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Opinion

Alaska Editorial: State budget cuts’ impact being felt

The following editorial first appeared in the Ketchikan Daily News: The Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility closed this week,…

Opinion

Alaska Editorial: Ketchikan library needs support

This editorial originally ran in the Ketchikan Daily News: Ketchikan’s library is a showpiece enjoyed throughout the Ketchikan…

Opinion

My Turn: State’s AlaskaCare Retiree Health Plan needs administrator oversight

On Jan. 1, 2014, Mike Barnhill, deputy commissioner of the Department of Administration, implemented a new appeal process…

In this file photo from August, Members of the Park Bronze Foundry in Enterprise, Ore., and a lift operator from North Pacific Erectors ready the six-and-a-half ton bronze whale sculpture to be placed on its foundation at what will become Bridge Park.

Opinion

My Turn: Tourists will judge the value of Juneau’s whale park

In his Sept. 9 commentary, Win Gruening was right to criticize the Empire Readers’ Council (ERC) for speculating…

Opinion

My Turn: What happens in Canada doesn’t stay in Canada

Alaskans are being asked to essentially bear all the risks and none of the economic benefits for nearly…

Opinion

My Turn: Let Gary Johnson join the debates

A recent Quinnipiac University poll asked likely voters the following question: “Do you think that Gary Johnson, the…

Opinion

League Points to Ponder: Nonpartisanship in local elections

Our Assembly and School Board members are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Why is that, and does it…

Opinion

Alaska Editorial: The election plot thickens

The following editorial first appeared in the Peninsula Clarion: Is there such a thing as a tea party…

Opinion

My Turn: National Recovery Month: A time to celebrate Alaskans overcoming alcohol addiction

Happy National Recovery Month! September is a month dedicated to increasing awareness about mental health and substance abuse…

Opinion

My Turn: An un-American veteran

I recently learned I am no longer a patriotic disabled veteran, but rather have been relegated to the…

Opinion

Alaska Editorial: Turning the tide against suicide

The following editorial first appeared in The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: It’s no secret that Alaska has a serious…

The Juneau School District's administration building at the corner of Glacier Avenue and 12th Street.

Opinion

My Turn: Juneau schools need substitutes

Juneau’s schools face a slew of challenges, from fiscal deficits to unexpected enrollment hikes, but there’s one seldom…

Opinion

My Turn: Does climate change really exist?

Does climate change really exist? If it doesn’t, what are the explanations for many of the phenomena occurring…

Opinion

My Turn: More Alaska ‘foxes in the henhouse’ pain to come

Alaska’s future needs work; yet the Legislature is AWOL. “Just in time” Senate Bill 21 “credits” arrive like…

Opinion

My Turn: The unflattering history of police unions

“Much of the history of policing is not flattering,” Juneau Police Department Chief Bryce Johnson bravely admitted to…

Opinion

My Turn: Walker proposes illegal Permanent Fund investment scheme

Craig Richards, Gov. Bill Walker’s erstwhile attorney general, has asked the trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund to…

Opinion

My Turn: ERC editorial misses the boat

In my last column, I discussed how the word “divisive” is often overused and misused. Mostly its use…

Opinion

League Points to Ponder: Citizen responsibility

Freedom, patriotism, the Bill of Rights, the Founding Fathers — all rallying cries when talking about politics in…

Opinion

Alaska Editorial: Pay attention to higher education budget plans

The following editorial first appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: The heavy turnout for a forum on the…

Opinion

My Turn: Permit process shows lack of real analysis

The Bureau of Land Management recently gave its approval for a Canadian company, Constantine Metals Resources Ltd., to…