Jill Burke

In Alaska, the North Pole postmark is a time-honored tradition. No matter where you live, here's how to get it in time for Christmas.

Three days after a divisive presidential election that painfully wrought our nation’s beliefs and emotions on race, immigration, religion, sex, gender, wealth and poverty to the point of fracture, Anchorage educators spent a day looking inward, asking themselves if they are reaching every child, motivating every child, teaching every child as best they can. “I … Continue reading Achieving equity in education requires even the best teachers to be better

Research into the rapidly changing environment of the Arctic includes more than tracking sea-ice levels, polar bear populations, new shipping lanes, energy costs and melting permafrost. It also focuses on the lives of people confronted with adapting to the changes. Critical among the priorities is promoting wellness for those who live in the Arctic. And … Continue reading Missing: Mental health care providers in the Arctic

Whether in the water or on the highways, an Alaska canoe is carrying a powerful message.

HAINES JUNCTION, Yukon — Surrounded by the St. Elias Mountains and the broad, changing landscape of the Kluane region, 29-year-old Jacquelyn van Kampen’s mind swirls with tatters of inspiration — a structured cape, flowing fringe — ideas she captures in her small sketchbook. The Toronto-based fashion designer has traveled here, to Haines Junction in the Yukon, for the … Continue reading Fashion designer brings her earthy, industrial vibe to the Yukon Territory

Alaska, wake up. That an individual you elected to make laws and lead the state would defend the character of a convicted child sex offender and a woman who enabled another one is jaw-dropping. It’s offensive. And yet, you are missing the point. That sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach at Rep. Cathy Munoz’s choice … Continue reading Letters from a lawmaker, and the precarious power of elected officials as private citizens

Rolling out of the parking lot of Bethel Chapel, a nondenominational church, Deacon Bob Lincoln wears a thin, neon-yellow safety jacket that hides the bulletproof vest as he steers a white 2010 Chevy Impala through the streets of Mountain View, a diverse neighborhood north of the Glenn Highway in Anchorage. Lincoln’s worn the bulletproof vest … Continue reading The Anchorage residents who work overtime to prevent crime in their neighborhoods

Tree leaves may change color from green to gold and the air may feel cooler, but there is no signal more definitive for the onset of fall than the annual family ritual of shopping for school supplies. Curious about average costs of equipping a student with the tools for learning, I set out Wednesday to … Continue reading School supplies, an annual ritual

Extreme stress and young brains are a bad combination, something that sets in motion feelings and behaviors that can haunt us long into adulthood. And just in time for the school year, a new study may help explain why. The Duke University study used neuro-imaging to look at the biological effect of childhood stress on … Continue reading How childhood stress can impact mental health in adulthood

A job can be a great way for a young person to make a little money, learn responsibility and gain lasting skills. But it’s important for both the employers giving teens their first jobs, and the kids working those jobs, to know what’s allowed and what’s not when it comes to child labor laws. At … Continue reading Kids on the job: What you need to know

One of the things I enjoy most about parenting a 3-year-old is how her unyielding curiosity reconnects the adults in her life to nature. Through young eyes, our garden has become more than a place where plants and flowers grow. It has transformed into a home for mysterious creatures and new life, a realm of discovery … Continue reading The curious life of Alaska’s birch shieldbug

On July 22, I received a voicemail with news a distant, seemingly off-grid traveler had shown up in Virginia and was being tended to by a gentleman who’d pledged to handle the wayward missive with care. “My name is Antoine Harris,” the voice on the phone said. “I’m calling from the National Guard Bureau Office of … Continue reading After 2 years, a public records request shows signs of life

In my last column, I wrote about how an internal audit by the state of Alaska uncovered more than 3,800 sexual assault kits, some dating back to 1984, that were never submitted to the crime lab for processing. As the magnitude of what these kits represent sinks in, Alaskans must be more than sad or angry, … Continue reading Answering the nagging questions about those 3,800 untested rape kits

This year, as Alaska Gov. Bill Walker and legislators tangled over the best way to solve Alaska’s budget woes, he quietly launched a mandate to do right by Alaska’s victims of sexual assault. Ten months ago, Walker tasked all state of Alaska departments and law enforcement agencies with the duty to collect, maintain, store and … Continue reading By bringing forgotten rape kits out of storage, Alaska may deliver long-overdue justice

Driving north on a hot summer day earlier in July, Alaska’s Parks Highway cut beneath blue skies past marsh and mountains, strip malls, roadside lakes and forests of birch and spruce. Around Mile 69, the highway climbs a small hill, revealing at its crest a panoramic view of Denali and its companion peaks, with the Alaska … Continue reading Thine eyes deceive: A cold-weather mirage on a hot summer day