Juneau state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, standing, addresses a town hall audience Jan. 11 at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School as Juneau state Reps. Sarah Hannan, far left, and Andi Story wait their turn to discuss their priorities during the 2023 legislative session.(Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file file)

Budgets, bills the PFD: Juneau legislators speak on their expectations for the 2026 Legislature

The state Legislature starts on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

The K-6th playground design is rendered for the proposed Dzantik’i Heeni playground (Juneau School District image)

Juneau school board approves funding for Dzantiki’i Heeni playground

The Dzantiki’i Heeni campus used to be a middle school, and had no dedicated playground.

Thomas Hatley stands before a helicopter. He was announced the new fire chief for Capital City Fire and Rescue on Friday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Thomas Hatley photo)

Hatley appointed new Juneau fire chief

Former Fire Chief Rich Etheridge announced his retirement in September.

Guests ride the Porcupine chairlift at Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

Eaglecrest opens Westside, offers $7 lift tickets Saturday

After a rocky start to the season, the ski area is celebrating its 50th birthday.

Salvage captain Trevin Carlile, left, and diver Phil Sellick at Melino’s Marine Service re-float a sunken boat in Harris harbor on Jan. 8, 2026. Record-breaking snow at the beginning of the month caused at least eight boats to sink in Harris, Douglas and Aurora harbors, resulting in oil spills. (Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire)

A historic storm in Juneau: 10 sunken boats and what it takes to re-float them

Sunken boats don’t become wrecked relics. Left underwater, they can damage vessels overhead and threaten the environment

The Department of Environmental Conservation helped a Nikiski resident dispose of over 43 tons of contaminated soil after a home heating oil spill in November. DEC on Friday launched a program to help eligible homeowners cover cleanup costs relating to home heating oil spills. (Photo courtesy of DEC)

State launches program to help homeowners cover heating oil spill cleanup costs

The Department of Environmental Conservation announced the program on Friday, Jan. 9.

Mount Juneau stands among fog on Jan. 14, 2025. (Chloe Anderson / Kenai Peninsula Clarion)

CBJ lifts all avalanche evacuation advisories for Juneau

That includes the advisory for the Behrends slide path, the last remaining evacuation notice.

calendar (web only)

Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Jan. 19-25

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

  • 1 day ago
Win Gruening (courtesy)

OPINION: Transparency and accountability are foundational to good government

The threat to the entire Juneau community due to annual flooding from glacial outbursts cannot be overstated. Juneau residents living Continue reading...

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Four members of the Riley Creek wolf pack, including the matriarch, “Riley,” dig a moose carcass frozen from creek ice in May 2016. National Park Service trail camera photo

Alaska Science Forum: The Riley Creek pack’s sole survivor

Born in May, 2009, Riley first saw sunlight after crawling from a hole dug in the roots of an old spruce above the Teklanika River.

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News
Juneau state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, standing, addresses a town hall audience Jan. 11 at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School as Juneau state Reps. Sarah Hannan, far left, and Andi Story wait their turn to discuss their priorities during the 2023 legislative session.(Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file file)

Budgets, bills the PFD: Juneau legislators speak on their expectations for the 2026 Legislature

The state Legislature starts on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

 

The K-6th playground design is rendered for the proposed Dzantik’i Heeni playground (Juneau School District image)

Juneau school board approves funding for Dzantiki’i Heeni playground

The Dzantiki’i Heeni campus used to be a middle school, and had no dedicated playground.

 

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Neighbors
calendar (web only)

Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Jan. 19-25

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

  • 1 day ago

 

(web only)

Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Jan. 12-18

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

  • 1 week ago

 

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Alaska Outdoors
Hiking down from Dan Moller cabin in mid-January 2025. (photo courtesy John Harley)

Sustainable Alaska: Skiing on the edge

The difference between a great winter for skiing and a bad one can be a matter of a few degrees.

  • 1 month ago

 

Jeff Lund photo The author heard what he thought was a squirrel. It was not a squirrel.

I Went into the Woods: A change of plans

It was only a 30-hour trip but it’s always better to bring more food than you count on eating.

  • 2 months ago

 

More Outdoors 
Events
Guests ride the Porcupine chairlift at Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Eaglecrest Ski Area photo)

Eaglecrest opens Westside, offers $7 lift tickets Saturday

After a rocky start to the season, the ski area is celebrating its 50th birthday.

 

calendar (web only)

Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Jan. 19-25

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

  • 1 day ago

 

More Events 
Video
The student band performs at Thunder Mountain High School. (Screenshot from student film “Digging a Hole in the School Budget”)
Capital City Weekly

Thunder Mountain High School graduates win film festival award

Documentary by Jade Hicks, Hayden Loggy-Smith portrays human impacts of school consolidation plan.

 

An entangled humpback whale seen from above on Oct. 10 near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. (Photo by Sean Neilson, NOAA MMHSRP Permit No. 24359)

Juvenile whale caught in heavy fishing apparatus freed by team effort

Rescue follows the loss of a whale calf to a vessel strike in August

 

Juneau’s Anthony Garcia (22) carries the ball deep into West Anchorage High School territory to set up the Huskies’ first touchdown early in the third quarter during Saturday’s game in Anchorage. (Screenshot from Juneau Huskies football livestream video)

Depleted Huskies lose at West Anchorage 59-21

JV players make up one-third of Juneau’s squad during matchup against top team in conference.

 

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (left) views the Mendenhall River on Tuesday as Juneau Assembly member Wade Bryson explains changes that occurred to the riverbank due to record flooding from Suicide Basin last Saturday. Juneau state representatives Sara Hannan and Andi Story were among the other officials taking part in the trip. (Tom Mattice / City and Borough Of Juneau)

Flood cleanup, fundraising events planned this weekend

As state and federal officials consider large-scale actions, residents can offer immediate help.

 

More Video 
Photography
James Edens looks at 35mm film he had just developed. Photo by By Jonathon Dawe/ Wrangell Sentinel)

Father and son share love for old-school film photography

For photographers like James Edens, film photography never lost its allure

  • 5 months ago

 

In an undated image provided by Chris Miller, an image of the northern lights in Juneau shows what a camera with a longer exposure captures. As astrotourism booms, the northern lights get a boost from digital photography. (Chris Miller via The New York Times)

Is the aurora borealis really that mind-blowing? Or is it just your cellphone photos?

In August, over a calm Michigan lake, Karl Duesterhaus, 34, of Chicago, Continue reading...

  • 1 year ago

 

A harbor seal lazily floats in the calm cool downtown harbor waters on March 21. (Photo by Denise Carroll)

Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots Continue reading...

  • 2 years ago

 

Mendenhall Glacier and Mendenhall Lake on Jan. 28. (Photo by Deana Barajas)

Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots Continue reading...

  • 2 years ago

 

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Opinion
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  • 3 years ago

 

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