KTOO News Department

In this newscast:

• Residents living in avalanche-prone downtown neighborhoods got the all-clear to return home today after the city lifted its last remaining evacuation advisory this morning,
• Avalanche risk rose over the weekend, as more snow and then rain pounded Juneau. Meanwhile, staff at the city’s emergency warming shelter for unhoused residents relocated operations three times in two days,
• A Juneau-born athlete is headed to Italy next month to represent Team USA’s biathlon team in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games,
• A small population of grizzly bears makes its home above the Arctic Circle, but not much is known about them, or how they find enough food to survive the extreme winters

In this newscast:

• An evacuation advisory remains in effect for Juneau’s Behrends avalanche path downtown for a fifth day, but now the City & Borough of Juneau’s evacuation alert is using more urgent language,
• The cost to move Juneau’s City Hall is coming in millions of dollars higher than expected,
• A 10-year-old Bethel cold case murder spotlights faults in Alaska justice system,
• The United States Supreme Court has once again declined to take up challenges to a federal law that protects subsistence hunting and fishing in Alaska

In this newscast:

• An atmospheric river struck Juneau over the weekend, after previous back-to-back storms buried the city in several feet of snow,
• The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska recently launched a new foundation,
• For the first time, Juneau is using a radar detection system to track avalanches that rumble down the mountain, thanks to state money freed up by the city and tribe’s disaster declaration last week,
• Democrat Mary Peltola announced this morning that she’s running for U.S. Senate, taking on Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan,
• Alaska Public Media’s Eric Stone takes a look at the first wave of new bills for the coming legislative session

In this newscast:

• The City and Borough of Juneau issued an avalanche evacuation advisory for all residents in slide zones this morning. The advisory comes as an atmospheric river slams Juneau, after previous storms dumped several feet of snow,
• As snow turned to rain in Juneau today, the city is warning residents that roads are beginning to flood, and the snow on roofs is getting heavier,
• The City and Borough of Juneau has largely wrapped up shoveling on Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx – Glacier Valley Elementary School and began work on Mendenhall River Community School today,
• The general manager of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area has resigned and the chair of its board of directors has stepped down,
• Several caribou herds in Alaska’s Arctic are on a decline, including now the Porcupine herd, which is currently the biggest

The City and Borough of Juneau held a presentation at 4 p.m. Wednesday about the city’s disaster declaration and ongoing avalanche risk.

City, state and tribal staff shared information about the ongoing snowstorm response and the National Weather Service provided an update on the heavy rain expected to arrive later this week.

In this newscast:

• Schools in Juneau were closed again today (TUES) as the capital city continues to dig out from successive snowstorms,
• The roof of the Bill Ray Center, an empty building on F Street in downtown Juneau, collapsed today after back-to-back snowstorms,
• Boxes of food, mail and late Christmas presents arrived by plane to the small Southeast Alaska fishing town of Pelican on New Year’s Day. The goods came after the isolated town went more than a month without access to outside services,
• Haines and Skagway have suffered through weeks of bitterly cold temperatures and feet of snow. Snowfall in Haines has been so heavy that residents are worried about roof loads. Community members are caring for each other in these extreme conditions with shovels and the Internet,
• Some Alaska Airlines passengers were hit with surprising bills for checked baggage that used to fly for free within the state. The company says it is working quickly to reverse an issue with its Club 49 program that has affected a baggage benefit that is valuable for many rural residents,
• Ski patrollers at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood rescued a dog from a deep ravine last week that had been missing for 13 days.