Clarise Larson

In this newscast:

• Juneau is getting a new City Hall location after all. On Monday, the Juneau Assembly greenlit the purchase of two floors of the Michael J. Burns building, which houses the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation downtown. It will become Juneau’s new City Hall location after renovations.
• Dozens of residents attended the Juneau Assembly meeting on Monday to protest the city’s plans to evict all residents of the historic downtown Telephone Hill neighborhood in less than two weeks.
• In August of 2015, a man died in Lemon Creek Correctional Center after staff denied him medical care. Now, a decade later, his widow wonders if the state made any changes to prison protocol that would prevent a death like her husband’s from happening again.
• State prosecutors will retry the sexual assault case against a former Juneau chiropractor facing 13 charges. They stated their intention to move forward at a hearing Tuesday.
• Democrats and independents in the Alaska state Legislature are urging Congress to preserve federal funding for science and research. In a letter sent Friday, 14 lawmakers urged the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation to oppose cuts that President Trump proposed in his 2026 budget.

Dozens of residents attended the Juneau Assembly meeting on Monday night to protest the city’s plans to evict all residents of the historic downtown Telephone Hill neighborhood in less than two weeks.

The topic wasn’t on the Assembly agenda, but more than 20 residents testified at the meeting and held disapproving signs in the audience. Many people were also there to criticize the Juneau Assembly’s general spending in recent years. 

Mendenhall Valley resident Dawn Hammond called the city’s redevelopment plan for the neighborhood unacceptable. 

“I think this is a ridiculous proposal,” she said. “I think it’s offensive. I think it’s a terrible thing to do to people that have lived in this community for a very long time.”

All the people living on Telephone Hill are renters, and have been since the state took ownership of the neighborhood in the 1980s. It was originally intended to be redeveloped to build a new Capitol complex there. That didn’t pan out. 

The state transferred the land to the city in 2023. In 2024, the Assembly voted to redevelop the neighborhood and add more than 100 new housing units there in response to Juneau’s ongoing housing crunch. 

This June, the Assembly approved spending roughly $5.5 million in city dollars — pulled from a few different sources — to fund the first phase of demolition and site preparation for the area.

The total project cost is estimated at $9 million. They gave residents living there an Oct. 1 deadline to move out. That’s despite the city not having secured a developer to construct new housing there. Telephone Hill resident Paul Burke said there’s still time for the Assembly to reverse course. 

“It’s just a shame that people don’t listen to what the people have to say — the history in this town is just precious,” he said. 

The Assembly could have chosen to rescind the eviction notices sent to residents at the meeting. It requires a two-thirds vote of approval. But Assembly members did not do that. Instead, multiple members like Alicia Hughes-Skandijs shared why they stand behind their decision to evict Telephone Hill residents. 

“I love that neighborhood too, but I truly believe in my heart that to take a property that has a smaller number of houses on it and trade that for more dense housing is a right move for us, for where we are in our housing crisis,” she said.

Demolition is slated to begin in December. City officials say they hope that a developer will begin construction as soon as next summer. 

Juneau is getting a new City Hall location after all. 

On Monday, the Juneau Assembly greenlit the purchase of two floors of the Michael J. Burns building, which houses the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation downtown. It will become Juneau’s new City Hall location after renovations. 

The Assembly’s vote comes after multiple years of push and pull between city administration and Juneau voters. The city asked voters twice during recent municipal elections to approve bond debt to help pay for the construction of a brand new City Hall building. Voters said no both times. 

Since then, the city put enough money aside to purchase the floors in the Burns building outright, which meant it didn’t need to ask voters to approve any bond debt. The decision instead went to the Assembly. 

Juneau’s current City Hall near Marine Park fits less than half of the city’s employees and it needs millions of dollars in maintenance and repairs. City administrators have long advocated for a new space that can house all its staff and city functions. 

Juneau resident Dave Hanna testified at the meeting last night ahead of the vote. He argues that there are other options that aren’t being considered. 

“I really want you to do the math,” he said. “The situation has changed a lot in Juneau, so there are other opportunities lurking out there also.” 

The cost to purchase the floors is $10.2 million. Renovation costs could add more than $7.5 million. Assembly Members Ella Adkison and Neil Steininger were the only two members to vote against the purchase. Assembly member Wade Bryson championed the plan.

“CBJ owning our City Hall is the most fiscally responsible action that we can do,” he said. 

The renovations and move to the new location are expected to take at least a year, according to city leaders. The final cost of renovations will be determined in the coming months. It’s unclear what will happen to the current City Hall building.

In this newscast:

• It’s officially autumn, and with the season comes more stormy weather. The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning and flood watch for Juneau today.
• Raising $1 million can be a difficult task. But one family in Juneau is trying it anyway because it could mean accessing lifesaving treatment for their child. With the help of local businesses and individuals, they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars so far. And the number continues to climb.
• More than a million cruise ship passengers visit Juneau each summer. The city may adopt a seasonal sales tax to make the most of their spending. Some residents are wary of the idea. But other towns in Southeast have had success with similar systems.
• Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is yet again expanding its services in Juneau. This time, a spokesperson says the Alaska Native-run health care organization is renovating the former Planned Parenthood building in Lemon Creek into a new specialty care clinic.

Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is yet again expanding its services in Juneau. 

This time, a spokesperson says the Alaska Native-run health care organization is renovating the former Planned Parenthood building in Lemon Creek into a new specialty care clinic. 

The future clinic will offer cardiology, dermatology and rheumatology services. Construction is underway and the organization’s goal is to open the facility later this fall. 

The building formerly housed Juneau’s Planned Parenthood, which permanently closed last November. Planned Parenthood said it closed the building because it needed expensive repairs and the Trump administration has threatened the organization’s funding.

Its closure means Juneau and the surrounding Southeast Alaska communities have less access to reproductive healthcare. The remaining two Planned Parenthood health centers are Fairbanks and Anchorage.

SEARHC’s new clinic will not offer reproductive healthcare services. According to SEARHC, the project is a part of the health care organization’s “commitment to expand access to high-demand specialty services in Juneau.”

The spokesperson says bringing the multiple services under one roof will make it more convenient and coordinated for patients receiving care. 

SEARHC has rapidly expanded its services in Juneau and Southeast Alaska in recent years. In the past two years, it has acquired Southeast Medical Clinic, Juneau Youth Services, Juneau Obstetrics and Gynecology and Juneau Physical Therapy – and many other clinics throughout the region. This spring, it announced plans to build a new dental clinic in Mendenhall Valley.

Ballots are on their way from Washington state to registered voters in Juneau today for this year’s local election. Residents have until Oct. 7 to vote. 

It marks the start of the City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal election this year, which features three ballot propositions, four candidates running for three open seats on the Assembly and four candidates running for three seats on the school board.  

The city clerk’s office says residents should start receiving their ballots in their mailboxes this weekend. 

Voters will have a few ways to return their ballots once they are filled out. The city has ballot drop boxes in locations throughout the borough. Voters can also mail ballots back or go to one of the two vote centers in town.

Ballots sent in by mail need to be postmarked on or before Election Day and a first-class stamp is required. 

The five available ballot drop boxes will open Friday. They are located at City Hall, the Alaska Electric Light and Power Company office in Lemon Creek, Douglas Library, the Mendenhall Valley Public Library and the Statter Harbor Boat Launch parking area. 

The two vote centers will open on Monday. They are at City Hall and the Valley Library. 

Election Day is Tuesday, Oct. 7, but final results won’t be certified until Oct. 21.

Find the latest local election coverage at ktoo.org/elections.