Commentary
It’s time to pull off the bandage in Alaska’s tax debate, one way or another
The great tax debate in Alaska sounds similar to the age-old question of whether it is less painful to yank off the bandage quickly or peel it off slowly and gently. I have found that it just doesn’t matter all that much how I pull off the bandage. Neither way is pleasant, especially when there […]
Crooked Creek’s untold story of Donlin Gold
The authors wrote this commentary jointly in their positions on the Crooked Creek Tribal Council. As the Tribal leaders of Crooked Creek, a small Kuskokwim River village dependent on the subsistence way of life, we pay close attention to any threats to our sovereignty, culture, traditional land, and food security. We have seen the depletion […]
Corrupt process makes for bad government
We appreciate the arduous task legislators are charged with to assemble a balanced budget in order for Alaskans to live, play, work and study in this great state. However, the Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG) objects to the 67% legislators’ salary increase on the basis of the corrupt process by which these salary increase […]
How we think about a roving eagle offers insights into human attitudes toward nature
The Steller’s sea eagle is one of the largest and most aggressive raptors in the world. With an 8-foot wingspan and striking white markings, these birds tower over their bald eagle cousins. Steller’s are sublime, but they aren’t beautiful in the way people often sentimentalize animals. Most adult Steller’s survived by beating their weaker sibling […]
SNAP work requirements don’t get more people working, but they do limit availability of food aid
The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would cut spending, in part by expanding work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, through which nearly 43 million low-income Americans get help buying groceries. The House bill calls for this policy to apply to adults as old as 55, while today this policy only […]
‘We just can’t adapt this fast’ – Kivalina Search and Rescue fights to protect their island
As winds and waves from Typhoon Merbok devastated communities along the coast of Western Alaska in 2022, Reppi Swan Sr.’s phone began to ring at Kivalina, a barrier island 80 miles above the Arctic Circle. A neighboring family had lost 3 feet of land to the rumbling lagoon, and their home was now sitting just […]
In classrooms, Alaska now needs the common sense the Juneau School Board showed in 1993
This is the week the American Library Association brings to our attention the value of libraries “in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” At the same time, the fear of one group of parents to accept the reality that humanity is much more diverse than straight and white is resulting in an unprecedented explosion in […]
Indigeneity’s data dilemma
What kind of story does the data tell about Indigenous communities? That, dear reader, is a trick question. Any answer is complicated and nuanced. And this is especially true because there is no shared definition of race or ethnicity (on the other hand, tribal citizenship is clear. You are either a member or not.). The […]
El Niño and record-high ocean temps can spell disaster for fish and corals
It’s coming. Winds are weakening along the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Heat is building beneath the ocean surface. By July, most forecast models agree that the climate system’s biggest player – El Niño – will return for the first time in nearly four years. El Niño is one side of the climatic coin called the El […]
Alaska needs its ferry to British Columbia
Ketchikan, her close community neighbors and all of Southeast Alaska are in danger. We are at risk of losing our Alaska Marine Highway System ferry run to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, permanently, if we do not make it known, loud and clear, to the State of Alaska that we need to have ferry service to […]
Policymakers must look ‘North to the Future’ to Alaska for American energy independence
As we saw last year, consumer fuel prices are top of mind for Americans, many of whom are already paying more for food, health care, and everything in between. The recent surprise production cut announcement by OPEC and its partners have rekindled concerns that Americans may once again be forced to make the difficult choice […]