hall office on Thursday, March 30, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

‘An unexpected honor:’ Koelsch reflects on time as Juneau mayor

During his speech at Thursday’s Juneau Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon, Mayor Ken Koelsch quoted Mark Twain more than a dozen times. Koelsch, who is… Continue reading

Mayor Ken Koelsch speaks about his first year as mayor from his city hall office on Thursday, March 30, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Metro Creative Connection stock image

Property taxes due Oct. 1

Property taxes are due Oct. 1, and there’s a new option for Juneau property owners to pay those taxes this year. People can set up… Continue reading

Metro Creative Connection stock image
Coast Guard crews compete in annual skills competition
Video

Coast Guard crews compete in annual skills competition

The event brings Coast Guard vessels and their crews from all over the state together in Juneau.

Coast Guard crews compete in annual skills competition
Video
City Attorney Robert Palmer (left) shakes hands with Mayor Ken Koelsch moments after being named the City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal attorney. Palmer replaces Amy Mead, who was selected to be a Superior Court judge this summer. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

Robert Palmer selected as head municipal attorney

With a unanimous vote Wednesday, the members of the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly selected Robert Palmer to be the new municipal attorney. Palmer,… Continue reading

City Attorney Robert Palmer (left) shakes hands with Mayor Ken Koelsch moments after being named the City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal attorney. Palmer replaces Amy Mead, who was selected to be a Superior Court judge this summer. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Portion of bronze and wooden house posts by TJ Young. (Courtesy Photo | Preston Singletary via Sealasksa Heritage Institute)

Bronze house posts to be unveiled Sunday downtown

Three bronze house posts will take their place in front of the Walter Soboleff Building in downtown Juneau this Sunday. Each post is made by… Continue reading

Portion of bronze and wooden house posts by TJ Young. (Courtesy Photo | Preston Singletary via Sealasksa Heritage Institute)
Matt Barnaby, of Barnaby Brewing Company, talks Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, about he and his wife’s plans for a new location for his company on Shattuck Way. A fire on the evening of April 16, 2018, forced their business to close. They hope to be open by the end of the year. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Barnaby Brewing finds new location after fire

Four months almost to the day after a fire started in his brewery on Franklin Street, Matt Barnaby stood Monday morning at a property on… Continue reading

Matt Barnaby, of Barnaby Brewing Company, talks Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, about he and his wife’s plans for a new location for his company on Shattuck Way. A fire on the evening of April 16, 2018, forced their business to close. They hope to be open by the end of the year. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Former University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh speaks to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Committee of the Whole on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Pugh spoke in favor of the Assembly approving a ballot measure that would ask voters if they wanted the city to partially fund the construction of a new Juneau Arts and Culture Center. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

No initiatives will appear on municipal ballot

For the first time since 2015, no ballot initiatives will go before voters in this fall’s municipal election.

Former University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh speaks to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly Committee of the Whole on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Pugh spoke in favor of the Assembly approving a ballot measure that would ask voters if they wanted the city to partially fund the construction of a new Juneau Arts and Culture Center. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Andy Hughes is pictured prior to the 2017 municipal election. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Andy Hughes drops out of Assembly race

The race for the Areawide seat on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is already down to two candidates. Andy Hughes dropped out of… Continue reading

Andy Hughes is pictured prior to the 2017 municipal election. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
City Attorney Amy Mead talks about her career on Thursday, August 16, 2018, as she prepares to start her new job on Monday as a Superior Court Judge. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Mead prepares for jump from attorney to judge

When she was 25, Amy Mead was living in Boston, working at the Hard Rock Café and wondering what to do with the rest of… Continue reading

City Attorney Amy Mead talks about her career on Thursday, August 16, 2018, as she prepares to start her new job on Monday as a Superior Court Judge. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
A Capital Transit bus is pictured in this October 2016 file photo. (Juneau Empire File)

Bus stops close because of downtown construction

Construction on North Franklin Street is affecting more than just concrete and asphalt. As a result of the construction, which began Wednesday, Capital Transit bus… Continue reading

A Capital Transit bus is pictured in this October 2016 file photo. (Juneau Empire File)
Ben Patterson, the city’s park maintenance supervisor, tries to read a moss-covered gravestone as he gives a tour of the cemetery sections in Douglas on Monday, August 13, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

City might help maintain overgrown Douglas cemeteries

Ben Patterson had to pull the devil’s club and alder to the side to get a good look at the gravestone. Patterson, the landscape maintenance… Continue reading

Ben Patterson, the city’s park maintenance supervisor, tries to read a moss-covered gravestone as he gives a tour of the cemetery sections in Douglas on Monday, August 13, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
In this June 2017 photo, a pedestrian walks by City Hall. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire File)

Early childhood education funding will not appear on October ballot

Despite the majority of sitting City and Borough of Juneau Assembly members being in favor of putting a child care funding initiative on the October… Continue reading

In this June 2017 photo, a pedestrian walks by City Hall. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire File)
Norton Gregory gives Carole Triem a high-five as he arrives at City Hall to resign from his Assembly seat to run for mayor on Monday, August 13, 2018. Triem was waiting for Gregory to resign so she could file to run for his areawide seat. The Candidate Filing Period for the Oct. 2 Municipal Election closed Monday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Crowded races abound in municipal election

All was quiet at the Clerk’s Office at City Hall on Monday, until about 3 p.m. At that point, an hour and a half before… Continue reading

Norton Gregory gives Carole Triem a high-five as he arrives at City Hall to resign from his Assembly seat to run for mayor on Monday, August 13, 2018. Triem was waiting for Gregory to resign so she could file to run for his areawide seat. The Candidate Filing Period for the Oct. 2 Municipal Election closed Monday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
An insect has three body parts, something kids learned with a dance at Bug Day at the Jensen-Olson Arboretum on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)

Ecosystem ‘glue:’ Kids learn insect ins and outs at Bug Day

They’re creepy. They’re crawly. And in Alaska, they’re the bane of any fishing expedition. But bugs — even mosquitos — are also a vital part… Continue reading

An insect has three body parts, something kids learned with a dance at Bug Day at the Jensen-Olson Arboretum on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire)
Mariyan Aleksiev, of Earthmovers, cuts into the pavement at the intersection of Franklin and Front Streets on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018. A section of Front Street will be closed as remodeling work to replace utilities, pavement, sidewalk and lighting fixtures take place over the next few months. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Next phase of downtown construction to start

This Wednesday, the fall phase of work on the City and Borough of Juneau’s Downtown Street Improvements Project will begin. The phase in the multi-year… Continue reading

Mariyan Aleksiev, of Earthmovers, cuts into the pavement at the intersection of Franklin and Front Streets on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018. A section of Front Street will be closed as remodeling work to replace utilities, pavement, sidewalk and lighting fixtures take place over the next few months. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
City Hall stands on a quiet morning on June 7, 2017. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire File)

Field almost set for municipal election

Entering the final day for candidates to register for the municipal election, there are still a few details that need to be worked out. The… Continue reading

City Hall stands on a quiet morning on June 7, 2017. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire File)
Joe Kahken, a retired President & CEO of Goldbelt, Inc., speaks about his time with the Juneau-area Alaska Native corporation during an interview on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

People of Juneau: Goldbelt’s first CEO reflects on lifetime of involvement

Today, Goldbelt Inc. is a booming Alaska Native corporation that owns lands throughout Southeast Alaska and has thrived in the realms of logging and tourism.… Continue reading

Joe Kahken, a retired President & CEO of Goldbelt, Inc., speaks about his time with the Juneau-area Alaska Native corporation during an interview on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
A stock image of a gun care kit. (Metro Creative Connection Stock Image)

Man dies from gunshot wound

A Juneau man died Saturday from a gunshot wound to the head, according to a Juneau Police Department press release. The man, identified as 63-year-old… Continue reading

A stock image of a gun care kit. (Metro Creative Connection Stock Image)