News from Juneau, Alaska
An ongoing glacial lake outburst flood on the Taku River is affecting the City and Borough of Juneau, with an alert in effect until 11 p.m. AKDT Tuesday. Mariners and anyone near the river corridor should expect rapid water rises and debris in the channel.

Alaska's ethics committee voted to hand off harassment training, saying it's crowded out real ethics instruction. The training continues — just not under them.
An ethics panel found probable cause Rep. Sarah Vance used state resources to pressure the Homer News, which then pulled the article and dropped the reporter's byline.
King crab fishing reopens July 1 for Alaska residents in most of Juneau area, but shrimp stays closed indefinitely in Section 11-A and Tenakee Inlet. • Nonresidents can now take two king salmon per year in Southeast Alaska starting July 1, up from one. • Section 11-A remains off-limits for resident king crab fishing; ADF&G says more details coming later this year.

Alaska's rewritten ethics law took effect June 24 without Dunleavy's signature. Its big change: gift-funded travel now needs a documented purpose, or you repay it.

A legislator and a staffer took a gift-funded Arctic Winter Games trip, then wouldn't explain why — exposing that the ethics committee had no power to make them.

Juneau, the only U.S. capital you can't drive to, just appointed 11 unpaid volunteers to oversee its airport, harbors and ski hill — all without a single objection.

Alaska Senate refused to back down on HB 381, sending the natural gas pipeline tax bill to a conference committee to resolve how to tax the Alaska LNG Project and fund municipalities and schools.
Juneau citizens got a 1% seasonal sales tax to the brink of the ballot. The Assembly has 45 days to pass it or let voters do it.
Long Friday in Juneau: LNG tax bill stuck, second special session called, two vetoes overridden, three failed. Round three starts Saturday.
Tlingit beader Renee Culp presents a lecture Tuesday in Juneau on a clan robe depicting an ancestor's battle with a giant octopus, a piece that will become sacred Tlingit property.

Energy consultant says property tax costs $600 million yearly, making Alaska LNG unfinanceable.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is happening across North America with viewer-friendly Alaska timing, and Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have free or easy watch parties through mid-July.

Senate Finance heard the proposed Alaska LNG tax break would cut state and municipal revenues by $18 billion over 30 years, but the estimate rests on construction costs that may range from $45 billion to $90 billion.
The building that holds Alaska's museum, library, and archives turns 10 — and Juneau's invited to the free birthday party Saturday, planetarium and cake included.

Sealaska Heritage Institute opened Celebration 2026 in Juneau on Wednesday with traditional canoe arrivals from eight Southeast Alaska communities and speeches centered on cultural resilience and overcoming external and internal challenges.
Juneau hosts the world premiere of Ḵutulagaaw, the first Tlingit opera in recorded history, Sept. 11-20, performed entirely in Tlingit language.

Alaska Electric Light & Power filed some "housekeeping" for Juneau bills. Boring, sure, but don't confuse it with the separate case where it actually wants more money.

Juneau's harbor board backed a $2.5 million state grant bid for two projects and recommended cutting the uninsured moorage surcharge to $1.00 per linear foot from $1.50.

Juneau assembly did not move glacially in response to glacier-flood emergency

Alaska’s LNG project may have just gotten a $24 billion “whoops.” The state has been planning around a $46 billion price tag, but lawmakers were told the real number may be closer to $70 billion — which is less of a budget update and more of a financial jump scare.
Juneau's spent 20 years building a waterfront path it still can't finish. Now it wants the stretch to the far cruise dock. Mind the gap.

Coeur Alaska got federal approval to disturb marine mammals during dock repairs at Berners Bay — one of Southeast Alaska's richest bays.

Consultant warns Senate Finance that Alaska LNG faces megaproject risks, citing data showing 67% of LNG projects exceed budgets by 70% on average.
We all know they're trying, but they very well may be intending for different outcomes when it comes to Alaska's LNG.

The Forest Service cancelled a planned cabin near Herbert Glacier in Juneau, citing mining claims and potential conflicts with mineral exploration by Canadian company Grande Portage Resources.
Governor Mike Dunleavy urged the legislature to pass a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes bill within three weeks, calling it essential to financing what he described as the largest project in Alaska history, an LNG pipeline from the North Slope.

All three major North Slope producers have signed Alaska LNG Phase 1 sale agreements — and they want their ownership to stop at the lease line
Allen Marine posted 21 jobs in Juneau across vessel operations, hospitality, and shore support ahead of cruise season, from entry-level deckhand roles to lodge manager and executive chef positions.

A young humpback got snared in crab-pot lines near Juneau — and a relay of passing boat crews kept watch until rescuers could cut it loose.

Alaska House raised maximum weekly unemployment benefits from $370 to $470, first increase since 2009. • Expanded telehealth coverage and raised disability pay for firefighters and police from 40 percent to 75 percent. • Updated insurance laws to clarify rebates and ban misleading advertising.

North Slope Borough Mayor Patkotak and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Micciche negotiated property tax terms for the Alaska LNG project as the House Finance Committee delayed its amendment deadline to allow talks to continue.

Alaska raised age of consent from 16 to 18 after Senate delay sparked public outcry. • Omnibus crime bill also criminalizes AI-generated child abuse images and requires sex offender registration. • New rules make sexual assault by healthcare workers a standalone crime and expand parole board. • Lawmakers worried about compressed timeline but voted yes anyway.

Alaska House votes to recess two weeks during special session on gas line taxation, allowing members to leave for Memorial Day weekend. • Opponents warn the break could delay the gas line bill, which they call the state's most urgent issue. • House also approves carrying over two companion bills on natural gas pipeline property taxes into the special session.

Alaska LNG pipeline signed contracts, targets 2029 delivery, but governor and legislature split on tax framework. • Southcentral consumers could pay $22.96 per thousand cubic feet if exports fail, double current rates. • Federal officials highlighted critical minerals and $1 billion in funding, but permitting takes 15 to 18 years. • Rural Alaska pays $6.63 per gallon with no pipeline relief in sight.
The Juneau Assembly Finance Committee voted 6-3 Tuesday to direct staff to end the Eagle Crest gondola project and draft an ordinance to repay Goldbelt and terminate the revenue sharing agreement, after construction costs ballooned from $7 million to $27 million.

Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.

Alaska Fish and Game opens a saltwater hatchery area near Juneau to king salmon fishing June 1 through August 31, allowing anglers four fish per day while the rest of the region stays closed until June 15.

Alaska House voted to eliminate four tax discounts worth $500,000 yearly, including a cigarette stamp break that persisted two decades after the equipment it subsidized was paid off.

House Finance can't quite decide how much to protect Alaska ratepayers from LNG cost overruns — Tuesday's two votes split, with the same person providing the swing both times.












