Opinion

(Courtesy Photo / Randall Davis, Alaska Department of Fish & Game)

Opinion: Sea otters are the defenders of kelp forests, ecosystems

We recognize the important ecological roles they play.

  • Dec 14, 2020
  • By Elin Antaya and Tias Carney
(Courtesy Photo / Randall Davis, Alaska Department of Fish & Game)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy (Courtesy Photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Opinion: Our hearts go out to Southeast Alaska

Governor shares thoughts, response information on recent disaster.

  • Dec 14, 2020
  • By Gov. Mike Dunleavy
Gov. Mike Dunleavy (Courtesy Photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)
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Opinion: The trouble with celebrity politicians

Judges calling balls and strikes are the last line of defense…

  • Dec 12, 2020
  • By Rich Monia
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Opinion: The Texas lawsuit is madness and supporting it borders on sedition

Even worse are the ramifications of this effort for the future of Alaska.

  • Dec 11, 2020
  • By Mark Roye
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A truck backs up onto a Haines-bound boat on Dec. 3, 2020, as part of an effort to send supplies and people to the landslide-afflicted community. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Opinion: It’s important to prepare for the unpredictable

It is often easy to be distracted from the lessons we learn when disaster strikes.

  • Dec 10, 2020
  • By Win Gruening
A truck backs up onto a Haines-bound boat on Dec. 3, 2020, as part of an effort to send supplies and people to the landslide-afflicted community. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
David W. Schade is director of the state Division of Agriculture. (Courtesy Photo)

Opinion: Now that industrial hemp is legal, Alaska’s industry must follow law

By David W. Schade The battle to legalize industrial hemp in Alaska was won in the halls of Congress and the Alaska State Capitol in… Continue reading

David W. Schade is director of the state Division of Agriculture. (Courtesy Photo)
The Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: The numbers don’t lie, but people do

Newly elected legislators should be open to learning from data once in office.

  • Dec 5, 2020
  • By Rich Moniak
The Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
In this Oct. 8, 2019, file photo, protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington where the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the first case of LGBT rights since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.  As vice president in 2012, Joe Biden endeared himself to many LGBTQ Americans by endorsing same-sex marriage even before his boss, President Barack Obama. Now, as president-elect, Biden is making sweeping promises to LGBTQ activists, proposing to carry out virtually every major proposal on their wish lists.   (AP Photo / Susan Walsh, File)

Opinion: Now is the time to pass the Equality Act

Equality is not a Democratic or Republican value, it’s an American value.

  • Dec 4, 2020
  • By Laura Carpenter
In this Oct. 8, 2019, file photo, protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington where the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the first case of LGBT rights since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.  As vice president in 2012, Joe Biden endeared himself to many LGBTQ Americans by endorsing same-sex marriage even before his boss, President Barack Obama. Now, as president-elect, Biden is making sweeping promises to LGBTQ activists, proposing to carry out virtually every major proposal on their wish lists.   (AP Photo / Susan Walsh, File)
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Opinion: Think local this holiday season

What comparisons can we find between our sweet town to NYC?

  • Dec 1, 2020
  • By Holly Johnson and Laura Martinson
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Oil sheen bleeds from the beach at Herring Bay on Knight Island on Dec. 7, 1989. (Courtesy Photo / ARLIS Reference)

Opinion: Exxon Valdez restoration must remain a government responsibility

Not the private sector.

  • Dec 1, 2020
  • By Rick Steiner
Oil sheen bleeds from the beach at Herring Bay on Knight Island on Dec. 7, 1989. (Courtesy Photo / ARLIS Reference)
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Opinion: Saying nothing helps fraud against our democracy

Silence effectively helps the president and his lawyers.

  • Nov 28, 2020
  • By Rich Moniak
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Opinion: The problem with don’t tell me what to do

Doesn’t a state need a governor, like a ship needs a captain?

  • Nov 27, 2020
  • By John Pappenheim
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The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation building in Juneau on Thursday, October 1, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: 5 lessons for sustaining the Permanent Fund

“…as the fund’s stewards, it is our job to equip the fund for success for decades to come.”

  • Nov 26, 2020
  • By Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation’s Board of Trustees
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation building in Juneau on Thursday, October 1, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
The Juneau School District building and Harborview Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Due to rising coronavirus the district announced late Thursday it would be delaying the start of Kindergarten class until after the New Year. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Opinion: We can’t afford to wait any longer to open schools

Is anyone paying attention?

  • Nov 25, 2020
  • By Win Gruening
The Juneau School District building and Harborview Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Due to rising coronavirus the district announced late Thursday it would be delaying the start of Kindergarten class until after the New Year. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
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Opinion: Exploring lessons of the Trump Era

There’s an opportunity here to discuss issues important to both sides of the political divide.

  • Nov 24, 2020
  • By Jamison Paul
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Common Ground. Super literal.

Opinion: It’s time to find common ground

We have families, jobs, hobbies and a desire for stability and calm.

  • Nov 24, 2020
  • By Deborah Craig
Common Ground. Super literal.
Corri A. Feige is commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. (Courtesy Photo / DNR)

Alaska Geospatial Council helps state really ‘know where it’s at’

“Geospatial” means “location on the earth.”

  • Nov 23, 2020
Corri A. Feige is commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. (Courtesy Photo / DNR)
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Opinion: Psychiatric patients need right to appeal

By Faith Myers The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, The Anchorage Daily News, the Juneau Empire News, and the Ketchikan Daily News are the major newspapers in… Continue reading

  • Nov 23, 2020
  • By Faith Myers
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Opinion: UBI is needed for all Alaskans

Biden should support a Universal Basic Income of $500 per month for each Alaskan adult.

  • Nov 22, 2020
  • By Chris Bush
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Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to local leaders at the Alaska Municipal League's legislative conference in this February 2020 photo. (Peter Segall/  Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Dunleavy needs to use his bully pulpit

For guidance, he can look to the Republican governors of Utah, North Dakota and Iowa.

  • Nov 21, 2020
  • By Rich Moniak
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to local leaders at the Alaska Municipal League's legislative conference in this February 2020 photo. (Peter Segall/  Juneau Empire File)