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Kate Sheehan (left foreground), director of the Alaska Division of Personnel and Labor Relations, and Paula Vrana, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, discuss an ongoing statewide salary study during a House State Affairs Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Dunleavy’s delay in releasing state salary study frustrates legislators, union leaders

Draft report to assess competitiveness completed last June, but not released publicly.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivers his State of the State speech at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, with Senate President Gary Stevens, at left, and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, at right, in the background. (Klas Stolpe/Juneau Empire)

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Gov. Dunleavy takes victory lap with selective portrayal of Alaska in second-to-last State of the State

Some legislators criticize “mixed messages” about cooperation, omission of problems needing work.

Adm. Linda L. Fagan, the 27th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard since 2022, was relieved of duty after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term on Monday. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

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Adm. Linda Fagan fired as Coast Guard Commandant on Trump’s first day back in office

First woman to head a U.S. military branch presided over decision to homeport icebreaker in Juneau.

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Gov. Dunleavy issues state disaster declaration after Juneau flooding

By Mark Sabbatini

Advocates on behalf of missing and murdered Indigenous persons hold a banner and perform a opening song during a rally in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Sunday, May 5, 2024, to commemorate the annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Rally seeks future where Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day is not necessary

More than 50 people gather at Capitol to share stories of missing family, efforts to address issue

A 75-foot Lutz spruce is lit as the official 2015 Capitol Christmas Tree on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. (Architect of the Capitol photo)

Community

Tongass National Forest selected to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Eight to 10 candidate trees will be evaluated, with winner taking “whistlestop tour” to D.C.

Judge Kirsten Swanson imposes strict conditions, including staying away from schools and other places children frequent, for Mitchell Thomas Watley to be released from jail after his arrest Sunday for allegedly placing transphobic notes in at least three public locations since Friday that referred to shooting children. Watley, who participated by phone from Lemon Creek Correctional Center, had his first hearing in the case Monday afternoon at the Juneau Courthouse. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

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Man arrested for allegedly posting notes that reference shooting children

Suspect said he spread leaflets out of fear of Tennessee shooter, according to police.

Gavel (Courtesy photo)

News

Maassen named new chief justice of Alaska Supreme Court

Longtime private attorney appointed to court in 2012 expects to continue predecessor’s approach.

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Thursday. Incumbent Lisa Murkowski defeated fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka by getting more than 50% of votes when two lower-finishing candidates were eliminated, with votes from people opting for Democrat Pat Chesbro as their first choice providing the necessary margin. Murkowski supporters note she won more first-choice votes than Tshibaka and thus would have prevailed without ranked choice voting, while Tshibaka supporters claim the challenger would have prevailed back in August under a closed-primary system and thus almost certainly would have won the general election. (Alaska Division of Elections)

News

Voting far from over for ranked choice

Alaska certain to revive the debate during coming months as many nationwide hail it as a success.

People walk the docks during a busy cruise ship day as the sun sets in downtown Juneau on Aug. 29. Cruise tourism rebounded to near-normal levels this year, giving Southeast economists and businesses reason for future optimism after the region was by some measures the hardest hit economically in the U.S. during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Study: Alaska’s economic growth ‘at or near the bottom’ in U.S.

Low oil prices, slow pandemic recovery cited as causes, but some in Southeast see rosy prospects.

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire Pat Tynan, left, and Tom Melville, review absentee ballots Tuesday at the Division of Elections office at the Mendenhall Mall. The review process is taking place in a separate room from where ballots are being tallied for the official results.

News

Incumbents solidify positions in updated election count

Peltola, Murkowski and Dunleavy likely to prevail when ranked choice ballots are tallied Nov. 23

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola dances with others attending a reelection campaign event Monday evening at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. Peltola also attended a meet-and-greet at a coffee shop and met with local union members on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

News

Peltola tells Juneau crowd reelection not a ‘slam dunk,’ encourages supporters to vote

“They’re not going to underestimate us a second time.”

An image purportedly from the computer screen of a digital media specialist for Gov. Mike Dunleavy shows numerous files and folders of campaign advertising. A complaint filed against the governor, plus other individuals and organizations, claims administrative staff is illegally doing paid campaign work on behalf of the governor. (Screenshot from complaint filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission)

News

Dunleavy faces more accusations in campaign complaint

Governor calls it “specious and unfounded.”