Governor Hilario Davide, from the Philippines Province of Cebu, meets with Mayor Ken Koelsch, left, and Assembly members Mary Becker, center, Jerry Nankervis and Jesse Kiehl (not pictured) at City Hall on Friday, June 22, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Filipino gov makes a trip to historic enclave

Gov. Hilario P. Davide III sat in front of a bowl of karioko on Friday at city hall, Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch at his side.… Continue reading

Governor Hilario Davide, from the Philippines Province of Cebu, meets with Mayor Ken Koelsch, left, and Assembly members Mary Becker, center, Jerry Nankervis and Jesse Kiehl (not pictured) at City Hall on Friday, June 22, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Mary Lou Spartz talks about her interest in the SS Princess Sophia on Friday, June 22, 2018. The Sophia sank in 1918 with 343 or more people dying in the incident. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

‘Haunting story’: Mary Lou Spartz talks about her fascination with Princess Sophia

Living on 12th street in Juneau, Mary Lou Spartz’s childhood backyard was the Evergreen Cemetery. Spartz never looked at the cemetery as ghoulish, but more… Continue reading

Mary Lou Spartz talks about her interest in the SS Princess Sophia on Friday, June 22, 2018. The Sophia sank in 1918 with 343 or more people dying in the incident. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Meghan Chambers, left, Shabadrang Khalsa, Grace Lee, Stacy Katasse and Mary Richey, right, pose for a picture before a film against the use of plastic straws at the Gold Town Nickelodeon on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

The last straw: Juneau group’s environmental mission starts with a beverage

The movement started in a sea turtle’s nostril. Three years ago, a group of conservationists in Costa Rica pulled a struggling sea turtle from the… Continue reading

Meghan Chambers, left, Shabadrang Khalsa, Grace Lee, Stacy Katasse and Mary Richey, right, pose for a picture before a film against the use of plastic straws at the Gold Town Nickelodeon on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Brad Robbins, the new owner of the Hooked Seafood Company, holds a fresh king salmon at their Industrial Boulevard location on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Homesick for Juneau, Brad Robbins returns to Juneau to run Hooked Seafood

Brad Robbins was getting homesick for Juneau. After spending two and half years in Palmer, he finally got his chance to come back and do… Continue reading

Brad Robbins, the new owner of the Hooked Seafood Company, holds a fresh king salmon at their Industrial Boulevard location on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Sasha Moore, Healthcare for the Homeless clinic manager for Front Street Health Center, speaks at the Juneau Reentry Coalition meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2018. Next to Moore, from left, are David Moore, a family nurse practitioner at Front Street Health Center; Meghan Lindquist, midtown primary care provider for JAMHI Health and Wellness, Inc.; Erin Maloney, behavioral health clinician for Bartlett Outpatient Psychiatric Services; and Claire Geldhof, nurse case manager at Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

Providers seeking ways to get inmates into treatment faster after release

Assistant Municipal Attorney Emily Wright stood up at Wednesday night’s Juneau Reentry Coalition (JREC) community meeting and expressed her concern. Incarcerated defendants, she said, sometimes… Continue reading

Sasha Moore, Healthcare for the Homeless clinic manager for Front Street Health Center, speaks at the Juneau Reentry Coalition meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2018. Next to Moore, from left, are David Moore, a family nurse practitioner at Front Street Health Center; Meghan Lindquist, midtown primary care provider for JAMHI Health and Wellness, Inc.; Erin Maloney, behavioral health clinician for Bartlett Outpatient Psychiatric Services; and Claire Geldhof, nurse case manager at Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
Meghan Chambers, left, Shabadrang Khalsa, Grace Lee, Stacy Katasse and Mary Richey, right, pose for a picture before a film against the use of plastic straws at the Gold Town Nickelodeon on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

The last straw: Juneau group’s environmental mission starts with a beverage

The movement started in a sea turtle’s nostril. Three years ago, a group of conservationists in Costa Rica pulled a struggling sea turtle from the… Continue reading

Meghan Chambers, left, Shabadrang Khalsa, Grace Lee, Stacy Katasse and Mary Richey, right, pose for a picture before a film against the use of plastic straws at the Gold Town Nickelodeon on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Juneau Police Chief Ed Mercer speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce during its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Number of crimes trending downward in early 2018, police say

Burglaries, thefts, robberies and aggravated assaults in the first quarter of 2018 are down compared to the first quarter of 2017, according to numbers shown… Continue reading

Juneau Police Chief Ed Mercer speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce during its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Mack Arthur Parker, 51 at the time, appears in Juneau District Court for an arraignment on burglary charges on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. Parker was accused of breaking into the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Sunday, July 2, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Visitor center burglar sentenced to two years in prison

Mack Arthur Parker, who pleaded guilty to burglarizing the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center last year, was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison. Parker, 52,… Continue reading

Mack Arthur Parker, 51 at the time, appears in Juneau District Court for an arraignment on burglary charges on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. Parker was accused of breaking into the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Sunday, July 2, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Zach Fansler

Ex-lawmaker Fansler pleads guilty, gets community service for striking woman

Former Alaska legislator Zach Fansler pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment on Thursday for slapping a Juneau woman, and was sentenced to community service in lieu… Continue reading

Zach Fansler

12-year-old intentionally set brush fire, fire marshal says

A 12-year-old boy intentionally set a brush fire in the Mendenhall Valley on Wednesday, according to a statement from Capital City Fire/Rescue. At about 4… Continue reading

A male yearling black bear is pictured trapped in a snare on Douglas Island. The bear was euthanized because of extensive injuries due to the snare. (Alaska State Troopers | Courtesy Photo)

Trapper pleads not guilty in illegal snare case

Mark David Mitchell, charged with attempting to trap wolves during a closed season, was not present at his arraignment Thursday, but his attorney entered a… Continue reading

A male yearling black bear is pictured trapped in a snare on Douglas Island. The bear was euthanized because of extensive injuries due to the snare. (Alaska State Troopers | Courtesy Photo)
Juneau Police Chief Ed Mercer speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce during its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Number of crimes trending downward in early 2018, police say

Burglaries, thefts, robberies and aggravated assaults in the first quarter of 2018 are down compared to the first quarter of 2017, according to numbers shown… Continue reading

Juneau Police Chief Ed Mercer speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce during its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, June 21, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Trapper pleads not guilty in illegal snare case

Mark David Mitchell, charged with attempting to trap wolves during a closed season, was not present at his arraignment Thursday, but his attorney entered a… Continue reading

Mack Arthur Parker, 51 at the time, appears in Juneau District Court for an arraignment on burglary charges on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. Parker was accused of breaking into the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Sunday, July 2, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Visitor center burglar sentenced to two years in prison

Mack Arthur Parker, who pleaded guilty to burglarizing the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center last year, was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison. Parker, 52,… Continue reading

Mack Arthur Parker, 51 at the time, appears in Juneau District Court for an arraignment on burglary charges on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. Parker was accused of breaking into the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Sunday, July 2, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

12-year-old intentionally set brush fire, fire marshal says

A 12-year-old boy intentionally set a brush fire in the Mendenhall Valley on Wednesday, according to a statement from Capital City Fire/Rescue. At about 4… Continue reading

Juneau residents listen to the music of Papertrail and enjoy the beach during a solstice party at the North Douglas Boat Launch on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau sees third-hottest day ever

Wednesday’s sunny weather resulted in the third-highest temperature ever recorded in the capital city and the warmest day in five years. According to the National… Continue reading

Juneau residents listen to the music of Papertrail and enjoy the beach during a solstice party at the North Douglas Boat Launch on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
A bicyclist cross the Douglas Bridge in November 2012. The bridge is the only connection to Douglas Island from the mainland. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

City revisits idea of North Douglas crossing

A divisive issue dating back at least to 1984 on whether Juneau should have a second connection between Juneau and Douglas Island has come back… Continue reading

A bicyclist cross the Douglas Bridge in November 2012. The bridge is the only connection to Douglas Island from the mainland. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
The crosswalk at Seventh and Gold Street in May 2017 before being painted back to white by the City and Borough of Juneau. (Susan Warner | Courtesy Photo)

Vandalism or art? City seeks solutions to rainbow-painted crosswalks

Rainbow-painted crosswalks downtown have the City and Borough of Juneau trying to find a compromise between public safety and creative expression. The white lines on… Continue reading

The crosswalk at Seventh and Gold Street in May 2017 before being painted back to white by the City and Borough of Juneau. (Susan Warner | Courtesy Photo)
A bicyclist cross the Douglas Bridge in November 2012. The bridge is the only connection to Douglas Island from the mainland. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

City revisits idea of North Douglas crossing

A divisive issue dating back at least to 1984 on whether Juneau should have a second connection between Juneau and Douglas Island has come back… Continue reading

A bicyclist cross the Douglas Bridge in November 2012. The bridge is the only connection to Douglas Island from the mainland. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
The crosswalk at Seventh and Gold Street in May 2017 before being painted back to white by the City and Borough of Juneau. (Susan Warner | Courtesy Photo)

Vandalism or art? City seeks solutions to rainbow-painted crosswalks

Rainbow-painted crosswalks downtown have the City and Borough of Juneau trying to find a compromise between public safety and creative expression. The white lines on… Continue reading

The crosswalk at Seventh and Gold Street in May 2017 before being painted back to white by the City and Borough of Juneau. (Susan Warner | Courtesy Photo)