Empire Archives is a Saturday series featuring a short compilation of Juneau Empire headlines from archived issues from 1984, 1994 and 2004.
This week in 1984A school-wide attendance policy, a half-hour lunch break and a longer school day are some of the policy proposals the new principal of Juneau-Douglas High School will present to the Juneau Board of Education tonight. The new high school plan will be presented to the school board for the first time at the 7 p.m. special meeting at Harborview Elementary School. Principal Chris Bogden said he will seek council approval of the plan and the process for adopting the plan. Bogden will be responsible for an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 students as about 460 ninth-graders will move on to the high school under the new middle school program. In addition to more students, staff has also been increased by 40% and an assistant principal position has been created.
Today, Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé has more than 1,100 students at the start of the school year after a consolidation that placed all students in grades 9 through 12 back into a single high school.
Original story: “High School Politics Goes Before Committee,” by Betsy Longenbaugh. August 15, 1984.
This week in 1994Voters will be asked in October to raise the city’s 4% sales tax to five cents on the dollar. But whether the increase will be offset by exempting groceries and other essentials such as heating oil and electricity from sales tax has not yet been decided. The City and County Assembly narrowly passed the sales tax ballot bill on Monday, raising the amount to 5% from the original 4.75% — but postponed voting on a companion ordinance to grant the new exemptions. Members said they opted for a flat 5% tax because they believe it will be easier for merchants and consumers. The tax increase would be used for municipal operating expenses, capital projects and the city’s savings account.
Today, the city’s sales tax remains at 5% because voters have approved temporary extensions of the 1% sales tax every five years, most recently in 2023, to keep it in effect through 2028. The Assembly has discussed sales tax exemptions for certain food items and other proposals such as a seasonal sales tax in recent years, but has not adopted them as ordinances or put the questions to a vote.
Original story: “Proposed sales tax increase to be voted on in October,” by Tim Huber. August 16, 1994.
This week in 2004 Juneau began cleanup efforts Monday after a fire destroyed one of the city’s oldest buildings. The building, which housed the Subway sandwich shop, Dragon Inn restaurant and other businesses, had stood at the corner of Front and Seward streets since 1896. City officials could not immediately say how many businesses the building housed or how many workers there lost their jobs. Martin Beckner, chief of the Capital City Fire and Emergency Services Division, said Monday he was still trying to determine how many millions of dollars in damage the fire caused. The department reported Sunday that the 911 call came in at 2:50 p.m., about 15 minutes after it apparently started when workers poured hot tar on the roof above the Dragon Inn restaurant. Beckner said Monday he had no further information on the cause of the fire. Debbie Purves of the city’s Community Development Department visited the fire scene Monday and said she saw no obvious evidence of building code violations. City Manager Rod Swope said demolition of the burned-out remains should begin today and he expects clearing the fire scene to take two to three days.
Today the site has been reopened as the Walter Soboleff Building of the Sealaska Heritage Institute.
Original story: “Clean-up begins after devastating fire,” by Tony Carroll and I-Chun Che. August 17, 2004.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at [email protected] or (907) 957-2306.
