Juneau Independent

Spending money can be a lot of fun, while saving money can be pretty boring. Sure, you get to watch your account grow — assuming you invest it wisely — thinking about spending it someday, though thinking about that someday is not nearly as much fun as spending today.

Alaska is once again riding high on the strength of oil revenues, with a possible $545 million flowing into state coffers during the current fiscal year due to higher oil prices. This is welcome news for policymakers and residents alike. But it also presents a familiar and uncomfortable paradox; the very forces boosting state revenue are poised to inflict serious economic pain on many Alaskans, particularly those in rural communities.

Sen. Sullivan’s support for policies that reduce tax and regulatory burdens and create stability for small businesses is good for all Alaskans.

During Rep. Nick Begich III’s address to the Legislature last week, Rep. Zach Fields (D-Anchorage) briefly held up a sign that read “Ice out of Alaska.” The minority caucus correctly called it “a clear violation of Uniform Rule 26, Mason’s Manual, and the established customs and traditions of the Alaska Legislature.”

You cannot talk about Southeast Alaska’s seafood industry without also talking about the Tongass National Forest. The productivity of our region’s sustainable fisheries is heavily dependent on the health of Southeast’s forests and watersheds — the two are inseparable.

It’s nearly impossible to keep track of civil filings in state courts without a good automatic notification system, and that’s missing in Alaska.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security stopped more than a month ago when congressional Democrats and Republicans and the president put partisanship, reelection campaigns and social media messaging ahead of doing their job.

Many Alaskans and folks Outside, including in Congress, do not realize that the Tongass National Forest is a Volcanic Mass Sulfide area the size of West Virginia and, accordingly, a major Alaska mining district.

Congregation Sukkat Shalom, the reform Jewish synagogue in Juneau, mourns the terror attack on Temple Israel, in Bloomfield, Michigan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the congregants, clergy, families, staff, and the entire Detroit Jewish community.

CBJ is making quite an effort to give residents a say in their budget decisions, and I hope they will listen to the full range of ideas on how to get through this challenge.

There’s a new 15-second ad out that claims “Dan Sullivan always puts Alaska first.” Don’t be fooled. If he hadn’t been putting the interests of President Donald Trump first, more than a few hardcore MAGA Alaskans would have filed to run against him.

Every summer, people living near the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, keep a close eye on the water level. When the river level begins to rise rapidly, it’s a sign that Suicide Basin, a small glacier-dammed lake 5 miles up the mountains, has broken through the glacier again and a glacial lake outburst flood is underway.