OPINION: Of Hoaxes – both innocent and nefarious
As a boy I enjoyed a good hoax. The best one involved thawing out frozen game fish we had kept from a northwoods vacation, putting them on a stringer and then going down to our muddy, carp-infested prairie lake, sitting on the dock and announcing, “Boy are
Some Alaskans are getting back to work, but unemployment remains high
Tens of thousands of Alaskans continue to be out of work, but those seeking or receiving unemployment insurance is beginning to tick down since the state began reopening sectors of its economy as the health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis remain low. For the
Just the facts: COVID health impact in Alaska has dramatically fallen
The past month has seen a steep decline in the use of medical resources and overall active cases of COVID-19 in Alaska. On May 12 the state reported no new cases of the virus, no new hospitalization and no additional deaths. Over the past 30 days, Alaska has
Alaska attorney general urges COVID-19 legal protections as economy reopens
Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson has joined a 21-state coalition in a letter urging Congress to enact liability protections to help mitigate the threat of frivolous COVID-19 related lawsuits against those providing needed goods and services. A May 12
State nixes emergency reg allowing weed shipments to rural Alaska
Citing a conflict with federal law, the State of Alaska reversed its emergency regulation allowing for commercial transport of marijuana to rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state initially issued two “emergency” regulations on April 17
Alaska joins 18-states asking Congress to investigate China’s role in pandemic
Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson joined an 18-state coalition urging Congress to investigate the Chinese government’s role in covering up the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter was sent on May 8 to the leadership of the House and Senate Foreign Relations
Americans retreating from social distancing
A growing number of Americans – especially Republicans and Independents – are beginning to venture back into social gatherings and public events, according to a new Gallup survey. Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say that they avoided small
25-year Alaska teacher raises key questions in dealing with controversial books
Editor’s note: The following testimony was delivered on May 6 to the Mat-Su Borough School Board during its deliberation on whether to rescind its April 22 vote to remove five controversial books from a list of recommended reading for an elective high
More Alaska churches reopen as COVID numbers remain low
More churches across Alaska are beginning to reopen under updated health guidelines released on May 8 as part of phase two of reopening the state. As of May 11, Alaska had just 53 active cases of COVID-19. The new guidelines allow for up to 50 people in
High court says recall effort against Dunleavy can proceed
The effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy from office may proceed after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled 4-1 on May 8 that grounds for the potential recall election were sufficient. Chief Justice Joel Bolger did not take part in the State Division of Elections v.











