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Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California and a full-time opinion writer. Photo courtesy Van Abbott

Opinion

Opinion: Congress cannot let presidents manufacture war powers

Lisa Murkowski’s vote shows how oversight collapses after the first strike.

Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California and a full-time opinion writer. Photo courtesy Van Abbott

Opinion

Opinion: The price of war is posted at the gas pump

Trump’s tariffs and expanding conflict are driving the next inflation wave.

Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California. He has held financial management positions in government and private organizations, and is now a full-time opinion writer. He served in the late nineteen-sixties in the Peace Corps as a teacher. (Contributed)
Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California and a full-time opinion writer. Photo courtesy Van Abbott

Opinion

Opinion: War with Iran as political shield

Escalation abroad, erosion of accountability at home.

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

Point of View: The real reason people don’t trust elections

I am saddened to see so many people still believe that the 2020 election was stolen. The 2020…

Dr. Karissa Niehoff

Opinion

Opinion: Protecting the purpose: Why funding schools must include student activities

High school sports and activities are experiencing record participation. They are also experiencing unprecedented pressure — pressure that…

Sharon Jackson is the Alaska State Chair for U.S. Term Limits. Photo courtesy U.S. Term Limits

Opinion

Term limits ensure fresh leadership and accountability

75 years after the 22nd amendment, let’s finish the job and term limit Congress.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during his State of the State address on Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Opinion

Opinion: It’s time to end Alaska’s fiscal experiment

For decades, Alaska has operated under a fiscal and budgeting system unlike any other state, and some could…

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: Federal match funding is a promise to Alaska’s future

Alaska’s transportation system is the kind of thing most people don’t think about until it stops working. But…

Alaska’s natural gas pipeline would largely follow the route of the existing trans-Alaska oil pipeline, pictured here, from the North Slope. Near Fairbanks, the gas line would split off toward Anchorage, while the oil pipeline continues to the Prince William Sound community of Valdez. (Photo by David Houseknecht/United States Geological Survey)

Opinion

Opinion: Alaskans must proceed with caution on gasline legislation

Alaskans have watched a parade of natural gas pipeline proposals come and go, as in go nowhere. They…

Jim Jansen and Joe Schiernhorn are co-chairs of the Keep Alaska Competitive Coalition. Photo courtesy of Keep Alaska Competitive

Opinion

Opinion: Alaska’s winning formula

Alaska is experiencing an energy renaissance, thanks to a stable fiscal framework that gives businesses and investors the…

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…

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.

Opinion

Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska. The latest evidence of it is…

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Opinion

Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities. The air is full of anticipation…

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Nov. 24, 2022. (Alaska Division of Elections)

Opinion

Opinion: Alaska should keep ranked choice voting, but let’s make it easier

RCV has given Alaskans a better way to express their preferences.

Jackson Carney of Wrangell, a student in the Federal Subsistence Board Policy and Procedures class at the University of Alaska Southeast, testifies before the Federal Subsistence Board. (Photo by Ryan Morse/courtesy)

Opinion

Point of View: Helping the next generation of hunters and fishermen to have a say

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure Alaskans, and young people, have a say in the decisions that affect…

Beach seine nets are pulled from the waters of Cook Inlet at a test site for the gear near Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Opinion

Opinion: Expand the set beach seine experiment

A path forward to resolve the Upper Cook Inlet King and sockeye salmon commercial fishing and conservation crisis.

Logo courtesy of League of Women Voters.

Opinion

Point of View: Tell your representatives SAVE Act is not needed

The SAVE Act will disenfranchise Alaska voters and make the process of voting much more restrictive.

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from above on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Wildland Fire Information)

Opinion

Point of View: Fire season starts before Iditarod ends

It is critical that Alaskans exercise caution with anything that could ignite a fire.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Opinion

Opinion: Freeing states from the ‘stranglehold’ of the U.S. Department of Education

The USDOE has also been captured by a political ideology that has been harmful to education in America.