Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom addresses the crowd during an inaugural celebration for her and Gov. Mike Dunleavy at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Jan. 20. Dahlstrom on Tuesday announced she is seeking Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat in the 2024 election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom says she’s seeking Peltola’s U.S. House seat in 2024

Former state lawmaker and corrections commissioner joins fellow Republican Nick Begich in race.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom addresses the crowd during an inaugural celebration for her and Gov. Mike Dunleavy at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Jan. 20. Dahlstrom on Tuesday announced she is seeking Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat in the 2024 election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
A 15-year-old male student at Thunder Mountain High School was detained Tuesday for bringing a BB-style handgun into the building on Tuesday, according to officials. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

15-year-old student detained after bringing BB gun to Thunder Mountain High School, officials say

Quick intervention by principal prevented need for lockdown, according to police.

A 15-year-old male student at Thunder Mountain High School was detained Tuesday for bringing a BB-style handgun into the building on Tuesday, according to officials. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter hovers over Sitka Sound during routine hoist training on April 25. (Lt. Cmdr. Wryan Webb/Coast Guard)

Coast Guard helicopter crashes on Southeast Alaska island, seriously injuring two crew members

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on a search and rescue mission crashed in Southeast Alaska, seriously injuring two of the four crew members on board.… Continue reading

  • Nov 14, 2023
  • Associated Press
A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter hovers over Sitka Sound during routine hoist training on April 25. (Lt. Cmdr. Wryan Webb/Coast Guard)
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor speaks at a news conference on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. (James Brooks / Alaska Beacon)

Auditor: Alaska Department of Law ‘likely violated’ state law and constitution

Dispute involves large contract between the state and a Washington, D.C. law firm.

Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor speaks at a news conference on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. (James Brooks / Alaska Beacon)
Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire
The women of the Kit Kat Club in “Cabaret” take center stage during a rehearsal Monday night at McPhetres Hall for the production by Theatre in the Rough that opens Friday

Director says history is repeating itself, old chum

“Cabaret” kicks off at McPhetres Hall on Friday, with free previews Tuesday and Thursday

Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire
The women of the Kit Kat Club in “Cabaret” take center stage during a rehearsal Monday night at McPhetres Hall for the production by Theatre in the Rough that opens Friday
People arriving on a shuttle bus enter the city’s new cold weather emergency shelter on Oct. 20, the first night it was open. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

Emergency cold weather shelter in Thane gets official OK from Assembly

City officials call shelter a success so far; skeptics say some homeless people are avoiding it.

People arriving on a shuttle bus enter the city’s new cold weather emergency shelter on Oct. 20, the first night it was open. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
The Juneau Assembly on Monday unanimously approved spending $300,000 for the first phase of the city’s first off-road vehicle park, which will be located beyond the 35-mile marker on Glacier Highway. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)

Assembly approves $300,000 for first phase of Juneau’s first ORV park

Five miles of trails planned at 175-acre site near 35 Mile Glacier Highway.

The Juneau Assembly on Monday unanimously approved spending $300,000 for the first phase of the city’s first off-road vehicle park, which will be located beyond the 35-mile marker on Glacier Highway. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire File)
Caution tape and warning signs at the former Glory Hall shelter on South Franklin Street on Monday alert passerbys to construction that begin earlier this month, with seven housing units and additional commercial space scheduled for completion by next summer. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Construction starts on conversion of former downtown Glory Hall shelter to affordable homes

Two-year permitting and legal battle raises cost 20% for seven housing units, plus commercial space.

Caution tape and warning signs at the former Glory Hall shelter on South Franklin Street on Monday alert passerbys to construction that begin earlier this month, with seven housing units and additional commercial space scheduled for completion by next summer. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The frame of a house waits further construction in Yakutat with the assistance of the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority. On Monday the housing authority received a $2 million grant intended to help more than 100 families in Southeast Alaska with loans and other housing assistance. (Photo courtesy of the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority)

$2M grant for Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority seeks to help more than 100 Southeast families

Agency among six nationwide winners for programs “making homes more accessible and affordable.”

The frame of a house waits further construction in Yakutat with the assistance of the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority. On Monday the housing authority received a $2 million grant intended to help more than 100 families in Southeast Alaska with loans and other housing assistance. (Photo courtesy of the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority)
A sticker expressing opposition to the Pebble Mine is seen on a coffee shop window in Kodiak on Oct. 3, 2022. Opposition to the mine has been widespread in Alaska’s fishing communities for several years. The fight is now being waged in briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Pebble Limited Partnership continues to push for mine development. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Debate over Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region moves to dueling US Supreme Court briefs

Company sticking to development plans, despite federal action barring permitting for the project.

A sticker expressing opposition to the Pebble Mine is seen on a coffee shop window in Kodiak on Oct. 3, 2022. Opposition to the mine has been widespread in Alaska’s fishing communities for several years. The fight is now being waged in briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Pebble Limited Partnership continues to push for mine development. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
(Juneau Empire File)

Weekly aurora forecast returns along with the long nights

Forecasts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute for the week of Nov. 6.

(Juneau Empire File)
Participants in the Juneau Alaska Music Matters program perform on Alaska Native drums at Sitʼ Eeti Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School. (Photo courtesy of Juneau Alaska Music Matters)

JAMM among 11 finalists for four $500,000 national Accelerator Awards

Winners of fifth annual awards for youth music programs scheduled to be announced in January.

Participants in the Juneau Alaska Music Matters program perform on Alaska Native drums at Sitʼ Eeti Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School. (Photo courtesy of Juneau Alaska Music Matters)
Late evening on the Kuskokwim River in Nunapitchuk on Oct. 12. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Tribes, State Troopers increase access to justice for Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence

Alaska State Troopers received new training in October aimed at keeping Tribal citizens safer

Late evening on the Kuskokwim River in Nunapitchuk on Oct. 12. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
John Phillips (left) and Roger Sheakley salute the colors during the opening of the Southeast Alaska Native Veterans’ observance of Veterans Day on Saturday at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Trio of observances for Juneau’s veterans share tributes in distinctly different ways

Annual events honor those serving during wars, seeking peace and preserving Alaska Native heritage.

John Phillips (left) and Roger Sheakley salute the colors during the opening of the Southeast Alaska Native Veterans’ observance of Veterans Day on Saturday at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Police calls for Friday, Nov. 10, 2023

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

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Jennifer Kirk, left, and Susanna “Sue Sue” Norton both died, two years apart, in homes owned by a former mayor and often occupied by his adult sons. Credit:Left photo: Facebook; right photo: courtesy of Lesley Sundberg

One woman died on an Alaska mayor’s property. Then another. No one has ever been charged.

Ex-mayor’s sons faced few consequences despite history of similar allegations.

Jennifer Kirk, left, and Susanna “Sue Sue” Norton both died, two years apart, in homes owned by a former mayor and often occupied by his adult sons. Credit:Left photo: Facebook; right photo: courtesy of Lesley Sundberg
A tourist departs a cruise ship in the documentary “Cruise Boom,” which was screened Friday as part of an Evening at Egan presentation at the University of Alaska Southeast. The film is also scheduled to be shown Saturday at the Gold Town Theater. (Courtesy of Artchange Inc.)
Video

Presentation pitching partnerships to address cruise ship impacts proves provocative

“I do not trust these corporations one iota,” says one attendee; others see signs of hope.

A tourist departs a cruise ship in the documentary “Cruise Boom,” which was screened Friday as part of an Evening at Egan presentation at the University of Alaska Southeast. The film is also scheduled to be shown Saturday at the Gold Town Theater. (Courtesy of Artchange Inc.)
Video
Bering Sea snow crab, with two specimens seen in this undated photo, support an iconic Alaska seafood harvest, but a crash in population since 2018 triggered the first ever closure of the fishery in 2022. That closure was extended for the 2023-24 season. A newly published study shows that snow crab have some resilience to ocean acidification, with eggs and embryos that fare better in acidified conditions than do those of other Alaska crab species. (Photo provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Alaska’s snow crab show resilience to ocean acidification, which is underway in the Bering Sea

Study a possible bright spot for species hammered by a warmth-triggered crash.

  • Nov 11, 2023
  • By: Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon
Bering Sea snow crab, with two specimens seen in this undated photo, support an iconic Alaska seafood harvest, but a crash in population since 2018 triggered the first ever closure of the fishery in 2022. That closure was extended for the 2023-24 season. A newly published study shows that snow crab have some resilience to ocean acidification, with eggs and embryos that fare better in acidified conditions than do those of other Alaska crab species. (Photo provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
A pedestrian pushes a shopping cart on Cordova Street during a heavy snowfall on Thursday in Anchorage. Four homeless people have died in Anchorage in the last week, underscoring the city’s ongoing struggle to house a large houseless population at the same time winter weather has returned, with more than 2 feet (0.61 meters) of snow falling within 48 hours. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

Anchorage adds to record homeless death total as major winter storm drops more than two feet of snow

Four homeless people have died in Anchorage in the last week, underscoring the city’s ongoing struggle to house a large homeless population at the same… Continue reading

A pedestrian pushes a shopping cart on Cordova Street during a heavy snowfall on Thursday in Anchorage. Four homeless people have died in Anchorage in the last week, underscoring the city’s ongoing struggle to house a large houseless population at the same time winter weather has returned, with more than 2 feet (0.61 meters) of snow falling within 48 hours. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP)