Opinion

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks in March of 2023 in support of an agreement between the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and Goldbelt Inc. to pursue engineering and design services to determine whether it’s feasible to build a new ferry terminal facility in Juneau at Cascade Point. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Cascade Point, AMHOB, and DOT’s stonewalling strategy

On Tuesday a joint session of the Legislature is scheduled to hold a vote on rejecting Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s executive order that gives him authority… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks in March of 2023 in support of an agreement between the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and Goldbelt Inc. to pursue engineering and design services to determine whether it’s feasible to build a new ferry terminal facility in Juneau at Cascade Point. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
(City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Opinion: Juneau school board veers off-course

Last week’s Juneau School District (JSD) Board of Education meeting, expected to be perfunctory, was far from routine. The Thursday, March 7 special meeting was… Continue reading

(City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Deedie Sorensen is president of the Juneau Board of Education. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Powers and duties as a member of the Juneau Board of Education

“The Board of Education’s primary goal is to provide each student with an education of the highest quality in keeping with his/her capacity to learn.… Continue reading

Deedie Sorensen is president of the Juneau Board of Education. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Wanda Culp (left) speaks during a rally at the Alaska State Capitol on Saturday, June 22, 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Why Alaska Natives like me oppose the landless bill

The 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) has never addressed Native claims. ANCSA is an industrial-rooted tool of Congress, created to exterminate Indigenous land… Continue reading

Wanda Culp (left) speaks during a rally at the Alaska State Capitol on Saturday, June 22, 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Getty Images)

Opinion: Alaska serves as an immigration model to take note of

Between the border crisis and election-year politics, “immigration” has been in the news a lot. While I have no intention of wading into the politics… Continue reading

(Getty Images)
Israeli soldiers are seen near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Monday. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

My Turn: Israel/Gaza and historic, religious and ethnic challenges of global terrorism

Dixie Belcher’s article titled “Palestinian residents are helpless victim in attacks made by leaders” published in the Juneau Empire on Feb. 26, 2024, is a… Continue reading

Israeli soldiers are seen near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Monday. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: Legislature will best serve Alaskans by rejecting Dunleavy’s executive orders

Dunleavy’s executive orders have nothing to do with “streamlining” and everything to do with destroying. Take the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Advisory Council Advisory Board,… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Students enter a bus stopped on Douglas Highway during the first day of the 2023-2024 school year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Unintended consequences of the school district reorganization plan

During school board public comment sessions on proposed school reorganization options, many people suggested ways to keep both Thunder Mountain and Juneau-Douglas high schools open.… Continue reading

Students enter a bus stopped on Douglas Highway during the first day of the 2023-2024 school year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Former President Donald Trump speaks to a capacity crowd at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on July 9, 2022. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: A primary election of ill-informed voters

On Tuesday, Republicans across the state will help anoint Donald Trump as their party’s nominee for president. But if national polling reasonably reflects the views… Continue reading

Former President Donald Trump speaks to a capacity crowd at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on July 9, 2022. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
HEX Cook Inlet, LLC and Subsidiaries presents a check to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Administration in October of 2023. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Administration)

My Turn: The Legislature should rein in AIDEA

This story has been updated to correct the photo caption, which originally stated AIDEA was presenting a check to HEX Cook Inlet, rather than the… Continue reading

HEX Cook Inlet, LLC and Subsidiaries presents a check to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Administration in October of 2023. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Administration)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: What’s wrong with this picture?

At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, I and several other moms and grandmas went to the Alaska Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, chaired by Sen.… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Palestinians sell goods next to buildings destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the war took refuge in Rafahor, which is likely Israel’s next focus in its war against Hamas. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

My Turn: Palestinian residents are helpless victims in attacks made by leaders

In 1948 the United Nations gave the country of Palestine to European Jews escaping hundreds of years of pogroms, ending with the murder of six… Continue reading

Palestinians sell goods next to buildings destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the war took refuge in Rafahor, which is likely Israel’s next focus in its war against Hamas. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
The Juneau School District administrative office, which would be closed and turned over to Juneau’s municipal government under a pending consolidation plan. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Opinion: Juneau School District edges closer to balanced budget, but what’s next?

After a marathon public hearing last week, the Juneau School District (JSD) Board of Education voted 5-2 to combine and close several schools. The preliminary… Continue reading

The Juneau School District administrative office, which would be closed and turned over to Juneau’s municipal government under a pending consolidation plan. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Students at Juneau Community Charter School play chess in a classroom. (Juneau School District photo)

Opinion: Final Draft – Civic education and the problem with standardized testing

There’s a lot of intense disagreements with the education bill that the House Majority failed to advance on Monday. One provision which got hardly any… Continue reading

Students at Juneau Community Charter School play chess in a classroom. (Juneau School District photo)
The Alaska State Capitol. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Defined benefits and economic freedom for state workers

I moved to Alaska 12 years ago. The allure of the Last Frontier to newcomers who enjoy nature, adventure and beauty is wonderful. The remoteness… Continue reading

The Alaska State Capitol. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
(City and Borough of Juneau photo)

My Turn: Figure out new possibilities from district restructuring, rather than trying to fight it

My children are 8 and 9. Both have been fortunate enough to attend Montessori Borealis since they were 3. This school year, my 9-year-old got… Continue reading

(City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Joe Geldhof is a parent of two daughters who attended public schools in Juneau and a former Juneau Assembly candidate. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Focus on saving teacher jobs, not buildings or nostalgia, to fix school district crisis

The numbers are bad. Really bad. Even dire. Juneau is losing population. Our school enrollment has been shrinking for decades, even as we built new… Continue reading

Joe Geldhof is a parent of two daughters who attended public schools in Juneau and a former Juneau Assembly candidate. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: JDHS is a much better facility for high school students

The Douglas Bridge was completed in 1935, unifying our community in more ways than one. By 1956, Juneau-Douglas High School opened its doors to students… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Risky business not the state’s business

The advice for Las Vegas gamblers is don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. It’s generally the same advice for investors: Don’t take… Continue reading

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: JDHS was the high school during stable times; keep it that way if consolidation occurs

In order to financially maintain the high quality of education, tradition and standards of Alaska, Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé High should be the high… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)