Photos from the news in 2012

December 31, 2012 by Heather Bryant

2012 saw a variety of stories and events in Juneau. Here are some of the photos from this year covering major events, breaking news and stories from Juneau and around Alaska.

More than 620 University of Alaska Southeast graduates from three campuses celebrated their degrees. It was the largest graduating class in UAS history. 2012 UAS graduating class largest in history
The approximately 200-foot vessel was washed out to sea by last years Japanese tsunami. It crossed the Pacific Ocean without crew or power, then drifted up the coast of British Columbia into Alaska waters. Wadlow says the Coast Guard fired 440 rounds of explosive ordinance at the ships waterline. The Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa crew douses the adrift Japanese vessel after shelling started a fire. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen. Scuttled ship watched for oil debris
A group of 20-somethings from Juneau set out on the trip of a lifetime on June 1. Theyll be kayaking through Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, then hopping on bikes and riding through the rest of the Americas. Their final destination is Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina. (Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO) Launching the trip of a lifetime
Dozens of families made their way to Twin Lakes on Saturday, June 2, for Family Fishing Day. Cheyenne Herline, 5, shows off her first fish. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Families get on the water for fishing day
Groups of volunteers spread across the new Under Thunder trail on June 2, 2012, as part of the National Trails Day celebrations.The crews worked on clearing logs and debris and re-vegetating muddy areas along the trail. Erik Boraas, executive director of Trail Mix, cuts logs to be hauled off the trail. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Volunteers gather to celebrate new trail
A proposed roundabout in Auke Bay that could have meant the loss of DeHart's generated controversy and prompted a petitions with more than 1,000 signatures in opposition. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) 1,000 sign petition opposing Auke Bay Roundabout
Southeast Alaska’s largest Native cultural gathering kicked off in earnest on June 7, with the Grand Entrance Procession in Juneau. A man with the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Dancers wears fur and carries a fan made of feathers. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) A grand entrance to Celebration 2012
Several hundred people welcomed seven canoe teams Wednesday who paddled to Juneau for Celebration 2012. About 90 people made the trip and came from Angoon, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Juneau, Kake, Sitka, and Wrangell. They ranged in age from 10 to 70. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Celebration Paddlers
Vandalism at Adair Kennedy Memorial Field in the Mendenhall Valley delayed the turf replacement project. Fire damage to specialized equipment used to lay new turf at Juneauâs Adair Kennedy Memorial Field has been estimated at $20,000. (Photo by Rosemarie Alexander/KTOO) Damage mounts from turf field vandalism
Visitors stop by the new waterfront visitor center in Juneau in 2012. Roughly 1 million people visit Juneau by cruise ship each summer. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
Dozens of Juneau teenagers held a quiet memorial at Auke Lake late Monday afternoon on June 25 for 16-year-old Savannah Cayce who died earlier in the day of her injuries from a collision between an inner tube and a Jet Ski. (Photo by Jim Mahan) Juneau girl dies from injuries in Auke Lake Accident
Marine debris is nothing new, and a NOAA crew found little of note in June’s survey of outside Panhandle beaches. Beginning in Ketchikan, five scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hit 36 sites, looking for debris from the March 2011 tsunami that hit Japan.
University of Alaska student Derek Chamberlin stands atop a large ship's mooring buoy which must have broken off it's chain anchor. The mooring buoy was found by NOAA marine debris scientists at Whale Bay, North Cape on Baranof Island during a recent marine debris survey of Southeast Alaska shores. (Photo by Jacek Maselko, NOAA. June 20, 2012) NOAA crew surveys beaches for tsunami debris
June rainfall broke records and dropped temperatures in Juneau. Rushing water floods the ditches along Montana Creek road and come withing a few feet of covering the road. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) June rainfall breaks record and prompted flood advisory
Mendenhall Lake peaked at 8.36 feet and Mendenhall River crested at 9.98 feet after a jokulhlaup at Lake No Lake caused waters to rise. The ramp walkway from Skater's cabin to the beach of Mendenhall Lake was still under water on Friday July 6. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Flood advisory for Mendenhall lake and river cancelled
There was a rare guest in the Mendenhall Lake in July. A seal was spotted on July 6, cruising between the icebergs in the lake.(Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Harbor seal makes rare visit to Mendenhall Lake
The clouds broke and the sun started to shine last night as almost 30 people gathered to watch the Juneau Raptor Center release Aquila the bald eagle back into the wild. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Aquila the eagle flies off into the sunset
Ensign William Stark sported a viking helmet throughout the tug-of-war competition. The Olympics are part of the 2012 U.S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Round-up. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Buoy tender Olympics wake up Juneau
Live Cams were installed at the famous Katmai Falls to livestream 24 hour footage of the bears of Katmai online. The project is the culmination of a long running effort to share Katmai with the world. (Screengrab from explore.org) New live cams at Brooks Falls share a bit of Alaska with the world
The goal posts are up and games will soon be played on the new turf field at Adair Kennedy Park in Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley. After the uprights are added the crossbar is rotated back to a level position. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Crews wrap up turf replacement at Adair Kennedy Park
Picabo is a young female harbor seal. She was rescued on the dock at Allen Marine in May. The young pup was born premature and was abandoned. Rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center, she was released back into the wild on Aug. 14 in Juneau. She wears a special satellite tracker so that the SeaLife Center can follow her whereabouts until she sheds the tracker. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Rehabilitated Harbor seals head for the ocean
Children line the beach to watch the seals swim. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
This summer, the movies came to Juneau, where Wildlike filmed in locations around the capital city and across Alaska. (Image courtesy Wildlike) Wildlike movie seeks to tell a real Alaska story
The grizzly assault along an Arkansas country road that killed 19-year-old Kevin Thornton of Juneau last year has forever changed the lives of four families. Thorntonâs family suffers daily. Two youth have been convicted of second degree murder, with their parents to visit their sons in prison. The third boy, convicted of a lesser charge, will be on probation for years. Two teens are headed to prison a year after the murder of Kevin Thornton
The sign out front still says Alaskan & Proud, but the new Foodland IGA is now open in the only large-scale grocery space in downtown Juneau. (Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO) Foodland reopens under new ownership
Tallulah, 8, and her friend Maximo Wagglebottom, won the costume contest. "He doesn't like wearing it," says Tallulah about the dress Maximo wore. "He was biting it." Ten dogs and one cat took to the stage last Saturday for the Pawsitively Fabulous Pet Fashion Show. (Photo by Heather Bryant /KTOO) Animal lovers gather at the JACC for Pet Fest
Dozens of families gathered today for the annual Fall Family Fun Fest at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.The mask making table was quite busy with costumed children making masks of their favorite animals. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Families gather in costume at Mendenhall Visitor center for educational fun
West bowl at Eaglecrest Ski Area. Photo by Rosemarie Alexander/KTOO.
A new 4-H equestrian club in Juneau links riders at Fairweather stables to the Southeast 4-H community.The group hosted their first pony ride in October. Sunlight streams into the dusty barn as Higgins carries another rider around the arena. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) New 4-H group connects kids and horses
A construction barge is removing the DeHartâs marina in Auke Bay this week. The work is the first phase of the Statter Harbor master plan. (Photo by Heather Bryant /KTOO) Construction barge begins removal of Dehart's Marina
The icebreaker Healy stopped in Juneau at the beginning of November after another season's work, and the ship's crew invited the public aboard. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Coast Guard's newest icebreaker stops in Juneau
John Marvin, Jr., 47, stands trial for the August 28, 2010 deaths of Hoonah police officers Matt Tokuoka and Tony Wallace. After allegedly shooting both officers, other officers who responded to the scene said that Marvin engaged in a standoff with them for nearly a day before he surrendered. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO) The John Marvin, Jr. Trial
Capital City Fire and Rescue spent the night of Nov. 5 fighting a blaze at the Gastineau Apartments in downtown Juneau. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Firefighters battle blaze downtown
A new memorial was dedicated on the waterfront on Nov. 14 to commemorate those who lost their lives aboard the U.S.S. Juneau seventy years ago. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) USS Juneau memorial rededicated
Alaskas westernmost point is actually in the Eastern Hemisphere. Attu Island is the last in the Aleutian Chain, and closer to Russia than Alaskas mainland. The fog enshrouded island doesn't get many visitors, but earlier this month the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman and some of her crew called, each with their own unique tie to Attu. (Photo by Capt. Joe Hester.) Journey to Attu
Taking advantage of the perfect snow covered lot, a group from the Coast Guard base take a break for a little football. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
A barge with a crane is in place at Coast Guard Station Juneau to install a mooring dolphin. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Mooring dolphin going in at Station Juneau
The Governor's mansion is cloaked in holiday lights in downtown Juneau. (Photo by Danny Peterson) Parnell family welcomes the community at holiday open house
Eight-year-old violinists and arts in Juneau schools have drawn the John F. Kennedy Center to the capital city. Representatives from the nationals performing arts center are scoping out Juneau as a finalist for the Any Given Child program. Glacier Valley Elementary music teacher Lorrie Heagy hands a student a violin as violin instructor Guo Hua Xia picks out a bow. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO) Glacier Valley Elementary violinists play for special guests
About two dozen people gathered near the Capital School and Terry Miller Legislative Office building on Dec. 16 for a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO) Vigil for school shooting victims
Two people fell through ice at the face of the Mendenhall Glacier on Christmas Day. Capital City Fire and Rescue received a 911 call about 1 oâ clock Tuesday afternoon. Both people were pulled from the water by family members and were on their way back to the glacier visitorsâ center parking lot before emergency crews arrived. People walk on Mendenhall Lake in this photo taken on Nov. 20, 2012. While most of the lake is frozen over, areas near icebergs and at the face of the glacier are can still be unstable despite the dip in temperatures. (Photo by Heather Bryant) Two people take unexpected Christmas plunge in Mendenhall Lake

More than 620 University of Alaska Southeast graduates from three campuses celebrated their degrees. It was the largest graduating class in UAS history.

The approximately 200-foot vessel was washed out to sea by last years Japanese tsunami. It crossed the Pacific Ocean without crew or power, then drifted up the coast of British Columbia into Alaska waters. Wadlow says the Coast Guard fired 440 rounds of explosive ordinance at the ships waterline. The Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa crew douses the adrift Japanese vessel after shelling started a fire.

A group of 20-somethings from Juneau set out on the trip of a lifetime on June 1. Theyll be kayaking through Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, then hopping on bikes and riding through the rest of the Americas. Their final destination is Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina.

Dozens of families made their way to Twin Lakes on Saturday, June 2, for Family Fishing Day. Cheyenne Herline, 5, shows off her first fish.

Groups of volunteers spread across the new Under Thunder trail on June 2 as part of the National Trails Day celebrations.The crews worked on clearing logs and debris and re-vegetating muddy areas along the trail. Erik Boraas, executive director of Trail Mix, cuts logs to be hauled off the trail.

A proposed roundabout in Auke Bay that could have meant the loss of DeHart's generated controversy and prompted a petitions with more than 1,000 signatures in opposition.

Southeast Alaska’s largest Native cultural gathering kicked off in earnest on June 7, with the Grand Entrance Procession in Juneau. A man with the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Dancers wears fur and carries a fan made of feathers.

Several hundred people welcomed seven canoe teams Wednesday who paddled to Juneau for Celebration 2012. About 90 people made the trip and came from Angoon, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Juneau, Kake, Sitka, and Wrangell. They ranged in age from 10 to 70.

Vandalism at Adair Kennedy Memorial Field in the Mendenhall Valley delayed the turf replacement project. Fire damage to specialized equipment used to lay new turf at Juneauâ's Adair Kennedy Memorial Field has been estimated at $20,000.

Visitors stop by the new waterfront visitor center in Juneau in 2012. Roughly 1 million people visit Juneau by cruise ship each summer.

Dozens of Juneau teenagers held a quiet memorial at Auke Lake late Monday afternoon on June 25 for 16-year-old Savannah Cayce who died earlier in the day of her injuries from a collision between an inner tube and a Jet Ski.

Marine debris is nothing new, and a NOAA crew found little of note in June’s survey of outside Panhandle beaches. Beginning in Ketchikan, five scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hit 36 sites, looking for debris from the March 2011 tsunami that hit Japan. University of Alaska student Derek Chamberlin stands atop a large ship's mooring buoy which must have broken off it's chain anchor. The mooring buoy was found by NOAA marine debris scientists at Whale Bay, North Cape on Baranof Island during a recent marine debris survey of Southeast Alaska shores.

June rainfall broke records and dropped temperatures in Juneau. Rushing water floods the ditches along Montana Creek road and come withing a few feet of covering the road.

Mendenhall Lake peaked at 8.36 feet and Mendenhall River crested at 9.98 feet after a jokulhlaup at Lake No Lake caused waters to rise. The ramp walkway from Skater's cabin to the beach of Mendenhall Lake was still under water on Friday July 6.

There was a rare guest in the Mendenhall Lake in July. A seal was spottedon July 6, cruising between the icebergs in the lake

The clouds broke and the sun started to shine last night as almost 30 people gathered to watch the Juneau Raptor Center release Aquila the bald eagle back into the wild.

Ensign William Stark sported a viking helmet throughout the tug-of-war competition. The Olympics are part of the 2012 U.S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Round-up.

Live Cams were installed at the famous Katmai Falls to livestream 24 hour footage of the bears of Katmai online. The project is the culmination of a long running effort to share Katmai with the world. (Screengrab from explore.org)

The goal posts are up and games will soon be played on the new turf field at Adair Kennedy Park in Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley. After the uprights are added the crossbar is rotated back to a level position.

Picabo is a young female harbor seal. She was rescued on the dock at Allen Marine in May. The young pup was born premature and was abandoned. Rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center, she was released back into the wild on Aug. 14 in Juneau. She wears a special satellite tracker so that the SeaLife Center can follow her whereabouts until she sheds the tracker.

Children line the beach to watch the seals swim. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

This summer, the movies came to Juneau, where Wildlike filmed in locations around the capital city and across Alaska.

The grizzly assault along an Arkansas country road that killed 19-year-old Kevin Thornton of Juneau last year has forever changed the lives of four families. Thorntonâs family suffers daily. Two youth have been convicted of second degree murder, with their parents to visit their sons in prison. The third boy, convicted of a lesser charge, will be on probation for years.

The sign out front still says Alaskan & Proud, but the new Foodland IGA is now open in the only large-scale grocery space in downtown Juneau.

Tallulah, 8, and her friend Maximo Wagglebottom, won the costume contest. "He doesn't like wearing it," says Tallulah about the dress Maximo wore. "He was biting it." Ten dogs and one cat took to the stage last Saturday for the Pawsitively Fabulous Pet Fashion Show.

Dozens of families gathered today for the annual Fall Family Fun Fest at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.The mask making table was quite busy with costumed children making masks of their favorite animals.

Eaglecrest is looking at expanding the facility in 2014.

A new 4-H equestrian club in Juneau links riders at Fairweather stables to the Southeast 4-H community.The group hosted their first pony ride in October. Sunlight streams into the dusty barn as Higgins carries another rider around the arena.

A construction barge is removing the DeHartâs marina in Auke Bay this week. The work is the first phase of the Statter Harbor master plan.

The icebreaker Healy stopped in Juneau at the beginning of November after another season's work, and the ship's crew invited the public aboard.

John Marvin, Jr., 47, stands trial for the August 28, 2010 deaths of Hoonah police officers Matt Tokuoka and Tony Wallace. After allegedly shooting both officers, other officers who responded to the scene said that Marvin engaged in a standoff with them for nearly a day before he surrendered.

Capital City Fire and Rescue spent the night of Nov. 5 fighting a blaze at the Gastineau Apartments in downtown Juneau. The building was a total loss.

A new memorial was dedicated on the waterfront on Nov. 14 to commemorate those who lost their lives aboard the U.S.S. Juneau seventy years ago.

Alaskas westernmost point is actually in the Eastern Hemisphere. Attu Island is the last in the Aleutian Chain, and closer to Russia than Alaskas mainland. The fog enshrouded island doesnt get many visitors, but earlier this month the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman and some of her crew called, each with their own unique tie to Attu. (

Taking advantage of the perfect snow covered lot, a group from the Coast Guard base take a break for a little football.

A barge with a crane is in place at Coast Guard Station Juneau to install a mooring dolphin.

The Governor's mansion is cloaked in holiday lights in downtown Juneau.

Glacier Valley Elementary music teacher Lorrie Heagy hands a student a violin as violin instructor Guo Hua Xia picks out a bow.

About two dozen people gathered near the Capital School and Terry Miller Legislative Office building on Dec. 16 for a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

Two people fell through ice at the face of the Mendenhall Glacier on Christmas Day.