Search Results for ""
Gov. Walker calls lawmakers into special session
Published 3:53pm Thursday, May 18, 2017The Alaska Legislature is headed into a special session. On Wednesday night, the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate adjourned the first regular session ... Read more
Sitka woman makes dress from 20,000 salmon bones
Published 9:36pm Tuesday, May 16, 2017Delicately yet firmly pinching the tiny vertebrae of a Chinook salmon between her thumb and pointer finger, Cynthia Gibson pushed fearlessly toward a rusty grinder ... Read more
Say a prayer for Legislators’ wisdom
Published 3:37pm Wednesday, May 3, 2017Watching the Legislature wind down is painful. This year, the Democrats own the House and the Republicans own the Senate. The House wants income taxes. ... Read more
Think battles are tough in our Legislature? Check out what’s happening in the Friendly Skies
Published 3:38pm Friday, April 28, 2017It’s tempting to join the fray this week and dive more deeply into the various budget scenarios being considered by the Legislature. But it’s way ... Read more
Southeast’s shellfish safety squad
Published 5:28pm Thursday, April 27, 2017Katlian Street in Sitka is a bustling cultural and fishing hub. Along this winding harbor-side road, tightly squeezed between fishing gear shops, processing plants, and ... Read more
Stop cutting the budget
Published 1:32pm Wednesday, April 26, 2017I am writing to register my opposition to further budget cuts for the Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Education K-12 and the ... Read more
Senate letting down education
Published 1:28pm Wednesday, April 26, 2017I am royally disgusted with the cuts that are being proposed to public education in the state of Alaska. I am about to graduate from ... Read more
The coming snowstorm
Published 10:02pm Friday, April 21, 2017Today 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 ... Read more
Oil taxes would be bad for young engineers
Published 3:24pm Wednesday, April 19, 2017Too often, the discussion about how best to move Alaska forward under the weight of a serious fiscal crisis tends to solely focus on the ... Read more
A pivotal moment for education, elder care
Published 2:44pm Sunday, April 16, 2017It’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 ... Read more
House approves income tax
Published 1:43am Sunday, April 16, 2017It was tax day. On April 15, the Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-17 to impose Alaska’s first income tax in 37 years. Juneau’s two ... Read more
Juneau woman starts composting business
Published 4:26pm Friday, April 14, 2017Instead of having biodegradable materials fill up the city’s landfill, Lisa Daugherty wants to take Juneau’s would-be-waste and turn it into something useful — so ... Read more
Glacier Visitor Center bookstore gets remodel, new local operators
Published 4:23am Sunday, April 9, 2017The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center bookstore has new operators, and they’ve got changes in store. Starting in May, local nonprofit Discovery Southeast will begin operating ... Read more
That’s not dog poop, it’s brown gold
Published 3:58am Sunday, April 9, 2017I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Alaska is full of stunningly beautiful spots to take a dump. Seriously. I saw my first ... Read more
Looking back, looking forward
Published 10:47pm Saturday, April 1, 2017Since October 2014, when I began writing Empire op-ed columns, a lot has happened on both the national stage and in our state and community. ... Read more
Budget crisis highlights need for spending cap
Published 5:02pm Wednesday, March 29, 2017Once again, irresponsible spending by state lawmakers has left us with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. This latest crisis underscores the need to tighten the state’s ... Read more
Open ears at the Capitol
Published 4:54pm Wednesday, March 29, 2017Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre sat confidently in front of the House Finance Committee on Tuesday morning and presented the perfect plan to fix ... Read more
State to close Eagle River Job Center
Published 2:29pm Tuesday, March 28, 2017The state of Alaska is closing the Eagle River Job Center due to state budget cuts. The closure, which will take place May 19, was ... Read more
The Medicaid Mess
Published 11:20pm Monday, March 27, 2017The American Health Care Act, spearheaded by Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R- WI), has failed. For now. AHCA was characterized as nothing ... Read more
Emerging voters: ‘We want salmon!’
Published 11:38pm Saturday, March 18, 2017Millennials: self-centered, glued to their phones and unable to focus on anything longer than a six-second gif. Alaska’s youth know how to turn that stereotype ... Read more