Trail Mix, the Juneau-based nonprofit is an organization dedicated to stewarding local trails, by bringing together people and resources for trail improvements and activities.
With a dedicated team of 15-20 seasonal workers and 4 year-round employees, they collaborate closely with the Forest Service, City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska State Parks, and indigenous organizations to maintain and enhance Juneau’s extensive trail network.
“I think something people maybe don’t realize, is how many years, and hours that it takes to complete a small section of trail, and oftentimes, like some of the trails that we’re working on this summer, are projects that have been in the works, you know, for maybe three or four years.” Said Trail Mix’s executive director Meghan Tabacek “You kind of just have to play the timing right and wait for the perfect grant, or the perfect crew lead or the perfect conditions in order to actually make the trail work. So we always have a very, very long list of trails that we want to work on.”
The organization recently faced challenges with potential Forest Service funding cuts, which forced them to reduce their trail crews from four to three for the season. In response, they launched a successful community fundraiser, raising nearly $55,000.
“it was really, really cool to see the community come together and support.” Said Tabacek, “Since February, it’s really just been touch and go. We have been working to kind of, diversify our project streams, so like working more with the city, more with state parks, and just trying to make sure we have other work guaranteed outside of the Forest Service.”
As of right now Trail Mix’s agreements with the Forest Service still stand and they are able to continue work as normal, but Tabacek said with increasing levels of uncertainty, they just dont know if – or when the cap is going to stop on those projects.
Volunteers play a critical role in Trail Mix’s operations, with the organization currently tracking over 700 volunteer hours this summer.
“Volunteers are huge to trail mix. I mean, the heart of trail mix is volunteerism.” said Tabacek “Trail Mix was started in 1993 by a group of volunteers and in our first years, Trail Mix was actually all volunteer run.”
This community involvement is essential, as only 30-35 people are responsible for maintaining Juneau’s 250 trails. Volunteers help meet grant requirements, supplement staff efforts, and support additional organizational work not covered by standard agency agreements.
“A lot of what we do is build the trails, but, also a lot of what we do is work with people who build the trails. And I think that’s the cooler part about Trail Mix.” Said Tabacek.
Volunteer waivers are available on the Trail Mix website, as well as their schedule of upcoming events.
The offices of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development in Juneau are seen on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
The offices of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development in Juneau are seen on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Approved by voters in November, it states that someone working at a business with 15 or more employees will earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 per year, unless the employer voluntarily increases that limit.
Someone working at a business with fewer than 15 employees earns sick leave at the same rate, but the maximum per year is 40 hours.
The law also raised the state’s minimum wage to $13 per hour. The minimum wage rises to $14 per hour next year and $15 per hour in 2027. It will rise with the rate of inflation for each year after that.
The law also forbids bosses from forcing their employees to attend meetings about religious or political issues, including whether or not to join a labor union, political group or church.
There are exemptions for religious organizations.
Under the law, sick leave can be used for an employee’s illness or to take care of a family member who needs care. It can also be used in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.
While workers can access the benefits now, it will be a few weeks before the state formalizes some of the details of how employers must implement the law. On June 25, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development proposed new regulations. Those won’t take effect until August at the earliest, but they would add some new rules to the sick leave law.
Under those regulations, all of the state’s employers “shall notify each employee in writing” about its sick leave policy.
Those policies may include the amount of advance notice required when using sick leave for a prescheduled medical appointment or “other forseeable absence.”
An employer can’t require more than 10 days’ notice in that case.
If someone is unexpectedly sick, the proposed regulations would require the sick employee to “notify the employer before the start of the employee’s shift or as soon as is possible.”
If someone uses sick leave for more than three consecutive days, their boss may require them to show proof of their need for sick leave, if that requirement is included in the written policy.
Someone who needs to take sick leave because of domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment or stalking, cannot be required to verify that explanation.
Under the law, someone can carry over unused sick leave from one year to the next, but they can’t exceed the maximum, unless their employer voluntarily allows them to do so.
Employers are forbidden from retaliating against employees who use their sick leave, and nothing prevents an employer from “front-loading” sick leave by giving them the hours in advance instead of accruing them over time.
The Department of Labor’s new regulations are subject to public comment through July 31. Anyone with questions may email dol.lss.regulations@alaska.gov.
Photographs of injured humpback whale #2583. Left: Whale #2583 on June 16th, prior to being injured. Right: June 27th with a deep gash behind the dorsal fin. Photos taken under the authority of Scientific Research Permit #27027 issued by NOAA Fisheries. (Janet Neilson photos/National Park Service)
By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
Officials with the National Park Service are asking for the public’s help as they try to figure out how a humpback whale was injured by a boat in June.
Pictures published by the park on July 1 show a humpback whale with a large gash behind its dorsal fin. The whale was photographed uninjured on June 16, and the injury took place sometime between then and June 27, when a photo of the injury was taken by a biologist near Willoughby Island.
“They swim around all over the place. We don’t know exactly where it would have been. We do know that it had been spotted in a similar area to where it was seen only seven days before that. So we’re quite sure it’s been feeding in this area and then it had that fresh injury on the 27th, so we are expecting that someone quite close was in this area and interacted with that whale and ran into it,” said Matthew Cahill, public information officer for Glacier Bay National Park.
Two cruise ships and 25 private vessels are allowed per day into Glacier Bay.
Last year, several whales were struck by boats and ships in nearby waters, and at least two whales died as a result.
“We do know that whales are getting hit by boats in the area. I can’t tell you how many, though,” Cahill said, explaining that not all injuries are seen or reported, and data is anecdotal.
From his perspective, “we have a couple of identified photos of individual (whales) with fresh prop marks this year.”
Whale injuries are notable because humpbacks, gray whales and other species are protected by federal law. All vessels in the park are prohibited from coming within one quarter of a nautical mile of a humpback, and if they come inside that radius by accident, they must immediately reduce speed to 10 knots.
Cahill said that the Glacier Bay area is one of the more protected parts of Southeast Alaska for humpback whales, and staff at the park want to protect the marine environment while still providing a good visitor experience.
Anyone with information about the stricken whale has been asked to contact the park at 907-697-2230.
The Juneau Symphony has announced the appointment of Brad Hogarth as its new Music Director, following an extensive yearlong search and a final vote by Symphony members.
Hogarth, a conductor, educator, and trumpeter, was one of four finalists invited to lead a full concert during the Symphony’s 2024–2025 season. Each candidate spent time engaging with the orchestra and the wider community, but it was Hogarth’s dynamic podium presence, artistic vision, and collaboration that ultimately resonated.
“We are excited to welcome Brad to the Juneau Symphony family,” said Executive Director Charlotte Truitt. “He brings extraordinary musicianship and a passion for connecting people through music. His energy and artistic leadership will guide us into an inspiring next chapter.”
The search process was shaped by input from musicians, community members, and Symphony patrons. Hogarth’s appointment begins immediately, and he will work with Symphony leadership to finalize plans for the 2025–2026 season, strengthen community partnerships, and expand outreach throughout Southeast Alaska.
“I am honored and excited to join the Juneau Symphony as Music Director,” said Hogarth. “I am inspired by the talent and dedication of the musicians, and moved by the warmth of the Juneau community. I look forward to making music together and sharing meaningful artistic experiences with everyone.”
The Symphony plans to formally welcome Hogarth in the coming months. Details on the upcoming season, including ticket information, will be released soon.
Sockeye salmon at Tazimina Lake. NPS Photo / D. Young. 2013
Sockeye salmon at Tazimina Lake. NPS Photo / D. Young. 2013
U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason has sided with Alaska in a contentious case about who gets to control salmon fishing in certain waters.
Gleason upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) adoption of Amendment 16 to the federal salmon fishery plan for the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The ruling confirms that NMFS is not obligated to regulate salmon fishing in state waters.
Opponents of Amendment 16 had argued that the measure violated the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which is the primary law governing marine fisheries in U.S federal waters and was created to prevent overfishing, rebuild depleted fish stocks and protect marine eco systems.
Opponents also argued the measure violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a law that governs how federal agencies can create and enforce rules, claiming that NMFS should be required to manage salmon stocks across their full range or everywhere that salmon swim, including within state-managed nearshore waters.
The court disagreed. Judge Gleason affirmed that the MSA permits NMFS to manage fisheries as distinct units, and that the Cook Inlet EEZ salmon fishery qualifies. The decision also reinforced that NMFS’s jurisdiction is limited to federal waters, which begin three miles offshore.
Attorney General Treg Taylor praised the decision, calling it “a victory for Alaska and our salmon fishery.” He added, “It upheld the state’s rights and responsibilities to managing our waters. I want to congratulate the hard work and dedication of our Department of Law attorneys, especially Aaron Peterson, who have been tirelessly defending Alaska’s interests.”
The House of Representatives side of the U.S. Capitol is seen on the morning of Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The House of Representatives side of the U.S. Capitol is seen on the morning of Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts
In my research on the history of food stamps, I’ve found that the program was meant to be widely available to most low-income people. The SNAP changes break that tradition in two ways.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 3 million people are likely to be dropped from the program and lose their benefits. This decline will occur in part because more people will face time limits if they don’t meet work requirements. Even those who meet the requirements may lose benefits because of difficulty submitting the necessary documents.
Inspired by the plight of unemployed coal miners whom John F. Kennedy met in Appalachia when he campaigned for the presidency in 1960, the early food stamps program was not limited to single parents with children, older people and people with disabilities, like many other safety net programs were at the time. It was supposed to help low-income people afford more and better food, regardless of their circumstances.
From the start, the states administered the program and covered some of its administrative costs and the federal government paid for the benefits in full. This arrangement encouraged states to enroll everyone who needed help without fearing the budgetary consequences.
Who could qualify and how much help they could get were set by uniform national standards, so that even the residents of the poorest states would be able to afford a budget-conscious but nutritionally adequate diet.
The federal government’s responsibility for the cost of benefits also allowed spending to automatically grow during economic downturns, when more people need assistance. These federal dollars helped families, retailers and local economies weather tough times.
The changes to the SNAP program included in the legislative package that Congress approved by narrow margins and Trump signed into law, however, will make it harder for the program to serve its original goals.
Restricting benefits
Since the early 1970s, most so-called able-bodied adults who were not caring for a child or an adult with disabilities had to meet a work requirement to get food stamps. Welfare reform legislation in 1996 made that requirement stricter for such adults between the ages of 18 and 50 by imposing a three-month time limit if they didn’t log 20 hours or more of employment or another approved activity, such as verified volunteering.
Budget legislation passed in 2023 expanded this rule to adults up to age 54. The 2025 law will further expand the time limit to adults up to age 64 and parents of children age 14 or over.
States can currently get permission from the federal government to waive work requirements in areas with insufficient jobs or unemployment above the national average. This flexibility to waive work requirements will now be significantly limited and available only where at least 1 in 10 workers are unemployed.
Concerned senators secured an exemption from the work requirements for most Native Americans and Native Alaskans, who are more likely to live in areas with limited job opportunities.
The new changes to SNAP policies will also deny benefits to many immigrants with authorization to be in the U.S., such as people granted political asylum or official refugee status. Immigrants without authorization to reside in the U.S. will continue to be ineligible for SNAP benefits.
Tracking ‘error rates’
Critics of food stamps have long argued that states lack incentives to carefully administer the program because the federal government is on the hook for the cost of benefits.
In the 1970s, as the number of Americans on the food stamp rolls soared, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, developed a system for assessing if states were accurately determining whether applicants were eligible for benefits and how much they could get.
A state’s “payment error rate” estimates the share of benefits paid out that were more or less than an applicant was actually eligible for. The error rate was not then and is not today a measure of fraud. Typically, it just indicates the share of families who get a higher – or lower – amount of benefits than they are eligible for because of mistakes or confusion on the part of the applicant or the case worker who handles the application.
States responded by increasing their red tape. For example, they asked applicants to submit more documentation and made them go through more bureaucratic hoops, like having more frequent in-person interviews, to get – and continue receiving – SNAP benefits.
These demands hit low-wage workers hardest because their applications were more prone to mistakes. Low-income workers often don’t have consistent work hours and their pay can vary from week to week and month to month. The number of families getting benefits fell steeply.
The USDA tried to reverse this decline by offering states options to simplify the process for applying for and continuing to get SNAP benefits over the course of the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Enrollment grew steadily.
Despite this requirement, the national average error rate jumped from 7.4% before the pandemic, to a record high of 11.7% in 2023. Rates rose as states struggled with a surge of people applying for benefits, a shortage of staff in state welfare agencies and procedural changes.
The big legislative package will increase states’ expenses in two ways.
It will reduce the federal government’s responsibility for half of the cost of administering the program to 25% beginning in the 2027 fiscal year.
And some states will have to pay a share of benefit costs for the first time in the program’s history, depending on their payment error rates. Beginning in the 2028 fiscal year, states with an error rate between 6-8% would be responsible for 5% of the cost of benefits. Those with an error rate between 8-10% would have to pay 10%, and states with an error rate over 10% would have to pay 15%. The federal government would continue to pay all benefits in states with error rates below 6%.
Republicans argue the changes will give states more “skin in the game” and ensure better administration of the program.
While the national payment error rate fell from 11.68% in the 2023 fiscal year to 10.93% a year later, 42 states still had rates in excess of 6% in 2024. Twenty states plus the District of Columbia had rates of 10% or higher.
At nearly 25%, Alaska has the highest payment error rate in the country. But Alaska won’t be in trouble right away. To ease passage in the Senate, where the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, was in doubt, a provision was added to the bill allowing several states with the highest error rates to avoid cost sharing for up to two years after it begins.
About 600,000 individuals and families will lose an average of $100 a month in benefits because of a change in the way utility costs are treated. The law also prevents future administrations from increasing benefits beyond the cost of living, as the Biden Administration did.
States cannot cut benefits below the national standards set in federal law.
But the shift of costs to financially strapped states will force them to make tough choices. They will either have to cut back spending on other programs, increase taxes, discourage people from getting SNAP benefits or drop the program altogether.
The changes will, in the end, make it even harder for Americans who can’t afford the bare necessities to get enough nutritious food to feed their families.
AP- Authorities say they have found the body of a woman visiting Alaska’s capital city who did not return to her cruise ship from a hike she said she was taking.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said the body of 62-year-old Marites Buenafe of Kentucky was found by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew late Thursday below the ridge line of Gold Ridge. Troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue were able to recover the body with help from Temsco Helicopters and the National Guard.
Her next of kin have been notified, and her body will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsy.
The Juneau Police Department received a report Tuesday afternoon that the woman, who told relatives that morning that she was getting off the Norwegian Bliss to hike, had not returned to the vessel by its departure time.
News of the North- The invasive European green crab has been confirmed on beaches along the Ketchikan road system for the first time. The species was first detected in Alaska in July 2022 by the Metlakatla Indian Community on Annette Island, who have since spearheaded local and regional responses.
The green crab is considered one of the most invasive species in the marine environment. It has few predators, aggressively hunts and eats its prey, destroys seagrass, and outcompetes local species for food and habitat. It has been documented that green crab devour juvenile king crab as well as juvenile salmon. They also destroy eelgrass habitat that larval fish use to hide from predators, and outcompete Dungeness crabs for food and habitat. Green crab could potentially damage Alaska’s multi-billion dollar fisheries industries, especially for salmon, crab, and mariculture operations.
Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research, Alaska Fish & Game, and Alaska Sea Grant provide public resources about European green crabs in Southeast Alaska including detection, identification, and impact information, The best way to identify green crab is to count the spines. There are 5 spines behind the eye on each side of the shell.
Green crabs live on rocky shores, cobble beaches, sandflats and tidal marshes. They can often be found near eelgrass beds or other shoreline vegetation. Green crabs tolerate a wide range of water salinity and temperature. They can also survive upstream of river mouths in some estuarine environments.
Report your sightings via the ADF&G Invasive Species Reporter or by calling the Invasive Species Hotline: (877) INVASIV ((877) 468-2748). If you locate invasive green crab on Annette Islands Reserve, you can call (907) 886-FISH to make a report.
Governor Mike Dunleavy speaks during a press conference on Thursday, April 17 in Juneau. (Photo by Greg Knight/NOTN)
Governor Mike Dunleavy speaks during a press conference on Thursday, April 17 in Juneau. (Photo by Greg Knight/NOTN)
By: Corinne Smith and James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling state legislators back to Juneau for a surprise special session.
On Wednesday, the governor issued a proclamation stating that the session, which begins Aug. 2, will cover education reform and his executive order creating a new Department of Agriculture.
The proclamation also forces an early vote on whether to override or sustain several of the governor’s vetoes, including an unprecedented cut to the base student allocation, core of the state’s per-pupil funding formula for public schools.
Under the Alaska Constitution, legislators must vote on an override in the first five days of the next session, in this case a special session.
That’s significant, because 45 votes are needed to override a budget veto, and while there were 46 votes in favor of a prior veto override this spring, at least one legislator who voted in favor of that override is expected to be unavailable in August.
In a prepared statement, Dunleavy outlined his stated reasons for calling a special session.
“Enacting a few necessary reforms to our public education system can elevate those children struggling in Alaska’s school system,” Dunleavy said. “As elected officials we must do all we can to put the next generation on the path to a successful and prosperous future, and that starts with a solid public education.”
The governor’s office declined to answer an emailed question asking whether the special session’s goals included an early vote. Some legislators said that seemed apparent.
House Minority Leader Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, said members of the House’s Republican minority were preparing to meet with the governor Wednesday afternoon.
Asked whether she thinks the governor called the session to force a veto override early, she said, “undoubtedly, the governor is aware that those issues would be taken up in the first five days in the Legislature. So, I do believe that is a part of the plan.”
She said she doesn’t know whether calling the vote early will decrease the chances of an override. Though some lawmakers may be absent, “people are home, talking to their constituents … how that translates into their votes is a hard thing to tell.”
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage and chair of the Senate Rules Committee, did not mince words: “Oh yeah, this is all about the veto override,” he said. “Because he knows there’s people that are not in the state. You know, that’s actually the day that the National Conference of State Legislatures starts to meet also. So I know there’s some people who are scheduled to go to that. So, yeah, this is all about trying to game the system so we don’t have enough votes to override his veto.”
Legislators uniformly said that the governor’s special session proclamation came as a surprise. Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, was hiking in Denali when reached by phone. Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, was at his town’s boat harbor.
“It’s a stunning announcement,” Edgmon said. “It’s extraordinary to get the Legislature back to Juneau, and it takes a tremendous amount of organization, cooperation, dialogue, you know, conversations, particularly when you’re throwing a topic like education policy in the mix, which normally could take up an entire two years of a legislative session.”
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, said the Legislature will reconvene but the votes for an override are uncertain. “I suspect that’ll be the first thing we deal with, if not the only thing we deal with, and we’ll see how the votes go.”
Under the Alaska Constitution, governors have the power to call special sessions, with the subjects limited to those chosen by the governor and the reconsideration of vetoed bills. While the Legislature is required to convene, it’s not required to actually discuss the chosen subjects.
Stevens said there’s no guarantee that the Legislature will take up Dunleavy’s agenda items. “It should be no secret to anyone that we’re going to, when we do meet — it’s my intention — on Aug. 2 to bring up first the issue of the override. And then we could, after we’ve done that, pass or fail, then we probably … can easily adjourn and deal with these issues the governor brought up at a later date.”
Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, is currently deployed in Poland as part of U.S. National Guard service, and Stevens says it’s unlikely he would be able to make the special session. “He’s doing a service to the country, and it’d be very hard for him to get back. I don’t know if the military would even allow him to leave at this point, he’s in a training session, and so we’ll certainly look into that. But I would say it’s probably unlikely that he can be back.”
Dunbar did not respond to requests for comment by Wednesday afternoon.
“But he’s not the only one,” Stevens added. “There are others that are traveling, which makes it even more difficult to get to 45 votes.”
That threshold matters because overriding a governor’s budget veto requires 45 of 60 legislators, meeting in joint session.
This spring, 46 lawmakers voted to override the governor’s veto of a bill increasing the base student allocation in state policy. But authorizing spending the money was a separate vote, as part of passing the budget. If Dunbar is absent, all 45 remaining supporters of the veto override would have to stand firm in order to restore public school funding cut by the governor.
“I don’t know where people are going to be, but it’s really going to come down to probably one vote on a number of these overrides. So, not having that one vote, it’s going to be tough,” Wielechowski said.
In addition to the budget vetoes, the governor had vetoed three policy bills, including Senate Bill 183, increasing the powers of the legislative auditor.
Legislators said that bill, which passed with bipartisan support, was needed because the executive branch has stopped providing reports needed to verify the work of oil tax auditors on state taxes owed. Dunleavy said legislators’ criticism of the administration’s handling of the issue insinuated that it was acting unethically or illegally and undermined public trust in government. He demanded in a letter to lawmakers last week that they stop.
Afterward, at a meeting of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, lawmakers voted to authorize subpoenas against members of the administration over the issue.
Calling a special session makes an override of the SB 183 veto more difficult, Wielechowski said.
“If you’re an oil company, today’s a great day. They’re probably popping champagne bottles in Houston, Texas, today, and also all across the oil basins, because they know that it’s going to be harder to audit their taxes and probably likely to cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.
Josephson said there will likely be several veto override votes taken up by the Legislature. “There will be attempts on multiple overrides. Multiple, multiple overrides,” he said, and hopes it includes an override vote to restore a policy bill addressing funding for teacher housing and Mount Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, and budget increases for infant learning programs. “So that’s going to be sort of interesting as well, because those veto override attempts must occur.”
After addressing the overrides, lawmakers could adjourn the special session without taking up either of the topics on the formal agenda.
Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, said he hopes that doesn’t happen and lawmakers consider creating a Department of Agriculture separate from the Department of Natural Resources.
Agriculture is currently overseen by a division within DNR, and McCabe said that recent wildfires in the Denali Borough show the need for DNR to be free to concentrate its attention on more important things without taking time away from agriculture.
Dunleavy addressed the issue in his statement announcing the session: “Splitting the Division of Agriculture away from DNR into a department will elevate food security and support our hard-working farmers while growing the agricultural sector.”
In May, lawmakers voted 32-28 to deny an executive order by Dunleavy to create a new Department of Agriculture, citing the proposal’s costs as well as creation through an executive order rather than as legislation, with public input.
Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, chair of the Senate Education Committee, said by phone Wednesday that the Legislature passed legislation related to many of the governor’s policy priorities for education in May, including taking steps toward easing access for new charter school applications and expanding funding for career and technical education, as well as creating a task force to examine open enrollment and other measures.
She said she was unclear what further education reforms the governor wants: “I haven’t heard from the governor nor any of his staff, about anything else that he would like to see happen within our public education system.”
In a video Dunleavy released when he vetoed the school policy bill, he said it “fell short” on the policies he sought, including on charter schools, reading improvement incentives and open enrollment.
Other legislators were skeptical that the special session would accomplish its stated goals.
“I don’t think it’s going to work, is it?” said Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, on talk radio Wednesday morning.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, said he hadn’t spoken to the governor or any of his staff about the special session but said that sustaining the vetoes could be a primary objective.
“Honestly, I don’t know exactly what the intent is, or what the hope is for accomplishing (something), whether it’s PR or some kind of vote with people missing, or anything like that,” he said.
“Personally,” Shower said, “I’m not the biggest fan of special sessions, only because in my eight-plus years here, I’ve never seen them actually accomplish anything.”
Search and rescue crews in Juneau are looking for a missing cruise ship passenger who didn’t return from a hike Monday.
Police say 62-year-old Marites Buenafe, a Kentucky resident and passenger aboard the Norwegian Bliss, disembarked around 7:30 a.m. on July 1 and told family she planned to take the tram up the mountain and hike alone.
She never returned to the ship, which departed at 1:30 p.m.
Buenafe is described as 5’1″, about 110 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes.
The Alaska State Troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue launched a search operation, which remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities.
