Jeremy Hsieh, KTOO - Juneau
Jeremy Hsieh is the deputy managing editor of the KTOO newsroom in Juneau. He’s a podcast fiend who’s worked in journalism since high school as a reporter, editor and television producer. He ran Gavel Alaska for 360 North from 2011 to 2016, and is big on experimenting with novel tools and mediums (including the occasional animated gif) to tell stories and demystify the news. Jeremy’s an East Coast transplant who moved to Juneau in 2008.
Fourth annual Capital Brewfest sells out despite rain
Juneau Rotary held its fourth annual Capital Brewfest on Saturday. The annual event showcases dozens of specialty and craft beers from around the state and beyond.
AK: Running the Klondike Relay from Skagway to Whitehorse
Last weekend, nearly 1,600 people ran a 10-part race from Skagway over the Coast Mountains and into Whitehorse, Yukon. It’s part endurance trial, part road trip and part party. For many on both sides of the border, running the 110-mile Klondike Road Relay is an annual tradition.
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Run, zipline, signal fires mark J’eet’s Challenge
For the first time last month, Hoonah hosted an 8.3-mile footrace called J’eet’s Challenge. The course begins near sea level, runs through town and then up a mountain to the finish line. The race winners lit mountaintop signal fires, echoing events from a Tlingit story. From there, runners hopped into harnesses and ziplined back down to Icy Strait Point, which is Huna Totem Corp.’s salmon cannery turned tourist attraction.
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Run, zipline, signal fires mark J’eet’s Challenge
For the first time last month, Hoonah hosted an 8.3-mile footrace called J’eet’s Challenge. The course begins near sea level, runs through town and then up a mountain to the finish line. The race winners lit mountaintop signal fires, echoing events from a Tlingit story. From there, runners hopped into harnesses and ziplined back down to Icy Strait Point, which is Huna Totem Corp.’s salmon cannery turned tourist attraction.
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National arts endowment leader explains why art is worth it
The leader of the National Endowment for the Arts is in Alaska this week and made a stop at KTOO to talk about what she looks for in potential grantees.
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Juneau Assembly relaxes child care facility restrictions
Attendance was thin at Monday's Juneau Assembly meeting, but at least one parent and one prospective child care provider in the audience were elated.
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Suspected Capitol flag thieves caught on tape
Three men were caught on tape who are suspected of breaking into the construction site at the state Capitol building, scaling the scaffolding and stealing flags off the roof.
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Juneau Assembly considers $1 million hit to Juneau seniors’ sales tax perk
The Juneau Assembly advanced a series of policy changes Thursday that would leave lower-income seniors entirely exempt from paying city sales tax, while reducing wealthier seniors’ benefit. Several other sales tax proposals failed.
Legislative committee won’t take up Medicaid expansion Wednesday
The Alaska Legislature’s committee with gatekeeping authority over expediting the governor’s Medicaid plans meets Wednesday, but does not intend to take up the welfare program’s expansion.
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Next state budget proposal will include revenue package
The head of the governor’s budget team urged local leaders on Thursday to get involved in the discussion of the state’s precarious fiscal future.
Suspicious Duffel Bag at Federal Building Draws Juneau’s Bomb Squad
A suspicious duffel bag left in the post office parking lot outside Juneau’s downtown Federal Building on Monday drew out the bomb squad. Police cordoned off the area, but the building wasn’t evacuated.
UA System presidential candidate promises to listen and share
The candidate to be the state university system's next president is meeting with students, faculty and community members around the state this week.
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Juneau Police Chief: Secondhand goods ordinance ‘extremely successful’
The crime rate in Juneau went down in 2014, according to an annual report released by the local police department.
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Alaska Supreme Court Hears Juneau-Petersburg Boundary Beef
The state Supreme Court heard arguments in a local boundary case Wednesday morning that could redraw lines around a Delaware-sized chunk of Southeast Alaska. The contested land is almost completely uninhabited national forest – Juneau “estimated” the population at one – but with the land goes potential federal receipts, some property and sales tax revenue, and local authority.
Governor’s weekend retreat to look beyond the budget impasse
Weekend plans for about 175 diverse and influential Alaskans include right-sizing state government, working with interactive financial models and frank talk about the third rail of Alaska politics — revenue, taxes and tapping the Permanent Fund.
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Mendenhall jökulhlaup forecast to peak just below flood levels
The National Weather Service in Juneau says a glacier dam release is causing high water levels in Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River. It’s the earliest glacier dam release from Suicide Basin on record by a month.
Court employees assigned two days unpaid leave
About 800 Alaska Court System employees will be forced to take two days unpaid leave around the holidays — a result of state budget cuts.
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Rare thunderstorms move through Southeast Alaska
Rare thunderstorms in Southeast Alaska led the National Weather Service to issue a special marine warning Monday evening. The warning covered a swath of Southeast, roughly from Juneau to the southern tip of Prince of Wales Island.
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Out of the ashes: a downtown eyesore is transformed
In 2004, an awning patch-job went bad and led to a fire that razed a historic commercial building in the heart of downtown Juneau, where the grand opening of Sealaska Heritage Institute's Walter Soboleff Building will happen Friday.
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Alaska lawmakers’ Capital City plans still unclear
Alaska lawmakers are due back in Juneau on Tuesday, but who actually comes and how long they stay is unclear.