Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska - Juneau
Jacob Resneck is CoastAlaska's regional news director in Juneau.
No injuries reported after Alaska Seaplanes flight crashes on takeoff in Juneau
Flights across Southeast Alaska have been diverted or delayed after a small commercial plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Friday morning at Juneau’s airport.
A brown bear hunt in Southeast Alaska ends more than 2 months early
Around half of the dead brown bears were killed by agency officials or residents in defense of life and property: hungry bears shot while breaking into homes and vehicles looking for food, mostly around Haines.
Keeping the Malaspina ferry idled costs nearly twice what the state has disclosed, emails show
Internal emails show officials were surprised and frustrated with the expense of keeping the idled Alaska ferry.
Costco contractor agrees to pay $50K to Juneau employee who was denied extra bathroom breaks
“We saw here an employee who really suffered unnecessarily,” EEOC attorney Amos Blackman told CoastAlaska. “This refusal to accommodate additional bathroom breaks had the likelihood of impacting any number of workers.”
To pay oil tax credits, Alaska eyes selling carbon offsets on state forests
The Dunleavy administration is eyeing a carbon credit program on state forestlands. It’s requested proposals from prospective consultants “to investigate the potential for a carbon offset credit program based on carbon sequestration on state lands,” according to a document that went up this month on a state website.
Mining company samples historic claims near Pelican
A Canadian mining company is exploring claims near the small town of Pelican on Chichagof Island.
Environmentalists threaten lawsuit over Southeast Alaska wolf population
A coalition of conservationists warn they’re preparing to sue for federal protections of Southeast Alaska’s wolves if the Biden administration doesn’t take concrete action soon.
CARES Act data reveals disparities in payouts to Native corporations
Some of the village corporations got large payouts while Juneau-based Sealaska, the corporation with the most shareholders, got the least of the 13 regional corporations. Corporation executives say they’re still trying to understand the wide disparities in disbursements.
Sunken scallop boat off Kodiak remains pollution hazard decades later
The wreckage of the Saint Patrick is a testament to one of Alaska’s deadliest fishing disasters. And it remains an environmental hazard today.
Earthquake may have triggered sunken fishing vessel to spill diesel off Kodiak Island, officials say
A shipwreck from decades ago has begun leaking diesel fuel off Kodiak Island. State officials suspect last month’s massive earthquake may be to blame.
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 Biden administration announced Thursday it’s freezing any remaining old growth timber sales in Tongass National Forest and will pivot to investing in other sectors of Southeast Alaska’s economy.
A statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture...
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.