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Opinion

Correctional ombudsmen essential to fair prisons

The phrases “power differential” and “harassment” enter headlines every day now. We’ve become acquainted with the plight of…

Opinion

More oil is the answer to Alaska’s fiscal gap

There’s new math, old math and just plain crazy math, which best describes the latest formula from Sens.…

Opinion

Please support the Glory Hole’s mission of compassion

When most people think of The Glory Hole, they think of the food and shelter that are provided…

In this file photo from May 2015, Tsimshian carver David A. Boxley, fourth from right in line of drummers, drums and sings in front of the clan house screen he created for the Walter Soboleff Building in Juneau during the screen’s dedication ceremony. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Opinion

Juneau as the Northwest Coast Art Capital: Why it should matter to you

Nearly 100 years ago, the small town of Santa Fe, New Mexico, held its first Santa Fe Indian…

Chenault’s disingenous awakening

Opinion

Chenault’s disingenous awakening

Note: This opinion piece is in response to the Nov. 13 My Turn called “Choose Respect,” written by…

Gov. Bill Walker is among a crowd shaking hands on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017 in Beijing, as President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping look on. (Office of the Governor photo)

Opinion

Gas pipeline deal is a rope of hope

When Gov. Bill Walker announced a gas pipeline deal last week, we felt something we haven’t experienced in…

Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski. (Contributed photo)

Opinion

Choose respect

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelation, it has been a painful time for all, especially for…

Goriune Dudukgian (contributed photo)

Opinion

Sens. Murkowski, Sullivan can still get it right on forced arbitration

Last month, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, cast the final vote on a resolution to kill a Consumer…

Opinion

What history teaches us

“Today is a day for his family, his friends and his nation to remember President Nixon’s life in…

Opinion

Warming shelter brings much-needed relief to the homeless

It’s not easy being homeless, and it’s certainly not easy being homeless in Alaska. Temperatures dropped to the…

Opinion

Tax reform? Give me a break

This is a late response to Anselm Staack’s My Turn on the Empire’s editorial page of Sept. 27.…

Opinion

TMHS and JDHS football team consolidation

As a student at Thunder Mountain High School, I am here to tell you that I strongly disagree…

Jackie Qatalina Schaeffer (contributed photo)

Opinion

Keep the EPA fully funded

Here is something Alaska is not known for: polluted air. Yet nationally, the Fairbanks metro area is the…

Rick Shattuck

Opinion

Your community, your foundation

The week of Nov. 12-18 is Community Foundation Week and Nov. 15 is National Philanthropy Day. These events…

This aerial photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a herd of caribou on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, says her legislation to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling would generate $2 billion in royalties over the next decade — with half the money going to her home state. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)

Opinion

The long and short worlds of ANWR oil

“I walk in two worlds,” Sam Alexander said at the start of his testimony before the U.S. Senate…

Ring the bells of peace

Opinion

Ring the bells of peace

Bells will be rung this Saturday to observe Armistice Day. World War I, the “War to End All…

In this file photo from December 2016, Yaakoosg&

Opinion

Kindness creates opportunities

Is kindness contagious? This is a question we will see and hear answered in one of the upcoming…

Opinion

‘Lessons learned’: Former Alaska Gov. Murkowski recalls trip to North Korea in 1994

Americans are very concerned of a threat of a nuclear strike against the U.S. and other nations by…

Opinion

Answers to your questions about public safety

Why has crime increased in Alaska? Three of the biggest drivers are the opioid epidemic, the ongoing recession…

Opinion

The buck stops here

President Truman was famous for his sign “The Buck Stops Here.” If only Alaska Senate President Pete Kelly,…