Throughout my life, my grandma, Mary Jane Fate, imparted the importance of education on my brothers and me. We understood early on that education is the means through which we can make a difference in the world. She led by example, and I’ve carried this message with me each and every day. Education looks […]
Recently the Alaska Congressional delegation, Don Young, Dan Sullivan, and Lisa Murkoski shamefully attempted to utilize this moment of racial spotlight to benefit their own profit interests, by implying that global banks’ decisions to divest from the fossil fuel industry in Alaska is racially fueled. Banks around the world are divesting from activities that […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed Alaskans’ lives and impacted our economy in ways we never could have imagined, leaving many people unemployed and struggling financially. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports Alaska’s job count was down 12.2% in May from the same month last year, a loss of more than 42,000 […]
Members of the public are encouraged to make their concerns known So many questions have circulated across the nation and here in Alaska regarding training standards, policies and procedures that law enforcement agencies have in place. As the lead investigator for allegations of officer misconduct at the Department of Public Safety, I was shocked […]
Now that the Legislature adjourned after more or less authorizing CARES Act funding, people are asking, “Where is the money and how is it being distributed?” To answer this question, we first need to understand what happened and what should have happened. Alaska’s constitution designates the Legislature the sole power to appropriate. To a […]
Many democratic nations through history lost their democracy as the citizens gave up rights and believed in saviors that always, ultimately, were later seen as autocrats. Those autocrats (dictators) were not seen at the time as that, that was only seen through the rearview mirror of history. The sad thing is that, once that democracy […]
For most of us the COVID emergency “hunker down” has been a test of ingenuity, patience and endurance. Ingenuity has been needed to find new ways to occupy ourselves, exercise, get a haircut and celebrate important life and family events with loved ones. Patience and endurance have been needed as we wait for life […]
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — The Alaska National Guard provides support to the state as requested in times of emergency, and we are currently assisting with response efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past month, we have supported Alaska’s Unified Command with Strategic National Stockpile distribution, airport passenger screening, warehouse operations and […]
Late on a cold Tuesday in January, a plane evacuating 201 Americans from Wuhan, China landed in Anchorage. Each passenger was screened for COVID-19 and sent on their way to California. No one was talking about a global pandemic. Just a week prior, the World Health Organization had belatedly confirmed human-to-human transmission while continuing […]