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The author and a friend ski the hayfield loop on Feb. 24, 2020 at the Lookout Mountain Trails near Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Back to basics

What do column writing and cross-country skiing have in common? Sometimes, they’re like pulling teeth. There are some days when the words just don’t seem… Continue reading

The author and a friend ski the hayfield loop on Feb. 24, 2020 at the Lookout Mountain Trails near Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Larry Smith

Point of View: Follow Hammond’s advice by adjusting oil taxes to redeem state’s share

The recently established POMV formula lacks the controls advocated by Gov. Jay Hammond.

Larry Smith
Cora Trowbridge stands by her art, “Behind the Mask,” on March 6, 2020, at the Disability Art Show at the Homer Council on the Arts in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Artists look at disability in Homer Council on the Arts show

Each artist includes a statement about their experience with disability.

Cora Trowbridge stands by her art, “Behind the Mask,” on March 6, 2020, at the Disability Art Show at the Homer Council on the Arts in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Donna Schantz (Courtesy photo)

Alaska Voices: Transparency is the foundation of public trust

The inability to verify is a core concern the council has regarding the upcoming sale to Hilcorp.

  • Mar 9, 2020
  • By Donna Schantz
Donna Schantz (Courtesy photo)
Nick Varney

What’s next, ya ornery cuss?

Old Man Winter’s various personalities easily qualify as a layered howling mob of sociopaths.

Nick Varney
Alaska Voices: Feed and speed Dunleavy recall

Alaska Voices: Feed and speed Dunleavy recall

Any successful musher isn’t afraid to switch out a team lead when they’re doing a poor job.

  • Mar 5, 2020
  • Jeff King
Alaska Voices: Feed and speed Dunleavy recall
Jennifer Christopherson is the Alaska Outreach Coordinator for Defenders of Wildlife and is based in Anchorage, Alaska. (Courtesy photo)

Voices of the Peninsula: Staying safe in bear country

Bears get into trouble because they are driven by their noses.

  • Mar 5, 2020
Jennifer Christopherson is the Alaska Outreach Coordinator for Defenders of Wildlife and is based in Anchorage, Alaska. (Courtesy photo)
File

Minister’s Message: Persevering through tough times with God’s love

What does the Bible say about how we are to react to troubles, hardship and bad news?

  • Mar 5, 2020
File
Refuge Notebook: Metabarcoding in our backyard

Refuge Notebook: Metabarcoding in our backyard

I like low key, low tech, cheap science. That is part of why I became an entomologist. I love that I can walk out the… Continue reading

Refuge Notebook: Metabarcoding in our backyard
The author’s fancy new skis are seen here during a ski in early January 2020. (Photo by Kat Sorensen)

Tangled Up in Blue: Don’t think twice

When my first Alaska Permanent Fund dividend hit my bank account, I did what every Alaskan wants to do, no matter how fiscally responsible they… Continue reading

The author’s fancy new skis are seen here during a ski in early January 2020. (Photo by Kat Sorensen)
A collection of Deborah Poore’s paintings at Grace Ridge Brewery on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. “It’s an interesting hanging space there,” she said of the display area at the brewery. “You’re really presenting those pieces as a collage. You have to squish them together.” (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

In retirement, Deborah Poore returns to her art

“When I do my art, it’s a celebration of the things close to me that I love.”

A collection of Deborah Poore’s paintings at Grace Ridge Brewery on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. “It’s an interesting hanging space there,” she said of the display area at the brewery. “You’re really presenting those pieces as a collage. You have to squish them together.” (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Ann Berg

Pioneer Potluck: Old black stoves and wringer washing machines

The old farmhouse was cozy and warm in the kitchen with the big black cookstove in the corner.

  • Mar 3, 2020
  • By ANN “GRANNIE ANNIE” BERG For the Peninsula Clarion
Ann Berg
An ambulance worker adjusts her protective mask as she wheels a stretcher into a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Kirkland, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Opinion: Preparing for the new coronavirus

Here are a few key steps everyone can do now.

  • Feb 29, 2020
  • By Dr. Anne Zink
An ambulance worker adjusts her protective mask as she wheels a stretcher into a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Kirkland, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Robert Archibald

Voices of the Peninsula: Public input needed to safeguard state protections

It would be easy to develop a false sense of security and let complacency creep back in.

  • Feb 29, 2020
  • Robert Archibald
Robert Archibald
Out of the Office: Dropping a line

Out of the Office: Dropping a line

In my ongoing quest to shake off my Florida roots and achieve the illustrious title of “Real Alaskan,” I recently managed to cross an important… Continue reading

Out of the Office: Dropping a line
Sonia Nagorski, assistant professor of Geology Arts and Sciences at the University of Alaska Southeast, investigates the broken oxbow along the Mendenhall River in this October 2018 photo. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: It should be easier to protect Alaskan water

Our waters are routinely used as cheap sewers for industry whose only goal is to maximizing profits.

  • Feb 28, 2020
  • Guy Archibald
Sonia Nagorski, assistant professor of Geology Arts and Sciences at the University of Alaska Southeast, investigates the broken oxbow along the Mendenhall River in this October 2018 photo. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Minister’s Message: Finding time

Minister’s Message: Finding time

God’s word offers timely advice about time.

  • Feb 27, 2020
Minister’s Message: Finding time
Refuge Notebook: I Think I Can Ski

Refuge Notebook: I Think I Can Ski

Let us start with a riddle. There are 11 frogs sitting on a log. Five of the frogs decide to jump off the log. How… Continue reading

Refuge Notebook: I Think I Can Ski
The Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill March 24, 1989, blackened hundreds of miles of coastline in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, devasting wildlife and altering lives in fishing communities for generations. (John Gaps III / Associated Press)

Alaska Voices: Pressures are mounting on Alaska’s oil spill prevention and response system

We cannot afford a return to the complacency which triggered the worst oil spill in Alaska’s history.

  • Feb 26, 2020
  • By John Williams
The Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill March 24, 1989, blackened hundreds of miles of coastline in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, devasting wildlife and altering lives in fishing communities for generations. (John Gaps III / Associated Press)
Cathy Sandeen, UAA’s new Chancellor, photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building.

Alaska Voices: How UAA is charting a positive course for the future

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we have not entered into this process lightly.

  • Feb 26, 2020
  • By Cathy Sandeen, chancellor of University of Alaska Anchorage
Cathy Sandeen, UAA’s new Chancellor, photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building.