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Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California. He has held financial management positions in government and private organizations, and is now a full-time opinion writer. He served in the late nineteen-sixties in the Peace Corps as a teacher. (Contributed)
Van Abbott is a long-time resident of Alaska and California and a full-time opinion writer. Photo courtesy Van Abbott

Opinion

Opinion: War with Iran as political shield

Escalation abroad, erosion of accountability at home.

Van Abbott.

Opinion

Opinion: Senator Murkowski needs to caucus with Democrats

The Republican values she believed in are no longer.

Jan Krehel waves at cars passing by as she holds a "Stand With Minnesota" banner during the "ICE OUT" demonstration on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at WKFL Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

News

Homer stands with Minneapolis

Nearly 300 people took part in an “ICE OUT” demonstration on Sunday.

Demonstrators gather at WKFL Park in Homer, Alaska, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, for the "No Kings, No ICE" protest organized by the Homer Women of Action. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

News

300 stand for 3rd ‘No Kings’ protest

The rally held Saturday in Homer coincided with demonstrations nationwide protesting the Trump administration and recent ICE shootings.

Van Abbott.

Opinion

Looting the republic

A satire depicting the systematic extraction of wealth under the current U.S. regime.

Snow blankets Homer City Hall on April 10, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Homer News file photo)

News

Council comments on Cook Inlet oil lease sales

The comment period on the proposed 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program closes Friday.

Cook Inlet near Clam Gulch is seen on Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Disputed oil lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet upheld in new Trump administration decision

After completing a court-ordered environmental study, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said no changes are needed for…

The Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” act requires the Bureau of Ocean Energy management to hold at least six offshore oil and gas lease sales in Alaska between 2026-2028 and 2030-2032. The first of these sales — known as “Big Beautiful Cook Inlet 1,” or BBC1— is scheduled for March 2026. Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

News

Cook Inletkeeper launches petition against federal government

The organization is calling for transparency in Cook Inlet offshore oil and gas sales.

A map shows the locations of the 21 Alaska federal offshore oil and gas lease sales proposed by the Trump administration. (Map provided by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)

News

Trump administration proposes offshore leasing in almost all Alaska waters

A new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan proposes 21 sales in Alaska, from the Gulf of…

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion

Opinion: Governor’s early Christmas spirit is misplaced

“I told the president, it’s like Christmas every morning,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said at last week’s staged event…

Opinion

Opinion: A place government doesn’t need to stick its nose

I’ve spent much of my career advocating on behalf of Alaska’s small and independent business owners at all…

U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrews conduct overflights of Kipnuk, Alaska, after coastal flooding impacted several western Alaska communities, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Kodiak)

News

Trump administration approves disaster declaration for Western Alaska storm

The president also pledged $25 million in immediate disaster relief funding to cover costs as storm damage is…

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks on Oct. 18, 2025, at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage. Behind her is a screen projeting her image as she speaks. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

News

Murkowski says she is trying to restore some resilience funding for Alaska villages

Speaking to AFN, the U.S. senator blasted Trump administration actions halting climate-related work; she and others lamented loss…