Juneau Independent

Clearly, the elements are not just a bummer for dozens of our unsheltered friends and neighbors. They are pervasive, life-threatening forces which combined with inner turmoil create a reality of constant anguish. It is easy to feel down during this time of year, but it is also important to take stock of everything good that the community is doing to address the issues of homelessness, hunger, and despair.

Most people have seen news reports, social media posts and business charts that show a line moving up in good times, pointing down when business or employment numbers are bad, or bouncing back and forth between the two when the economy is confused.

Officials from nearly 200 countries recently gathered in Belem, Brazil, to attend the latest United Nations climate summit, called COP30.

When a community loses its local news, it loses more than headlines — it loses part of its identity. A vibrant, informed public depends on journalists who understand local people, local issues and local life. That used to be the role of our hometown newspaper, but as corporate ownership has shifted the focus away from Juneau something vital has gone missing.

Last week, Gov. Mike Dunleavy approved the deployment of Alaska National Guard members to Washington, D.C., “to help the Trump Administration restore public trust.” But if that was really important to him, he’d start by telling the president that incompetence, rank hypocrisy and retribution aren’t part of the formula.

Too many residents, business owners and politicians of Southcentral Alaska — we’re talking the state’s population center of Anchorage, the Mat-Su and Kenai Peninsula — are all agog in anticipation that a multibillion-dollar North Slope natural gas pipeline will save them from unaffordable heating and electric bills.

If it's inevitable that CBJ is to pass ranked choice voting (RCV), let's do it right and not force frivolous ranking at the expense of clarity.

During an interview with Nathanial Hertz of the Northern Journal last January, Sen. Lisa Murkowski predicted “there would be real pressure coming on this administration and the Congress” to extend the enhanced tax credits of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Republicans didn’t listen. 

It is standard that before a municipality undertakes a construction project for housing that a pro forma is done for the project that shows the cost per housing unit. 

Used to be, a bagman was the guy in the movie who picked up or delivered the takings from a robbery. They tried not to look shady, carrying a bag or briefcase full of stolen cash or jewelry. The idea was not to draw attention delivering the goods, while the robbers were making their getaway.

Alaskans have voted, twice, for ranked choice voting (RCV) because, despite disparaging opinions by some naysayers, it is a better tool for electing the best candidate — rather than shoehorning voters into ideological boxes.

Alaska is changing quickly, and the world is moving even faster. Many Alaskans worry that if our communities do not plan ahead, we could slowly fall behind places that are growing, modernizing, and creating new opportunities. Juneau feels this more than most. It is surrounded by steep mountains, ocean, and the vast Tongass, which makes it one of the most beautiful and rugged capital cities anywhere. But this same landscape limits the city's options for keeping pace with the n