Juneau Independent

A privately-run child care program is set to offer all-day care for school-aged children in several Juneau schools this summer. 

A “No Kings” rally is planned for Juneau on Saturday, March 28. The local rally will be one of 3,000-plus events happening nationwide, according to a press release from Juneau organizers.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska came to Juneau last week to give training sessions on what to do if residents encounter immigration enforcement actions in town – whether you’re a bystander, an employer or someone getting detained.

Ten Juneau high school students gained real-world home-building experience — and some much-needed Vitamin D — earlier this month during a school district trip to Maui, Hawaii.

Last month, the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs task force arrested a Juneau man and found nearly $160,000-worth of controlled substances at his residence – most of which was fentanyl.

Voting begins Wednesday for University of Alaska staff across the state to decide on forming a union. The group is called the Coalition of Alaska University Employees for Equity.

A bill meant to protect Alaskans from drinking water contaminated with PFAS – which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – had its first committee hearing in the Alaska Legislature on Thursday. PFAS, often called "forever chemicals" since they don’t break down naturally, are toxic and known to cause severe health problems.

It has now been more than a month since a Juneau man who had been staying at a local shelter for unhoused people was last seen by staff.

A bill that would change the scope of an Alaska sexual assault law had its first committee hearing yesterday. Democratic Juneau Rep. Sara Hannan’s bill, introduced this year, would alter a law that specifically criminalizes sexual assault by a medical provider.

A trial date for a lawsuit between the Juneau School District and its support staff union won’t be decided on for another six months. 

How many snow days is too many before Juneau’s school year extends into the summer?

The Juneau School District has one of the oldest school-based hunter education programs in Alaska. Its current teacher recently won the state’s Hunter Educator of the Year award after bringing hunter education back into Juneau’s classrooms.

Trail Mix, Inc. and the Juneau Off-Road Association (JORA) have received a second $10,000 award from Polaris Inc. T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program to support the ongoing development of a 35-mile off-road vehicle (ORV) park. This would be the first ORV park in Southeast Alaska.

When northerly winds blow 10 degrees Fahrenheit Interior air into Lynn Canal, some Juneauites head for the windblown slopes on Eaglecrest or the downwind side of Mendenhall Lake. Others head for the water.

Language educators in Juneau are working to create a Master’s in teaching program for Indigenous languages at the University of Alaska Southeast. It would be the first of its kind in Alaska.

Ten boats sank in Juneau harbors during the intense winter storms that struck at the beginning of the year. The city is still dealing with the aftermath…( Read full story )

During Thursday’s meeting, the Juneau School Board discussed adding rather than cutting positions next school year. But unsettled union contracts continue to bring uncertainty to the budget process.

The City of Hoonah has a new chief of police to replace the last chief who was fired while trying to resign last spring. 

The University of Alaska is asking state lawmakers for millions in additional funding next year, saying the money is needed to stabilize operations, cover rising costs and address campus safety and student mental health needs.

Monday is Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, an Alaska State holiday honoring a Lingit activist, who testified before Alaska’s territorial legislature in Juneau to demand civil rights for Alaska Native people.

As breweries in Alaska adjust to a legal ruling that could allow them to have unlimited live shows, a different sort of industry is also celebrating: musicians. 

Perseverance Theatre had originally planned to bring its newest production, opening in Juneau later this month, to Anchorage. For the past decade, the theater has regularly run productions in both the capital city and Anchorage. But staff say the decision to postpone the latter leg came after a period of financial pressure on the national and local level…( Read full story )

In a Jan. 24 draft decision, the U.S. Forest Service said it would not move forward with constructing the Herbert Glacier cabin due to “the complexity of the cabin location and ongoing capacity challenges.”

A Juneau resident took home a sick mountain goat kid with crusty skin lesions after hiking Perseverance Trail last weekend and contacted the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Officials say the goat had a highly contagious viral skin infection that can transfer to humans and pets.

Some storefront owners in Juneau spoke out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or shuttered their doors Friday as part of the nationwide general strike following recent killings in Minneapolis.

According to the study, published in the journal Landslides in November, news outlets reported 281 destructive landslides between 1883 and 2025 in Alaska.

Juneau high school students are speaking out about how unresolved contract negotiations are affecting them in the classroom.

With almost 700 participants, Juneau’s annual board game convention sold out for a second time this year. Some people traveled from as far as Indiana and Massachusetts to play at Platypus Con. And the weekend-long event stayed open late — until the early morning hours…( Read full story )

What began as a simple solution to an overcrowded online buy-and-sell page has grown into one of Juneau’s most influential community forums.

Fourth Street, between Main and Seward streets, will be closed to traffic between noon and 1 p.m. on Jan. 24 for a rally in front of the Alaska State Capitol, according to an information release from the Juneau Police Department.

Seventeen-year-old Quinn Branch was among the young fishermen socializing at the Hangar on the Wharf ballroom in downtown Juneau on Tuesday evening as part of the Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit.

More than eight years after 19-year-old Kake resident Jade Williams was killed at a party, a man has been sentenced for causing her death. 

Alaska lost about a third of its U.S. Forest Service employees in the past year due to federal staffing cuts led by the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Before that, the agency had around 700 Alaska-based staff. This month, the agency told KTOO that 467 remain.

With the state Legislature starting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the policymakers from across the state have returned to Alaska’s capital city.

Among the many impacts of the storm, 10 boats sank in harbors across the city, weighed down by snow loads. Juneau Docks and Harbors deployed extra deckhands to shovel boats out before they went under.

The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska recently launched a new foundation. Its main goal right now is to fundraise for a new education campus in Juneau.

The City of Hoonah declared a local emergency this week following heavy snowstorms in the region.

The roof of the Bill Ray Center, an empty building on F Street in downtown Juneau, collapsed Tuesday following back-to-back snowstorms and rain…( Read full story )

Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon is travelling to Washington, D.C., this week to press federal officials and Alaska’s congressional delegation for funding and coordination on the city’s long-term solution to recurring flood risk from Suicide Basin, even as the capital city grapples with ongoing winter weather…( Read full story )

Dozens of Thunder Mountain Mobile Park residents weren’t able to use their showers or do laundry over the holidays and during recent snowstorms. Wright Services, the company that owns the park, said it won’t be able to repair the main water line until temperatures warm. And warm weather isn’t in the forecast any time soon…( Read full story )

“My Mother’s Bones,” weaves women’s stories through the language of folklore and fairytales. An exhibition by artists Rachel Levy and Alex Bookless, the show debuted at First Friday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center…( Read full story )

After Juneau residents helped raise more than $1 million this fall, a local boy with a rare genetic disease will be able to receive a potentially life-changing gene therapy in the new year. For the past two years, 4-year-old Cade Jobsisʼs mother Emma Jobsis has been raising money to allow scientists to restart clinical trials that previously showed promising results treating AP4 Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, or SPG50…( Read full story )

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, or DEED, found that the Juneau School District did not provide occupational therapy services to some students that were supposed to receive them last school year…( Read full story )

This week marks six months since 42-year-old Juneau resident Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin was last seen in downtown Juneau.   His brother, Martin Stepetin Sr., said his family and friends haven’t stopped looking for him even during the holidays…( Read full story )

The Juneau School District has begun work on a new five-year strategic plan aimed at guiding the district through academic, organizational and financial challenges ahead…( Read full story )

Some hunters say restricting hunts on does and younger bucks will lead to a more mature Sitka blacktail deer population on Douglas. State officials say the proposed regulations would miss their target…( Read full story )

An Alaska Airlines flight headed from Juneau to Sitka on Monday morning was struck by lightning just before landing. The plane landed safely in Sitka

The Juneau School District Board of Education took another step toward finding a new superintendent.  At a special board meeting Monday, the board approved a contract with a national search firm to find its next leader in a 5 to 1 vote, with board member Melissa Cullum absent…( Read full story )

A group of 14 student athletes from Angoon finally returned home from Juneau Friday morning after a cancelled ferry left them stuck in the capital city for four extra days…( Read full story )

Many retirees tend to spend their leisure time volunteering, reading books, or playing pickleball. But, 69-year-old Jack “Jack Hammer” Duckworth spent his Saturday evening in a boxing ring at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, facing an opponent half his age. He was there for the AK Beatdown’s 40th fight night in Juneau…( Read full story )