Leaving the Legislature: Why I quit my job as a staffer
January 6, 2022
Monday, January 9th will be my last day as a legislative aide for Senator Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage). When I walked into the Capitol my...
Community Voices
It’s time for the Board of Game to address trapping on trails in the Mat-Su
Nicole Schmitt January 6, 2022
At the end of January, the Alaska Board of Game will consider Proposal 199, which would require 50-yard trap setbacks from specific, maintained multi-use...
Ringing in the New Year with warning bells
Andrew Gray December 26, 2021
A year ago, David Bianculli, TV critic on NPR’s Fresh Air, said: “I cannot tell you how pleased I will be to turn the…
Anchorage Assembly member Jamie Allard deserves to be recalled
Chelsea Foster November 23, 2021
Reclaim Midtown (RM) and Save Anchorage (SA) are two of the most serious and consequential threats to our city. These groups, most popular on...
Medical misinformation wars
Dr. Brian Sweeney November 12, 2021
When I started my Internal Medicine residency in 1994 there was an entire floor of AIDS patients. Pharmacology has changed that world and now…
Who should own Alaska’s natural resources
Senator Robert Myers November 10, 2021
Since I entered the government arena last year, I have been saying that the Permanent Fund Dividend is not our only problem but that…
Murkowski’s votes undercut women’s safety and access to domestic violence protection
Kelly Tshibaka October 19, 2021
Alaska has an extraordinary number of vulnerable people, particularly women who are homeless or victims of domestic abuse and sexual abuse, but we do...
Anchorage Assembly testimony does not reflect our city
Ella Ede October 3, 2021
In recent days, I have tuned in to watch the Anchorage Assembly meetings on YouTube. The endless stream of testimony and disruptions from anti-maskers...
Surviving COVID-19: Roger Helvie’s story
Kayli Helvie September 28, 2021
Roger, my father, is 59 years old and has been married to my mom, Jodi, for 35 years. He served in the Air Force…
The COVID foxhole
Dr. Brian Sweeney September 26, 2021
The wrong way to start this piece would be stories about the horrors of COVID-19. I will start with what everybody should do.
Keep…
I’m running to create a brighter future
Les Gara September 7, 2021
I want a brighter future, not a state people have been leaving for a record four years in a row. We can do better…
In a time of crisis, Alaskans deserve true leadership
Bill Walker and Heidi Drygas September 2, 2021
Leadership means taking strong positions in Alaskans’ best interests, even in tough times. Alaska certainly is in tough times today. Doing nothing about the…
“You need to tell people how terrible this is:” A report from inside an Alaska hospital
Anonymous August 20, 2021
“You need to tell people how terrible this is,” a patient pleaded with me as we placed him on oxygen support, “this isn’t the...
The importance of the Civil Air Patrol in Alaska
Bryan Emerson August 12, 2021
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the longtime civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, and is a valued member of its total force….
Alaska’s Fiscal Crisis—and a Proposed Solution
Cliff Groh June 30, 2021
The State of Alaska has a problem taller than Denali. We cannot pay for our education, roads, public safety, and residents’ Permanent…
The irony of Kristie Babcock’s attack on Chief Justice Joel Bolger
Anonymous June 4, 2021
The opinion piece by Kristie Babcock recently published in the Anchorage Daily News, in which she accuses Chief Justice Joel Bolger of being a...
What if we could vote online?
Alex Koplin April 13, 2021
Voting legislation has drawn lots of attention these days. There is very little chance that any election/voting bills will pass this year in Juneau….
Vote Bill Evans for mayor
Bill Evans March 7, 2021
There are a lot of folks in this race, and each candidate can make a case for why they should be Mayor. Please allow...
Mike Robbins is the best choice for mayor of Anchorage
Frank Dahl March 5, 2021
The 2021 Anchorage mayor’s race is as important as any past mayor’s election I can recall. In the days of the titans like George...
Sexism should not be a political issue
Representative Sara Rasmussen March 5, 2021
You may have seen my name recently on social media or in the news because of something that occurred on the House floor last...