Joel Jackson, longtime Haida and Lingít advocate and president of the Organized Village of Kake, died on August 30 at age 70. Jackson spent much of his life advocating for cultural revitalization and continued protections in the Tongass National Forest.
Yvonne Krumrey
Justice & Culture Reporter, KTOO
"Through my reporting and series Tongass Voices and Lingít Word of the Week, I tell stories about people who have shaped — and continue to shape — the landscape of this place we live."
Tongass Voices: Playwright Vera Starbard on writing a Lingít Opera
T’set Kwei Vera Starbard is an Emmy-nominated writer who has written six plays and multiple episodes of shows like Molly of Denali and Alaska Daily. Starbard is the librettist for Ḵutulagaaw — an opera about the 1802 battles between Lingít people and Russian invaders in Southeast Alaska. That means she wrote the script, which language teacher X̱’unei Lance Twitchell translated, and composer Ed Littlefield put to music. The production premiers at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Friday Sept. 11. The show runs through Sept. 20.
Volunteers mark 5 years of cleaning Douglas cemeteries
A group of volunteers has been restoring cemeteries on Douglas Island in Juneau for five years. They’ve beat back invading plants, and uncovered and righted headstones.
Tongass Voices: Holly Huber on competing for Miss USA
Holly Huber is the first Miss Alaska USA from Juneau. After being crowned this summer, she’s currently competing on a national stage in Miami.
Former Juneau fire captain convicted of assault resigned months after charges were filed
Clancy was not put on administrative leave. He resigned two months after being charged.
A Juneau landmark that burned down in June has been a decades-long, international mystery to one man
The collapsing Juneau house was beloved by many in town and, unbeknownst to some, around the world – thanks to a visitor who took a photo of it nearly 30 years ago.