Opinion

My Turn: Beyond rotten apples and their defenders

Last May, William Wingate filed a lawsuit against the Seattle Police Department and the former officer who wrongly arrested him 10 months earlier.“Most of the… Continue reading

  • Dec 11, 2015
  • By Rich Moniak

Empire Editorial: Jay Hammond was right

In 1985, a reporter from the Christian Science Monitor flew out to see Jay Hammond.The former governor obliged her, showing her around his 160-acre homestead… Continue reading

  • Dec 10, 2015

My Turn: Alaska’s budget challenge

As most Alaskans know, a sharp drop in the price of oil over the last year and a half blew a gaping hole in the… Continue reading

  • Dec 10, 2015
  • By BILL WALKER

Have Alaska’s children been left behind?

When results of new standardized testing for Alaska’s public school students were released last month, there was initial shock and dismay expressed by some parents… Continue reading

  • Dec 10, 2015
  • By WIN GRUENING

Alaska Editorial: Delegation sponsors measure to combat pirate vessels

The following editorial first appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:In Interior Alaska, hundreds of miles from the ocean, it’s a safe bet most people aren’t… Continue reading

  • Dec 9, 2015

My Turn: Support the needy and homeless

For over three decades, the Glory Hole Shelter and Soup Kitchen, located on South Franklin Street in Juneau, has offered 20 meals a week to… Continue reading

  • Dec 9, 2015
  • By JOHN GAGUINE

Empire Editorial: Holiday tradition returns tonight

The city of Juneau is only 135 years old. It doesn’t have many century-old traditions.One of them returns tonight.For the 100th time, the Governor’s Mansion… Continue reading

  • Dec 8, 2015

Alaska Editorial: Shifting responsibility

The following editorial first appeared in the Ketchikan Daily News:It appears that the State of Alaska — once again — is quietly attempting to shift… Continue reading

  • Dec 8, 2015

My Turn: Taj MaHawker doesn’t pass the sniff test

Recently, newspaper articles have reported about the sole source contract negotiated by Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, to upgrade the Anchorage Legislative Information Office. These reports… Continue reading

  • Dec 8, 2015
  • By TARA JOLLIE

My Turn: Honesty is the only sound foundation for business and government

If government would just work like a business, it’s often said, then all its waste can be eliminated. But even the most profitable businesses in… Continue reading

  • Dec 6, 2015
  • By Rich Moniak

Empire Editorial: Drop the Glass Tower

On Friday, the Alaska Legislature’s Legislative Council could have saved the state of Alaska $30 million.Instead, they punted.The Legislative Council, which conducts the Legislature’s business… Continue reading

  • Dec 6, 2015

My Turn: Pivotal moment in Alaska’s history

This moment in Alaska’s history is pivotal in determining what our future as a state will look like. The sudden drop in oil prices and… Continue reading

  • Dec 6, 2015
  • By REPS. SCOTT KAWASAKI, SAM KITO, ANDY JOSEPHSON and HARRIET DRUMMOND

My Turn: Alaska’s foster children need help, homes

All children should have a loving home and the opportunity to succeed. That’s unfortunately not the case for many of Alaska’s foster youths. Today, 40… Continue reading

  • Dec 3, 2015
  • By LES GARA

Empire Editorial: Longing for what could have been

In time, Juneau residents will learn how Mayor Stephen “Greg” Fisk died.We will never learn what his tenure as mayor might have meant to Alaska’s… Continue reading

  • Dec 2, 2015

My Turn: Alaskan shines with pride: The Capitol Christmas Tree

On Wednesday, all Alaskans can shine with pride at the lighting of the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington D.C. This year, a 74-foot… Continue reading

  • Dec 1, 2015
  • By BETH PENDLETON

Working together

This editorial first appeared in the Ketchikan Daily News on Nov. 28:Neither Alaska nor British Columbia succeed by harming the other’s environment or economy.Given that,… Continue reading

  • Dec 1, 2015

My Turn: Walker’s first year as governor a disappointment

Reflecting on Gov. Bill Walker’s first year in office (today is his one-year anniversary), he has for the most part been a real breath of… Continue reading

  • Dec 1, 2015
  • By RICK STEINER

My Turn: Tongass reform anniversary is cause for celebration

It has been 25 years since the Tongass Timber Reform Act (TTRA) was signed into law. This legislation became the most significant piece of conservation… Continue reading

  • Nov 29, 2015
  • By BART KOEHLER

Moniak: The evolutionary path to Frankenfish

Rep. Don Young, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan all responded to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of genetically engineered salmon with… Continue reading

  • Nov 29, 2015
  • By Rich Moniak

Empire Readers’ Council Editorial: Publishing of ‘Reckless Endangerment’ simply reckless

The editorial column “Reckless Endangerment” addressing the Syrian refugee situation which the Empire published last month, provoked a flood of comments from Juneau readers and… Continue reading

  • Nov 27, 2015