Opinion

(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Attorney general’s letter to libraries are an abuse of office

Earlier this month Treg Taylor, Alaska’s attorney general, published a letter to all the school and public libraries in the state to “help inform public… Continue reading

 

An aging outhouse overlooks Tenakee Inlet. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: Murkowski’s bill will dramatically change map of public land in Southeast Alaska

There has been very little reporting on federal legislation that would greatly impact Southeast Alaska. Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Senate Bill 1889, and the… Continue reading

 

(Photo courtesy of the City and Borough of Juneau)

Opinion: Choosing a seat at the table

To advocates for limiting cruise ship tourism and combatting climate change, partnering with the titans of industry seems like a lost cause. However, Jim Powell,… Continue reading

 

A photo of Juneau featured on the front cover of this year’s annual “Economic Indicators and Outlook” by the Juneau Economic Development Council. (Juneau Economic Development Council)

Opinion: Troubling trends deserve Assembly attention

The economic indicators report published last month by the Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC) is a wake-up call for our community. The findings are worrisome,… Continue reading

A photo of Juneau featured on the front cover of this year’s annual “Economic Indicators and Outlook” by the Juneau Economic Development Council. (Juneau Economic Development Council)
Passengers return to the Norwegian Sun on Oct. 25, the final day of this year’s cruise ship season in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: “Partnering” with cruise ship industry isn’t in Juneau’s interests

Regarding Jim Powell’s lecture at the Evening at Egan event on Friday, Nov, 10, on partnering with the cruise industry to solve the problems of… Continue reading

Passengers return to the Norwegian Sun on Oct. 25, the final day of this year’s cruise ship season in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Opinion: Music to the ears of America’s adversaries

Two weeks ago, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan made a commendable effort to end Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) one-man show of blocking hundreds of military promotions.… Continue reading

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Thankful to see the construction by local Native organiztions

Sitting in my living room listening to nails pounding into the old DEC building under renovation by the Tlingit Haida Central Council (CCTHITA) I want… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
Fog drifts through the trees in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: A response to ‘There are no Landless Natives in Southeast Alaska’

Where to begin? Rebecca Knight’s — at best implicitly xenophobic and factually incorrect – opinion piece published Sept. 20 not only misconstrues the present legislation’s… Continue reading

Fog drifts through the trees in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Oct. 30 at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau to discuss a proposal to raise the fund’s rate of return by making riskier investments. The idea stalled when advisors suggested the strategy and timing are ill-advised. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File).

My Turn: Need for accounting and legislative oversight of the Permanent Fund

The governor or Legislature or both need to conduct an audit format available to the public or engage in serious oversight of the Alaska Permanent… Continue reading

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Oct. 30 at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau to discuss a proposal to raise the fund’s rate of return by making riskier investments. The idea stalled when advisors suggested the strategy and timing are ill-advised. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File).
Author standing at the Sitka terminal ramp May 22 waiting to board the Columbia to Haines. (Photo courtesy of Regina Discenza)

Letter: Governor, remember the ferry system’s woes when crafting your budget

This is an open letter to Gov. Dunleavy and his staff. A new budget year is coming soon. I hope that you remember me and… Continue reading

Author standing at the Sitka terminal ramp May 22 waiting to board the Columbia to Haines. (Photo courtesy of Regina Discenza)
The City and Borough of Juneau Ballot Processing Center, located in a former warehouse south of downtown, was used to count votes from the Oct. 3 municipal election. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Opinion: Juneau Assembly receives 2023 election report

The city clerk’s office transmitted its final report on the 2023 municipal election for review during the Assembly’s reorganizational meeting on Oct. 23. The report… Continue reading

The City and Borough of Juneau Ballot Processing Center, located in a former warehouse south of downtown, was used to count votes from the Oct. 3 municipal election. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)
(Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Imagine the cost of health and happiness if set by prescription drug companies

I’ve been reading more about prescription drug prices lately: How they are set; why many are so high, especially in the United States; and what… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
A marker for the U.S.-Canadian border sits between Skagway, Alaska, and Stikine Region, British Columbia. (Photo by Philip Yabut/Getty Images)

Opinion: British Columbia is committed to responsible mining practices

As close neighbors, British Columbia and Alaska share a common goal: to foster responsible resource development by championing the highest standards of environmental protection for… Continue reading

A marker for the U.S.-Canadian border sits between Skagway, Alaska, and Stikine Region, British Columbia. (Photo by Philip Yabut/Getty Images)
(Photo by the Alaska Ombudsman’s office)

My Turn: The 643 patients at API last year could have the answer to improving patient care

Being taken to a locked psychiatric facility or unit is traumatizing. Starting with a court order for a forced evaluation, the ride in the back… Continue reading

(Photo by the Alaska Ombudsman’s office)
(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Thanks for support during election

Save Juneau would like to thank the Juneau electorate for supporting and tuning in to Save Juneau during the local election. A primary reason Save… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
Hundreds of people gathered in raincoats and boots at the Twin Lakes Kaasei Totem Plaza for a ceremony unveiling a Tlingit healing totem pole and screens on Oct. 1, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: Tlingit traditions and integrity

Our Tlingit people reside in Southeast Alaska and Canada. We have existed in Alaska for about 15,000 years, or approximately 750 family generations. Our Tlingit… Continue reading

Hundreds of people gathered in raincoats and boots at the Twin Lakes Kaasei Totem Plaza for a ceremony unveiling a Tlingit healing totem pole and screens on Oct. 1, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Hundreds of people gathered in raincoats and boots at the Twin Lakes Kaasei Totem Plaza for a ceremony unveiling a Tlingit healing totem pole and screens on Oct. 1, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: Tlingit traditions and integrity

Our Tlingit people reside in Southeast Alaska and Canada. We have existed in Alaska for about 15,000 years, or approximately 750 family generations. Our Tlingit… Continue reading

Hundreds of people gathered in raincoats and boots at the Twin Lakes Kaasei Totem Plaza for a ceremony unveiling a Tlingit healing totem pole and screens on Oct. 1, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy addresses the audience during his inauguration ceremony Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Anchorage. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Opinion: Dunleavy’s public trust deficit

According to two longtime researchers at the Alaska Department of Labor, articles produced for Alaska Economic Trends had never been removed from the publication before.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy addresses the audience during his inauguration ceremony Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Anchorage. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Stoking a human-abusive culture of fear

This “gunning” of our fellow citizens with military assault, sub-machine weapons of war must be arrested; in tandem with the kind of unhuman corporate, profit-driven… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Thanks for helping a visitor during a difficult moment

I want to commend Juneau’s citizens for being so kind and caring on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. My 25-year-old, autistic daughter, Irina Mumford, had a… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)