Donna Pratt was sick with COVID-19 for most of July. She feared for her life. But from her hospital bed, she wanted the world to know, “I am not being paid to do this as a hoax.”
Jeremy Hsieh
Local News Reporter, KTOO
I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?
Home schooling up, overall enrollment down in Juneau
Superintendent Bridget Weiss says there appears to be a 10% drop in enrollment off of what was forecast in the spring. Among the remaining students, hundreds opted into the district’s home school program.
Highs and lows from the first week of school in Juneau
Students and their families are getting familiar with using Zoom, saying the word “asynchronous” and making other changes for school days without in-person classes.
Juneau and DOT take early step toward second Douglas Island crossing
A second crossing would make new port facilities possible in West Douglas, which could resolve tight squeezes like this one under the Douglas Bridge.
Newscast – Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020
In this newscast:
COVID-19 tests for the crew of the state ferry Matanuska come back clear, the latest COVID-19 case numbers for Juneau, state elections officials give last minute notice to six rural Alaska villages that they won’t have polling places, Juneau policymakers are at their wits’ end searching for child care fixes, a former police officer settles a sexual harassment lawsuit with the city of Sitka, the Metlakatla Indian Community sues the state over the commercial fishing permit system, and a bald eagle in Michigan tussles with a drone mapping erosion along Lake Michigan.
Policymakers at a loss for child care solutions as Juneau schools start remote
Meanwhile, some parents are getting creative. More than 200 people have joined a local Facebook group where they’re matchmaking for small, COVID-19 learning bubbles and child care.