KTOO News Update

In this newscast: A dozen women have accused former Juneau-area chiropractor Jeffrey Fultz of sexually abusing them under the guise of treating them for medical problems; A two-year project aimed at honoring Alaska's veterans in Hoonah is finally complete; Troopers say the two adult occupants of a plane that crashed in the Chugach Mountains north of Anchorage on Monday are dead.

In this newscast: The filing period for Juneau residents interested in running for a local office closed today; The first large cruise ship in nearly two years arrived in Alaska last week; At least one passenger aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in Southeast Alaska has tested positive for COVID-19; The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to review whether a southeast Alaska wolf population merits Endangered Species Act protections.

Juneau got its first visit from a large cruise ship since 2019, residents have mixed feelings about the ship's arrival amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases, 

Kelly Tshibaka is campaigning to unseat U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and she is pitching herself as the rightful Republican in the race, 

A wave of coronavirus infections in the small Prince William Sound community of Cordova has temporarily shut down a seafood processing plant and led to a mask mandate for city workers, 

Juneau singer and songwriter Erin Heist has released her first solo album, she says it was spared by a resolution she made last year.

With the rise in new COVID-19 cases, Juneau city officials have decided to up the local risk level and put restrictions on some businesses, 

Juneau's downtown emergency shelter and soup kitchen plans to be serving all of its patrons at its new facility on the other side of town by the end of the week, 

An expanded federal tax credit for working families rolled out last week as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.  It's a plan experts say will cut child poverty in half across the country -- including Alaska.

Juneau city officials are asking for input on recreation in the Montana Creek area; First Lady Jill Biden visited Alaska for a few hours on Wednesday; Members of the Republican minority caucus in the Alaska House have been at the center of the most contentious arguments in the Legislature this year.

Juneau has updated hazard maps and much of downtown Juneau is at risk from avalanche and mudslide damage, 

Juneau is taking steps to follow the first Visitor Industry Task Force recommendations - they're considering hiring a tourism manager, 

 Members of the Republican minority caucus in the Alaska house have been at the center of the most contentious arguments this year, 

The managing director of a major oil project on Alaska's North Slope has resigned.

The City and Borough of Juneau is asking residents to mask up indoors again -- whether or not they're vaccinated, 

The first Alaska-bound cruise ship departed Seattle today, 

A coalition has sued Gov. Mike Dunleavy to force his administration to release money that's supposed to help lower rural utility costs,

Fred Meyer warehouse workers have voted unanimously to authorize a strike that could disrupt food distribution at 180 locations across the Pacific Northwest as early as Monday., 

A new report from the state labor department shows Alaska had about 17,000 more jobs last month than it did in June 2020, 

The European green crab is an invasive species that can destroy vital habitats for animals all along the food chain. It was spotted in Haida Gwaii in July of 2020. That's the closest they've ever been to Alaska.

In this newscast: 

A Utah man facing prison time for killing his wife during an Alaska cruise has died in Juneau's jail, a new federal law will commits millions of dollars to landslide research and mapping -- but none for Haines, supply chain disruptions are impacting Alaska's burger and building prices, leaders of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska impose a COVID-19 vaccination requirement of its employees, and Juneau city officials identify 15 new cases of COVID-19, including several tied to the American Constellation cruise ship.

In this newscast: Juneau city officials are urging unvaccinated travelers arriving from Alaska communities that are seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases to get tested when they return to town; Juneau coffee shop Sacred Grounds recently got a makeover from Tlingit artists Michaela Goade and Robert Mills; The Biden administration announced Thursday that it’s freezing any remaining old-growth timber sales in the Tongass National Forest and will pivot to investing in other sectors of Southeast Alaska’s economy; Canadian authorities say they’ll lift a pandemic-era ban on cruise ships in the country’s waters.

In this newscast: Juneau residents interested in running for Mayor, School Board and two Assembly seats have the opportunity to do so starting this Friday at 8 a.m; An intense local debate ensues in Haines over non-traditional housing because of people living in yurts; The traditionally low-wage industry of child care is having an especially hard time competing for workers in a tight labor market in Alaska; The state announced plans to gauge the extent of contamination at and around the Gustavus Airport this week.