KTOO Public Media

Juneau superintendent finalists focus on building trust, relationships during community forum Juneau community members had the opportunity to meet and ask questions to the three superintendent finalists during a forum on Wednesday.

The school board plans to deliberate on the finalists – Shawn Arnold, Kevin Shipley and Carlee Simon – this Saturday before deciding on Juneau's next superintendent.

Eaglecrest Ski Area’s preliminary gondola installation cost comes in at estimated $27M The number is more than three times higher than originally expected and far more than the city has to pay for the project.

With the new $27 million installation price tag, the ski area’s board and city face the task of deciding whether to move forward with the project — or scrap it altogether. Both come with their own set of hurdles.

Alaska lawmakers consider another increase to per-student public school funding With school districts across the state projecting deep cuts, the heads of the House Education Committee say it's clear last year's education funding boost wasn't enough.

Sitka independent Rep. Rebecca Himschoot and Juneau Democratic Rep. Andi Story introduced a bill Wednesday that would boost the so-called base student allocation by $630 at an estimated cost of $159 million.

(From @alaskapublic.org)

Murkowski, despite misgivings, votes against withdrawing Trump's power to conduct Iran war There's "no question" the president should've asked Congress first, she said, but ending combat now doesn't help.

She said “there’s no question” Trump should have sought authorization from Congress before launching such a major strike.

(From @alaskapublic.org)

Juneau School District reaches tentative agreement with support staff union The agreement comes almost one year since both parties initially exchanged proposed contracts.

The contract increases wages and employer contributions to health insurance. If it’s approved, it would raise the hourly wage for all positions by $2 this school year and provide for backpay retroactive to June 2025, when the last contract ended.

Juneau students have missed four days this school year due to snow. So far, they won’t have to make them up. That’s partially because the district was able to get some of the lost days waived by the state due to extraordinary weather. It also has four extra days built into its calendar.

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

Feds sue Juneau’s former docks and harbors board chair over $900K sunken tugboat cleanup The Justice Department filed suit in late February against longtime Juneau resident Don Etheridge and his wife, Teresa, in Alaska’s U.S. District Court.

The Tagish had approximately 60 gallons of diesel fuel and 50 gallons of lube oil on board when it sank. Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, were called in to address the pollution threat.

Skijoring is an exhilarating way to spend time with your dog. Here are 4 tips to get started. If you have a high energy dog that loves the snow — this sport might be for you.

For @alaskapublic.org’s new series, Alaska Survival Kit, KTOO's Clarise Larson chatted with professionals to learn how to make skijoring fun for both you and your pup.

Alaska’s Hunter Educator of the Year award goes to Juneau middle school teacher The current teacher of the Juneau School District’s hunter education program recently won the state’s Hunter Educator of the Year award after bringing the course back into the classroom.

As part of survival and hunting skills, James White teaches Juneau middle schoolers first aid, CPR, firearm safety and basic cooking.

He said he cooks game meat for students, and it’s one of the main ways to get buy-in from them.

Alaska legislators view Iran war-induced oil price spike with caution A short-term increase in oil prices could help reduce the state's draw on savings, but lawmakers say they're not counting on higher prices in the long term.

So far, analysts say it’s a relatively moderate reaction from the oil markets, and a prolonged conflict or wider war could push prices even higher.

(From @alaskapublic.org)

After being moved from the finance committee yesterday, the supplemental budget is on today's Senate calendar, along with a number of other bills in second and third reading. #akleg

Snowstorm causes Juneau city facilities, Thane Road to close Heavy snowfall affected roads Tuesday afternoon amid a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service.

The City & Borough of Juneau announced early facility closures Tuesday as a snowstorm affected road conditions and the state will close Thane Road at 6 p.m.

Alaska lawmakers push Trump administration to waive $100k visa fee for international teachers Rural Alaska districts are especially reliant on international teachers to keep instructors in their classrooms.

Lawmakers are considering a resolution urging the federal government to waive the fee for hiring new teachers under the H-1B visa program, which they say imposes impossible financial burdens on Alaska school districts.

(From @alaskabeacon.com)

Lawmakers question Alaska's decision to turn over confidential voter data to DOJ Lawmakers in the predominantly Democratic bipartisan House majority said they were concerned the state didn't push back harder on the DOJ's request.

The state turned over the voter list to the federal government in December after a series of requests from the Department of Justice.

(From @alaskapublic.org)

Prosecutors drop case against UAF student about 5 weeks after he ate AI-generated art Nick Dwyer, the graduate student whose artwork was destroyed, signed an affidavit Feb. 3 in support of a motion dismissing the misdemeanor criminal mischief charge against Graham Granger. Prosecutors…

The charge initially came after Granger ripped up and chewed the AI-generated artwork of UAF Master of Fine Arts student Nick Dwyer in January, the same day of the arrest.

(From KUAC - Fairbanks)

Community can weigh in on Juneau School District superintendent finalists this week Members of the Juneau community have an opportunity to watch recorded interviews with finalists for Juneau schools superintendent and give feedback to the school board by Thursday.

The public will have an opportunity to meet the three candidates in person Wednesday at Thunder Mountain Middle School at 6 p.m.

Juneau leaders ask Army Corps why it reversed on long-term glacial outburst flood solution Agency staff say they want to look at an intermediate solution since the temporary levee could fail before a long-term solution is completed.

Juneau’s city leaders say they’re concerned this change will delay a long-term solution.

Alaska House advances bill intended to boost workforce housing House Bill 184 attempts to address Alaska's severe housing shortage by allowing AIDEA to invest in workforce housing with 5 or more units.

Juneau Democratic Rep. Andi Story, the bill’s prime sponsor, said that Alaska’s housing shortage is “at crisis levels,” which is contributing to workforce challenges.

(From @alaskabeacon.com)

Alaska Folk Festival guest artist Willi Carlisle on what's bringing him back to Juneau Folk singer-songwriter Willi Carlisle is this year's guest artist at the 51st annual Alaska Folk Festival in April.

Willi Carlisle is from Kansas, and has spent his career in and around the Ozark mountains learning folk traditions and reimagining them. He previously performed at Juneau’s festival in 2019.

Alaska House passes bill limiting AI sexual imagery and child social media use The bill would ban AI-generated child sexual abuse material and, for adults, AI deepfakes and revenge porn. It also includes sharp limits on minors' use of social media.

Lawmakers greatly expanded the scope of the bill just before passing it, including provisions that would severely limit children’s access to social media.

(From @alaskapublic.org)

Sen. Sullivan says he supports attack on Iran He spoke of a limited role for the U.S. in regime change: "It's something that we can shape, but that's going to be ultimately up to the Iranian people."

He didn’t directly answer whether he thinks Congress needs to provide authorization for further military action in Iran.

(From @alaskapublic.org)

Juneau athletes head to Canada to compete in Arctic Winter Games Four traditional snowshoers from Juneau will participate, alongside 270 other athletes from across Alaska.

Juneau is sending a total of 29 athletes who will compete in hockey, basketball, alpine skiing, volleyball, figure skating, futsal and Arctic sports — those last two are a version of indoor soccer and a series of traditional games like the Alaskan high kick and the knuckle hop.

It's Monday, March 2, the 42nd legislative day of this 2026 legislative session. The House and Senate have floor sessions this morning with the opportunity for amendments on several items. #akleg

A new mining company wants to restart ore exports in Skagway The proposal has revived concern over legacy contamination from ore shipping in the local port, and how to ensure it doesn't continue.

A new company is working to restart operations at Minto Mine and is in talks with officials in Skagway about what it would look like to again use the local port.

(From KHNS - Haines)

ICE took this mom and her kids from Soldotna. Shock, outrage and sadness came next. Federal immigration officials detained and deported Sonia Espinoza Arriaga and two of her three sons, ages 5 and 16. As of Thursday, her oldest son remains in custody at an ICE detention center in…

Less than 48 hours after ICE arrived on their doorstep, they were in Mexico. In the days since, community members, faith leaders and state lawmakers have all jumped into action to support the family amid their uncertain future.

(From KDLL - Kenai)

Marine Park in downtown Juneau to undergo major $10M rebuild starting next week The park's reconstruction is expected to start on March 2 and last through April of 2027.

The rebuild is estimated to cost nearly $10 million and will be paid entirely by fees the city collects from cruise ship tourists that visit Juneau, called marine passenger fees.

Anchorage lawmaker pushes legislation to protect sibling ties for Alaska foster youth Under Alaska law, adoption ends the legal relationship between children and birth families — including siblings. Foster youth have called for changes to the law to preserve contact.

House Bill 157 would maintain the legal relationship between siblings through the process of adoption, and also encourage adoptive families to support sibling relationships.

(From @alaskabeacon.com)

Two more chances for public testimony today on the budget. Testify from your local Legislative Information Office or call in to let Senate Finance members know what you'd like to see in this and next year's state budget. #akleg

Q&A with Capital City Fire/Rescue's new chief on staff retention and resources New CCFR Chief Tom Hatley wants to rebuild morale and reshape the culture inside the department.

Juneau's new fire chief wants to rebuild morale and reshape the culture inside Capital City Fire/Rescue.

Juneau airport seeks new emergency fire trucks following brief shutdown scare The airport told the Juneau Assembly about the vehicle issues and more during a joint finance committee meeting Wednesday night, when the Assembly also met with Bartlett Regional Hospital’s board.

When two of the three specialized emergency vehicles needed repairs in recent weeks, the airport couldn’t accept some larger planes from coming to Juneau, including some Alaska Airlines jets.