The 170-foot Alaska Patriot was under tow from Dutch Harbor to Mexico when it broke free on Dec. 7. The vessel is currently adrift about 215 miles south of Chirikof Island and is a navigational hazard to commercial freighter traffic traveling along the Great Circle route.
Juneau
Walker budget proposes fix for spring ferry funding foul-up
Gov. Walker’s budget fills a gap that could have shut the ferry system down for much of the spring. It also provides nearly level funding for the next year.
Juneau Assembly urges feds to tackle transboundary mining
The Juneau Assembly will ask the State Department to raise transboundary mining concerns with Canada. An earlier resolution was rejected by some Assembly members as anti-mining.
Downtown Douglas convenience store to reopen as liquor store
Pete Thibodeau said he plans to reopen the Douglas Depot location as a liquor and grocery store in the spring.
Local athletes hope to represent Juneau at Native Youth Olympics
Every year, hundreds of students from around the state gather in Anchorage for the Native Youth Olympics. For the first time since 1983, Juneau is putting together a team.
Flume Trail reopens after 7 weeks
An Oct. 27 storm damaged the flume, which diverts water from Gold Creek into Alaska Electric Light and Power’s 120-year-old powerhouse on Capital Avenue.
State mandated review of Juneau’s untested sexual assault kits is underway
So far, Juneau Police Department officials say they haven’t found any unprocessed sexual assault kits that should’ve been sent off to the state crime laboratory in Anchorage.
Juneau officials tee up more cash for cruise ship lawsuit defense
If approved, Juneau’s total commitment since the case began in 2016 would be $847,000. On top of that, the head of the city’s finance department is recommending setting aside another $750,000 later.
State Division of Elections denies GOP primary block
The Alaska Division of Elections has denied the Alaska Republican Party’s request to block three incumbent House Republicans from running in the party’s 2018 primaries.
Two really, really big cruise ships headed to Alaska
Cruise ships sailing to Alaska are getting bigger and bigger. One planned for 2019 is twice the size of many of the ships already sailing here.