Juneau
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Juneau asks Mendenhall Lake evacuation zone residents to leave by 3 p.m.
Juneau ordered 5,000 residents in the Mendenhall Valley evacuation zone to leave by 3 p.m. Wednesday as a glacial outburst flood crests early Thursday.

A Tsimshian carver, accused of inventing clan stories, is affirmed by another clan
Accused by some in his own community of inventing Tsimshian migration stories, carver David Boxley was publicly affirmed by a Wrangell clan that shares them.

Juneau's glacial outburst flood crested Thursday at 14.7 feet, above major flood stage
Juneau is responding to glacial outburst flooding, nearly 1,900 homes in its advisory area, after the Mendenhall crested above major flood stage Thursday.

Water begins flowing over Suicide Basin ice dam, NWS tells Juneau to finish flood prep
Water is spilling over Suicide Basin's ice dam near Juneau, and the National Weather Service is telling residents along Mendenhall Lake and River to finish flood prep now.

Juneau hangar owners say the airport's own repaving flooded them, and it won't say if that's true
Juneau hangar owners say the airport's own regrading and repaving caused flooding now rotting their buildings, and it won't say if its work is to blame.

Sealaska Heritage publishes fifth graders' documentary on Walter Soboleff
Auke Bay Elementary students produced a documentary on Dr. Walter Soboleff. The film fills a gap in classroom history materials.

Juneau moves to repair Mendenhall riverbank and protect flood-hit homes
Juneau moves to repair 1,300 feet of Mendenhall riverbank to protect flood-hit homes, one of several recovery measures on the agenda after the 2024 flood.

Juneau pilots pay $12 a gallon for fuel, and want an alternative to the airport's only seller
Juneau pilots pay over $12 a gallon for avgas, about 50% more than Anchorage, from the airport's only seller. Fifty-plus want a self-serve option added.

Juneau's paratransit service for seniors has failed riders for nine months
A 96-year-old left at Foodland, 25 calls for one trip: Juneau's paratransit for seniors has failed nine months, the commission says — and the city renewed it.

Sealaska Heritage concludes ninth annual education conference
Sealaska Heritage Institute concluded its ninth annual education conference in Juneau, drawing hundreds of educators from Alaska and beyond for sessions on culturally responsive teaching.

HESCO barrier repair was a week from done, Juneau committee told
Juneau's HESCO flood barriers were nearly complete in early July, with the Army Corps finishing Phase 2 of temporary defenses protecting nearly 1,900 homes under evacuation advisory.

Alaskans split over ranked choice repeal at state ballot measure hearing
Alaska voters will decide in November whether to repeal ranked choice voting, the top-four primary, and campaign finance disclosure rules approved in 2020.

Bartlett hospital recruiting four directors at once among 29 openings
Bartlett Regional Hospital is recruiting four directors at once and 29 positions total, the most of any Juneau employer on the state's weekly job list.

Juneau Assembly amends senior hardship tax test to 300% poverty line
Juneau Assembly raised the income limit for senior and disabled veteran property tax hardship exemptions to 300% of federal poverty guidelines, broadening eligibility for tax relief.

Juneau sets hearing on $1.5M City Hall sale to Sealaska Heritage Institute
Juneau hears testimony Aug. 17 on selling the old City Hall site to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5M for an arts center, or opening it to higher bids.

A Haida class spends two years recovering a 74-line migration story
A Haida class spent two years retranscribing a single 74-line migration story, uncovering meaning a century-old English translation had flattened — and connecting a scattered Haida diaspora through the work.

Juneau aging commission chair tells Assembly paratransit has failed seniors for nine months
Juneau concerned that folks aren't getting rides.

Juneau hunters can take two low-cost Fish and Game classes this August
Juneau hunters can grab two cheap Fish and Game classes before fall, scope mounting for $15 or a full day of wilderness survival for $25. Spots are limited.

Juneau's casino opened on shifting ground and now faces suits on two fronts
Juneau's tribal casino opened through a federal opening since rescinded, and now faces the state, a family lawsuit and doubt about whether it's even legal.

A Juneau builder with a long wetlands-filling history moves to settle federal charges
Federal and state authorities lodged a settlement with Duran Construction over Clean Water Act wetlands violations, but the public comment period has not yet been scheduled.

Juneau neighbors want a homeless camp cleared after a reported bear shooting
Neighbors near Juneau's Governor's Mansion want a homeless camp cleared after a camper reportedly shot a bear — a flashpoint in Alaska's rising camp tension.

Dorothy Grant's 40 years of Haida design come home to Juneau
Four decades of Dorothy Grant's Haida fashion, including a wedding dress on loan from the Smithsonian, are on view in Juneau through Oct. 17. Free for anyone under 18.

The first Tlingit opera in recorded history opens in Juneau next month
The first Tlingit opera in recorded history opens in Juneau Sept. 11 — in the Tlingit language, telling the Tlingit-Russian War from the Tlingit side.

Juneau to Mendenhall Valley: the next glacial flood is coming, plan now
Juneau says the next Suicide Basin glacial flood is on its way, expected Aug. 1-9, with about 1,900 valley homes in the advisory area. Make a plan before the river rises.

Juneau's flood barriers came from an Illinois stockpile
The walls guarding 1,900 Juneau homes from a glacial flood came from an Illinois stockpile. Locals paid for round one; the feds covered all $35 million of round two.

Every Juneau ballot seat drew a candidate as filing closed
Filing closed for Juneau's Oct. 6 election, and all five seats — three Assembly, two school board — drew candidates. The certified ballot posts soon.

Juneau Assembly pulls a $16M school bond from the fall ballot
Juneau yanked a $16M school bond off the fall ballot — part timing blunder, part cold feet over shaky revenue. Dissenters say it will only cost more later.

A veteran was barred from Juneau's July 4th parade over an anti-war sign
A Juneau veteran was pulled from the July 4th parade over a sign reading "Wars: immoral, illegal." He's asking the Assembly whether a public-street event can bar a viewpoint.

Pro and Anti Ranked choice campaigns trade billionaire accusations at hearing
Alaska's ranked choice camps each say the other runs on billionaire money, at a hearing on a measure that would repeal the rules for tracing where that money starts.

Alaska State Archives wins $220,146 to index statehood records
The state archives has $220,146 to make its statehood records findable. That buys a guide and some audiovisual scanning, not a digitized archive.

Haida class returns a 1901 migration story to its own language
A century-old Kaigani migration story, recorded by an outside ethnologist, is back in X̱aad Kíl. The teacher behind the translation speaks in Juneau Aug. 3.

The sleeper on Alaska's August primary ballot: money, turnout and Measure 1
Alaska campaign donations currently have one limit: your imagination. Ballot Measure 1 would add a second — $2,000. Voters decide at the Aug. 18 primary.

Alaska Senate opens fourth special session with technical session, adjourns to Friday
Alaska Senate opened its fourth special session Monday to tackle natural gas taxation but took no action, adjourning until Friday - signaling the bill may be unable to advance.

Juneau's flood barriers are finished before Suicide Basin lets go
Juneau's Mendenhall River flood barriers are done ahead of Suicide Basin's expected release. Officials still urge residents to heed evacuation advisories.

Juneau's fifth cruise dock clears a federal hurdle
Juneau's contested fifth cruise dock cleared another hurdle: a federal permit for the pile-driving that will disturb sea lions in Gastineau Channel.

Alaska Senate passes LNG bill as Republicans warn it kills financing
Alaska's Senate passed its LNG bill 11-8, and Senate Republicans immediately said the added taxes and labor rules make the pipeline unfinanceable.

Whale permit for Juneau's fifth cruise dock issued with no public comment
Juneau has fought over its fifth cruise dock for six years. When the feds asked about letting construction disturb whales and sea lions, nobody said a word.

Juneau Assembly to weigh $1.5M negotiated sale of City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute
Juneau Assembly will vote on selling City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million, down from the $2.5 million minimum the borough originally sought.

Tlingit artist warns AI hiring tools are already screening out job seekers of color
Tlingit photographer Larry McNeil warned that AI hiring tools already screen out job seekers of color, keeping them unemployed longer. • AI-generated artist statements are appearing in college applications, raising questions about authenticity in creative fields. • AI cannot replicate the precision of formline art, producing cartoonish results instead.

No Juneau beach is tested for the toxin in clams
No Juneau-area beach is regularly tested for the toxin in clams that can stop your breathing — and cooking does not destroy it.
