Juneau Independent

What drove me off the Juneau Assembly last year was the fever pitch of issues; the deep anger felt by my friends and constituents about, well, many things, including CBJ issues; and the speed at which a normal-seeming issue became a flashpoint. There are no normal issues these days.

When they credit the author of the most well-known and loved Christmas poem in American history, I feel a new sense of knowing, even pride at hearing the name, Clement Clarke Moore. I’m still grasping that my friend, ski buddy and fellow longtime Juneau resident Linda Ogden Squibb is a direct descendant of the author who penned what became "The Night Before Christmas" for his children nearly 200 years ago, in 1822.

The complaint regarding the historic significance of the neighborhood won’t be heard until August. However, as CBJ noted in their response to that issue in this case, Telephone Hill is not on the National Historic Register. And the bar for admission to that is so low that it contains hundreds of places that have no historic significance whatsoever.

The Alaska Division of Elections director’s office in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent) By Bridget Smith Alaskans treasure autonomy and independence. It is part of our DNA, whether we have been here for thousands of years or we arrived last week. I wonder what Alaskans think of a recent divulging of their confidential information by the State of Alaska. On Tuesday, December 23, 2025, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who oversees the Alaska Division of Elections, turned o

It’s the season of warm wishes, goodwill, families and friends. It’s a time for sharing old memories and making new memories with the new year. It’s a break in everyday life to remember the past and think about the future.

Normally on solstice I would be packing last year’s Christmas tree into the back of the truck for a bonfire at Sandy Beach. But with the minus temperatures and gusty winds, I am inside thinking about the significance of crossing over toward more light in our daily lives.

On Saturday evening, water began pouring down Wire Street. It was dark, it was very cold and it was hard to see what was going on. Whatever it was, it sure wasn’t good.

A couple of months ago, I was reporting on the typhoon that hit Western Alaska and stopped by a news conference convened by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. I was there to ask him about long-term plans for protecting vulnerable coastal villages. But the governor diverted my focus by talking about Donald Trump and the president’s concern. The previous week, Dunleavy said, “I was texting him at one in the morning, his time, about this disaster.”

“Alaska’s future is bright,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy proclaimed last week, “but we have to have discipline and be forward-thinking now so that our short-term budget challenges don’t turn into long-term burdens on Alaskan families and businesses.”

Oh, thank goodness. A hidden benefit. My laptop is offline and there is no WiFi here and I am blessed. I am on a solitary spiritual retreat so I am actually doubly blessed.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, now in his final year in office, has spent more time talking about Alaska’s resource potential, whether getting oil and gas and minerals out of the ground or getting paid to store climate-warming carbon dioxide underground, than he has spent dealing with the reality of today’s state checkbook.

When I heard that Governor Dunleavy was providing five Alaska National Guard members to “assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Anchorage with administrative support,” I wondered several things.