Articles & Op-eds
Anchorage Daily News: After spike in suicides, Alaska’s U.S. senators sponsor act aimed at improving military mental health
by Riley Rogerson
WASHINGTON - Alaska's U.S. senators have introduced legislation aimed at improving quality of life and expanding mental health resources for military personnel amid a rise in U.S. Army Alaska soldiers dying by suicide. The Don Young Arctic Warrior Act would boost pay by $300 a month for service members who perform cold weather operations, among other benefits. The act also seeks to train and retain more behavioral health providers to work with the military by authorizing annual bonuses up to $5… Continue Reading
07.07.22
Ripon Advance News: Murkowski, Portman unveil resolution to support Ukraine’s reconstruction
by Ripon Advance News Service
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rob Portman (R-OH) recently signed on as cosponsors of a bipartisan resolution that would recognize the American people's commitment to rebuilding Ukraine following Russia's unprovoked war on the country. "The United States must continue to play a leading role in the fight to defend democracy. Russia's ruthless and illegal invasion of Ukraine is a threat to the global rules and norms we hold dear," said Sen. Murkowski. "That is why I strongly support the def… Continue Reading
06.27.22
Anchorage Daily News OPINION: Alaska faith leaders applaud Senate passage of gun safety bill
by Matthew Schultz, Abram Goodstein and Heather Robertson Barbour
One of the strongest values of a faith community is to be welcoming. We all want meaningful communal experiences at our places of worship. Unfortunately the value of security often clashes with being welcoming. Faith communities across the country are scared. They are scared to let violence through the doors of their homes, their places of worship and their schools. At congregations we respond to this fear by attempting to be more secure. But this is only an attempt. We lock our entrances, insta… Continue Reading
06.20.22
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Former defense secretary Mattis says Alaska has growing role in national defense
by Linda F. Hersey
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that Alaska's role in military defense is growing as the Arctic warms and the Pacific becomes the "primary theater in a tumultuous century." "Geography is reality, and Alaska's reality is that it will play a key role if we're to hang on to the promise of democracy in this world," Mattis, a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general, said in a speech before the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. (Read his speech here.) Mattis was the keynote speaker… Continue Reading
06.17.22
KINY: Sen. Murkowski to introduce bipartisan bill increasing funding for substance misuse resources
Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Alaska US Senator Lisa is joining Democrat senators Maggie Hassan and Ben Ray Luján in introducing the "Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Act. The act reauthorizes and strengthens the Substance Abuse Block Grant program by requiring that funding goes to evidence-based services, including medication-assisted treatment. Senator Murkowski said the program has helped Alaska and states across the country increase prevention, treatment, and recove… Continue Reading
06.17.22
KINY: Sen. Murkowski hosts Fmr. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis at Fairbanks banquet
Fairbanks, Alaska (KINY) - This past weekend, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski hosted retired Marine Corps four-star General and former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis as her guest of honor at the Fairbanks Military Appreciation Banquet. Organized by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce and sponsored in part by a number of Alaska businesses, this annual event honors military members and their families across Interior Alaska. "It was a true privilege to have Secretary Mattis join us and sp… Continue Reading
06.15.22
Gray TV: ‘Fentanyl is a different animal’ - Alaska mother touts new education bill as fentanyl continues to kill
by By Peter Zampa
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The synthetic opioid fentanyl continues to kill Americans, and Alaskans are dying at the highest rate in the country. An Alaska mother lost her son in October 2021 and is trying to prevent others from suffering the same fate. "He loved Alaska. He loved the outdoors," said Sandy Snodgrass, the mother of Bruce Snodgrass. Sandy wants everyone to see his face. The face of a normal kid from Alaska who loved fishing and the mountains, who died at 22 because of fentanyl. "Fent… Continue Reading
06.12.22
KINY: Murkowski Announces First Round of Funding from the Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program
Washington, DC (KINY) - There is over $2 billion allotted for bridge projects. U.S Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration opened the application process. The application process is for the competitive Bridge Investment Program (BIP) established through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA,) which Murkowski helped write, negotiate, and shepherd into law. A total of $2.36 billion in BIP 2… Continue Reading
06.12.22
KINY: Legislation filed to support, improve quality of life for military serving in Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have introduced the Don Young Arctic Warrior Act. In a press release, the senators state the legislation would alleviate the hardships faced by service members in Alaska. Sullivan also offered the legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2023, which will be considered next week in the Senate Armed Services Committee. In addition to proficiency pay and allowances for basic necessities, the bill incre… Continue Reading
06.12.22
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Military service celebrated with glitz and glamor at annual banquet
by Amanda Bohman
A $600-a-table banquet at the Carlson Center on Saturday honored military members with glitz, glamor, a dinner of beef tenderloin, awards, speeches and live music by the band Avalanche. Jim Mattis, who served as defense secretary under former President Donald Trump from 2017-2019, was the keynote speaker. The banquet drew a U.S. Senator, a former Alaska governor, state legislators, local leaders, political candidates and some of Alaska's top military brass among the 700 people in attendance. … Continue Reading
06.11.22
Peninsula Clarion: Kenai, borough look to extract rock for bluff stabilization
by Ashlyn O'Hara
The Kenai Peninsula Borough and the City of Kenai have hashed out an agreement that would allow the city to use rock materials taken from borough land near Seldovia to help stabilize the Kenai bluff. The agreement, which will be considered by the borough assembly at its June 21 meeting, is the latest step forward for the Kenai Bluff Stabilization project. The project, which has been in the works for decades, aims to stabilize roughly 5,000 feet of bluff on the north shore of the Kenai River, st… Continue Reading
06.11.22
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Arctic pay, car sharing, free flights home included in bill addressing military suicides
by Linda F. Hersey
Arctic pay bonuses and free flights home are part of the provisions that Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have included in legislation to bolster the morale of Alaska troops. Called the Don Young Warrior Act, the measures are designed to address hardships experienced by service members at Alaska bases, where the number of suicides has spiked. The bill also calls for a military-wide audit to better understand future workforce needs for mental health counselors and social workers. A shorta… Continue Reading
06.11.22
Alaska Beacon: Bruce’s Law, named for Anchorage overdose victim, seeks to increase fentanyl awareness
by Yereth Rosen
A U.S. Senate bill named after an Alaska victim of fentanyl seeks to inform the public about how that deadly synthetic opioid is often a secret ingredient of other illicit drugs used recreationally. The goal is to create greater public awareness of fentanyl, a drug that is 50 times as deadly as heroin and 100 times as deadly as morphine, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the bipartisan bill's Republican lead sponsor. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is the Democratic lead sponsor. The bill, c… Continue Reading
06.09.22
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: “We have to do this for our communities, for our kids, and for Bruce.” Sen Murkowski introduces Bruce’s Law to Help Combat Deadly Fentanyl Epidemic
by Katie Stavick
Out of the ashes of devastation, Anchorage mother Sandy Snodgrass has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the lethality of fentanyl, the drug responsible for her son Bruce's overdose and death last year. On June 8, Snodgrass watched from the US Senate gallery as Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Dianne Feinstein of California, introduced Bruce's Law to the US Senate floor for consideration. The senators were joined by Senators Dan Sullivan, also of Alaska, and Maggie Hassan from New Hamps… Continue Reading
06.04.22
The Daily Beast: Alaska Native Man’s Unsolved Murder Part of ‘Epidemic’
by Matthew Murphy
Nancy Furlow knew something was wrong with her 20-year-old grandson Brandon the moment the phone rang at 1 a.m. on a winter morning and a "woman with a very cold voice" told her two police officers were at her front door. "You know if two police officers are outside your home at that time, it isn't good," Furlow told The Daily Beast. "I answered the door and I tried to get them to tell me at the door but they insisted on coming inside. Then they said, 'I am so sorry to tell you that Brandon … Continue Reading
05.29.22
Anchorage Daily News OPINION: Honoring the fallen — and caring for veterans
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who have served and given their lives for our nation. These Americans deserve our utmost respect and admiration, today and every day. Alaska has lost servicemembers in conflicts ranging from the Battle of Attu to the Global War on Terror. They left their homes to fight for our country, selflessly and courageously and knowing they might never come back. We can never fully thank them for their ultimate sacrifice, but we must try. Recent events, includi… Continue Reading
05.20.22
Nome Nugget: Nomeite Volunteered With Ukrainian Foreign Legion
by Peter Loewi
Still jetlagged, Mark Hayward opened his bag and took out an ammo can stuffed with memorabilia and makeshift battery parts. He then detailed how he, a clinical field instructor for Norton Sound Health Corporation's Village Health Services, came to spend two months driving across Ukraine in an old ambulance volunteering to teach Ukrainians how to use anti-tank missiles. "I had no desire to be in a war, I've been there and done that, but this can't be tolerated," he said in an interview with T… Continue Reading
05.08.22
Anchorage Daily News: An Alaskan spent 2 months training troops in Ukraine. Now, he’s pushing for defense policy changes.
by Zachariah Hughes
Mark Hayward was in Savoonga, closer to the Russian Far East than the Alaska mainland, when the International Legion of the Defense of Ukraine formally invited him to join the war effort. The 53-year-old retired Green Beret lives in Nome and works for the local health care system as a trainer for village health aides in communities in the Bering Strait region. While on St. Lawrence Island, a clinician let him use the internet to do a Skype interview with Ukrainian military coordinators. … Continue Reading
04.24.22
Alaska Journal of Commerce: Going nuclear: Alaska is a big target for small reactors
by Elwood Brehmer
Nuclear industry giant Westinghouse is targeting Alaska for deployment of its small-scale reactor technology. Representatives from Westinghouse's nuclear division have been traveling to Alaska in recent months and talking with key decision-makers in the state about their eVinci micro-reactor, which they insist utilizes a design that makes it a totally safe, economically viable alternative to the diesel-powered generators relied upon across the vast majority of Alaska. "It will enable economic … Continue Reading
04.21.22
Nome Nugget: Senator Lisa Murkowski Visits Nome
by Peter Loewi
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was in town on Monday and Tuesday this week to talk about the work she has been doing in Washington D.C. and to hear from Nome about the work going on here. It was well past time, she said, since the pandemic shutdown curbed the ability to get out into Alaska communities. "I have been itching to come back up," she said. "We've watched the numbers very carefully for COVID, because we need to respect what's happening on the ground and respect how people are feel… Continue Reading
