News

Tlingit and Haida backs House tax plan

Juneau’s regional tribal organization is throwing its support behind the Alaska House Majority’s plan for fixing the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit. On Tuesday, Grace Singh, speaking… Continue reading

A flowering cannabis plant at Rainforest Farms in Juneau on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Alaska marijuana sales reach new high

New figures from the Alaska Department of Revenue show Alaska’s legal marijuana industry has reached a new peak of production and sales. In March, 27… Continue reading

A flowering cannabis plant at Rainforest Farms in Juneau on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
The Holland Amerca Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, right, pulls into Juneau’s downtown harbor as sister ship Eurodam ties up at the AJ Dock on Monday, May 1, 2017. The two ships are the first in a cruise season that is predicted to bring over a million passengers to Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

State’s pollution regulators ready for million-passenger cruise ship season

Juneau will welcome more than 1 million tourists this year aboard some of the biggest cruise ships in the world. The state’s regulators say they’re… Continue reading

The Holland Amerca Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, right, pulls into Juneau’s downtown harbor as sister ship Eurodam ties up at the AJ Dock on Monday, May 1, 2017. The two ships are the first in a cruise season that is predicted to bring over a million passengers to Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Photo courtesy of BioZorb Dr. Karen Barbosa, a Breast Fellowship-trained surgeon in Anchorage, has begun using BioZorb in lumpectomies. After a lump is removed, the surgeon inserts the device, a spiral the size of a walnut and six little titanium clips, that is implanted in the area where the lump was removed. It acts as a scaffold for reconstructive surgery and reduces the amount of radiation needed during treatment.

First blood test for breast cancer detection reaches Alaska

ANCHORAGE — Blood tests let patients know if they have a vitamin B deficiency. Blood testing provides windows into whether a person has diabetes. But… Continue reading

Photo courtesy of BioZorb Dr. Karen Barbosa, a Breast Fellowship-trained surgeon in Anchorage, has begun using BioZorb in lumpectomies. After a lump is removed, the surgeon inserts the device, a spiral the size of a walnut and six little titanium clips, that is implanted in the area where the lump was removed. It acts as a scaffold for reconstructive surgery and reduces the amount of radiation needed during treatment.
The Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-17 on Friday, April 28, 2017 to allow Alaskans to register as voters on Election Day. House Bill 1 now goes to the Senate for consideration. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)

If Senate agrees, new House bill would make voting easier

If the Senate agrees with the idea, Alaskans will be able to cast their ballots on the same day they register to vote. On Friday… Continue reading

The Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-17 on Friday, April 28, 2017 to allow Alaskans to register as voters on Election Day. House Bill 1 now goes to the Senate for consideration. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)
Jahna Lindemuth, Alaska Attorney General nominee, leaves the microphone after answering questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 12, 2017. A vote by a joint session of the legislature on Gov. Bill Walkers appointments has been delayed this week. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Republicans dodge vote on Walker appointees

Alaska’s attorney general and more than 100 other Alaskans waiting for legislative confirmation will have to wait for a few more weeks. On Thursday morning,… Continue reading

Jahna Lindemuth, Alaska Attorney General nominee, leaves the microphone after answering questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 12, 2017. A vote by a joint session of the legislature on Gov. Bill Walkers appointments has been delayed this week. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Gov. Bill Walker holds a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, to speak about the cuts made in services to Alaskans. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

21 days left to strike a deal

Pizza, Italian, or Mexican? Anyone who has tried to get a group of people to pick a restaurant for dinner knows how hard it can… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker holds a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, to speak about the cuts made in services to Alaskans. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Infographic: Who backs the tax?

The Legislature is considering Alaska's first income tax since 1980. Here's a breakdown of the geographic and financial divide.… Continue reading

Sen. Shelly Hughes, R-Palmer, left, and Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, right, listen as Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, presents House Bill 115, a revived Alaska income tax, to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 in the Alaska Capitol. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)

Alaska Senate reluctantly examines income tax

A panel of the Alaska Senate has taken its first, reluctant, look at a proposal to revive the state’s income tax. In a series of… Continue reading

Sen. Shelly Hughes, R-Palmer, left, and Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, right, listen as Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, presents House Bill 115, a revived Alaska income tax, to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 in the Alaska Capitol. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)
Dancer the reindeer and her new baby, a female, after its birth on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Megan Ward)

Nikiski family welcomes reindeer calf

One Nikiski farm just got a whole lot cuter. The Hansen family welcomed a baby reindeer Tuesday when their pregnant female reindeer, Dancer, gave birth.… Continue reading

Dancer the reindeer and her new baby, a female, after its birth on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Megan Ward)
University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen speaks during an interview at the Juneau Empire on Wednesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

‘Death by a thousand cuts’: University bracing for the worst

Students will pay higher tuition. There will be fewer classes and fewer professors. Campus buildings will be shut down, sold or leased. If the Alaska… Continue reading

University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen speaks during an interview at the Juneau Empire on Wednesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Hunter, the barred owl, from inside his enclosure. Photo by Clara Miller.

For the birds: Fundraising for improvements to raptor center

HAINES — Inside the American Bald Eagle Foundation aviary in Haines, Education and Outreach Coordinator Sidney Campbell moved slowly, calling Sarah, a great horned owl,… Continue reading

Hunter, the barred owl, from inside his enclosure. Photo by Clara Miller.
Fifty Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian groups dressed in traditional regalia take part in the Grand Entrance Processional down Willoughby Street from Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall to Centennial Hall to kickoff the four days of Celebration in June 2016. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Lawmakers ask Christopher Columbus to share calendar

Christopher Columbus didn’t meet an empty continent. The state of Alaska will now recognize that fact. On Sunday, the Alaska Senate voted 18-1 to approve… Continue reading

Fifty Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian groups dressed in traditional regalia take part in the Grand Entrance Processional down Willoughby Street from Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall to Centennial Hall to kickoff the four days of Celebration in June 2016. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

House approves income tax

It was tax day. On April 15, the Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-17 to impose Alaska’s first income tax in 37 years. Juneau’s two… Continue reading

Juneau Pioneers’ Home resident Phyllis Woodman, right, talks about the grief caused by the Alaska Senate’s proposed budget cuts to the home’s residents and staff on Tuesday. Michael Penn | Juneau Empire Juneau Pioneers’ Home resident Phyllis Woodman, right, talks about the grief caused by the Alaska Senate’s proposed budget cuts to the home’s residents and staff on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. A resident of the home for four years, Woodman was being visited by Carol Schriver, left. After outcry from the community, state senators are now asking Gov. Bill Walker to save the Pioneer Homes. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Senators ask governor to save Pioneer Homes

The Alaska Senate is calling on Gov. Bill Walker to save the Pioneer Homes in Juneau and Palmer from the Senate’s own cuts. In a… Continue reading

Juneau Pioneers’ Home resident Phyllis Woodman, right, talks about the grief caused by the Alaska Senate’s proposed budget cuts to the home’s residents and staff on Tuesday. Michael Penn | Juneau Empire Juneau Pioneers’ Home resident Phyllis Woodman, right, talks about the grief caused by the Alaska Senate’s proposed budget cuts to the home’s residents and staff on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. A resident of the home for four years, Woodman was being visited by Carol Schriver, left. After outcry from the community, state senators are now asking Gov. Bill Walker to save the Pioneer Homes. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Senators ready to negotiate fiscal fix

When it comes to fixing Alaska’s $2.8 billion deficit, nothing is written in stone. Not even a bill that both the Alaska House and Senate… Continue reading

Former Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski is traveling the state at the request of current Gov. Bill Walker to promote a railway connecting Alaska to Canadian rails. Murkowski is holding a Rails to Resources informational packet his office produced in June 2000 when he was a U.S. Senator for Alaska. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Frank Murkowski tries to revive dream of rail link to Canada

Frank Murkowski has never lost his railroad dream. Now, he has another chance to make it reality. In March, the former governor and U.S. Senator… Continue reading

Former Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski is traveling the state at the request of current Gov. Bill Walker to promote a railway connecting Alaska to Canadian rails. Murkowski is holding a Rails to Resources informational packet his office produced in June 2000 when he was a U.S. Senator for Alaska. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Luann McVey, left, and Laura Stats sit in the mostly vacant public seating area after giving their public testimony on SB 26 to the House Finance Committee at the Capitol on Monday, April 10, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Income tax, Permanent Fund spending plan advance toward vote

The Alaska House of Representatives will soon vote on the 49th state’s first income tax since 1980 and a plan to use the earnings of… Continue reading

Luann McVey, left, and Laura Stats sit in the mostly vacant public seating area after giving their public testimony on SB 26 to the House Finance Committee at the Capitol on Monday, April 10, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Lawmakers won’t change how they disclose conflicts of interest

Downtown Juneau’s delegate to the Legislature has helped defeat a proposal for greater transparency in the Alaska Legislature. Rep. Sam Kito III, D-Juneau, joined 18… Continue reading

Senate votes to rollback justice reform

Many of Alaska’s first-time criminals may face tougher sentences under a bill approved Friday by the Alaska Senate. In a 19-1 vote, lawmakers approved Senate… Continue reading