Juneau

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In Alaska, a Big Tourist Draw Is Turning Into a Threat

Record flooding related to Mendenhall Glacier hits capital city of Juneau

(Newser) - Three words no Alaskan wants to hear strung together: "record glacier flooding." But that's the current reality for residents of the capital city of Juneau, thanks to a famous glacier that sits above the city, reports Axios . The Washington Post frames the big picture after the weekend...

Looking to Forget About the Virus? Call This Number in Juneau, Alaska

Number in Juneau, Alaska, offers daily laugh during pandemic

(Newser) - Knock knock. Who's there? Juneau. Juneau who? Juneau if you call 907-586-0428 you'll hear a joke that's meant to cheer you up during the coronavirus pandemic? Per the Anchorage Daily News , that was the purpose of setting up this hotline for locals, though the joke was on...

Alaska Workers Make Grisly Find in Channel Debris

State employees find a boot with a leg inside

(Newser) - A human leg with a fishing boot still on was found in a debris pile that collected in the waters near Alaska's capital city, reports the AP . Juneau Police Lt. David Campbell says the leg—from the knee down—was found by state game workers clearing out the debris...

Mattel Pays Alaska to Change Capital to 'UNO'

The city got a $15,000 donation out of the deal

(Newser) - On April Fool's Day, the capital of Alaska was going by the name of card game UNO, not Juneau. No joke. It was a play on words and part of a promotion with game and toy maker Mattel, which is drawing attention to new wild cards in its UNO...

Nothing Nefarious at Play in Juneau Mayor's Death

Greg Fisk died of natural causes

(Newser) - "The first assumption was someone had done something to him," but the reality is much less nefarious: Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson on Wednesday announced that the city's newly installed mayor died of natural causes, reports the Alaska Dispatch News . Though the AP notes Greg Fisk was...

Police Closer to Figuring Out How Juneau Mayor Died

He suffered undisclosed injuries, possibly related to a fall

(Newser) - Juneau police aren't saying how newly elected Mayor Greg Fisk died , but they have ruled out suicide. Authorities add there was no evidence of drug use and Fisk, 70, suffered no gunshot wounds. However, Juneau's police chief says Fisk's body—found by his adult son at his...

Juneau's New Mayor Found Dead

Cops say there are rumors of assault

(Newser) - The mayor of Juneau has been found dead in his home less than two months after he was elected. The body of Greg Fisk, 70, was found by his adult son on Monday afternoon and police, who have not released a cause of death, have been searching the area and...

Man, 66, Walks Half a Mile After Grizzly Mauling

Another bear crashes 1-year-old's birthday party

(Newser) - A 66-year-old Alaska man survived a grizzly bear mauling and was able to walk 900 yards—that's half a mile—to his homestead despite serious injuries. In the attack earlier this week, Andre Siegenthaler "suffered bites to his right hip area, both shoulders, and arms; his left cheek...

Palin's Goodbye Cost Alaska $40K —at Least

Figures are 'incredibly misleading:' Palin flack

(Newser) - Early estimates put the cost of Sarah Palin's midterm resignation as Alaska governor at a minimum of $40,000, not including a special legislative session partly linked to her departure. The preliminary figures obtained by the AP show it cost the state almost $14,100 for the July 26 swearing-in...

Top Towns to Raise Outdoorsy Kids
 Top Towns to Raise 
 Outdoorsy Kids 
OPINION

Top Towns to Raise Outdoorsy Kids

(Newser) - Backpacker combed through info on outdoor programs and proximity to national forests and parks to find the best cities in the US to raise active, crunchy kids. The results:
  • Boulder, Colo.: "Yes, we live here, but Boulder wins on its merits." Close to woods, glaciers, and mountains,
...

In Alaska, Melting Glaciers Cause Land to Rise

Glaciers receding 30 feet each year

(Newser) - Around Juneau, Alaska, climate change is causing an unexpected problem, the New York Times reports: As glaciers melt, the land is rising away from the sea. The change—10 feet in about 200 years—is enough to dry up local streams and wetland habitats, and is the result of land...

Palin Billed State to Live at Home

Gov. charged per diem home fee, and family got $43K in travel expenses

(Newser) - Sarah Palin charged the state of Alaska nearly $17,000 in per diem fees for 312 nights she spent at her Wasilla home, even though she had moved with her family to the state capitol of Juneau before the legislative session last year, reports the Washington Post. The state has...

Alaskan City Goes Green—by Necessity

After avalanche, Juneau is forced to find ways to use less energy

(Newser) - An energy conservation effort born out of necessity has turned the residents of Juneau, Alaska, into poster children for the green movement, the New York Times reports. Electricity rates skyrocketed 400% after an avalanche knocked out several major transmission towers last month; the state capital has since lowered its electricity...

No Pol Left Behind in Alaska Corruption

Bribery scandal spreads from Juneau to DC

(Newser) - Back-room backslaps, pockets stuffed with $100 bills, and the odd Viagra pill—the Washington Post looks at the freewheeling frontier-style corruption exposed in oil-rich Alaska over the last few years, as elected representatives on every level were caught in scandals and many entered guilty pleas. Now the stain is threatening...

Bong Case 4 SCOTUS
Bong Case
4 SCOTUS

Bong Case 4 SCOTUS

A Supreme Court case weighs student's right to "glorify" drug use

(Newser) - A student glorifying illegal drug use shouldn't be protected by the First Amendment, Ken Starr argued before the Supreme Court yesterday in the case of a high school student suspended for displaying a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" during the Winter Olympics Torch Relay in Juneau, Alaska in...

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