Opinion

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: When politics was fun

With the state and nation so divided, politics are no fun. Here’s a memory of a time when legislators reached across the aisle and worked… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom addresses the crowd during an inaugural celebration for her and Gov. Mike Dunleavy at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Jan. 20, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Ranked Choice – a scapegoat for losers

Turnout was understandably low in last week’s primary election. The results were almost meaningless. With the exception of the race for Alaska’s lone seat in… Continue reading

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom addresses the crowd during an inaugural celebration for her and Gov. Mike Dunleavy at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Jan. 20, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
An array of stickers awaits voters on Election Day 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: This Labor Day let’s celebrate workers by supporting Ballot Measure No. 1

On Labor Day we honor the generations of workers who have built Alaska’s and our nation’s economies. But the fight for fair wages, working conditions… Continue reading

An array of stickers awaits voters on Election Day 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
A worker examines a flooded yard where fuel and other hazardous material may have spilled. (Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation photo)

Opinion: Amid Juneau disaster recovery, attention turns to mitigation of future floods

By now most Alaskans have heard of a jökulhlaup, a phenomenon where unstable lakes are formed from retreating glaciers that can result in a glacial… Continue reading

A worker examines a flooded yard where fuel and other hazardous material may have spilled. (Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation photo)
Rows of pilings in Portland Canal stretch across the water near the shoreline in Hyder. The commentary author would like to see a new ferry terminal built on the canal. (Richard Jackson/Getty Images Plus)

Opinion: Southern Southeast Alaska’s lack of ferry connection to British Columbia has a solution — Hyder

Since Alaska apparently cannot agree to a deal with Prince Rupert as a ferry destination, I suggest we go to Hyder, Alaska, as a destination.… Continue reading

Rows of pilings in Portland Canal stretch across the water near the shoreline in Hyder. The commentary author would like to see a new ferry terminal built on the canal. (Richard Jackson/Getty Images Plus)
Bartlett Regional Hospital’s crisis stabilization center during its unveiling on June 14, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Nationwide shortage of pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds

In a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics titled: “Number of Pediatric Inpatient Psychiatric Beds in the U.S. Did Not… Continue reading

Bartlett Regional Hospital’s crisis stabilization center during its unveiling on June 14, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
A painting of George Washington at Valley Forge, circa 1911 by Edward Percy Moran. (Library of Congress image)

Opinion: Washington’s selfless example is lost on too many public servants

If Vice-President Kamala Harris wins the election in November, she’ll be sworn in as America’s first woman president in January. Around the same time, women… Continue reading

A painting of George Washington at Valley Forge, circa 1911 by Edward Percy Moran. (Library of Congress image)
(U.S. Forest Service photo)

My Turn: Tongass management plan revision a chance to support values, traditions and livelihoods

I had the privilege of growing up in Southeast Alaska which means that I also had the privilege of learning how to live off of… Continue reading

(U.S. Forest Service photo)
(City and Borough of Juneau photo)

My Turn: Supporting ‘Ship-Free Saturday’ is voting to take away other people’s income

How will you vote on Proposition #2 (no cruise ships on Saturdays)? Proponents of no-cruise Saturdays are sincere about their desire to roll back the… Continue reading

(City and Borough of Juneau photo)
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan addresses a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature in the House chambers on Feb. 7, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: How Sen. Sullivan is prepared to help Putin succeed

Back in March, Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked Sen. Dan Sullivan if he was comfortable with Donald Trump’s mental fitness to serve as… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan addresses a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature in the House chambers on Feb. 7, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
A drone image shows widespread flooding in the Mendenhall Valley on Aug. 6, 2024. (Photo by Rich Ross)

Opinion: Juneau’s flood is a wake-up call from Mother Nature

Last week’s sudden catastrophic flooding of the Mendenhall River is one of the worst disasters in Juneau’s history. The 1917 Treadwell Mine cave-in and the… Continue reading

A drone image shows widespread flooding in the Mendenhall Valley on Aug. 6, 2024. (Photo by Rich Ross)
(City and Borough of Juneau photo)

My Turn: Saying goodbye to Juneau after 35 years

I never thought I’d leave. Then came grandchildren. In Portland. Even so, I was adamant. Juneau was home, the place I would be buried. I… Continue reading

(City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Voters in Juneau come out of the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall voting location on Nov. 8, 2022. (Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon)

Opinion: Open primaries, ranked choice voting offer advantages to Alaskans

Ranked choice voting elections have been advancing and retreating since first developed in Denmark in the 1850s. The method was explored in Australia, Ireland, and,… Continue reading

Voters in Juneau come out of the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall voting location on Nov. 8, 2022. (Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: Kicked out in a housing crisis

Would you believe that in Juneau, a town with a housing problem so tight it makes a sardine can look like a Wyoming golf course,… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: Peltola offers patient tolerance amidst the partisanship of the Lower 48,

Mary Peltola has been courageous as our congressional proxy, dedicating her whole self to facilitating our civil pursuit of personal fulfillment — sanctioning the highest… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: It’s time to secure Alaska’s economic future

Alaska is at a pivotal time in our state’s strategic decisions. We have the opportunity to pave the way for prosperity and secure Alaska’s economic… Continue reading

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Coast Guardsmen march in the Juneau Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: The ideas and places that make America

After a week of enjoying Colorado’s sunshine, and tolerating its intense dry heat, it’s good to be back in the cool, moist air of our… Continue reading

Coast Guardsmen march in the Juneau Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire file photo)
The City and Borough of Juneau Ballot Processing Center. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Opinion: Elections, like sports, are healthier with robust competition

The City and Borough of Juneau Election Toolkit provides insightful encouragement to prospective candidates for our local elections: “Whatever the office, our public institutions are… Continue reading

The City and Borough of Juneau Ballot Processing Center. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)
A voter sits behind a privacy screen while filling out a ballot during the City and Borough of Juneau 2022 municipal election. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Juneau, like U.S., also needs new leadership at the top of the ticket

The decision by President Joe Biden to remove himself from the current presidential election was momentous. The decision was based on reality and overdue from… Continue reading

A voter sits behind a privacy screen while filling out a ballot during the City and Borough of Juneau 2022 municipal election. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: Setting an example for dealing with dumping items in public places

A big thank you to Skookum Recycling of Juneau, and Ruby. After months of driving back and forth past an old dishwasher that someone dumped… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)