Opinion

Stop the HydroOne sale

Who gave Avista the option to sell America’s energy company to Canada’s HydroOne and why? Canada can later sell HydroOne to China or any country,… Continue reading

  • May 17, 2018
  • By E.C. STELLMON

Dear UA, Don’t go through with a 10-year timber sale in Haines

I’m a lifelong Southeast Alaskan, commercial fishermen and union tradesman with a background in rural living and aquaculture. I’ve hiked and hunted through the aftermath… Continue reading

  • May 16, 2018
  • By Malachi Thorington

Forward-thinking planning vital to the future of ‘the glacier’

The Glacier. The Mendenhall. The Lake. In U.S. Forest Service nomenclature, this Juneau gem is the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area (MGRA). The USFS and contractors… Continue reading

  • May 16, 2018
  • By Andy Romanoff

Military history museum effort deserves support

My father, Ed Walker, served in the Aleutians in WWII and was one of the last surviving members of Castner’s Cutthroats, an Army regiment of… Continue reading

  • May 15, 2018
  • By GOV. BILL WALKER

Bringing the Wild West back to Alaska

Amid Alaska’s deep recession with no end, it is the city of Anchorage that suffers the most. Beyond losing jobs and longtime residents on a… Continue reading

  • May 15, 2018
  • By Stephen Merril

Medicaid work requirements are cruel and misguided

Recently, our state senate looked at ways to limit Medicaid access with Senate Bill 193, introduced by Sen. Pete Kelly, R-Fairbanks. You may have seen… Continue reading

  • May 14, 2018
  • By Alyssa Quintyne

Ambler Access Project deserves to play out

A recent House Resources Committee hearing on the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project served as a reminder how prevalent a role outside environmental groups… Continue reading

  • May 14, 2018
  • By John MacKinnon

The deception of Stand for Salmon

The Alaska Chamber of Commerce has long been an outspoken voice for pro-business policies that grow our economy and create economic opportunities for Alaskans. For… Continue reading

  • May 14, 2018
  • By CURTIS THAYER

Are we safer with or without the Iran deal?

By pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), the White House is hoping, without any rational basis, for either a better agreement or a… Continue reading

  • May 14, 2018
  • By CRAIG WILSON

Contraceptives effort may have unintended consequences

I write to express my concerns about the State of Alaska’s intent to fund a study on a Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), currently included in… Continue reading

  • May 13, 2018
  • By RICHARD PETERSON
The M/V LeConte awaits repairs at the Alaska Marine Highway System terminal in Juneau in March 2018. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire File)

Build the infrastructure this country deserves

In Alaska it feels we are collectively holding our breath when it comes to deciding whether to invest in infrastructure. At a time when the… Continue reading

  • May 11, 2018
  • By CARL J. UCHYTIL
The M/V LeConte awaits repairs at the Alaska Marine Highway System terminal in Juneau in March 2018. (Kevin Gullufsen | Juneau Empire File)
Gov. Bill Walker speaks to the members of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Hangar Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

A governor free from the conflicting interests of party

Gov. Bill Walker called himself a “traditional Alaskan Republican” when declaring his independent run for governor in 2013. Even though he’ll now be on the… Continue reading

  • May 11, 2018
  • By Rich Moniak
Gov. Bill Walker speaks to the members of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Hangar Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

‘Criminal Fund’ bill was a win

The Alaska Legislature just united 60 to zero to strike a great blow for restitution for the victims of violent crime by passing House Bill… Continue reading

  • May 10, 2018
  • By Fred Dyson

Fund Base Student Allocation

I ‘m writing to ask readers to write the legislature with this urgent request: please provide adequate funds and an increase in the Base Student… Continue reading

  • May 10, 2018
  • By LUANN MCVEY

In support of free speech

I’m glad Jack Cadigan prefaced his letter to the editor with a lengthy statement about how staunch a supporter of free speech he is, so… Continue reading

  • May 10, 2018
  • By ALAN DAVIS

A billion wasted dollars

I sincerely hope scientific minded young people in Alaska step up to replace the bought and paid for representation that we currently have in Alaska.… Continue reading

  • May 10, 2018
  • By LINDA A. ORR

Eaglecrest and climate change silence

Like many in Juneau, winter at Eaglecrest is the high point of my year. The frosted trees, the expansive view of Admiralty Island from Pittman’s… Continue reading

  • May 9, 2018
  • By STUART COHEN

We must work together to keep auto program alive

I am dismayed to hear that the superb Juneau-Douglas High School auto shop program is on the verge of disappearing. For the past 35 years,… Continue reading

  • May 9, 2018
  • By Kurt S. Dzinich
In this April 2015 file photo, with the Olympic Mountains in the background, a small boat crosses in front of an oil drilling rig as it arrives in Port Angeles, Washington, aboard a transport ship after traveling across the Pacific. (AP File Photo)

Winning the battle and losing the war on oil tax credits

As the Alaska Legislature completes its annual task of setting next year’s budget, conversations about oil tax credits have once again taken center stage. There… Continue reading

  • May 8, 2018
  • By Ed King
In this April 2015 file photo, with the Olympic Mountains in the background, a small boat crosses in front of an oil drilling rig as it arrives in Port Angeles, Washington, aboard a transport ship after traveling across the Pacific. (AP File Photo)
Trillium Landing is a 49-unit apartment complex pictured under construction in July 2017 in the Vintage Business Park for persons aged 55 and over. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

A complaint about the Trillium Landing mail service

I am a tax-paying senior citizen recently relocated to Juneau and residing in Trillium Landing, a new complex constructed for those of age 55 and… Continue reading

  • May 7, 2018
  • By BETTE WINKLER
Trillium Landing is a 49-unit apartment complex pictured under construction in July 2017 in the Vintage Business Park for persons aged 55 and over. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)