Articles & Op-eds
KTVA: Murkowski shares concerns over seafood tariffs
by Angela Krenzien
At a hearing on Capitol Hill, Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed concerns Alaskans have about potentially wide-ranging Chinese tariffs on the seafood industry. She's concerned about how the tariffs will affect Alaska's trade relationship with China that, until recently, has been positive. And the stakes are high; the amount of seafood exported is not insignificant. "Of our salmon exports, 40 percent of those exports went to China. For cod, 54 percent of our exports went to China," Murkowski said. "… Continue Reading
09.06.18
Nome Nugget: Senator Murkowski brings field hearing to Savoonga
by James Mason
Senator Lisa Murkowski chaired a field hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in Savoonga last Saturday to hear about inadequate housing, overcrowding and homelessness and the complications resulting from these problems. In the session, which began with the bang of her gavel, she heard from a panel of six who are directly involved in providing housing or dealing with the issues which are created by the housing shortage. Savoonga is one of two villages located on St. Lawrence Island. Th… Continue Reading
09.06.18
KTUU: VIDEO: Sen. Murkowski pays tribute to Sen. John McCain in floor speech
by Leroy Polk
Sen. Lisa Murkowski took to the Senate floor on Tuesday, to pay tribute to the late Sen. John McCain, who died last month from brain cancer. In the floor speech, Murkowski highlighted the qualities she felt made McCain's legacy stand for itself. "John McCain was a beloved colleague. He was a patriot. He was truly an American hero," Murkowski said. "He had remarkable intellect. He had an iron will most certainly. His unquestionable integrity. Courage that was absolutely unwavering." Murkowski,… Continue Reading
09.05.18
KSTP: Feds, state lawmakers propose new ways to help Native women
Federal and state lawmakers have proposed or adopted a series of measures designed to address the problem of missing and murdered Native American women and related issues, such as human trafficking, domestic violence and rape. Among them: FROM CAPITOL HILL - Savanna's Act : The legislation, introduced last fall by North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, seeks to expand tribal access to some federal crime databases and establish protocols for handling cases of missing and murdered Native Americans. I… Continue Reading
09.02.18
KTUU: The economy of sunshine: Solar boom in Alaska proves prosperous
by Beth Verge
If you write the checks and swipe the cards to stay warm and keep the lights on in the winter, you know that energy in Alaska can be pricey. However, the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development - along with the University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute - reports that while Alaska has the highest per capita energy expenditures of any state, renewable technologies that are uneconomical in the Lower 48 can and often do make financial sense in the Last Frontier. Sola… Continue Reading
08.29.18
Alaska Public Media: Community health aides: Alaska’s unique solution for rural health care
by Anne Hillman
Fifty years ago, Alaska had a really big problem. It was hard to get medical care in small, rural communities. If someone was injured or if there was a tuberculosis outbreak, there was no one to turn to. To solve the problem, the Indian Health Service worked with local governments and Congress to create the Community Health Aide Program. Arelene Soxie was one of the first health aides in the country, and taking the position in her home village of Wales was not an easy decision. "I had to think… Continue Reading
08.29.18
Juneau Empire: Paper is past: Digital charts on the horizon for NOAA
by Kevin Gullufsen
The tan and blue paper nautical charts that line wheelhouses and galleys on Alaska ships will soon be a relic of the past. In an effort to increase automation and adapt to digital navigation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is rebuilding its chart products for digital use, said Rear Admiral Shep Smith, Director of the Office of Coast Survey. The effort will take about 10 years and allow for more seamless navigation, and a larger level of detail, Smith said. "The paper char… Continue Reading
08.29.18
Peninsula Clarion: Alaska’s Congressional delegation steps up for Alzheimer’s
by Cindy Harris
There are over 5.7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's Disease including 7,500 here in Alaska and more than 16 million American caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia including 33,000 here in Alaska. I'm grateful that senators Murkowski and Sullivan and Rep. Young have taken decisive action in the fight against Alzheimer's by cosponsoring the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act. This legislation would create an Alzheimer's public health … Continue Reading
08.27.18
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: More military dollars coming Alaska’s way
The U.S. Senate approved two major federal funding packages August 23 including a federal Fiscal Year 2019 budget that contains provisions important to Alaska military bases along with a pay raise for armed services personnel. The funding measure was approved by a vote of 85-7, said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which had earlier approved the measure. More inside The bill, H.R. 6157, now goes to a conference committee where differenced wit… Continue Reading
08.27.18
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: More military dollars coming Alaska’s way
The U.S. Senate approved two major federal funding packages August 23 including a federal Fiscal Year 2019 budget that contains provisions important to Alaska military bases along with a pay raise for armed services personnel. The funding measure was approved by a vote of 85-7, said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which had earlier approved the measure. More inside The bill, H.R. 6157, now goes to a conference committee where differenced wit… Continue Reading
08.21.18
KTVF: Chena Hot Springs Showcased First Electric Car Charging Stations
by Sara Tewksbury
Fairbanks, Alaska Renewable energy was celebrated at the 13th Annual 'Renewable Energy Fair' at Chena Hot Springs Sunday. "Chena Hot springs is the new electrical car plug-in destination," said Bernie Karl, co-owner of Chena Hot Springs. Two electric car owners made their way to the event and were the first to use the new charging stations. "Pretty sweet, yeah, we charged here last night, were able to charge on geothermal energy and in six hours, I got enough to drive back to Denali Park," sa… Continue Reading
08.18.18
Anchorage Daily News: Op-Ed: Sexual assault survivors deserve better care
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Stories such as Jane's keep me up at night. The loss and despair that accompanies a survivor's trauma makes my stomach churn. The first of many times that Jane's sense of safety and familiarity was taken away from her was at age 13, when she was sexually assaulted. Jane grew up in a small, beautiful village off the road system. The village of just over 250 people, similar in size to more than a hundred communities across rural Alaska. For Jane, it began one night while she was sleeping. A dru… Continue Reading
08.17.18
Anchorage Daily News: New state-federal effort, endorsed by Murkowski, is aimed at curbing destructive wildfires
by Erica Martinson
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday to announce a plan for collaboration between states and the U.S. Forest Service that they hope will help prevent devastating wildfires across the West. Alaska has not had a particularly notable year for fires, but massive fires continue to rage across the western United States. "I flew through Seattle yesterday. … You could taste the smoke in the air and you could see it all throughout not only in Seattle,… Continue Reading
08.16.18
KSFK: U.S. Coast Guard Commandant visits Petersburg
by Angela Denning
The head of the U.S. Coast Guard, Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz, paid a short visit to Petersburg Aug. 10. Also visiting was the 17th Coast Guard District Commander Rear Admiral Matthew Bell and U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mike Enzi of Wyoming. KFSK's Angela Denning reports: The visit was a short one with little fanfare. The leadership was on the ground for two and half hours, just long enough to tour the town's two coast guard ships and visit their crew. There were no public m… Continue Reading
08.13.18
KRBD: Tazlina christened at Ketchikan shipyard
by Leila Kheiry
The Alaska Marine Highway System's newest ferry Tazlina is the first state-owned ferry ever built in Alaska. During a ceremony Saturday on board the vessel, Ketchikan residents and state officials gathered for the ferry's christening ceremony. The ferry's car deck was packed with people eager to see the new vessel, built in Ketchikan's Vigor Alaska shipyard. Most of those attending were local residents, with visiting state officials sprinkled in the audience and up on stage. As appropriate fo… Continue Reading
08.09.18
Sitka Sentinel: Murkowski Tells Sitka Of Bipartisan Success
by Shannon Haugland
Securing the northern border of America with a "moving wall," fighting tariffs that could affect the seafood industry, and making a decision on the Supreme Court nominee - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski told a Sitka audience Wednesday that she's been busy. "I've got too many things to talk about," Murkowski said in her address to the Chamber of Commerce. Her talk drew a standing-room-only turnout of more than 100 members of the Chamber and the general public alike, with about half of the time … Continue Reading
08.09.18
KTUU: Census impacts on tribal communities concerns Murkowski
by Jack Carney
Lisa Murkowski and other U.S. senators are sounding off about their concerns over the possible unforeseen impacts of the 2020 Census on tribal communities. "With 92,000 Alaska Natives living in 'hard to count' communities, I urge my colleagues to consider the negative impacts that an undercount can have on rural Alaska and Indian Country as we are preparing for the 2020 Census," Murkowski said Wednesday in a written statement. Two other Senators joined in on Murkowski's call for recognition of… Continue Reading
08.08.18
Nevada Appeal: Fire risks dominate Lake Tahoe summit
by Justin Scacco
With smoke pooling in the Tahoe Basin, members of Congress from Nevada, California, and Alaska took the stage at Sand Harbor on Tuesday for the 22nd annual Lake Tahoe Summit. While the representatives touched on a number of issues regarding Tahoe and the importance of public-private sponsorships in the fight to preserve and restore the lake, there would be no ignoring the affects of the largest fire in California state history as the members of Congress stood in front of a lake clouded by haze.… Continue Reading
08.08.18
KCAW: Murkowski on SCOTUS nominee: “I will be guilty of taking my time”
by Robert Woolsey
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is not showing any of her cards, as theSenate is poised to begin confirmation hearings on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the US Supreme Court. In remarks to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday (8-8-18), Sen. Murkowski said "I will be guilty of taking my time." Alaska's senior senator is again in the political spotlight as attention turns to the confirmation hearings, which could take place as early as this fall. Ever since she defied Republican party p… Continue Reading
08.04.18
KTVA: 'Hidden Figures' nominated for Congressional Gold Medal
by Mary Simton
A group of U.S. senators are recognizing the African American women who contributed to the space race in the 1960s. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chris Croons of Delaware, Kamala Harris of California and 44 of their colleagues introduced a bipartisan bill to award Congressional Gold medals to Katherine Johnson and Dr. Christine Darden and posthumously award Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson whose lives and careers were featured in the book and movie "Hidden Figures". The Congressiona… Continue Reading
