Alan Boraas

As Martin Luther King Day approaches, it's good to remember those who took a stand against racism. Soldotna homesteader Effie Bremond was one of them.

Cumulative anger has led to the showdown over the Dakota Access pipeline and the tribes refuse to buckle.

Last spring my youngest son was part of a project called Manuscript Across America. He and two others traveled across the country inviting people to write their thoughts on a 1,000-foot roll of paper. People wrote about diverse topics that concerned them. The little band found themselves in Charleston, West Virginia, the day Donald Trump … Continue reading As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump is a dangerous man

A young woman from Kenai named Iris Fontana caused a stir at a recent Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting when she gave a satanic invocation. Fontana is a member of the Last Frontier Free Thinkers, a local secular group that rejects incursions of religion into government. She is also a member of the unrelated Satanic … Continue reading Satanic Temple no threat, and prayer should remain private

This weekend they’ll be rockin’ in Ninilchik as Salmonfest moves into its sixth year. A crowd of mostly 20- and 30-something millennials and Generation Xers will be putting on the uniform of  youth at this time and this place — jeans, Xtratufs and a hoodie. If it rains, and it always rains, they’ll dig a rain jacket … Continue reading Salmonfest captures the essence of why young Alaskans stay

The price of crude oil is inching up from a low in January of $32 a barrel for West Texas Intermediate to, as of this writing, $51 a barrel while, on the European market, Brent Crude is $53 a barrel. Under the old Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share, or ACES, tax system the rising price of … Continue reading Alaska, facing a deep deficit, suffers by oil tax law

Norwegian Ambassador to the United States Kare Aas was recently in Anchorage and Petersburg in recognition of the May 17 Norwegian Independence Day, Syttende Mai. At a press conference, Lise Falskow of the Alaska World Affairs Council asked the ambassador if he had advice for Alaskans dealing with their $4 billion budget shortfall. With characteristic Norwegian composure, … Continue reading Alaska can learn from oil-rich Norway to build a healthy, prosperous society

OPINION: Snowmachines are too often used carelessly, and the consequences can be deadly.

OPINION: Think about the consequences of bringing together armed Alaskans who are tense, sleep-deprived and under pressure. Then don't do it.

OPINION: In ways subtle and obvious, Super Bowl Sunday celebrates the corporate model of American life, for which football is the most representative sport.

OPINION: On PTSD, Palin makes no more sense than she ever did, but don't dismiss her or Donald Trump. They're dangerous.

OPINION: Imperatives of climate change will inevitably cut fossil fuel production -- and Alaska should get ahead of the curve.

OPINION: There are better ways to manage both the dipnet fishery and the rich history at the mouth of Kasilof River.

OPINION: Young folks cut loose on Halloween, but in the vamp and camp there's a real fight against fear.

OPINION: Names are powerful symbols of either self-determination or oppression, and Denali is a better name than McKinley.