Columns

Juneau School District administrators and board members review the updated budget for the current fiscal year during a Board of Education meeting April 16 at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: School board recall is about more than ‘angry moms set on being vengeful’

It’s time to set the record straight about the school board recall. Many community members object to the recall because they feel that board members… Continue reading

Juneau School District administrators and board members review the updated budget for the current fiscal year during a Board of Education meeting April 16 at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Brown-headed cowbirds are professional egg-dumpers, always parasitizing the nests of other species. (CC BY 2.0 public domain photo).

On the Trails: Egg dumping behavior

Egg-dumping refers to the behavior of a female who puts her eggs in another animal’s nest, leaving all other parental behavior to the host. Some… Continue reading

Brown-headed cowbirds are professional egg-dumpers, always parasitizing the nests of other species. (CC BY 2.0 public domain photo).
Former Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch in 2018. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Close, but no cigar on meaningful mill rate reduction by Juneau Assembly members

Before beginning my teaching career in Juneau in 1968, one of my favorite summer jobs was supervising the many food and game booths at the… Continue reading

Former Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch in 2018. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
About 20 people gather in Marine Park at midday April 9 for a rally calling for a ban on large cruise ships on Saturdays in Juneau. Some of the participants are members of a committee planning to gather signatures for a petition to put the question on the ballot for local voters. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Cruise ship free Saturdays seems like a reasonable compromise

Three years ago, I opposed the local initiatives to limit cruise ship traffic. On Sunday, I signed the petition that seeks to establish Saturdays as… Continue reading

About 20 people gather in Marine Park at midday April 9 for a rally calling for a ban on large cruise ships on Saturdays in Juneau. Some of the participants are members of a committee planning to gather signatures for a petition to put the question on the ballot for local voters. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
The Fairbanks Experimental Farm on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus opened in 1906. (UAF photo by Todd Paris, taken in September 2014)

Alaska Science Forum: The gardening potential of the Last Frontier

More than 100 years ago, a man traveled north on a mission most people thought was ridiculous — to see if crops would grow in… Continue reading

The Fairbanks Experimental Farm on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus opened in 1906. (UAF photo by Todd Paris, taken in September 2014)
Tourists walk the piers downtown on July 14, 2022. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Let’s get moderate heads together for a solution on cruise ship tourism

Come on Juneau, we’ve got to do better. Once again neighbors are pitted against each other over cruise ships. Cruise tourism versus the environment and… Continue reading

Tourists walk the piers downtown on July 14, 2022. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Tanya Renee Ahtowena Rorem at age 17. (Photo provided by Laura Rorem)

Living and Growing: ‘My name is Ahtowena’

My precocious two-year old broke loose from my grip and took off toward the road. Panicked, I yelled, “Tanya! Tanya! TANYA!!” Indignantly she stopped, turned… Continue reading

Tanya Renee Ahtowena Rorem at age 17. (Photo provided by Laura Rorem)
Passengers of the Norwegian Bliss look out across downtown Juneau as they wait to disembark on April 17, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Juneau’s economy is not on the line — Ship-Free Saturdays is about better balance

Judging by the “Save Juneau” posters one would think that Juneau’s economic well-being is at stake with the initiative to have one day a week… Continue reading

Passengers of the Norwegian Bliss look out across downtown Juneau as they wait to disembark on April 17, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Columbia is seen in drydock on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022 in Ketchikan. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Opinion: Overhauling the federal Jones Act would benefit Alaska, including the Marine Highway System

Antiquated or obsolete laws can be amusing; I recently learned that an obscure medieval law provides the right to drive sheep across London Bridge. Fortunately,… Continue reading

The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Columbia is seen in drydock on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022 in Ketchikan. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
An orange-crowned warbler looks for bugs on a willow (Photo by K.M. Hocker)

On the Trails: Maple flowers and some spring observations

The sun came out! So it was a day for me and a friend to head to the Boy Scout Camp Trail, dodging rain puddles… Continue reading

An orange-crowned warbler looks for bugs on a willow (Photo by K.M. Hocker)
The Pinkas Synagogue, the second-oldest building in Prague. (World Monuments Fund photo)

Living and Growing: Connecting to family ancestors through names of strangers on a wall in Prague

“Prague never lets you go…this dear little mother has sharp claws.” — Franz Kafka We decided to spend Passover in the Czech Republic. Actually it… Continue reading

The Pinkas Synagogue, the second-oldest building in Prague. (World Monuments Fund photo)
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan addresses a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature in the House chambers on Feb. 7, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Sen. Sullivan sinks to a new low

Last week, Sen. Dan Sullivan mimicked Donald Trump’s endless stream of baseless accusations that President Joe Biden has weaponized the justice system to bring him… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan addresses a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature in the House chambers on Feb. 7, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Leanne Bulger stands holding her daughter Violet, 2, next to Rose, 6, within a sunken thawed-permafrost feature called a thermokarst in the boreal forest on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: A backyard science expedition, in diapers

By Ned Rozell

Leanne Bulger stands holding her daughter Violet, 2, next to Rose, 6, within a sunken thawed-permafrost feature called a thermokarst in the boreal forest on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Members of local business organizations greet cruise passengers with maps and other handouts as they disembark from the Norwegian Bliss on April 25, 2022. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)

A call for collaboration, not restrictions on cruise ship tourism

Please don’t sign. I feel it is time to speak up about the recent signature-gathering campaign aimed at banning cruise ships from visiting Juneau on… Continue reading

Members of local business organizations greet cruise passengers with maps and other handouts as they disembark from the Norwegian Bliss on April 25, 2022. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
An aspiring knight relies on duct tape for his medieval battle gear during the Master’s Faire on July 16, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

Gimme A Smile: Duct tape — an Alaskan’s best friend

Duct tape is an Alaskan tradition. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and if it is broke, break out the duct tape. That magic… Continue reading

An aspiring knight relies on duct tape for his medieval battle gear during the Master’s Faire on July 16, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Juneau School District Superintendent Frank Hauser provides an overview of restructuring options being considered during a Community Budget Input Session at Thunder Mountain High School on Jan. 31. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Smearing school board members and the superintendent is vindictive and destructive

A school consolidation plan announced by the Juneau School District (JSD) has drawn fire from a dissident group calling themselves Community Advocates for Responsible Education… Continue reading

Juneau School District Superintendent Frank Hauser provides an overview of restructuring options being considered during a Community Budget Input Session at Thunder Mountain High School on Jan. 31. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
The author’s wife kneels to net a trout over the weekend. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Live free, fish hard

In my young trout bum days I’d go hard. It was the trade off for living in California. I’d pack my gear so I could… Continue reading

The author’s wife kneels to net a trout over the weekend. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
A Celebrity Cruises ship docks in Juneau on July 15, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: It is possible to be pro-tourism and believe Juneau is oversaturated with cruise ships

I originally came to town as a visitor over 30 years ago. I found a vibrant town and vibrant visitor industry. We are quickly approaching… Continue reading

A Celebrity Cruises ship docks in Juneau on July 15, 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
An orca swims beside a boat near Berners Bay on May 12. (Photo by Eric Jorgensen)

On the Trails: Orcas, ducks, warblers and others

I went on the Audubon cruise to Berners Bay in May, on a drizzly, breezy day. On the outbound trip, we enjoyed some of the… Continue reading

An orca swims beside a boat near Berners Bay on May 12. (Photo by Eric Jorgensen)
Juneau residents participate in a community mental health run, the Extra Tough 5K & 1 Mile Run, on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. The run was sponsored by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Juneau. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Local resources and support to be aware of during Mental Health Awareness Month

Although it feels like it every month for us at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Juneau, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This… Continue reading

Juneau residents participate in a community mental health run, the Extra Tough 5K & 1 Mile Run, on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. The run was sponsored by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Juneau. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)