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Rosa Parks, whose civil rights legacy has recent been subject to revision in class curriculums. (Public domain photo from the National Archives and Records Administration Records)

My Turn: Proud to be ‘woke’

Wokeness: the quality of being alert to and concerned about social injustice and discrimination: “will this new era of wokeness really change things?” (Oxford Language)… Continue reading

Rosa Parks, whose civil rights legacy has recent been subject to revision in class curriculums. (Public domain photo from the National Archives and Records Administration Records)
President Donald Trump and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy pose for a photo aboard Air Force One during a stopover at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage in 2019. (Sheila Craighead / White House photo)

Opinion: Dunleavy has the prerequisite incompetence to work for Trump

On Tuesday it appeared that Gov. Mike Dunleavy was going to be nominated to be the next Secretary of the Interior. It didn’t happen. But… Continue reading

President Donald Trump and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy pose for a photo aboard Air Force One during a stopover at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage in 2019. (Sheila Craighead / White House photo)
Juneau Huskies senior Jayden Johnson (4) finds a hole to run through against the Colony Knights in Palmer this season. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)

Pure Sole: You can’t impress me, well, too much

Sometimes when awards come out, for any sport, they are based on athletic achievement and records and championships and photos on cereal boxes… Imagine my… Continue reading

Juneau Huskies senior Jayden Johnson (4) finds a hole to run through against the Colony Knights in Palmer this season. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)
Page Bridges of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Juneau. (Photo courtesy of Page Bridges)

Living and Growing: The healing power of art

I found this awesome quote about art from Googling: “Art has the power to move people and evoke emotions that words can never do justice… Continue reading

Page Bridges of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Juneau. (Photo courtesy of Page Bridges)
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many Louisiana homes were rebuilt with the living space on the second story, with garage space below, to try to protect the home from future flooding. (Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA)

Misperceptions stand in way of disaster survivors wanting to rebuild safer, more sustainable homes

As Florida and the Southeast begin recovering from 2024’s destructive hurricanes, many people are asking: How can we rebuild sustainably and in a way that… Continue reading

  • Nov 11, 2024
  • By Susan Ostermann and Abbie B. Liel, The Conversation
  • floodingOpinion
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many Louisiana homes were rebuilt with the living space on the second story, with garage space below, to try to protect the home from future flooding. (Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA)
A Boquila trifoliolata in Parque Nacional Puyehue, Chile. (Tony Rebelo / CC BY-SA 4.0)

On the Trails: Mimicry in animals and plants

Mimicry in animals is a common form of protection from predators. For instance, two distasteful or toxic butterflies may mimic each other for mutual defense,… Continue reading

A Boquila trifoliolata in Parque Nacional Puyehue, Chile. (Tony Rebelo / CC BY-SA 4.0)
The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)

My Turn: Charting a course toward seafood independence for Alaska’s vulnerable food systems

As a commercial fisherman based in Sitka and the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), I’ve spent decades navigating Alaska’s challenging waters… Continue reading

The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)
Finished Mexican cornbread loaf with roasted green chiles and cheese. (Photo by Patty Schied)

Cooking for Pleasure: Mexican cornbread loaf with roasted green chiles and cheese

Many years ago when I lived in Tucson, Arizona, I was lucky enough to have neighbors of Mexican descent who were great cooks. From them… Continue reading

Finished Mexican cornbread loaf with roasted green chiles and cheese. (Photo by Patty Schied)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Living and Growing: A list of do’s to reclaim Shabbat

To be silent the whole day, see no newspaper, hear no radio, listen to no gossip, be thoroughly and completely lazy, thoroughly and completely indifferent… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Natural hydrogen gas may be trapped under the surface of Alaska in many areas, such as here in the Brooks Range. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Geologic hydrogen may be an answer

The internal combustion engine is less than 100 years old. Same for the technologies we have developed to pull oil and gas from the ground.… Continue reading

Natural hydrogen gas may be trapped under the surface of Alaska in many areas, such as here in the Brooks Range. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
The Dalton Highway, built in 1974 to construct the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, allows the public to access the Brooks Range and North Slope like the author did in 2022. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: The theater is over, let the work begin

The election is over. It’s time to catch our collective breath and re-enter reality. The far right and the far left are mirrors of each… Continue reading

The Dalton Highway, built in 1974 to construct the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, allows the public to access the Brooks Range and North Slope like the author did in 2022. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
People watch a broadcast of Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivering a speech at Times Square in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times)

Opinion: The Democratic Party’s failure of imagination

Aside from not being a lifelong Republican like Peter Wehner, the sentiment he expressed in The Atlantic a few weeks ago perfectly captures how I… Continue reading

People watch a broadcast of Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivering a speech at Times Square in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times)
A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Let’s consider tightening cell phones restrictions in Juneau schools

A recent uptick in student fights on and off campus has Juneau School District administrators looking for answers. It also has raised the issue of… Continue reading

A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
A pair of Petersburg wiener dogs. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Pure Sole: ‘Bread and Butter’

So, evidently, I now have a nickname in my hometown of Petersburg. “Bread and Butter.” I will let you stew on that while I finish… Continue reading

A pair of Petersburg wiener dogs. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
A short-eared owl pounced on something deep in the grass. (Photo by Greg Chaney)

On the Trails: Owls and voles and other observations

In the middle of October, bird watchers estimated about 40 short-eared owls were seen hunting on the wetlands — probably a record number. What was… Continue reading

A short-eared owl pounced on something deep in the grass. (Photo by Greg Chaney)
“Princess Sophia” stranded on Vanderbilt Reef, Oct. 24, 1918. (Alaska State Library Historical Collection, ASL-P87-1700)

Living and Growing: The storms of the Fall

Psalm 19 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. 2 One day tells its tale to another, and… Continue reading

“Princess Sophia” stranded on Vanderbilt Reef, Oct. 24, 1918. (Alaska State Library Historical Collection, ASL-P87-1700)
Fairbanks’ first real winter storm of October 2024 left behind an uncommon wet, slushy mess. (Photo by Bobby Bianco)

Alaska Science Forum: The numbers behind a weather forecast

A meteorologist from the National Weather Service’s local office recently told a newspaper reporter that heavy, wet, snow would materialize in a few days. He… Continue reading

Fairbanks’ first real winter storm of October 2024 left behind an uncommon wet, slushy mess. (Photo by Bobby Bianco)
A map shows state-by-state results of aggregate polls for U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump (red) and Kamala Harris (blue), with states too close to call in grey, as of Oct. 29. (Wikimedia Commons map)

Opinion: The silent Republican Party betrayal

On Monday night, Donald Trump reported that two Pennsylvania counties had received “THOUSANDS of potentially FRAUDULENT Voter Registration Forms and Mail-In Ballot Applications.” One was… Continue reading

A map shows state-by-state results of aggregate polls for U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump (red) and Kamala Harris (blue), with states too close to call in grey, as of Oct. 29. (Wikimedia Commons map)
(Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)

10 reasons to put country above party labels in election

Like many of you I grew up during an era when people put country above party. The ‘60s were a time when we were asked… Continue reading

(Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Be safe, stay together, be respectful, share your treats but not your tricks, have fun, and get outside on Halloween. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Pure Sole: Don’t Open The Door

A cowboy, a pirate and the pope walk into a bar… Nope, no joke here. Just reminding you of the horror approaching Thursday night. Remember… Continue reading

Be safe, stay together, be respectful, share your treats but not your tricks, have fun, and get outside on Halloween. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)