The Regulatory Commission of Alaska has approved an increase in Juneau’s electricity rates. After 16 months of study, review and several public hearings, the commission says Alaska Electric Light and Power is justified in raising rates another 4 percent, effective immediately. The RCA released the order about 8 p.m. Friday. The privately owned utility company requested…
Rosemarie Alexander
Record August rains fill reservoirs, keep Tongass green
Tired of the August rain? Well, August is over and the first day of September gave us a day to dry out before the heavy rains of the fall begin. According to the National Weather Service, Juneau got nearly five inches more rain than usual for the month of August. And the daily high temperature…
Office Max coming to Juneau
The national chain OfficeMax is coming to Juneau. The office supply company says it will serve all of Southeast Alaska. OfficeMax plans to open a retail store in Nugget Mall early next year. It owns two stores in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks. OfficeMax already has business contract customers throughout Southeast Alaska, according to company…
Neighboring communities question Petersburg Borough boundaries
Petersburg’s plan to form a borough is drawing opposition from several surrounding communities. While Juneau, Kake and Kupreanof say they don’t oppose a Petersburg borough, they are concerned about its boundaries. Petersburg is on Mitkof Island, where the Wrangell Narrows meet Frederick Sound. Its proposed borough would be about 4-thousand 347 square miles – both…
Police warn of plastic bottle pressure bombs
Pressure bombs – plastic bottles filled with Drano, water and tinfoil – have been exploding around Juneau. Police have received several calls in recent weeks about the homemade bombs found in various places; the remnants of one near the road on Dudley Street just last week. There’ve also been reports of explosions, then pieces of…
First full-time Rabbi at Temple Sukkat Shalom
Dov Gartenberg will be the first year-around Jewish Rabbi in Juneau. He says Dov is pronounced like the bird or the past tense of dive – and he goes by either. “In Hebrew it’s pronounced Dov. If anyone reads the book of Exodus, it’s one of the main characters; but Dov means bear. In moving…
Assembly settles fishermen’s memorial issue
The location of the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial has been laid to rest by the Juneau Assembly. The panel Monday determined the memorial should stay where it is on Juneau’s working waterfront, even though a floating cruise ship berth will be built in front of it in the next couple of years. The memorial board…
RCA extends AELP rate decision
It will now be September 2nd before Alaska Electric Light and Power and Juneau rate payers know the size of a pending rate increase. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska today (Friday, Aug. 26) extended its decision for the second time. Last month the commission announced it would issue its final order today, a month later…
Juneau School Summit
Parents of Juneau elementary school students have the most confidence in the Juneau School District, according to a survey conducted in May of randomly selected parents. The survey was presented last night (Thursday) at the second annual School Summit at Thunder Mountain High School. The purpose of the summit was to share student achievement reports…
Woman indicted in PFD fraud case
A Soldotna woman has been indicted for lying on her 2010 Permanent Fund Dividend application. According to the state departments of Law and Revenue, a Juneau Grand Jury has charged 62-year-old Sherrie Ann Ace of one count of unsworn falsification in the first degree, a Class C felony. The indictment also charges Ace of second…