Opinion

My Turn: What kind of Alaska do you want to live in?

This question gets to the heart of the matter. What is it we really want Alaska to look like? What kind of Alaska do we… Continue reading

  • Feb 19, 2017
  • By Reps. PAUL SEATON

Letter: Rep. Tarr’s statements at the Native Issues Forum

Dear Rep. Geran Tarr, I attended the Tlingit &Haida Native Issues Forum on Thursday, and was grateful for your presentation and clear commitment to focusing… Continue reading

  • Feb 19, 2017

Alaska editorial: Much-maligned SB 91 needs tweaks from Legislature, not repeal

This editorial first appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: The rollout for Senate Bill 91, the judicial reform bill passed by the Legislature last year… Continue reading

  • Feb 17, 2017

Letter: Russian meddling is a major international scandal

U.S. intelligence agencies and even members of Russian intelligence agencies say Russia made significant attempts to sway the U.S. 2016 presidential election in favor of… Continue reading

  • Feb 17, 2017

Gruening: What history tells us, part II

In my last column, while sailing nearly 5,000 miles between San Diego and Ft. Lauderdale, I discussed the history of the construction of the 48-mile… Continue reading

  • Feb 17, 2017
  • By WIN GRUENING

My Turn: Governor’s plan to outsource DOT design hurts Alaska’s economy

Normally I’m a strong supporter of Gov. Bill Walker. I think he has done a good job of trying to get the state’s finances under… Continue reading

  • Feb 17, 2017
  • By STEVE BRADFORD

Letter: Questioning ANWR commitment is wrongheaded

I take issue with the views of Mike McBride expressed in his Feb. 10 letter to the Empire. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was right to… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017

My Turn: Budget problem magnitude and solutions

Political soundbites that propose easy fixes to Alaska’s massive budget deficit get votes. They’ll also get you one of the worst recessions in Alaska history,… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017
  • By REP. LES GARA

The Alaska Plan: A win for Alaskans

This past August, the Federal Communication Commission adopted The Alaska Plan to protect the funds that have been used for more than two decades to… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017
  • By ED CUSHING

Alaska editorial: Education funding deserves a deeper look

This editorial first appeared in the Peninsula Clarion: How clean does a classroom need to be? That’s just one of many questions Kenai Peninsula Borough… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017

Should courts defer to the executive on national security?

Last Tuesday, in an hour-long oral argument conducted over the telephone, three judges from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals listened to a Justice… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017
  • By BARRY SIEGEL

Beware of DeVos and her vouchers

The confirmation hearings for Betsy DeVos provided an inordinate amount of drama: guns and grizzlies, an all-night talkathon on the Senate floor, Vice President Mike… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017
  • By BARBARA MINER

Alaska editorial: A split decision

This editorial first appeared in the Ketchikan Daily News: Sen. Dan Sullivan remains rightly persistent when it comes to the Ninth Circuit Court. Sullivan, along… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2017

Letter: Alaska Supreme Court case

This is in response to the printed version of my case before the Alaska Supreme Court. The front page article entitled “Ducks are on the… Continue reading

  • Feb 13, 2017

Keeping the oil industry healthy

An observation from educator/philosopher William James came to mind as I watched Robin Brena lecture the House Resources Committee a few days ago on his… Continue reading

  • Feb 13, 2017
  • By RICK BOYLES

Just as Max did, give the gift of organ donation

My husband, Max Gruenberg, died on Valentine’s Day exactly one year ago today. In the 1980s, Max was involved in a bill that helps educate… Continue reading

  • Feb 13, 2017
  • By KAYLA EPSTEIN

The importance of showing gratitude on Valentine’s Day

It’s here again: the time of year when colors of pink and red hearts and balloons loom over you as you enter a grocery store,… Continue reading

  • Feb 13, 2017
  • By LINDA METCALF

Empire Readers’ Council Editorial: Cruise ships shouldn’t be exempt from CBJ sales tax

Recently, a select group of the CBJ Assembly made a move to amend Juneau’s ordinances to exempt the cruise lines from collecting city sales tax… Continue reading

  • Feb 11, 2017

Senate Majority committed to safe communities, support for law enforcement

The Senate Majority stands with Alaskans that have become increasingly frustrated with the increase in drug-related property crimes, which began trending upward in 2012. Daily,… Continue reading

  • Feb 11, 2017
  • By PETER MICCICHE

Rich Moniak: Our obligation to resist discriminatory laws

Since 2003, about 10,000 Muslim high students from more than 40 countries have participated in the Kennedy Luger YES exchange program. They came to America… Continue reading

  • Feb 11, 2017
  • By Rich Moniak