NOTN- Juneau officials are preparing to partner with the U.S. Coast Guard to help meet housing needs tied to the planned 2029 arrival of the icebreaker Storis.
Deputy Mayor Greg Smith said the Coast Guard has identified a deficit of 71 housing units for personnel.
“Juneau needs over 1000 units, if not closer to 1500 just for our population. But knowing that, making this a successful home port for the Storis is a tremendous need and priority for us.” Said Smith.
On Monday, the Assembly authorized the city manager to work with the Coast Guard on a memorandum of understanding, which is a formal document outlining the intent of two or more parties to cooperate on a project or transaction, and to consider city-owned property for potential development.
“The Coast Guard is going to put out a request for information, and ask local developers, We need this much housing, what could you offer? what can you provide to help fill this need?” Smith Said, “Our city manager said we also have some property that could go and potentially help address this need as well. She identified Pederson Hill as well as Telephone Hill as city owned land that could be used. It’s not simply for Coast Guard housing.”
The Coast Guard is expected to issue a request for information to local developers outlining housing needs. Smith said demonstrating city support is critical to ensuring the Storis is successfully homeported in Juneau and not relocated elsewhere.
NOTN- Residents of Telephone Hill, who were set to be evicted this week, have been given a one-month reprieve.
Residents filled Centennial Hall last Monday to oppose a plan to redevelop Juneau’s Telephone Hill into higher-density housing.
About 30 people testified against the proposal, which calls for replacing about 14 existing units with more than 100 new units. Mayor Beth Weldon said the project is part of the city’s effort to expand downtown housing.
“Most of it just comes down to trying to get housing downtown.” said Weldon, “So instead of 14 units, we’re looking for over 100 units, its a leap of faith.”
Opponents who testified last week criticized the plan’s cost and the displacement of current residents. The city maintains that the redevelopment is necessary to address Juneau’s housing shortage.
“We do have a timeline. This is a tough topic for people, because we are doing evictions, but in the spirit of trying to get more housing downtown.” Weldon said.
The Juneau Assembly paused the process Monday night after city officials said proper legal procedures weren’t followed, with at least one tenant not receiving proper notice of eviction.
“It was determined that our property manager had not taken appropriate evidence or proof of posting eviction notices.” Said Deputy Mayor Greg Smith, “Legally, and to make sure that was all correct, we extended that to November 1, and so folks have a little more time, we’ll just make sure this is all done right. Obviously, this is a very challenging situation.”
New eviction notices will be issued, requiring residents to move out by November 1.
The Assembly has appropriated $5.5 million toward the redevelopment.
City leaders say the redevelopment plans remain on track despite the delay.
Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people gather in Juneau for the opening of Celebration on June 5, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
A top official for the U.S. Department of the Interior has revoked a legal opinion that formed part of the legal basis for two new casino-like tribal gaming halls in Alaska, putting their future in question.
Writing in a memo to the head of the National Indian Gaming Commission and the top attorney at the Interior Department, MacGregor said that the Biden-era opinion “does not reflect the best interpretation of applicable law.”
The opinion overruled by MacGregor applied only to Alaska and declared that tribal authority applied under many circumstances to land allotments that were given to individual Alaska Natives by the federal government.
That’s a system similar to what’s in place in the Lower 48.
The state of Alaska opposed that view, holding to the position that the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 extinguished almost all “Indian Country” in Alaska and that the state holds primary jurisdiction over land owned by Alaska Natives, Alaska Native corporations and Alaska tribes, with the exception of the Metlakatla Indian Community.
Millions of acres potentially affected
The settlement act left almost all Alaska tribes with no federal trust land on which to exert sovereignty. There are, however, more than 17,000 parcels of up to 160 acres that have been granted to individual Alaska Natives since 1906 and are held in federal trust. Collectively, they represent as much as 5 million acres of land.
Until the Biden-era opinion, it was believed that most — if not all — of that land was outside tribal jurisdiction. After the opinion, the Native Village of Eklutna and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska went ahead with plans to build casino-like facilities on allotments in their traditional territory. It was the first significant move to take advantage of the new interpretation of federal law.
The Native Village of Eklutna opened the Chin’an Gaming Hall in Birchwood, outside Anchorage, earlier this year. The Tlingit and Haida gaming hall, on Douglas Island, is under construction.
Now that the Biden-era opinion has been revoked, it isn’t clear whether the gaming halls are legal.
It’s still possible — albeit much more difficult — for tribes to exert jurisdiction over an allotment. But before the Biden administration’s opinion, Eklutna and the Tlingit and Haida Central Council had tried for decades to open casino-like gaming halls on allotments and had their applications rejected.
Before the Biden administration changed things, only Klawock and Metlakatla could operate casinos, and because of state laws regulating gaming, they do not offer table games like poker and blackjack. Instead, rows of slot-machine-like electronic devices fill their gaming halls.
That’s what can be seen in Birchwood and what is expected at the casino in Juneau.
MacGregor’s Sep. 25 memo says any action taken by the Interior Department or the National Indian Gaming Commission — which regulates gaming halls and casinos on tribal land — “should be reevaluated in accordance with this revocation.”
Birchwood gaming hall remains open
Aaron Leggett, President of the Native Village of Eklutna, said afterward in a written statement that its tribal gaming hall “remains open for our guests and continues to provide meaningful benefits to our Tribe, the surrounding community, and our state.”
Eklutna sought to build the gaming hall to provide jobs and an economic boost for tribal members and the local community, according to tribal leaders..
Leggett said the tribe is reviewing the new order.
A spokesperson for Tlingit and Haida declined to say whether construction will continue on its gaming hall, which is located on Douglas Island, on a road that leads to Juneau’s municipal ski area.
“Tlingit & Haida is aware of the U.S. Department of the Interior action to withdraw the solicitor’s decision. We also anticipated the action,” said Tlingit and Haida President Richard Peterson in a prepared statement. “We are reviewing internally and remain committed to exercising our Tribal sovereignty to preserve sovereignty, enhance economic and cultural resources and promote self-sufficiency and self-governance for Tribal citizens.”
State attorney general pleased by decision
The state of Alaska opposed the Biden-era opinion and has repeatedly fought the Native Village of Eklutna in court over its plans to open a tribally operated gaming hall.
Alaska Attorney General-designee Stephen Cox expressed support for the reversal in a written statement.
“We are encouraged that (the Department of the) Interior has returned to a position grounded in Alaska’s unique history. The Supreme Court has often said, ‘Alaska is the exception, not the rule.’ Today’s action respects that principle and restores the jurisdictional balance Congress intended and courts have repeatedly affirmed,” Cox said.
Asked to clarify whether the state believes that the Eklutna and Juneau casinos are now illegal, Department of Law spokeswoman Patty Sullivan said by email that MacGregor’s memo calls for a re-evaluation.
“Therefore,” she said, “it is for Interior to undertake the re-evaluation process and for the state to see the result of that re-evaluation process.”
It’s also not known how the new decision will affect two in-progress lawsuits that have challenged the Eklutna gaming hall. One suit, filed by neighboring landowners, is being considered by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals after a lower-court ruling went in favor of Eklutna.
A second lawsuit, filed by the state of Alaska against Eklutna, is on hold, pending the result of the Ninth Circuit case.
Tlingit and Haida’s gaming hall has not yet been the subject of lawsuits, but attorneys and other observers familiar with the issue say they expect that hall will be the subject of litigation as well.
She went through with it. Now she’s living with the after-effects, and admitting that cruel comments from strangers has been part of what’s driven her to keep going back for more.
A tearful Kailyn Lowry speaks on her podcast abut how she wants better for her children than what she feels as an adult. (Image Credit: YouTube)
Kailyn Lowry knows that mental illness drives her to repeatedly get cosmetic surgery to alter her appearance
During the most recent episode of the Karma & Chaos podcast, Kailyn Lowry and co-host (and ex) Becky Hayter discussed more than just her trip to visit her father.
Kail discussed her recent cosmetic surgeries.
She’s suffering an after-effect, including paralysis in one of her lips.
She is fully aware that mental illness is driving her to undergo so many surgeries to alter her appearance. And she has even felt suicidal over the reality of it, including this effect on her lip.
In June of 2025, Kailyn Lowry sat down for a special episode of her podcast. (Image Credit: YouTube)
“I get it. I mean, it’s your face,” Becky reasoned.
“You’re seeing yourself on, like, a million different accounts.”
She continued: “Every time you pop on your phone you’re seeing yourself at every different angle. So it’s hard. People don’t understand that part of it.”
Becky elaborated: “I don’t think people understand what it’s like to watch yourself all the time. It’s very jarring. And you start picking up on things that you never would have otherwise been insecure about.”
Critics telling her to just ‘stop’ don’t understand mental illness
“It’s rough!” Kailyn Lowry expressed. “It’s so easy for people to look online and be like, ‘Stop getting surgery!’”
Her critics, she admitted, say that she “knows that it’s a mental illness. She keeps talking about mental illness but then she does [the surgeries] anyway.’”
Kail exclaimed: “And I’m like, ‘Because it’s a f–king mental illness!’ Like, I’m aware and I do it anyway.”
On her Karma & Chaos podcast, Kailyn Lowry discussed her deadbeat dad in what are likely his final days. (Image Credit: Apple Podcasts)
“Instead of dogpiling on someone who, obviously their insecurities are running the show at that moment,” Becky suggested to listeners.
She asked people to consider: “How is that helpful?”
Becky affirmed: “Yes, that is a mental health issue and that’s not going to get fixed overnight. And you’re working on it.”
Her face shining with tears, Kailyn Lowry acknowledges that mental illness drives her cosmetic surgeries. (Image Credit: YouTube)
This is not what she wants for her own children
Kailyn Lowry would never want for her own children to follow her example.
Not only because going under the knife is a risk each and every time, but because she wants them to love themselves as-is.
Knowing that her surgeries are a self-destructive behavior is not the same thing as stopping. There are a bunch of factors that feed into this.
Social media trolls who roast her appearance are only part of the problem. But their nasty behavior isn’t helping.
Erin Bates is here with an update about her medical condition.
As a quick refresher: The reality star gave birth to her seventh child a few weeks ago, and then suffered a seizure.
“She is in the ICU, and the doctors are running scans and tests to determine the cause. Erin is extremely weak and spent hours only half conscious,” husband Chad told social media followers on September 4.
“As her husband, it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever faced — to sit by her side and watch her struggle while being so helpless to ease her suffering. I love her more deeply than words can express, and I can’t even imagine life without my best friend.
“The hours have been long and heavy, and I know many hearts are aching to see her this way, along with mine. We hold on to faith that healing is coming, even in the midst of the unknown. Your prayers are felt and we are forever grateful.”
Now, in her own Instagram post, Erin has told those interested that she is using a walker and a wheelchair to get around these days.
“To answer many of your questions…My leg still isn’t functioning, but I am learning how to navigate using a walker and wheelchair much better now,” Erin wrote on Friday. “I’ve been doing physical therapy consistently and they are hopeful that time will heal!”
(Image Credit: YouTube)
Elsewhere, Bates replied to at least one comment on her post.
“Thank you for praying!” she said. “We are still hopeful that I’ll regain function in my leg… I started physical therapy. I’m so grateful to be home!”
As previously detailed, Erin first went into the ICU after developing a severe UTI and kidney infection after her seventh child’s birth; his name is Henry.
The infections placed Bates into septic shock and caused her to suffer a lengthy and severe seizure.
Based on an update given by Erin’s pastor at the time, the seizure she suffered was a 15-minute-long grand mal seizure. Following extended stays in the ICU and NICU, respectively, both Erin and Henry were sent home.
(Instagram)
Along with newborn Henry, Bates and Paine share the following kids:
Charles Steven IV, 10, Brooklyn Elise, 8, Everly Hope, 7, Holland Grace, 5, Finley Marie, 3, and William Gage, 20 months.
The couple starred for 10 seasons on Bringing Up Bates, which centered on Erin and her 18 siblings.
The series aired on UPtv for 2015 through 2021 and its run was comprised of 185 episodes.
(Instagram)
Last week, Chad posted a YouTube video giving fans more information about his wife’s ongoing condition.
“Erin still has complications,” he said. “She cannot use her right leg for some reason. The doctors don’t have an explanation. They don’t have an answer, and they are only hopeful on recovery. They’re positive towards it, but they still haven’t really identified the problems that have been frustrating, but we’ve been continuing to ask for prayer.”
Late last week, Erin also gave an update on very young Henry, who turned one-month-old on Friday and appears to be thriving in the wake of his stay in the NICU.
“One month of loving you and thanking God for His goodness EVERY. SINGLE. DAY,” Erin wrote, before joking that she was “celebrating that I made it out of pajamas” to take the photos with Henry and Chad.
“But only for two minutes before the PJ life called me back. It’s the little things, friends!”
The day has come. And Clarkson’s colleagues are marveling at how she smiles and sings for the audience after everything.
Kelly Clarkson performs onstage during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony streaming on Disney+ at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 19, 2024. (Photo Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ is back
Following the death of ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson took a break from The Kelly Clarkson Show in order to spend time with their children.
She already made an “emotional” return and participated in a live taping, USA Todayreports.
We do not know when exactly this episode filmed, save that it was a “Tuesday morning.”
Kelly Clarkson speaks onstage during the SiriusXM Next Generation: Industry & Press Preview at The Tisch Skylights at The Shed on November 08, 2023. (Photo Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The Monday, September 29 episode did not include any mention of Blackstock during the taping.
However, the Kellyoke segments — which, as you might infer from the name, involve singing — might feel a little on the nose.
Per the report, these will “reflect things that maybe she wouldn’t talk about verbally in a sitting on the couch interview.”
Kelly Clarkson performs during the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefeller Center on November 29, 2023. (Photo Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
The season premiere is keeping it ‘light’
“A lot happened for us all in the last year, on personal and career levels,” music director Jason Halbert acknowledged.
Meanwhile, showrunner Alex Duda said that the season premiere is using “light” as a motif.
“When the world is dark or heavy, [we] look for the light,” Duda explained.
“That’s what we’ve done since the beginning. We wanted to reaffirm that.”
For Kelly Clarkson returning, the show features Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie in a lighthearted A Big Bold Beautiful Journey promotional interview.
For contrast, there is also an interview with people who rescued children during the floods in Texas this past July.
“I don’t know how [Clarkson] compartmentalizes watching that segment, super emotional, and then jumping into, like, making crafts with kids and then jumping into emoting a song,” Halbert expressed.
Kelly Clarkson attend the 51st annual Daytime Emmys Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles on June 07, 2024. (Photo Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
She’s been back to work for weeks
As we said, we do not know when this particular episode filmed.
But we know what Season 7 production began during the second week of September.
(There is more to production than filming!)
Kelly Clarkson performs during the 2024 Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 04, 2024. (Photo Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Grief, in all of its causes, is not a linear process. There are ups and downs.
A dream, a poignant moment in a film, even a commercial can hit you when you least expect it.
This will be a process for Kelly Clarkson, just as it is for anyone else.
It’s been a little less than two weeks since the murder of Charlie Kirk, and supporters and loved ones alike are still reeling from the loss.
Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk, has gained millions of followers and received countless messages of support in the wake of the shooting, but this week finds her on the receiving end of some very unexpected criticism.
Over the weekend, Erika made her debut as the host of her husband’s popular podcast, and some viewers took issue with her demeanor on the show.
Erika Kirk has been criticized for laughing and smiling while hosting her late husband’s podcast. (YouTube)
Erika Kirk slammed for appearing ‘happy’ during podcast
“Never seen a woman who lost her husband and father of her children just two weeks ago be SO happy,” wrote one X user.
“Erika Kirk must have superhuman powers of composure bc I just don’t understand how your husband and the father of your children is brutally assassinated and less than two weeks later your smiling, laughing, working and carrying on with business as usual,” another posted, adding:
“I don’t see a grieving widow in this clip, I see a business woman. Where are the 7 stages of grief? She’s jumped right to acceptance.
“If you have ever known someone who lost the love of their life suddenly and tragically you would know how strange all of this is.”
Mrs. Erika Kirk joins U.S. President Donald Trump onstage during the memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“Two weeks after her husband, Charlie Kirk’s death Erika is all smiles. She is either heavily drugged or doesn’t give a f–k,” a third chimed in.
The 36-year-old — who was recently named CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization founded by her husband — has not yet responded to the criticism.
Erika Kirk vows to carry on late husband’s legacy
“‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ is not going anywhere. My husband’s voice will live on. The show will go on,” Erika vowed on the podcast’s latest episode.
Charlie Kirk (R) and and his wife Erika Lane Frantzve (L) on stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“We will have rotating hosts, rotating casts, rotating people coming on. It is going to be continually the north star of the conservative movement, of the voice of the youth, of the voice of the base, and that will not end,” she continued.
“We’ll never be silenced. That’s why continuing his platform in a beautiful, honorable way will reinforce that he will never be silenced. My husband’s voice will go on.”
Erika previously received praise from across the ideological spectrum when she spoke at Charlie’s memorial and revealed that she’d forgiven his alleged killer.
“He wanted to save young men. Just like the one who took his life,” she said.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate.”
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have broken up after two decades as a couple and 19 years as husband and wife.
Neither the actress nor the musician has commented on the split just yet, but multiple insiders have confirmed the unfortunate news… with E! News stating that the parents of Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret have been living apart “since the beginning of summer.”
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on January 10, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (GETTY)
A source tells People Magazine, meanwhile, that “really hasn’t been a secret” how the Oscar-winner and the country artist have “been living separately for a while now.”
“People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable,” this source relayed to the aforementioned outlet.
Kidman and Urban started dating in 2005 and exchanged vows in 2006.
Two months before their split was revealed the the public, E! discovered that Kidman had put in an application to become a resident of Portugal.
It seems worth noting at this point that Urban was not listed on the form. However, someone with knowledge of the situation claimed back then that his absence was simply due to scheduling conflicts.
Nicole Kidman and Singer Keith Urban look on during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group D match between Los Angeles Football Club and Esperance de Tunis at GEODIS Park on June 20, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Although both Kidman and Urban have been wildly successful in their respective industries, the two have not talked much about their marriage in the press.
Kidman, though, opened up about their partnership in an interview for the September 2021 issue of Harper’s Bazaar, telling the magazine:
“We’re always working through stuff, but it’s very much love-based, so there’s an enormous amount of give and take. I want him to have the best life he can have, and he responds the same way.”
The celebrities were last photographed together in June at a FIFA Club World Cup 2025 game in Nashville.
That same month, Kidman celebrated the couple’s 19th wedding anniversary with a lovely Instagram photo.
Nicole Kddman and Keith Urban arrive at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 10, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
Prior to dating and then marrying Urban, Kidman was the wife of Tom Cruise; the two divorced in 2001.
“I was young. I think I offered it up?” she also told Harper Bazaar four years ago.
“Maybe I’ve gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way. I’m wary at times, and I’ve been hurt, but at the same time I much prefer a warm approach rather than a prickly shutdown approach. My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, ‘How’s your heart?’ And I apparently responded, ‘Open.’”
We hope this remains the case going forward.
The actress and the singer are coming off busy summers… with Kidman recently wrapped filming Practical Magic 2 in London…. and Urban off on his High and Alive World Tour. He is next scheduled to play on October 2 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
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