Clarise Larson

In this newscast: The Juneau Independent, a new web-based newsroom in Juneau, launched today with a mission to offer a newspaper that is locally owned and operated; A Juneau court declared a woman who has been missing for six years legally dead Tuesday, at the request of her family. The woman’s case was never solved. They sought the death declaration in the hopes of getting a chance to ask police about their investigation in front of an official audience, but that didn’t happen; Invasive species are everywhere… but the folks who dedicate their lives to battling them believe they can win, especially in Alaska.  Last week was Alaska’s invasive species awareness week; More than 900 cyclists are set to participate this weekend in an annual cross-border race that starts in Canada and ends in Haines.

In this newscast: A man was arrested twice in Juneau last month for fraud, theft and attempted escape; The City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska released a draft risk assessment for the capital city on Tuesday; Petersburg’s Borough Assembly on Monday approved limiting the town’s senior sales tax exemption to just low-income seniors. But before any change can be made official, the townspeople will have the final say; For a few weeks in February, Safety Roadhouse hosts Iditarod mushers making their way to Nome. The roadhouse is closed until May, when it takes on a new life as a summer hangout spot – steeped in Iditarod history; The field of candidates for Alaska governor grew to four last week. That’s after Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries filed a letter of intent saying she’s considering a run for governor.