Opinion

Money on the table

Alaska is in recession and is unable to reconcile its huge deficits, despite a 40% cut in government services. Thirty-five percent of the total State… Continue reading

  • Apr 26, 2017
  • By ALAN GROSS

Walker made the right decision in Bristol Bay

Last week, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a new Miscellaneous Land Use Permit (MLUP) to the Pebble Limited Partnership, thereby allowing the… Continue reading

  • Apr 26, 2017
  • By ROBERT HEYANO

Arctic oil and gas activity essential to building Alaska’s future

Alaska received a C-minus for the general condition of its infrastructure on its most recent report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers, and… Continue reading

  • Apr 26, 2017
  • By ROBERT DILLON

Alaska’s broken workers’ compensation system

Change is hard, even when everyone agrees that change is necessary. It’s easier to do nothing than it is to affect change. But every once… Continue reading

  • Apr 26, 2017
  • By Curtis W. Thayer

One kind act at a time

I asked a group of close friends the other day if they would like to plan some sort of act of kindness that we could… Continue reading

  • Apr 26, 2017
  • By SARAH RASTER

The coming snowstorm

Today I’d like to share with you the Senate’s vision for Alaska’s next steps forward into the 21st century. We now face a harsh economic… Continue reading

  • Apr 21, 2017
  • By SEN. PETE KELLY
Pulling together to build a safer Alaska

Pulling together to build a safer Alaska

As Governor and Lieutenant Governor, our decisions are influenced by the roles we held long before we took office. As husbands, brothers and sons, we… Continue reading

  • Apr 23, 2017
  • By LT. GOV. BYRON MALLOTT
Pulling together to build a safer Alaska

The CDQ Program is Broken and Must be Fixed

Alaska is an amazing place — we have come a long way since statehood. But success has made many of us complacent. For years, our… Continue reading

  • Apr 20, 2017
  • By Richard Jung

Oil taxes would be bad for young engineers

Too often, the discussion about how best to move Alaska forward under the weight of a serious fiscal crisis tends to solely focus on the… Continue reading

  • Apr 19, 2017
  • By SYDNEY DEERING

Border adjustment tax could devastate Alaska importers and jobs

Congress has a rare opportunity in the coming months to replace our nation’s broken and dysfunctional tax code with one that is simple, efficient, and… Continue reading

  • Apr 19, 2017
  • By Nathan Nascimento

Cleaning the Coop

Temperatures rise, snow banks settle and meltwater pours off the roof, an annual reminder to clean the chicken coop. Putting off this task produces aromatic… Continue reading

  • Apr 18, 2017
  • By THOMAS PEASE

Haste in Juneau brought needless worry to residents in Pioneers’ Home

The following editorial first appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Residents of Alaska’s Pioneers’ Homes, and the family members of those residents, went through quite… Continue reading

  • Apr 18, 2017

We must stand up to the corrupt REAL ID Act

I am disappointed that the Walker administration has given in to the fear tactics and misinformation of the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA… Continue reading

  • Apr 18, 2017
  • By REP. CHRIS TUCK
Support SB 54 amendments to criminal justice reform

Support SB 54 amendments to criminal justice reform

Last year, our Legislature and Gov. Bill Walker enacted Senate Bill 91, broadly reforming our criminal justice system. Prior laws were not working as we… Continue reading

  • Apr 17, 2017
  • By WALT MONEGAN
Support SB 54 amendments to criminal justice reform

America’s credibility problem in matters of war and peace

Without a doubt, the chemical weapons attack by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was an act of cowardice. That’s true even if he believed no civilians… Continue reading

  • Apr 16, 2017
  • By Rich Moniak

A pivotal moment for education, elder care

It’s hard to know everything that’s going on in the Legislature. Here’s my perspective. We’re working to achieve a balanced and sustainable plan that will… Continue reading

  • Apr 16, 2017
  • By Rep. Justin Parish

Let the voters decide

As the Alaska Legislature winds down toward its stated 90-day deadline, most of us are focused on what is happening with the statewide budget and… Continue reading

  • Apr 14, 2017
  • By WIN GRUENING

Move oil bill out of committee

Declining oil revenues in recent years have caused Alaskans great stress, suspiciously viewing state spending that once adequately supported schools, hospitals, public safety, transportation, arts… Continue reading

  • Apr 14, 2017
The Coast Guard Cutter John McCormick (WPC 1121) sits moored at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California, March 7. The crew of the John McCormick is currently on a 6,200-mile transit to their home port of Ketchikan to be commissioned April 12. The Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, is moored in the background.(U.S. Coast Guard photo | Lt. Brian Dykens)

A first for Alaska, a first for the West Coast

Today we usher in a new era for the Coast Guard in Alaska. At a ceremony in Ketchikan, Coast Guard Cutter John McCormick will officially… Continue reading

  • Apr 12, 2017
  • By Adm. Charles Michel
The Coast Guard Cutter John McCormick (WPC 1121) sits moored at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California, March 7. The crew of the John McCormick is currently on a 6,200-mile transit to their home port of Ketchikan to be commissioned April 12. The Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, is moored in the background.(U.S. Coast Guard photo | Lt. Brian Dykens)
The University of Alaska Southeast, pictured during the Governor’s Annual Picnic in Juneau in August 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Support the University of Alaska

It is time to speak up to support the University of Alaska. By 2025, 65 percent of the jobs in Alaska will require some form… Continue reading

  • Apr 12, 2017
  • By Ed Rasmuson
The University of Alaska Southeast, pictured during the Governor’s Annual Picnic in Juneau in August 2015. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)