By Jasz Garrett, Staff Writer, and AJ Schultz, Editor Juneau for Palestine (JFP), a local activist group, held a rally at the Alaska State Capitol on Mar. 18 to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. This was the second rally held by Juneau for Palestine, following a Mar. 4 testimony in which activists urged the Juneau…
Category: Local Coverage
UAS Students Demand Title IX Reform
By AJ Schultz, Editor, and Whalesong Staff Writers Jasz Garrett, Grace Igel, and Alyson Kenney. Originally Published on Feb. 15, 2024. Displayed publication date was changed on Mar. 18 to follow Chancellor Palmer’s response letter on the homepage. Content Warning: This editorial contains mentions of rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and systemic injustice….
Inside Juneau’s Cold Weather Emergency Shelter, Part 2
by Jasz Garrett, Staff Writer Juneau’s homeless crowded against warehouse walls, waited in long lines to use porta-potties, and held their dogs close to stay warm during the city’s “snowpocalypse.” That’s how St. Vincent de Paul’s executive director Dave Ringle described January’s snow. Just three winter storms totaled 77 inches, breaking the 2009 monthly record…
Student Government: 4 Positions Vacant, 2 Elected in Extreme Low Turnout
By AJ Schultz, Editor JUNEAU, Alaska — The results of the Fall Student Government election were certified on October 5, with a total of 6 votes cast. Two students ran unopposed for two offices, leaving four vacant. Josh Ellin was elected Vice President with five of six votes, the remaining one being a write-in for…
Devil’s Club Research Provides Valuable Undergraduate Opportunity
AJ Schultz, Editor A UAS team is researching the medicinal properties of Devil’s Club, and its possible role in treating various types of cancers. Brian Barth, UAS Professor of Genetics, is leading the research, working closely with undergraduate research assistants Grace Igel and Ashley Murphy. “You know, indigenous peoples have been using Devil’s club for…
Exploring Mendenhall’s Worst Flood Yet
By AJ Schultz, Editor JUNEAU, Alaska — In early August, an outburst of glacial water from Suicide Basin flooded Juneau’s Mendenhall River, destroying one home and rendering several others uninhabitable. This was a historic flood for the Mendenhall, as the area has never experienced erosion this severe. Aaron Jacobs, Senior Service Hydrologist at the Juneau…
Reproductive rights and Alaska
In the November general election, more than 70 percent of Alaska voters rejected holding a Constitutional Convention, leaving the state’s constitutional privacy clause unchanged for another 10 years. The privacy clause protects abortion and reproductive rights in Alaska, one of the few states where abortion remains legal now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned…
State of the Race: Alaska 2022
Alaska’s 2022 midterm elections are Tuesday, Nov. 8. Alaska’s statewide elections are the topic of contentious debate, as U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy are up for re-election. Peltola is completing the term of U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died unexpectedly in March, prompting a special election. Peltola, a…
Will Alaska hold a Constitutional Convention?
Every 10 years, Alaskans are asked to vote on whether they want to hold a constitutional convention. The time has come again this year on Nov. 8. In the original constitutional convention in the winter of 1955-1956, delegates wrote that Alaska should decide every decade whether to hold another one. The question was first…
UNAC and UA: Still at Odds
“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions” was the rallying cry outside the University of Alaska Board of Regents meetings in Juneau on Sept. 8-9. Frustration has grown among members of United Academics (UNAC), the union that represents all University of Alaska faculty, as bargaining with UA for a new contract has entered its second…