Juneau News

Legislators have their boxes packed, computers have been shipped to local offices and some aides have boarded the ferry and left Juneau, but as of late Wednesday morning, the 28th session of the Alaska Legislature remained at work as a joint House-Senate conference committee struggled to resolve discrepancies in an omnibus education bill.

For those of us brave or insane enough to follow the shenanigans of the Alaska Legislature, the end of session comes as quite a relief.

An overview of April listings by four brokers shows that Bristol Bay drift net permits are valued at nearly $134,000 by the state, and listed for sale at $150,000 to $170,000.

The House Finance Committee room is filled to standing room only at one point for a morning meeting of the conference committee on education on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in Juneau, Alaska.

Supporters of the Coaching Boys into Men project carry a sign down Main Street in Juneau during rally on March 27, 2014.

The House began taking up amendments Monday. Sunday was supposed to mark the end of the legislative session, but ran long after the House and Senate failed to find agreement on an education plan.

Juneau District Attorney James Scott called the circumstances surrounding the prosecution of Bonnie E. Odom as a "one-off," the Juneau Empire reported .

The city's overheated real estate market has seen many older homes and buildings plowed down by bulldozers.

The Alaska Senate passed a broad-ranging education bill Monday, but the issue of how to address public education in the state - and funding, in particular - remained to be resolved in an extended legislative session.

If you're so inclined, and able, you could soon speak Tlingit, Inupiaq, or Siberian Yupik in Alaska with the knowledge that those and 18 other languages, including English, are officially recognized by the state.

While the budget is typically one of the last major pieces of legislation in play, the House Finance Committee was waiting to put its final touches on it, pending an agreement on additional education funding.

Packing boxes dot the walls on the fourth floor of the state Capitol late Saturday, April 19, 2014, in Juneau, Alaska.

Alaska Natives beat the drum during a protest in front of Sen. Lesil McGuire's Capitol office as her chief of staff, Brett Huber, in tie, prepares to address them.

The Senate Finance Committee revised the education bill again Saturday then sent it to the Senate floor, one of the last big pieces of legislation left to resolve before lawmakers can pack up and leave the Capitol.

Let's just look straight at that elephant in the room. It's not easy but sometimes being in and around politics requires asking tough questions.

Julia O'Malley writes a general interest column about life and politics in Anchorage and around Alaska.

The peacock, a symbol of peace in Palestine, took a total of three months to complete and about 150 hours of folding paper.

Legislators are still hoping to get out of Juneau this weekend but the pile of work yet to be done raised doubts Friday morning as to whether that is possible.

We'll talk with Ben Huff and Katie Bausler about summer offerings at UAS including Huff's class in beginning digital photography; Antoine Doiron and Ken Fix will come in to tell us about a special benefit showing of Antoine's new movie Space Trucker Bruce at the Planetarium tonight at 7 p.m.; Daniel Teske and Stefanie Sell of the Alaska Department ... (more)

Robert Kowalski prepares to leave the courtroom during his trial that started in mid-March in Juneau Superior Court.