Juneau Independent

A Canadian company proposing to reopen a gold mine in British Columbia plans to drive a large boat up Alaska’s Taku River this summer to see whether it can ship construction materials to the site. Some locals worry it could run aground or damage property along the banks.

More than 100 middle school students in Juneau are getting hands-on experience to learn about traditional Lingít carving by crafting their own canoe paddles in the classroom.

oung Juneau musicians got a chance to bring down the house over the weekend at a dual fundraiser for the Juneau Soccer Club and a music program that groups kids who want to play in rock bands.

The Juneau School Board will consider what to add back to its budget for this fiscal year during a regular meeting Tuesday night.

Huna Totem Corporation officials say they are full steam ahead with the plan to open downtown Juneau’s fifth cruise ship dock by 2028. That’s despite unexpected timeline delays and price hikes that may scale down the project.

“Tambayan at Kwentuhan,” features the stories, photos and belongings of Filipino elders in Juneau. The name means “a place to hang out and share stories” in Tagalog.

Public service is nothing out of the ordinary for Scott Ciambor, a longtime employee of the City and Borough of Juneau.

You’ve likely seen Brian Wallace around town. And odds are, he was carrying a camera. Wallace has been taking photos of Juneau people, places and happenings since he was a kid. He worked as a photojournalist at the Juneau Empire for nearly 30 years…(Read full story)

A week after a Ward Air plane crashed and sank into Favorite Channel near Juneau, officials are still piecing together what happened.

In the aftermath of a disaster, Community Emergency Response Team volunteers can help save lives and protect property.

Most households and businesses in the rural community of Gustavus rely on septic systems. For years, a private company from Juneau ferried over to pump them out.

A group of Juneau organizations and the regional tribal government are working together on an event that will provide direct services to unhoused people in Juneau.

As the Alaska Folk Festival approaches, so does a big spike in activity at downtown bars.

Alaska school districts consistently build budgets based on many uncertainties, but a bill that aims to stabilize the budgeting process moved out of the House Education Committee Wednesday.

Alaska education leaders told lawmakers Monday, that the state’s public schools are in a “crisis” due to rising vacancies, high teacher and principle turnover and growing student needs, all while enrollment declines…( Read full story )

Tribal citizens in and outside Alaska recently voted to elect new delegates and community council members to represent them in the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

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.