Opinion

Jack Rafuse

Salmon initiative risks Alaska’s economic future

A niece of mine and her husband have owned a restaurant in Homer for at least 20 years. I worked on energy policy at the… Continue reading

  • Jun 13, 2018
  • By JACK RAFUSE
Jack Rafuse

Vote Yes for Salmon this November

A thick skin is required for this business. Direct competition is part of the job. To survive in this industry, you’ve got to let the… Continue reading

  • Jun 13, 2018
  • By Marie Rose
In this Monday, June 4, 2018 photo, people seeking political asylum in the United States line up to be interviewed in Tijuana, Mexico, just across the U.S. border south of San Diego. The Trump administration’s fighting words for asylum seekers don’t appear to be having much impact at U.S. border crossings with Mexico. Lines keep growing, so much that U.S. authorities can’t take them all at once. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)

Congress must pass bipartisan reform of our immigration laws

I am outraged to hear of border agents separating immigrant children from their parents. This cynical deterrent splits up children from their parents, including both… Continue reading

  • Jun 12, 2018
  • By Odette Edgar
In this Monday, June 4, 2018 photo, people seeking political asylum in the United States line up to be interviewed in Tijuana, Mexico, just across the U.S. border south of San Diego. The Trump administration’s fighting words for asylum seekers don’t appear to be having much impact at U.S. border crossings with Mexico. Lines keep growing, so much that U.S. authorities can’t take them all at once. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)
Former Alaska U.S. Sen. Mark Begich answers reporters’ questions after filing to run for governor in the 2018 Democratic primary at the state Division of Elections office on Friday, June 1, 2018, in Anchorage, Alaska. Begich is a former two-term mayor of Anchorage. He lost his U.S. Senate re-election bid in 2014 to current U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican. (AP Photo/Dan Joling)

Walker, Mallott should get another four years

My first action learning that Mark Begich jumped into the gubernatorial race, thus crowding the field, was to apply to change my voter registration from… Continue reading

  • Jun 12, 2018
  • By Emily Kane
Former Alaska U.S. Sen. Mark Begich answers reporters’ questions after filing to run for governor in the 2018 Democratic primary at the state Division of Elections office on Friday, June 1, 2018, in Anchorage, Alaska. Begich is a former two-term mayor of Anchorage. He lost his U.S. Senate re-election bid in 2014 to current U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican. (AP Photo/Dan Joling)
Passengers walk off Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam on Monday, May 1, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Juneau needs to plan now for 2019 tourism growth

It’s time for Juneau to make plans for 1.31 million visitors in 2019 and beyond, a massive 20 percent growth from 2017. The Mendenhall Glacier… Continue reading

  • Jun 12, 2018
  • By Michael Hekkers
Passengers walk off Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam on Monday, May 1, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Stop stealing crab

I have lived in Juneau and sport fished for Dungeness crab for more than 35 years. I enjoy the activity on the water and my… Continue reading

  • Jun 11, 2018
  • By STEVE PETERSON

Advocating for the homeless

Yesterday as I was waiting for the bus at the Downtown Transit Center, I happened upon a person lying asleep on their sleeping bag by… Continue reading

  • Jun 11, 2018
  • By LYNDA WATTS

Alaska has right to determine its own future

Alaskans deserve the ability to determine what our future looks like rather than being at the whim of faraway political and economic forces. That is… Continue reading

  • Jun 11, 2018
  • By GOV. BILL WALKER

Opportunity abounds with New JACC

Juneau has heard a lot recently about the campaign to build a New Juneau Arts &Culture Center (New JACC) — a campaign that at this… Continue reading

  • Jun 10, 2018
  • By Bud Carpeneti

Sacrificing good government to lead the flock

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, isn’t happy that President Trump imposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from America’s closest allies. She said his… Continue reading

  • Jun 10, 2018
  • By Rich Moniak
Brent Murphy

Opinion: Correction of UPRIVERS documentary misrepresentations

I am writing to correct the public record about misleading and inaccurate information regarding Seabridge Gold’s KSM Project presented in the UPRIVERS documentary currently being… Continue reading

  • Jun 8, 2018
  • By BRENT MURPHY
Brent Murphy

Tow the Lumberman, before it’s too late

While Juneau celebrates its new bronze whale sculpture, an old steel albatross is slowly sinking into the mud less than a mile away. The tug… Continue reading

  • Jun 7, 2018
  • By Doug Sanvik

Road lets criminal elements in

I am surprised that so many in the Juneau business community support the road to Juneau. What with all of the break-ins and petty crime… Continue reading

  • Jun 7, 2018
  • By Steve Wolf

Public service loan forgiveness is an investment for Alaska

My work as a museum curator provides the public with opportunities for lifelong learning and an understanding of our shared history. I pursued a career… Continue reading

  • Jun 7, 2018
  • By SCOTT BARTLETT

Detention centers for children

It takes my breath away. In April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions put in place a “zero tolerance” immigration policy at our southern border that led… Continue reading

  • Jun 6, 2018

Opinion: Robbing Juneau to build JACC

As the Alaska Legislature adjourned quietly into the night several weeks ago, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. The usual end-of-session drama… Continue reading

  • Jun 6, 2018
  • By WIN GRUENING

My son’s ocean

My son has fished with me since he was five months old. He was not much help then, but he was on the boat that… Continue reading

  • Jun 4, 2018
  • By Linda Behnken
President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing ceremony for the “Right to Try” act in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, May 30, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo | Evan Vucci)

The divided states of political correctness

President Donald Trump thinks he’s the king of anti-political correctness. He’s said people are “so worried about being politically correct that they are unable to… Continue reading

  • Jun 1, 2018
  • By Rich Moniak
President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing ceremony for the “Right to Try” act in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, May 30, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo | Evan Vucci)
Accept the economic reality of Juneau Access

Accept the economic reality of Juneau Access

As a lifelong Alaskan born in Anchorage, I grew up hearing about how the capital move — moving the capital from Juneau to elsewhere —… Continue reading

  • May 31, 2018
  • By Benjamin Brown
Accept the economic reality of Juneau Access

Pacific Salmon Treaty negotiations have taken a very serious turn

There is a very serious movement afoot that threatens all Southeast Alaskan coastal communities. It has nothing to do with the abundance of king salmon… Continue reading

  • May 31, 2018
  • By Caven Pfeiffer