Each day of this AK Legislative session is a slow-moving catastrophe at which one cannot stop rubbernecking. The Dunleavy Administration is paying a tourist from Michigan with deep Republican ties one of the highest salaries in state government ($195,000) to do the dirty work that apparently no-one who actually lives in Alaska is qualified for, or wants to do …
Leg with Louie: It was a dark and stormy Juneau….
The sun came out in Juneau today, ominous and strange after days of rain. By noon the temperature was plunging toward a projected single-digit nadir and the wind was pushing snow off the peak of Mt. Juneau. Flags – Alaskan, American – went haywire in the wind. In contrast to the outdoors, the hallways of the state capitol were warm …
Leg with Louie: Live in Juneau!
Hello Friends! Juneau is the very best location for the Alaska State Capitol. It rains here all day and all night and all day and all night – completely taking away the guilt one might feel about spending an entire day inside of a building, instead of say, outside of a building – walking, running, skiing, bungee jumping, or merely …
House Majority Fantasy Football
Dear Friends, It is the start of the 2019 Legislative session – and no House Majority has formed. The state-level legislative impasse combined with the federal impasse begs the question: where have all the great Politicians gone? The Negotiators, the Wheelers and Dealers, the Knee-Cappers! Has our collective disdain of Politics led us to the point where we have no …
A rattled but inspiring 20 year reunion for AYEA
Dear AYEA family, On Friday morning we were on the 4th floor at KNBA’s recording studio, live on the radio sharing our excitement for that evening’s event, our Grassroots Gala: AYEA’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. Lisa, our Dutch Harbor Youth Organizer, and Kengo, a Fairbanks alum, were sharing their excitement for the reunion when the ground beneath us started to buck. We …
Youth, Democracy and CAKE!
This Election Day, The Alaska Center Education Fund partnered with campus organizations to host a celebration that encouraged young voters to vote at the Student Union polling place. The event was created for students to celebrate voting together- and thanks to our partners, we were able to throw quite a party!! Throughout the afternoon, students waited in line upstairs for …
The Terrifying Tales Against Yes for Salmon
Each summer while gillnetting sockeye one inevitably catches a few fish that have been dead for a number of days – they are called Ghost Fish in the colloquialism of the back deck – and you can usually smell them before they come over the roller. The smell of a ghost fish can put one over the edge if they …
We’re Almost There!
I was driving my 7-year-old daughter to school, and as we passed one of many Yes for Salmon yard signs, she asked me, “Momma, how will you feel if salmon wins in November?” Her bright and earnest question made me pause and reflect. SO MUCH IS AT STAKE RIGHT NOW. Our environment, cultures, health, reproductive rights, education–everything we love and …
With early voting starting Monday, local groups seek to increase voter turnout numbers
ANCHORAGE (KTUU)- For Alaskans wanting to avoid polling locations for the statewide general election on Nov. 6, early voting kicks off on Monday, Oct. 22. On the ballot are the governor and lieutenant governor positions, legislative seats, a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and a ballot measure about salmon habitat. Evan Anderson, Civic Engagement Coordinator for The Alaska Center Education …
Indigenous Peoples Day & The Urgency of Voting
By Kendra Kloster & Polly Carr Art by Sarah Whalen-Lunn>> Indigenous Peoples Day was established to realize the importance of our identity as an Alaska Native place, and elevate Indigenous ways of life. Right now, we must also elevate the continued and increasing threats posed to Indigenous people, people of color, and women across our state and country. It’s time …