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Gaza resident Haytham Mohanna accepts first prize during the State Department’s International Education Week in November of 2013 for a presentation he gave in Haines. (Photo by Tom Morphet)

Opinion

Opinion: Israel, Gaza and a future of student diplomacy

I spent eight years as the community representative for several exchange students from Gaza. Haytham Mohanna was one…

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Dunleavy shows cruelty in turning down federal food funds for children

Cold. Unfeeling. Cruel. How else to describe Gov. Dunleavy’s decision to turn down federal funds for food for…

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Israel/Gaza war would end if Hamas surrender and return hostages. Why don’t they?

It is imperative to clarify some facts in Craig Wilson’s letter to the editor entitled “Israel violating international…

Artwork from inside cover of report “Learning to Thrive: Alaska’s next economy in a warming world” by Alyssa Quintyne. (Alaska Climate Alliance)

Opinion

My Turn: Two visions of Alaska’s future

After two weeks of harrowing negotiations at the COP28 summit in Dubai, world leaders and oil giants decamped…

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Duty of service

I am a longtime citizen of Alaska. I usually have a different point of view than former Senator…

Workers plug a cable into a Princess Cruises ship in Juneau on June 26, 2016. (Photo by John Neary)

Opinion

My Turn: Marine Passenger Fee proposal for electrifying docks

Here’s a great way to clean up the air in downtown Juneau during the busy cruise ship season.…

(City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Opinion

My Turn: When chickens come home to roost at the Juneau School District

On Tuesday I zoomed in to the Juneau School Board work session about our local school district’s recently…

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Israel violating international humanitarian law with its response in Gaza

Gaza is roughly twice the size of Douglas Island, with over three times the population of Alaska living…

A worker with the Pebble Mine project digs in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska near the village of Iliamma, Alaska, July 13, 2007. (AP Photo / Al Grillo)

Opinion

Opinion: The Alaska voices Dunleavy refuses to hear

“The Supreme Court’s decision to not hear the State’s case directly is disappointing,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy wrote in…

Juneau School District leaders learned during the past few days they are facing a $9.5 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that ends June 30. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Opinion

My Turn: Why the Juneau School District has an unexpected $9.5M deficit and what comes next

The Juneau School District’s FY24 Budget Reconciliation document came as a shock to the school board, district personnel…

The result of the Wrangell landslide is seen on Nov. 20. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities photo)

Opinion

An Alaska climate expert reviews 2023’s weather and climate highlights

While Alaska didn’t have an ex-typhoon Merbok style widespread high impact event in 2023, there was still lots…

Two visitors walk on the Photo Point Trail footbridge at the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area on Aug. 27, 2023. (Photo by Laurie Craig)

Opinion

My Turn: Final Mendenhall Glacier redevelopment plan shows together we can create better outcomes

The Final Record of Decision announced on Dec. 14, 2023, by the U.S. Forest Service regarding changes at…

A page from the appeal by former President Donald Trump asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Colorado Supreme Court’s finding that an insurrection clause in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment renders Trump ineligible to be on the state’s ballot over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, is photographed Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Opinion

Opinion: The question of disqualifying Trump

In last week’s column about the insurrection-related cases heading to the U.S. Supreme Court, I only briefly mentioned…

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a commit to caucus rally, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Coralville, Iowa. Special counsel Jack Smith asked a judge on Wednesday, Dec. 27, to bar Donald Trump’s lawyers from injecting politics into the former president’s trial on charges that he schemed to overturn the results of the 2020 election. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Opinion

Opinion: A Constitution 101 lesson for Sen. Sullivan

Four constitutional questions related to Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election are likely to be decided…

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letters to the Editor

Letter: A plea for peace on Earth — among all involved in indiscriminate killing

This is a season in which many find joy, comfort and hope by celebrating a variety of rich…

A protester holds a sign advocating for an increase in the state’s Base Student Allocation during a rally at the steps of the Alaska State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 23. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: Is there a Santa Claus that can deliver education funding?

As a kid growing up in rural Alaska, Christmas was special. We’d hunt for the perfect Christmas tree…

Demonstrators shut down the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in conjunction with the APEC Summit taking place Thursday, Nov. 16, in San Francisco. San Francisco’s District Attorney’s Office on Monday began charging demonstrators who blocked traffic for hours last month on the Bay Bridge to demand a cease-fire in Gaza. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Opinion

Opinion: The disturbing antisemitism in defense of Hamas

This week, I learned from a Congregation Sukkat Shalom board member that they were one of the more…

A glacier in northern British Columbia. Glacier retreat is opening up new streams and lakes that represent future habitats for species such as salmon. (Photo by Jonathan Moore)

Opinion

My Turn: Climate change melting glaciers and creating new salmon habitat — but being staked for gold mining

New scientific analysis shows impacts on Taku, Stikine and Unuk rivers.

Southeast Alaska Native Veteran’s Color Guard presents the colors during the Veterans Day Ceremony at the SE Alaska Native Veterans Park on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

My Turn: Reviving a duty of service to the country

I often wonder about the ever-moving changes that are taking place in our society. The increase in homelessness…

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Use federal compost funds to help existing operator

This year CBJ was awarded a $2.5 million grant (part of Biden’s forward-thinking Inflation Reduction Act) to scale…