Juneau
RSSNews from Juneau, Alaska
The Legislature will spend $675,000 to renovate its own Capitol parking garage
The Alaska Legislature is spending $675,000 to renovate its own parking garage at the Capitol — though the winning bid came in under the engineer's estimate.

Juneau donors are giving the Legislature 16 more apartments for lawmakers
Juneau donors are giving the Alaska Legislature 16 more apartments for lawmakers to live in during session, in a capital where housing is scarce and costly.

Three lawmakers get paid for late travel claims, and one filed most of them
Three lawmakers will be repaid about $5,970 for late travel claims. One accounts for $4,990 of it, and colleagues' questions drew trip-specific answers.

The Alaska Legislature weighs new rules on animals in the Capitol
The Alaska Legislature is weighing new rules on animals in its buildings, banning most pets but keeping ADA protections for service dogs.

Alaska Legislative Council approves $851,400 for KTOO's Gavel Alaska coverage
Alaska lawmakers voted 8-0 to pay KTOO up to $851,400 to keep streaming their own floor sessions after federal public broadcasting funds were cut.

Two Juneau kids qualified, and the youth board's fund is nearly empty
Two Juneau kids qualified for national competition and asked the city youth board for $3,605. The board's contingency fund has $1,237.52 in it.

Creators of first Tlingit opera take public questions Thursday in Juneau
Juneau can meet the team behind the first Tlingit opera in recorded history at a free panel Thursday, ahead of the Tlingit-language work's premiere next month.

Juneau's king crab fishery closes Monday after a three-crab season
Juneau's personal use king crab season closes Monday at 4 p.m. after a strong stock assessment allowed a three-crab limit instead of last winter's one-crab opening.

A Goldbelt subsidiary picks up another sole-source federal IT order, worth up to $1.3 million
A Juneau Native corporation's subsidiary won a contract to run IT for the U.S. Transportation Secretary's office, with the money flowing home to shareholders.

Alaska's seat on the halibut commission is open, and you can nominate yourself
Alaska's seat on the commission that sets Pacific halibut catch limits is open. Nominations close Sept. 14, and self-nominations are accepted.

An Auke Bay quarry can now work Saturdays again, under a renewed permit
An Auke Bay quarry can work Saturdays again under a renewed Juneau permit, though blasting, drilling and crushing stay off-limits on weekends.

Juneau's charter operators could see their per-passenger fee more than triple, as the harbor fund runs low
Juneau's charter operators could see their per-passenger fee jump from $2.05 to $7.50, as the harbor fund hits a record low amid major expansion costs.

Tlingit & Haida moves to expand its printing business into a historic Juneau building
Tlingit & Haida is seeking up to $375,000 to expand its tribally owned printing business and move it into a historic Juneau building it recently bought.

A new casino has opened on North Douglas, as a cruise dock nearby prepares to bring more ships
Tlingit & Haida has opened Two Coppers Casino, a Class II gaming hall on North Douglas, as nearby cruise docks prepare to bring more ships, with both set for a Douglas Advisory Board briefing.

FedEx is holding a walk-in hiring event in Juneau this week
FedEx holds a walk-in hiring event in Juneau Aug. 25 to 27, with courier and service agent roles paying $25 to $39 an hour.

The Alaska House gavels in and out again, taking no action in the special session
The Alaska House gaveled in and out again Tuesday, taking no action in the governor's special session, as the Republican minority presses for full sessions.

Alaska's audit watchdog gets a new leader, inheriting a fisheries probe and a new power over the governor
Alaska's audit watchdog gets a new leader as Kris Curtis retires. Mark Lundahl inherits a Board of Fisheries probe and a new power over oil-tax records.

The Permanent Fund's dividend account is running about $400 million ahead
The account that pays the Permanent Fund dividend held about $400 million more than it needs, a 7% cushion. No inflation proofing was appropriated for 2026.

Alaska's cruise ship wastewater permit expired in 2019 and is still in force
Twenty-eight cruise ships discharged treated wastewater in Alaska last season under a 2014 permit that expired in 2019. Nine discharges were unauthorized.

Juneau job seekers can meet several employers in one stop this week
Juneau job seekers can meet several employers in one stop Thursday at a state recruiting event, though details are thin — call the job center to confirm.

A Juneau company turning idle fishing boats into tidal power just cracked a deep-fjord problem
A Juneau company turning idle fishing boats into tidal-power platforms won a patent for stopping the cable-twisting that hobbles deep-fjord generators.

Juneau's harbor fund is near its lowest point ever, and charter boats may be asked to help fill the gap
Juneau's harbor fund is near its lowest ever after the city cut $450,000 a year, and the port may charge charter boats more per passenger to fill the gap.

Alaska's largest fisheries lab swaps ozone for ultraviolet to treat its water
Alaska's largest fisheries research lab is swapping ozone for ultraviolet light to disinfect its water. A Juneau plumbing firm won the $155,653 job.

Juneau tourism task force takes final public testimony Oct. 15
Juneau's tourism task force set a second testimony session for Oct. 15, pushed back so residents can read the draft recommendations before speaking.

Juneau weighs $5.5 million more for flood recovery on a river that floods every year
Juneau is putting another $5.5 million toward flood recovery. The city still calls the Mendenhall barriers temporary and hasn't said who pays long term.

Juneau-area gillnetters get another opener, but directed king fishing stays closed on low abundance
Juneau-area gillnetters get another opener through Wednesday, but directed king fishing stays closed across four Southeast districts on low king numbers.

Auke Bay quarry wins bigger blasts and Saturday hours through 2036
An Auke Bay rock quarry can now blast 60 percent bigger, start earlier and work Saturdays, through 2036. No residents showed up to the hearing.

Juneau Assembly votes 6-3 to sell old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million
Juneau voted to sell its old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage for $1.5 million — for a planned $40 million Northwest Coast art-glass building downtown.

Juneau denies Chilkat Vistas hillside plat after approval falls a vote short
Juneau's planning commission denied a hillside subdivision over landslide risk, two years after the Assembly struck landslide rules from the land use code.

Gas tax package still off the Senate floor as the special session nears its limit
Alaska Senate held a technical session Monday with no business and will not meet again until 2 p.m. Friday.

Goldbelt subsidiary takes $821,000 in State Department work with no stated purpose
A Goldbelt subsidiary in Juneau picked up $821,000 in State Department staffing work in three weeks. Neither posting says what the work is for.

Juneau's task force weighs crowding fixes amid a bigger question on how much tourism is enough
Juneau's tourism task force votes Thursday on downtown crowd fixes — a roundabout, crossing guards, Seawalk changes — the visible edge of its bigger question: how much cruise tourism is enough.

Juneau lifts its Suicide Basin flood evacuation
Juneau's Suicide Basin flood threat is over — the command reopened evacuated areas after the Mendenhall River crested at 14.7 feet, below the forecast.

Dunleavy declares state disaster after Juneau's fourth straight glacial flood
Governor Dunleavy declared a state disaster for Juneau. This unlocks state funds for flood repairs and speeds up emergency permits.

Feds move to fast-track a Juneau flood-control fix by cutting permitting and paperwork
Days after another Juneau outburst flood forced evacuations, federal agencies are fast-tracking a flood-control fix for the valley by cutting the red tape.

Federal regulators weigh a noise permit for a Douglas Island cruise terminal, with sea otters in the balance
Federal regulators are weighing a noise permit for a Douglas Island cruise terminal that could affect sea otters, with public comment open through Sept. 11.

Juneau's wastewater plant has been out of compliance for three years, and ratepayers foot the bill
Juneau's main wastewater plant has been out of federal compliance for three years, its permit expired — and sewer customers will pay the $20 million fix.

Juneau gathers its senior-housing help into one guide
Juneau is pulling its senior-housing help — ADU grants, renovation grants, contractors — into one guide to help older residents stay in their homes.

A Juneau evacuation route is restricted as the valley floods
A Juneau road is restricted to local traffic as the Mendenhall Valley floods from the Suicide Basin outburst, with about 5,000 people told to evacuate.

Sealaska Heritage honors four Southeast educators at Juneau conference
Sealaska Heritage Institute awarded four Southeast Alaska educators for weaving Indigenous knowledge into classrooms at its annual conference in Juneau.
