Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska - Juneau
Jacob Resneck is CoastAlaska's regional news director in Juneau.
Feds to consider protections for Southeast Alaska wolves
A notice in the federal register published on Tuesday found merit to a conservationist coalition’s petition that says logging and road development, illegal and legal trapping and hunting, the effects of climate change and loss of genetic diversity were factors threatening
Federal fisheries officials raise concern over Kensington Mine expansion
An 88-foot dam in place now to hold back about 4 million tons of liquid mine waste that contains heavy metals from the ore. This tailing treatment facility, formerly known as Lower Slate Lake, lies upstream from Berners Bay which makes conservationists — and some federal regulators — nervous should it ever fail.
Proposed winter schedule leaves long gaps in Southeast ferry service
Southeast towns like Sitka, Wrangell and Petersburg would see ships infrequently, while Kodiak Island and some Southcentral communities could see improved service.
Biden to freeze Tongass timber sales, invest in other Southeast Alaska sectors
The Tongass National Forest is the largest temperate rainforest in the country. With exceptions, the Clinton-era Roadless Rule restricted road building and industrial activity in around 55%...
Dunleavy’s veto erases $8.5M from Alaska ferry budget
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed around 12% of the ferry operating budget on Thursday. That leaves the Alaska Marine Highway System with nearly $8.5 million less to run its vessels over the next 18 months.
Sealaska shareholders reject election reforms, support settlement trust
Sealaska shareholders have elected two new directors to the Alaska Native corporation’s board. The Juneau-based regional Native corporation announced on Saturday the addition of Liz Medicine Crow and Vicki Soboleff among the five seats that were up for grabs.
Alaska recruits former California official as top forester
Eng just finished a 21-year career in California where, despite making his home in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, he said the dry heat spells were hard to escape.
Free to good home? Governor offers Alaska ferry to the Philippines
The May 20 letter included a pamphlet on the 408-foot ship and a link to an 11.5-minute YouTube video of a 2015 walk through posted on a ferry vessel fan page.
Some shareholders wary as Sealaska proposes trust to handle future payouts
The leadership of Sealaska, the Native corporation for Southeast Alaska, is asking its shareholders to approve the creation of a type of tax shelter called a trust. But some shareholders see red flags, because it would give the board unconstrained authority to decide the amount of future payouts,.
Legislature sends Alaska ferry reform bill to governor
The Alaska Marine Highway System has been struggling with deep spending cuts, an aging fleet and declining ridership as it runs fewer ships to coastal communities.
Judge hands down split decision in Native corporation free speech case
Goldbelt shareholder Ray Austin was accused of making misleading or false statements on Facebook that were critical of the elected leadership of Juneau’s Native corporation. An administrative law judge recently found him innocent of those charges.
Guardian Flight settles over deadly 2019 medevac crash
A Utah-based medevac company has settled a wrongful death lawsuit over a 2019 air ambulance crash in Southeast Alaska that killed three crew members from Juneau.
Alaska Supreme Court upholds legality of fish landing tax
A raw fish tax that has pumped tens of millions of dollars into coastal communities over the past decade has survived a legal challenge before Alaska’s highest court.
Unanimous ferry reform bill prompts constitutional challenge from Alaska’s governor
House Bill 63 would create an Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board that would be tasked with crafting both short- and long-term planning for Alaska's ferry fleet, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy thinks the board would give too much power to the legislature.
Coast Guard scuttles Juneau’s troublesome tugboat Lumberman
The Lumberman could often be seen from Juneau’s main highway with a collection of skiffs moored to her rusting hull. The vintage tug became a magnet for people unable to find shelter in a community that’s long struggled with a lack of affordable housing.
Human rights panel to weigh transboundary mining concerns
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will look into the human rights issues of having polluting mines upstream from tribes.
Could rising timber prices aid the Tongass transition to second-growth logging?
Industry experts are divided over how to best seize the opportunity presented by high lumber prices to benefit Southeast Alaska: By cutting what’s left of Tongass old-growth or by retooling to cut younger, second-growth trees.
A decade after Fukushima nuclear disaster, Alaska expands seafood monitoring
State environmental regulators announced Monday they’re expanding radiation testing of commercially harvested Alaska seafood, including crab, using a gamma radiation detector at a state laboratory in Anchorage.
Dunleavy administration withdraws DMV privatization plan
The Dunleavy administration is no longer seeking private vendors to replace six state-run Division of Motor Vehicles offices, which the administration originally proposed as a cost-saving measure.
Alaska sues PFAS makers as lawmakers seek broader action from regulators
Alaska is suing chemical manufacturers over PFAS, toxic compounds that have contaminated water in more than a dozen communities across the state.