Juneau’s weather may resemble October this week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t imagine a nice sunny stroll on the downtown waterfront. City officials want to hear from the public about future development at Marine Park. CBJ Parks and Landscape Superintendent George Schaaf says there’s no specific plan right now, but several ideas were outlined…
Casey Kelly
PRAC to take up possible fishermen’s memorial move
The public can weigh in on a possible move of the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial to Marine Park at a meeting of Juneau’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee tomorrow night (Tuesday). The memorial’s board of directors has asked the city’s Docks and Harbors Department to leave the monument where it is near Taku Smokeries, and…
Fish & Game relocates downtown bears
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Friday relocated a family of black bears that had been frequenting downtown Juneau this summer. Wildlife biologist Ryan Scott says the department had been looking for the sow and three yearlings for a couple months. He says they finally caught up with them just south on the…
Five Juneau schools meet AYP
Five of Juneau’s 14 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act last year, down from six in 2009-2010. Auke Bay and Glacier Valley elementary schools, Juneau Douglas High School, the Community Charter School and Johnson Youth Center achieved academic targets in each of 31 different categories to meet AYP.…
Kids learn chemistry through cooking
What makes dough rise? How do you preserve milk? Twenty-seven young chefs are learning the answers to those questions and more this week at a Juneau Economic Development Council summer camp designed to teach kids the science of cooking. Casey Kelly has more. Its day three of the Kitchen Chemistry camp and students are making…
Fairweather ends sailing, repairs expected soon
The fast ferry Fairweather ended its Sitka sailing today (Wednesday) due to problems with its automated engineering system. The ship left Juneau for Sitka in the morning, but turned around before entering Sergius Narrows, which can have strong currents. It returned to Juneau for repairs. The ferry’s engine room is un-staffed, and the equipment is…
Sanford wants CBJ to withdraw support for Tongass Roundtable
Juneau Deputy Mayor Merrill Sanford wants the city to pull its support for the Tongass Futures Roundtable. Sanford believes the roundtable has changed direction since the assembly passed a resolution backing its work in 2007. Most logging advocates left the group earlier this year, and Sanford says he’s no longer comfortable giving it the city’s…
New sweeper will only sweep valley streets
The City and Borough of Juneau is getting a new eight cubic yard, vacuum street sweeper. But as City Manager Rod Swope explains, it can only be used in the Mendenhall Valley. “Funding for this was acquired through a federal government congestion mitigation/air quality program transferred through the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to…
Plastic bag tax, sales tax extension placed on ballot
A citizens’ initiative to impose a “plastic bag tax” on certain stores in Juneau will go to voters this fall. The CBJ Assembly last night had the option of adopting an ordinance in place of the initiative. But instead of passing the ordinance or delaying action on it past August 22nd, which would have put…
Assembly passes rezone, Freer asks for reconsideration
The Juneau Assembly on Monday narrowly voted to approve a controversial request to rezone a property in the Mendenhall Valley from D-10 Residential to Light Commercial. But Assemblyman Peter Freer asked for reconsideration, so the issue will be back before the assembly at its next regular meeting. The vote to rezone was 5 to 4,…