Conrad Heiderer. Photo courtesy Conrad Heiderer

Opinion

Opinion: The Kenai Peninsula could become Alaska’s 1st ‘corridor of life’

The Kenai Peninsula holds a kind of clarity that is hard to find in most places. Between the…

A vintage Underwood typewriter sits on a table on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at the Homer News in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Opinion

Letter to the editor: Protecting the Kenai River dipnet fishery

The Kenai River dipnet fishery is one of Alaska’s greatest treasures. Attracting thousands of Alaskans each summer, the…

Charles and Tone Deehr are photographed with their daughter, Tina, near Dawson City, Yukon in 1961. Photo courtesy Charles Deehr

Opinion

Red aurora rare enough to be special

Charles Deehr will never forget his first red aurora. On Feb. 11, 1958, Deehr was a student at…

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: New service takes the crime out of being a bagman

Used to be, a bagman was the guy in the movie who picked up or delivered the takings…

A vintage Underwood typewriter sits on a table on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at the Homer News in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Opinion

Letter to the editor: An ode to public workers

I recently attended a local event in which we had some state representatives present a bill that was…

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: Candidates should pay a penalty for false promises

A lot of time, energy and legal fees have been spent on political and court fights to limit…

A map of Alaska depicts location names provided in Donald Orth’s Dictionary of Alaska Place Names. Photo provided by Ned Rozell

Opinion

What’s in an Alaska name?

I once asked a snowmachiner heading out on a trail from Nome where he was going.

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: It’s my own fault, but that doesn’t make it easier

I use a tablet to read newspapers. It started maybe a decade ago, when an increasing number of…

A voter fills out their ballot at the Kenai No. 2 Precinct in the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Opinion

Opinion: Protecting the value of citizenship in Alaska’s elections

As Alaskans who care deeply about the future of our state and the integrity of our democracy, we…

Quinhagak resident Sarah Brown holds a mask attachment she found on the beach on Oct. 24, 2025. This item might represent a hand or fin of an animal or spirit being. Photo courtesy Alice Bailey

Opinion

Faces on a beach in Southwest Alaska

Walking a storm-scoured Alaska beach, archaeologist Rick Knecht knelt to pick up a wooden figurine the size of…

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: Governor’s early Christmas spirit is misplaced

“I told the president, it’s like Christmas every morning,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said at last week’s staged event…

“Hair ice” grows from the forest floor in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Ned Rozell

Opinion

‘Hair ice’ enlivens an extended fall in Interior Alaska

Just when you thought you’d seen everything in the boreal forest, a reader points out white whiskers sprouting…

Logo for the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Photo courtesy of the State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development

Opinion

Opinion: Nurse licensure compact can strengthen Alaska’s health care workforce

Alaskans value resilience. We know what it means to work together in tough times, and we require solutions…

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: Crime deserves punishment, not well wishes

Years ago, while Juneau friends were house hunting in Washington state, they left their middle school son with…

A vintage Underwood typewriter sits on a table on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at the Homer News in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Opinion

Opinion: A place government doesn’t need to stick its nose

I’ve spent much of my career advocating on behalf of Alaska’s small and independent business owners at all…

Dr. Edson Knapp is a radiologist from Homer.

Opinion

Breast cancer screening: What Alaskan women need to know

Approximately 550 women were diagnosed with breast cancer this year in Alaska

Opinion

Statement on Peninsula Clarion and Homer News

Carpenter Media Group is committed to strong local journalism

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: Scoring political points from murder is killing the country

Far too many are eager to turn murder into a motivating sound bite for their own purposes.

Items at a makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot last week, on the campus at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Sept. 16, 2025. (Loren Elliott/The New York Times)

Opinion

Opinion: Criticizing Kirk doesn’t mean you condone his murder

We will not be denied our First Amendment rights under the guise of false moral superiority.

The Alaska Capitol is photographed Friday, July 11, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire)

Opinion

Opinion: Alaska needs to be a smart shopper for taxes

One of the easiest taxes to fill the cart is more money from the oil industry.