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Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 15, 2021, about a bill of his to reform Alaska's elections. An earlier version of the bill drew sharp criticism but Shower says his bill is not meant to be partisan. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Polarizing election reform bill reintroduced with changes

Bill gets another run.

Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File Doctors at Bartlett Regional Hospital often call consultants and specialist for medical advice, but a supreme court case out of Minnesota could make that dynamic legally questionable.

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Bill seeks to shield doctors from liability when consulting

‘Curbside consultations’ are protected under proposal.

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Banking on ‘green’ for energy independence

Dunleavy proposes investment fund for sustainable energy

Gov. Mike Dunleavy sent a letter to the White House asking for federal action to get cruise ship passengers, like the ones seen here in this 2017 file photo, back in Alaska. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file)

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Dunleavy asks White House to allow cruises

It’s not just tourism.

Prescriptions drugs, vitamins, hormones, and other drugs left in the drug drop box in the lobby of the Juneau Police Department displayed on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. The state is suing prescription drug companies, accusing them of helping to fuel a drug crisis in the state. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

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State sues drug companies over opioids

Not Alaska’s first opioid lawsuit.

Doug Woodby, co-chair of environmental group 350Juneau, holds up a letter addressed to the CEO of Wells Fargo alongside Irene Alexakos and Dick Farnell, wearing the costume. The group delivered the letter urging divestment from the fossil fuel industry to the bank's branch in downtown Juneau on Friday, April 2, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Costume-clad conservationist calls on banks to divest from fossil fuels

Tyrannosaurus checks.

The banner at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The banner’s owner was unable to find it a home in Juneau, and it’s been sent to the First Amendment Museum in Maine. (Wikicommons)

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Banner at center of Supreme Court case leaves Juneau

The banner had been on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., but that museum recently closed.

A person holds their thumb over a fingerprint sensor to log into an application. Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday introduced a bill that would make companies that collect and sell private information have to receive user’s consent first. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

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New bill would allow Alaskans to know when data is collected

Governor introduced Consumer Data Privacy Act on Wednesday.

House lawmakers are hoping to see at least some cruise ship passengers like these seen in this Sept. 2017 file photo, and passed a resolution urging Congress and the president to take action on behalf of Alaska's tourist sector. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

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House OKs resolution urging federal action on cruises

Juneau’s lawmakers say tourism needed for Southeast.

A fishing vessel is dwarfed by the Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl in Juneau’s downtown harbor in September 2014. A resolution urging federal action on maritime laws was held up by House Republicans with legal concerns. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

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House Republicans balk at cruise ship waiver language

Members don’t want to ask for federal executive order

House Speaker Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, listens to representatives debate a COVID-19 disaster declaration on Thursday, March 25, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

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House passes emergency declaration bill

The House Coalition is made of mostly Democrats and independents and is led by Speaker Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at a news conference in Anchorage on Friday, March 26, 2021, to announce the state’s intention to begin management of over 800,000 miles of submerged lands as affirmed in a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court decision. (Courtesy photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

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State demands right to manage submerged lands

‘Enough is enough.’

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire House Speaker Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, listens to representatives debate a COVID-19 disaster declaration on Thursday.

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Lawmakers clash on how to manage pandemic

Disaster debate shows deep divisions.

Sens. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, left and Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, questioned acting Attorney General Treg Taylor about the administration’s approach to legal matters at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, March 23, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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AG defends pandemic emergency orders during hearing

Liberties can be limited.

Rep. Sarah Vance (R-Homer) in the Alaska Capitol on Feb. 11, 2021 in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Peter Segall/Juneau Empire)

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Public pushback puts pause on DMV proposal

Lawmakers shutter plan to close six rural DMVs

Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Todd Duwe hands a food box to Brad Nyquist as Mark Larson looks on Dec. 22, 2020, at Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna. The church volunteers were distributing food from the United States’ Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program, delivered by the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. The food bank saw a surge in demand last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Looming benefit loss causes food security concerns

Two bills are being considered to keep increased food stamp benefits.

Volunteers with the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network perform a necropsy on a beached humpback whale on Kuzof Island on Thursday, March 18, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network)

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Beached humpback provides rare opportunity for scientists

Volunteers led by UAS researchers dissect whale near Sitka.

Rep. Chris Kurka, R-Wasilla, leaves the chambers of the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, March 19, 2021, after an hour of delays concerning the wording on his mask. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Mask rules standoff derails House floor session

The session was rescheduled for Saturday.

The MV Matanuska awaits repairs at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal on Thursday as lawmakers at the state Capitol debated whether the Alaska Marine Highway System was actually a highway. A bill that would shape long-term planning for the system passed out of committee. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

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Bill that would reshape AMHS leadership moves forward

Ideological divide over the word ‘highway.’

The Juneau School District, it's headquarters seen here in this Juneau Empire file photo, will receive a portion of Alaska's more than $358 million in federal relief money for schools. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file)

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Alaska to receive over $358 million to reopen schools

Reopen “quickly and safely.”