Notes On The News: Juneau Independent’s reporters win nine Alaska Press Club awards
- Juneau Independent
- 7 hours ago
- 10 min read
Five journalists who spent first half of 2025 at the Juneau Empire before launching the Independent explain how winning entries at both publications originated and were written
By Juneau Independent staff
There was, practically speaking, one award-winning local newspaper staff in Juneau in 2025.
The team spent the first half of the year at the corporate-owned “legacy” newspaper, the Juneau Empire. Its editor launched his own nonprofit publication — and the rest of the newsroom joined soon after — in the second half for reasons that made a few headlines in themselves. The change also came during a year of great media turmoil and uncertainty locally, statewide and nationally.
What continued during those 12 months was the same coverage by a newsroom that a year ago won eight Alaska Press Club awards, including first place for Best News Reporting. This year its staff won nine awards at Saturday’s ceremony in Anchorage — four during the first half of the year at the Juneau Empire, five during the second half at the Juneau Independent.
Below is the full list of 2025 awards, and each reporter’s explanation of how the article(s) originated, and how they were reported and written. Also noted are the publication, date and media category (all media, all print, large print). The Independent opted to compete in the large print category (Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Beacon, etc.) rather than small (Chilkat Valley News, Wrangell Sentinel, etc.) since the Empire is also in that category.
Klas Stolpe, sports editor
• First place: Best Sports or Outdoor Column for “Pure Sole” (Juneau Empire, print all)
Columns submitted were “I could have been a wrestler” (Feb. 23), “Fast Freddie” (April 2), “Come and do the KCIBR” (June 24). For those without Empire paywall access, Pure Sole columns at the Independent include “I am not Santa” and “Sweaters on? Show ‘em off!”
Klas: I have always liked to bare my “soul,” to write honestly about myself, poke fun at myself, my life, pull on my own heartstrings to emote a laugh or a tear from a reader. It is an emotional form of therapy. Something “Pure,” if you will. I originally just wrote columns without a heading, but one job required a moniker. Since I was an avid outdoorsy runner-type at the time, giving a “soul” to a shoe’s “sole” was a perfect “fit.” Pure Sole helps me to be creative, opinionated, to laugh, cry, teach, learn, honor, repent and rejoice, to shake my fist into the sky and rail long into the night, and to be imperfect. Or not.
• Third place: Best Sports Reporting: “Sitka pitcher Caleb Calhoun throws perfect outing” (Juneau Empire, May 13, print all)
Opening: A lot of zeros were already showing on the scoreboard of Ketchikan’s Norman Walker Field on Saturday when Sitka junior pitcher Caleb Calhoun stared down from the bump at senior catcher Tanner Steinson, with two outs and a full count on Kings junior Bryant Marquez.
“My catcher, Tanner, he’ll give me signs and I’ll shake him off and tell him what I want,” Calhoun said. “He gave me a couple knuckleballs, but I was like, ‘No, I’m throwing a fastball.’ I love my fastball…”
Klas: A perfect game is one of the holy grails of sports, at any level, but I wanted to make the piece enjoyable for those who are not die-hard sports fans too. I thought the best way was to try and walk through his thoughts during the outing, earlier that day and earlier in his life, and between those to try to add some history, future plans…and to close, I thought asking him how he would pitch to me — an unknown batter — for the first time would be a great ending.
Jasz Garrett, managing editor
• Second place: Best Legal Affairs Reporting for “Four local lives turned ‘upside down’ by one person’s choice to drive under the influence” (Juneau Independent, Nov. 14, all media)
Opening: Kyle Walker, 41, was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison, with two years suspended, and five years of felony probation by Juneau Superior Court Judge Marianna Carpeneti.
“Joanna Tedford will never remember her father before your car struck him,” Carpeneti told Walker during the sentencing hearing at the Juneau courthouse…
Jasz: This story was challenging as it was my first time reporting at Juneau’s Dimond Courthouse. I talked with the family before and after the hearing to gauge their comfort level with coverage and interviews. With crime stories in particular, it is important to remember these are real people whose lives have been impacted. I also wanted to emphasize how the criminal’s life had changed since it was a theme of the judge’s comments. The story was suggested by a friend of the victim’s wife on the same day the sentencing hearing was scheduled. With our limited staff, we are not daily cops and courts reporters, and we were unaware of the sentencing until the news tip arrived. My editor had previously reported the story in 2024 when the victim began recovering, so we decided to follow up. Since it was a decision made in the moment, I did not have time to get my recording and photo request for coverage inside the courthouse approved. Unlike my other award-winning stories that follow this one, photos were not a central component. My ability to observe was tested. With just a notepad, I listened quietly during the hearing and noticed body language, expressions and the general emotional atmosphere of the room. It was also essential to check court records and documents, and contact attorneys from both sides. I learned from my editor how to navigate this. The writing process was intensive to ensure accuracy and sensitivity, and what stuck with me after completing the story was that although the man driving intoxicated had been sentenced, the family said they were unsure what closure this brought them.
• Second place: Best Culture Reporting for “Hoonah’s rich fishing history remembered through totem pole” (Juneau Empire, June 2, print all)
Opening: Wanda Culp was one of 104 people from Juneau who headed to “touch home” on a catamaran to Hoonah on Friday, provided by the Huna Heritage Foundation. She joined others in the killer whale song as a pod swam by.
The group was on its way to celebrate the unveiling of a new totem pole meant to honor the Tlingit community’s historic Million Dollar Fleet…
Jasz: Hopping aboard a catamaran media seat provided by Huna Heritage Foundation, I made my way to Hoonah from Auke Bay for the unveiling of a Kootéeyaa/totem pole honoring the Tlingit community’s historic Million Dollar Fleet. The other option would have been to take a seaplane, but the boat ride allowed ample time for interviews. I learned quickly about the fishing and tourism economy in Hoonah and how it impacts the Tlingit people who live there. I conducted most of my interviews with attendees while on the boat, and city officials and carvers while at the ceremony. A big part of this story was listening to the songs and storytelling by Tlingit leaders, and following up with them to understand the meaning behind the ceremony. It was important to be respectful and remember these stories aren’t just stories, but a people’s culture and history. Since I was largely unfamiliar with Hoonah’s fishing history, I also took what I learned from the experience and visited the Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums, plus Huna Heritage Foundation archives, after returning and incorporated that information during the writing process.
• Second place: Best Science Reporting for “As Suicide Basin expands, knowledge about its outbursts does the same” (Juneau Independent, Aug. 31, print large)
Opening: With silt-caked hands, University of Alaska Southeast researchers Eran Hood and Sean Fagan climbed steep rocks to peer into an empty Suicide Basin, hours after the Mendenhall River had crested below.
In just two days, about 15 billion gallons of water were released from the side basin above the east face of the Mendenhall Glacier. The torrent of water unleashed into the Mendenhall River, which peaked at 16.65 feet on the morning of Aug. 13, rushing at 51,100 cubic feet per second…
Jasz: The day of the Mendenhall River’s record-breaking crest of 16.65 feet, I flew in a helicopter with the University of Alaska Southeast’s research team to the freshly emptied Suicide Basin. When I got the notification five hours before take off, I had just finished a crest update with our team. Sporting microspikes and a dry bag, we landed on the east side of Mendenhall Glacier. For a flood I’ve witnessed since 2011 and reported on since 2023, I felt prepared. But once I saw the basin in person, I had a similar reaction to UAS researcher Sean Fagan, who was shocked at Suicide Basin’s scale after staring at a computer screen for months to create the UAS Juneau Glacial Flood Dashboard. As a drone surveyed the empty basin so the scientists could detect if its storage capacity had changed, the most important things for me to learn were the factors that made the flood bigger, and all of the moving parts and people that contribute to our understanding of it. The writing process was long and complicated, as it's important with all science stories to break down jargon so an audience can clearly understand the details without losing the depth. Photos and telling the story in a way that tried to bring the reader to the scene were also important. The trip was possible because of the trust and relationships I had established with our local experts beforehand, who also helped confirm facts during the writing process.
Ellie Ruel, reporter
• Second place: Best Humor for “How the rest of the world covered the 2025 GLOF” (Juneau Independent, Aug. 14, all media)
Opening: The HESCO barriers were referred to as a “makeshift dirt wall” by The Washington Post and “Hesko barriers” by CBS. The Associated Press let its geographically challenged readers know record flooding in Alaska’s capital wouldn’t affect Friday’s U.S.-Russia summit in Anchorage.
Another somewhat confusing moment was USA Today’s explanation of why the localized power outages were less than ideal for residents, which cited Alaskans’ apparent tendencies toward chest freezers…
Ellie: After a few long days of flood reporting, most of the Independent’s staff was sitting around a table, half asleep, sifting through the coverage from the day of the crest. By that point a good number of national media outlets had covered the Suicide Basin glacial lake outburst flood and popped up in press conferences or Facebook comments. Our editor, Mark, offhandedly mentioned a feature analyzing outside news coverage back in Norway. The next morning, I dug through every national story I could find and was shocked at how differently the outside world perceived what happened on the ground. Even locally, AI-generated images were circulating that painted a wildly different picture than reality. Stitching together and fact-checking the ludicrous and inaccurate information as I wrote, the piece turned into a slightly snarky commentary on news literacy and how easy it is for facts to be skewed during a disaster, especially for an event so unique to the area.
Natalie Buttner, reporter/intern
• Second place: Best Long Feature for “With limited time ashore, cruise ship crew seek comfort and essentials in Juneau” (Juneau Independent, Aug. 19, print all)
Opening: Thousands of crew members arrive in Juneau every summer via cruise ship. While the passengers they serve look for uniquely Alaskan souvenirs, the international crew hopes to find a sense of home.
In July, Maricar Encabo was eating at the downtown Filipino restaurant, Golddigger. She introduced herself: “My name is Maricar, but in the ship they call me queen — queen of massage.”…
Natalie: I got a sense of the scale of the cruise ship industry in Juneau while typing up the “Ships in Port” section as a new intern at the Juneau Empire. I was curious about what Juneau looks like to a cruise ship crew member, who may disembark in Juneau many times over the course of the summer. I began reporting on cruise ship workers after meeting Albert Efergan and Arlene Diente, the owners of The Golddigger, a downtown restaurant frequented by cruise ship workers. Efergan allowed me to go table to table, speaking with crew members while they ate. I also spoke with cruise ship workers while they used the Wi-Fi in Marine Park, and rode with them to get groceries at Fred Meyer and Costco. My interviews with Juneauites like Efergan who have spent careers catering to cruise ship workers helped me understand why Juneau is a highly anticipated stop: Juneau not only introduces tourists to Alaska, but also reminds international crews of home.
Mark Sabbatini, editor
• Second place: Best Public Safety Reporting for “Former JPD officer Brandon LeBlanc says his actions were justified as state opts not to file criminal charges” (Juneau Independent, Oct. 14, print large)
Opening: Brandon LeBlanc says he acted properly and the harsh public criticism aimed at him by local leaders makes it less likely other police officers will be willing to stay at the Juneau Police Department. Meanwhile, he’s back in Louisiana looking for a new job and doesn’t think the violent arrest that led to his forced resignation will be a serious obstacle.
"In Louisiana, this is like a regular Friday night," he said during a phone interview Tuesday, referring to the July 30 confrontation that became a public controversy when a citizen's video of it was distributed widely…
Mark: This was largely an instance of simply answering the phone when the officer called, presumably feeling it was safe to tell his side of the story once prosecutors announced they wouldn’t file charges. A vital part of such interviews is not to seem sympathetic in order to keep a person talking while also asking the necessary “tough” questions without personal animosity. In this instance, it meant asking his response to comments made by local officials, residents at protests, etc. about his actions. I also asked him to describe step-by-step the incident and resulting investigation, which revealed details that led to further questions I asked of officials — such as a decision to allow him to keep all of a four-year signing bonus in exchange for resigning a year into the job.
• Third place: Best Public Safety Reporting for “Juneau’s homeless camping crisis,” (Juneau Empire, May 24, print large)
Opening: Tiffany Koeneman says people experiencing homelessness shouldn’t be living in squalor near the business where she works.
Jason Williams, lying ill in a tent along a nearby street because he’s unable to find housing or medical care, couldn’t agree more. “I need help and there should be some kind of law against throwing a disabled person out on the streets,” he said…
Mark: This is among the many stories I’ve written the past few years about the increasingly difficult situation involving people experiencing homelessness in Juneau. When possible the intent is simple: ensure all people affected and their viewpoints are included, but without sharing false accusations and overlooking harsh truths that are plentiful in these situations. It’s inevitable people are going to have sympathetic or hostile opinions about unhoused residents, officials responsible for enforcement policies and the community’s collective attitude toward the issue. My goal, as in all things reported, is that people be as accurately informed as possible while forming those opinions.
• Contact the Juneau Independent’s newsroom at editor@juneauindependent.com.
