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The smell of buttered popcorn wafted through the Skagway School as dozens of people streamed inside. They were there to watch a new documentary — one about their own community during one of its darkest periods in recent history.

The film depicts life in Skagway between 2020 and 2022, when the cruise industry shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s named “Last Call in the North.”

Andrew Cremata was Skagway’s mayor at the time. He said the ordeal forced what may have been the community’s first serious reckoning over its complete dependence on the industry.

“I don’t think there’s ever been any real meaningful conversations about it as a community, either on a governmental level or on a social level,” he said.

That conversation was the film’s throughline, said Stan Bush, who wrote and directed the film.

“What happens when your main economic driver is completely shut off?” Bush said in an interview last week.

In many ways, COVID-19 was Skagway’s worst nightmare. With the town’s tourism-based economy shuttered for one full season and much of a second one, families and businesses went without income for an excruciating 22 months.

Bush went to middle and high school in town, but he hasn’t lived here since then. He said he was developing a project idea in Skagway before the pandemic, focused on the struggling local newspaper.

But Bush pivoted when COVID-19 hit the community in earnest, and the industry that had fueled the town for decades disappeared overnight.

“We’ve seen that when things are going great, they’re going really great. And when things go bad, here, they go really bad,” Bush said. “I think that’s a conversation for the community to have. Can you survive another crisis like this?”

The film follows a few key characters, including Cremata, the former mayor. In an interview after the screening, he raised questions about the long-term sustainability of the town’s economy.

“My fear was that when things got back to normal, people would kind of just go back to normal, right? Go back to the way things were before the pandemic,” Cremata told KHNS. “That’s really exactly what’s happened.”

The film also focuses on struggling small businesses — a jeweler who had to leave town, the owner of an outdoor guiding company who eventually shut his doors, and the former co-owners of the Skagway News. That includes Melinda Munson, the current KHNS news director.

Another key voice was Jaime Bricker, Skagway’s tourism director and the president of the Skagway Traditional Council, a local tribe.

After the premiere, Bricker said she was impressed by the videography and storytelling. She added that she could imagine how difficult it would be to tell the full story in just 90 minutes.

“I think I’ve heard different observations from just about everybody I’ve talked to, and rightfully so,” Bricker said. “We’re all a bunch of individuals in this community, and there were so many pertinent stories of that period of time that, you know, weren’t showcased.”

Bricker added that she thinks the film presents an opportunity for renewed reflection.

“Are there opportunities to plan as we look towards the future, given this particular COVID experience?” Bricker said. “Are there things that we can be doing differently in the future, to better prepare for an economic stop?”

Bush said prompting conversation was one of his main goals – not only locally but in similar communities across the state, country and world. As he sees it, what happened in Skagway could happen anywhere where the presence of one industry is the difference between economic survival and economic collapse.

Disclosure: This film features KHNS News Director Melinda Munson and her family, when Munson was co-owner of the Skagway News. Munson did not review this story before publication.

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At the end of a dock in Auke Bay, an oyster farmer lifted a creaky hatch door on an unassuming floating platform. Inside were bins holding thousands of young oysters, called spat.

The platform is called a floating upweller system, or FLUPSY, and it’s one way oyster farms can keep more stock.  

“This is just a cheaper way to buy spat in a smaller size, much bigger quantity,” said Maranda Hamme, owner of Shinaku Shellfish Company, a small, family-run Pacific oyster farm in Klawock. Hamme was part of a small group that visited Juneau for a day-long mariculture workshop organized by Alaska Sea Grant and the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska last week.

Nutrient-rich water flushes through the FLUPSY, so the tiny oysters can quickly grow big enough to fit into mesh bags out on a farm. The oysters in the FLUPSY are around the size of a penny — they’ve been growing here for roughly 9 months.

The FLUPSY in Auke Bay belongs to Salty Lady Seafood Company, the only oyster farm in Juneau. Hamme said she’s planning to stock her own FLUPSY in Klawock because it can help her scale up, even when there are bottlenecks in the supply chain. 

“Currently, there’s only so many FLUPSYs in the state, and as a farmer, we’ve already not had seed needs met,” she said.

Most oyster farmers in Alaska, including Hamme, have to ship in spat from out-of-state hatcheries in Hawaii, Washington, Oregon or California. Sometimes there are shortages at those hatcheries. 

Spencer Lunda manages the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ mariculture research hatchery at Lena Point. He said developing in-state hatcheries can help solve that problem. 

The facility pumps in seawater that gets heated and flows into troughs filled with oysters, where Lunda and his team are studying ways to produce spat locally for farms across Alaska. 

“It would be nice to have spat production in the state, and be able to produce oysters that perform better in the conditions of Alaska, because the water is very cold here compared to where oysters are typically grown,” he said. 

Lunda said the ultimate goal is to breed oysters that grow relatively quickly in cold water and form a deep cup with a lot of meat — traits desirable for both farmers trying to turn a profit and consumers slurping them from the half-shell. 

Back on the dock, Hamme said the lease process to enter the industry is another issue that could be improved.

“I’m here sharing about being a farmer and the struggles and challenges that we face firsthand so other Indigenous farmers can get into the industry,” said Hamme.

She said it took two years to get an aquatic farm lease through the state. She also said the process doesn’t include tribal consultation to see whether proposed farm sites would overlap with subsistence seafood harvest sites.  

“I think it’s crucial that the state of Alaska incorporates tribal consultation, rather than just city government,” Hamme said. 

But developing mariculture operations could become a boon for Native communities, too. 

Frank Nix, the cultural foods manager for the Organized Village of Kasaan, attended the workshop to see how mariculture could bolster economic development and food security in his small village. 

“Most of us are already working three or four jobs, and all of our facilities are running three or four programs,” Nix said after touring the small Auke Bay oyster hatchery. “So when it comes to looking at opportunities like, well, maybe we don’t have the manpower to run a farm — but, you know, it seemed like one or two people could manage a space of the size that we were just in.” 

He said he’s grateful to attend the workshop on a travel scholarship, and the recent availability of funding and training in Alaska mariculture makes the industry attractive. 

“I think one of the most valuable things that I’ve seen so far is that this seems perfectly doable,” he said.

Staff from Alaska Marine Lines and the Alaska Marine Highway System discussed EV shipping safety during a panel held by Renewable Juneau, an advocacy nonprofit, on Wednesday. 

Electric vehicles have grown in popularity in Juneau over the years, but shipping safety concerns have now made it more difficult for people to bring them to Alaska or send them out for maintenance.

AML stopped shipping electric vehicles to Alaska last year due to the fire risk posed by lithium ion batteries. The decision came after another company’s cargo ship carrying hundreds of hybrid and electric vehicles caught fire in the open ocean off the coast of Adak, burned for days and sank. An AML spokesperson said at the time the company would reassess its policy as industry standards improve. 

During the panel, AML President Don Reid said he wished there were reliable safety ratings for the various lithium ion batteries on the market. 

“Every manufacturer you talk to wants to tell you that their product is perfectly safe,” Reid said. “And, you know, who are you supposed to believe?”

Reid said he wants AML to be able to ship all vehicles, but he’s spent a lot of time researching the issue and speaking with consultants, and said that shipping EVs that plug-in would be too risky for the company at this point. 

“What I need is the confidence that the thing’s not going to catch on fire on the barge. That’s really what it comes down to,” Reid said.

AML was the last barge company to pull EVs off its Alaska shipping routes after Matson and Tote Maritime. Now, EVs can be shipped two ways: on the road system, which doesn’t extend to much of Southeast, or two-at-a-time on the ferry — creating a bottleneck for consumers.

Craig Tornga, marine director for the Alaska Marine Highway System, said people who want to ship an EV on the ferry from Bellingham might wait around three months. 

To improve safety procedures, the agency hired a vessel firefighter with expertise in EV battery fires. The procedures include recommending EV drivers not charge the battery too much before boarding, placing EVs in areas of the ship easy for firefighters to access and repeatedly inspecting the vehicles while in transit.

“We have thermal infrared handheld cameras,” Tornga said. “We go around and we — every hour, on the hour — we shoot the battery to see what the temperature is and make sure we don’t see any changes.”

In addition to the handheld cameras, the ferry system plans to install other thermal cameras and purchased high-powered sprayers called Turtle Fire Systems that can flood a battery box to cool it down. 

Disclaimer: The panel was hosted at KTOO, with staff outside the news department contracted to produce the event.

As breweries in Alaska adjust to a legal ruling that could allow them to have unlimited live shows, a different sort of industry is also celebrating: musicians. 

Until last month, breweries were limited to hosting four live shows a year. Before 2024, they were banned from having them completely. Now, breweries can host unlimited live music performances. 

The ruling comes right on time for musicians and businesses to start planning for the Alaska Folk Festival in April. 

Marian Call is a Juneau musician and, as executive director of MusicAlaska, she’s also spent the last few years organizing other musicians across the state to advocate for the industry. She said the recent Alaska Superior Court ruling opens doors for musicians and performers. 

“This regulation was ultimately a regulation about when and where musicians can work,” Call said. “It was essentially putting a limit on how often and in what locations we can do our job.”

The ruling argued that the regulations that limited live shows at breweries suppressed free speech. The lawsuit didn’t specifically include distilleries, but at a recent Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board meeting, board members said they believe those businesses will fall under the same ruling, and be able to have unlimited live music as well. 

“It makes sense for the government to regulate various industries. But the thing that was so difficult about this particular regulation was that they were not intending to regulate the music industry,” Call said. “They were intending to regulate the alcohol industry.”

She said musicians are a force in Juneau. More performances in town don’t create a zero-sum game, economically. Call said MusicAlaska researches the economic impacts of music in communities.

 “Generally, what we see is that more music breeds more economic growth without necessarily undermining other sectors,” she said. “We come into a space where there was no economic activity and create it kind of out of thin air.” 

If the ruling holds, this could open doors – financially and creatively – for musicians during the city’s biggest music event of the year, Call said.

“I think Folk Fest excites me the most because it’s really an invitation, not just for everyone to come out and listen and enjoy, but also for everyone to play,” she said. “And I can’t wait to see people feeling free to play anywhere without worrying about it.”

Avery Stewart is a guitarist, vocalist, and writer with local band the Rain Dogs. He said he thinks former limitations have dampened Juneau’s creative spirit during Folk Fest.

“I was just recalling past Folk Fest, seeing signs on the walls of distilleries because they had to put up these signs, like, ‘do not play music here,’ which I thought was so silly,” Stewart said.

He said that impromptu jam sessions are an inherent part of the festival, and now, there’s no risk of businesses or musicians facing fines for them.

“It’s like a communal experience, rather than a performance,” he said. “Just a sharing of music, in its purest forms.”

The Rain Dogs Frontwoman Anna Mahanor said she’s excited to have more places to play in Juneau, and different venues to suit different kinds of shows. She said she wants to be able to play for broader audiences. 

“I think that our sound is evolving in a lot of different ways, and we’re experimenting with playing in different places,” Mahanor said “There’s a certain energy that you bring to when you’re playing at, like a bar or a dive bar.”

And a lot of the Rain Dogs shows meet that energy — loud and rowdy. But Mahanor wants to play in quieter venues, too. 

“With the idea of there being kind of more listening-room-style, it’s like a little bit more intimate,” she said. “And you can be a little bit more personable with the crowd, you know, and interact and have just a more intimate, vulnerable experience”

The Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office has until Feb. 14th to appeal the decision. 

A Sitka-based cruise line is closing its doors. Alaskan Dream Cruises announced Wednesday that it has ceased operations and cancelled all future sailings.

In a post on its website, the cruise company said since 2011, it’s had the “privilege of sharing the wonders of Alaska and the richness of our Alaska Native heritage with incredible guests from across the globe.”

The company is owned by Allen Marine, a local maritime business that’s been offering wildlife and sightseeing tours in Southeast Alaska for about five decades.

“We’re really proud that we were a homegrown and Indigenous-owned line right here in Sitka,” said Allen Marine spokesperson Zak Kirkpatrick. “And that grew into world class cruises and winning national awards and appearing in worldwide publications, which was really something we’re proud about.”

Alaskan Dream Cruises operated four overnight cruise vessels that each held between 40 and 80 passengers, according to Kirkpatrick. Cruises lasted between five and eight nights, and offered a comprehensive look at the Inside Passage, with activities like hiking, kayaking and paddle boarding.

Kirkpatrick said the decision to get out of the overnight cruise business was “intentional and necessary” for the sustainability of the company.

“When you just kind of boil it down, the company is just planning to refocus 100% of our resources on what we consider our founding strengths and roots, which are the day tour excursions and the shipyard operations and marine services,” he said.

In 2025, Alaskan Dream Cruises employed 95 seasonal workers and about 10 year-round workers, and Allen Marine employed 305 seasonal workers and about 100 year-round workers for its other services, according to Kirkpatrick. With the closure, he said Allen Marine won’t be hiring for the overnight boats this cruise season.

The company said it’s directly communicating with all guests about reservations and processing refunds.

Some storefront owners in Juneau spoke out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or shuttered their doors Friday as part of the nationwide general strike following recent killings in Minneapolis. 

Downtown, small businesses including Drip Drop Wonder Shop, Liaise Studio and Alaska Robotics Gallery closed, joining businesses across the country protesting ICE. 

Aaron Suring is co-owner of Alaska Robotics Gallery, a game and book shop. He said he participated in the strike because he wants to see ICE defunded. 

“There’s limited things that we can do so far away from what’s happening in Minneapolis, and we wanted to show our support in what way we could,” he said. 

He said he thinks joining the nationwide response can raise awareness and lead to action. Across the country, people are refraining from attending school, going to work or spending money in solidarity with those impacted by ICE. 

Some Juneau stores that remained open took a stance against ICE in other ways. 

Kindred Post, a gift shop and post office downtown, posted on social media that 25% of its revenue between Friday and Sunday will be donated to the International Rescue Committee in support of immigrants and refugees. 

Travis Smith, co-owner of The Rookery Cafe and In Bocca al Lupo, said he decided to keep the restaurants open because he can’t afford to close. But he encouraged patrons to pay in cash. 

“We’re going to basically take what would have been the credit card processing fees that we’re not paying, since people are paying in cash, and then we’re going to match that amount as a donation,” he said. 

He said that will amount to 6% of their sales from the day, which they plan to donate to funds on Stand With Minnesota, a directory aimed at supporting people impacted by ICE in the state. 

“The reality is that our businesses both rely upon immigrants, our communities are built on them,” he said. 

Smith called the ICE raids “atrocious” and said the U.S. should not allow masked officers to kill people. 

Across the street, a chalkboard sign stands in front of Bustin’ Out Boutique.

“It says, ‘fight fascism, not your bra.’ We’re just a full-service bra-fitting store,” said Hollis Kitchin, owner of the boutique. She said she’s been using the sign to speak out against the current administration since President Donald Trump’s inauguration last year. 

She said she couldn’t afford to close for the day, but set up a snack and tea station in her shop to create a welcoming space for protestors. 

Kitchin said she’s a descendant of people who immigrated to the U.S. to escape fascism before World War II and the issue is close to her heart. 

“I have friends in Minnesota that are afraid to leave their houses because they’re not white, they’re carrying their passports and stuff with them,” she said. “It’s just disturbing and horrifying.”

The response from local business owners comes after organizers hosted an anti-ICE rally Thursday and a recent vigil remembering Alex Pretti and Renee Good Sunday. Another anti-ICE is planned for Friday evening starting at 5 p.m. at the whale statue. 

Correction: This story has been updated to correct when Hollis Kitchin’s family migrated.