Pablo Arauz Peña, KTOO

In this newscast:

• The filing period to run for local office in Juneau’s municipal election starts Friday.
• The Pioneer Home assisted living facility in Juneau is expanding visitations from one family member to two per household.
• The community in Sitka responds to the assembly’s vote to remove the statue of Alexander Baranov.
• A 50-year-old Haines woman suspected of a string of arsons while on hallucinogenic mushrooms is in custody.

In this newscast:

• The city of Ketchikan released a statement condemning racism and police brutality with pushback from the police department and members of the public.
• Multimedia artist Sarah Campen was honored with a $7500 project award from the The Rasmuson Foundation’s 2020 Individual Artist Award program.
• Pat Pitney is The University of Alaska system’s new interim president.
• The city of Gustavus passed a mandate this week requiring that people wear masks or cloth face coverings when outside their homes.
• Sitka will relocate a statue of a Russian colonist accused of enslaving Alaska Natives while the area was under Russian control two centuries ago.

In this newscast:

• U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan made a surprise appearance at the Juneau Assembly’s meeting on Monday night.
• The Ketchikan Gateway Borough took the first steps towards acquiring a large-scale rapid testing machine for the community.
• A new program from the FCC is giving Alaska Native tribes the opportunity to claim licenses allowing them to provide broadband to their communities.

In this newscast:

• The state reported its largest single-day increase of COVID-19 with 116 new cases — the first time Alaska has seen over 100 cases in one day.
• The city and borough of Juneau has created a Depression-era style conservation corps with federal CARES Act funds that’s already putting people back to work.
• Juneau businesses impacted by the pandemic are finding ways to sell their inventory in other states.
• Four people are safe after a Coast Guard helicopter rescued a 59-year-old Washington state man who appeared to be suffering from hypothermia.

In this newscast:

• An employee at Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital has tested positive for COVID-19.
• A Juneau Superior Court judge denied a request to temporarily block changes to the state’s small business relief grants.
• A Colorado mining company has agreed to a $7 million clean-up plan for radioactive waste on Prince of Wales Island.
• Petersberg’s sole movie theater, the Northern Nights Theater is reopening in September.

Juneau Parks and Recreation is moving forward with the next phase of reopening one of its two public pools.

The Dimond Park Aquatic Center resumes drop-in swimming on Monday, July 13, with no reservations required. Aquatics manager Kollin Monahan says that means the public can come and go on a first-come, first-served basis.

After operating at a limited capacity since June 15, both the lap pool and the recreation pool will fully reopen.

The lap pool will be limited to one household per lane. Lane lines in the recreation pool will remain in place for water walking and lap swimming. There’s also a waiting area if all lanes are occupied.

The locker rooms and the fitness deck will be open. But showers are being turned off to limit the amount of time people are spending in the locker rooms. Monahan also says it’s difficult to maintain social distancing in the showers.

The hot tub and sauna, slides, diving boards, lobby tables and chairs will remain closed. The center will be closed for cleaning midday, Monday through Friday and surfaces will be disinfected every hour.

COVID-19 mitigation protocols remain in place, including face covering in public spaces and maintaining social distancing. Hand sanitizer is available at the center and no one in the public or staff with COVID-19 symptoms is allowed.

The Augustus Brown Swimming pool will remain closed until roof improvements are completed in the fall.