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Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

OPINION: It’s time to end Alaska’s fiscal experiment

For decades, Alaska has operated under a fiscal and budgeting system unlike any other state, and some could argue any place in the world. It… Continue reading

 

Jeff Lund/contributed The author would rather fish for steelhead, but he’ll watch the Super Bowl.

I Went to the Woods: Super Bowl spectacle

At some point on Sunday, dopey characters, hopelessly addicted to Doritos, will let others down by crunching their way to everyone’s demise. A scantily clad… Continue reading

  • Feb 6, 2026
  • By Jeff Lund

 

Win Gruening (courtesy)

OPINION: Eaglecrest’s opportunity to achieve financial independence, if the city allows it

It’s a well-known saying that “timing is everything.” Certainly, this applies to the concerns surrounding Eaglecrest, Juneau’s municipally-owned ski area. Recent management changes, operational difficulties,… Continue reading

  • Feb 5, 2026
  • By Win Gruening

 

Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California. He has held financial management positions in government and private organizations, and is now a full-time opinion writer. He served in the late nineteen-sixties in the Peace Corps as a teacher. (Contributed)

When lying becomes the only qualification

How truth lost its place in the Trump administration.

  • Feb 5, 2026
  • By Van Abbott
Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California. He has held financial management positions in government and private organizations, and is now a full-time opinion writer. He served in the late nineteen-sixties in the Peace Corps as a teacher. (Contributed)
A tsunami is not expected after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake northwest of Anchorage Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (U.S. Geological Survey)

No tsunami expected after 4.4-magnitude earthquake in Alaska

U.S. Geological Survey says 179 people reported feeling the earthquake.

  • Feb 4, 2026
  • Lauren Collins
A tsunami is not expected after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake northwest of Anchorage Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (U.S. Geological Survey)
At the Elvey Building, home of UAF’s Geophysical Institute, Carl Benson, far right, and Val Scullion of the GI business office attend a 2014 retirement party with Glenn Shaw. Photo by Ned Rozell

Alaska Science Forum: Carl Benson embodied the far North

Carl Benson’s last winter on Earth featured 32 consecutive days during which temperatures in his chosen town did not rise above zero degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s… Continue reading

At the Elvey Building, home of UAF’s Geophysical Institute, Carl Benson, far right, and Val Scullion of the GI business office attend a 2014 retirement party with Glenn Shaw. Photo by Ned Rozell
The Spruce Root team gathers for a retreat in Sitka. Spruce Root, is an Indigenous institution that provides all Southeast Alaskans with access to business development resources. (Photo by Lione Clare)

Woven Peoples and Places: Wealth lives in our communities

Sustainable Southeast Partnership reflects on a values-aligned approach to financial wellness.

The Spruce Root team gathers for a retreat in Sitka. Spruce Root, is an Indigenous institution that provides all Southeast Alaskans with access to business development resources. (Photo by Lione Clare)
Cars drive aboard the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Hubbard on June 25, 2023, in Haines. (Photo by James Brooks)

Alaska’s ferry system could run out of funding this summer due to ‘federal chaos problem’

A shift in state funding could help, but a big gap likely remains unless a key federal grant is issued.

  • Feb 3, 2026
  • By James Brooks Alaska Beacon
Cars drive aboard the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Hubbard on June 25, 2023, in Haines. (Photo by James Brooks)
Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan stands with acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday during the after the commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard icebreaker Storis on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska.

Coast Guard’s new Juneau base may not be complete until 2029, commandant says

Top Coast Guard officer says he is considering whether to base four new icebreakers in Alaska.

  • Feb 3, 2026
  • By James Brooks Alaska Beacon
Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan stands with acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday during the after the commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard icebreaker Storis on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska.
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Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Feb. 2 – Feb. 8

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

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Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times Masked federal agents arrive to help immigration agents detain immigrants and control protesters in Chicago, June 4, 2025. With the passage of President Trump’s domestic policy law, the Department of Homeland Security is poised to hire thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and double detention space.

OPINION: $85 billion and no answers

How ICE’s expansion threatens law, liberty, and accountability.

  • Feb 2, 2026
  • By Van Abbott
Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times Masked federal agents arrive to help immigration agents detain immigrants and control protesters in Chicago, June 4, 2025. With the passage of President Trump’s domestic policy law, the Department of Homeland Security is poised to hire thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and double detention space.
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Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Jan. 26 – Feb. 1

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

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Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska governor debuts fiscal plan, including statewide sales tax and guaranteed PFD

Gov. Dunleavy suggests 4% summer statewide sales tax, falling to 2% in winter; many municipal exemptions and caps would go away

Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon The entrance to the Alaska Gasline Development Corp.’s Anchorage office is seen on Aug. 11, 2023. The state-owned AGDC is pushing for a massive project that would ship natural gas south from the North Slope, liquefy it and send it on tankers from Cook Inlet to Asian markets. The AGDC proposal is among many that have been raised since the 1970s to try commercialize the North Slope’s stranded natural gas.

My Turn: Alaskans must proceed with caution on gasline legislation

Alaskans have watched a parade of natural gas pipeline proposals come and go, as in go nowhere. They have stalled under the weight of runaway… Continue reading

  • Jan 26, 2026
  • By Stan Jones
Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon The entrance to the Alaska Gasline Development Corp.’s Anchorage office is seen on Aug. 11, 2023. The state-owned AGDC is pushing for a massive project that would ship natural gas south from the North Slope, liquefy it and send it on tankers from Cook Inlet to Asian markets. The AGDC proposal is among many that have been raised since the 1970s to try commercialize the North Slope’s stranded natural gas.
Courtesy photo Adam Bauer of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bahá’ís of Juneau.

Living and Growing: Surfing into the future

Many religious traditions draw strength from the past.

  • Jan 24, 2026
  • By Adam Bauer
Courtesy photo Adam Bauer of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bahá’ís of Juneau.
Win Gruening (courtesy)

OPINION: Juneau Assembly members shift priorities in wish list to Legislature

OPINION: Juneau Assembly members shift priorities in wish list to Legislature

  • Jan 23, 2026
  • By Win Gruening
Win Gruening (courtesy)
Members of the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate watch as the final vote on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of Senate Bill 113 is displayed on the voting board in the House on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Legislature fails to override Dunleavy’s veto of a tax bill intended to help education

Senate Bill 113 would have transferred corporate income taxes from other states and channeled some money into public school programs.

  • Jan 22, 2026
  • By James Brooks States Newsroom
Members of the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate watch as the final vote on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of Senate Bill 113 is displayed on the voting board in the House on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Letter to the editor typewriter (web only)

LETTER: Juneau families care deeply about how schools are staffed

Juneau families care deeply about how our schools are staffed, supported, and funded. The first draft of the Board of Education’s FY26 budget revision highlights… Continue reading

  • Jan 22, 2026
  • By Jessica Leorna
Letter to the editor typewriter (web only)
Kenny Holston/The New York Times President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departed the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews, bound for a trip to Britain, Sept. 16, 2025. In his inauguration speech, he vowed to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.

OPINION: Ratings, Not Reasons

The Television Logic of Trump’s Foreign Policy.

  • Jan 21, 2026
  • By Van Abbott
Kenny Holston/The New York Times President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departed the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews, bound for a trip to Britain, Sept. 16, 2025. In his inauguration speech, he vowed to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.
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Weekly events guide: Juneau community calendar for Jan. 19-25

Visit Juneau Arts and Humanities Council at JAHC.org for more details on this week’s happenings.

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