or forty years, federal courts have applied a legal test known as “Chevron deference” when reviewing federal agency actions. Originating from a 1984 decision of the US Supreme Court in Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., the ruling required federal courts to defer to a federal agency if the court believes the statute in question is ambiguous and the agency’s interpretation was reasonable—even if the court would interpret it differently.

On June 28, 2024, the US Supreme Court reversed that doctrine. The decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo cut back sharply on the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer and ruled that courts should rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous laws. In overruling Chevron, the Supreme Court made clear that it is the responsibility of federal courts—rather than federal agencies—to interpret the law.

orty-four months is the median criminal sentence length in Alaska, according to 2023 data from the US Sentencing Commission. That’s 1,320 days, which is a significant chunk of any life to put on hold, and it also creates a work résumé with an almost four-year gap. Alaska releases around 7,000 people annually from its correctional facilities, people who have spent time reflecting on mistakes and gaining skills to get prepared for reentry into the Alaska workforce to live again within our community.

achines capable of learning are the forerunners of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as far beyond the vacuum-tube computers that heralded the Third Industrial Revolution as those contraptions were to the telegraph that wired together the Second.

The changes that have already come are revolutionary; the changes on the horizon are even more so, says Helena Wisniewski, UAA professor of entrepreneurship and chair of its management, marketing, logistics, and business analytics department. She’s also the university’s first Marion Porter chair, an endowed chair within the College of Business and Public Policy.

Wisniewski spoke recently at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association Conference on the topic of AI in the oil and gas industry.

he Electric Eighteen” sounds like an electronic music group going viral on TikTok. In reality, it’s what the US Department of Energy calls eighteen minerals deemed critical for energy technology. A mineral is considered “critical” if it is at high risk for supply chain disruption and deemed essential to one or more energy technologies.

Graphite and nickel are part of that group. Each has a variety of commercial and industrial applications. Graphite is a key component in laptop computers, smartphones, drones, energy storage devices, and nuclear reactors, while nickel is used to manufacture stainless steel, turbine blades, and jet engine parts. More recently, demand for the minerals has been driven by their use in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles; by weight, graphite and nickel are the first- and third-largest mineral components of these batteries.

ust as mist and fog roll over the coastal mountains, and just as salty waters lap along the sandy shorelines of Southeast, a new wave of opportunity is rippling across the region’s communities. They have taken bold steps in recent years and committed notable investments to embrace the cruise ship industry by developing new docks and infrastructure. This shift marks a significant turning point for these communities, many of which are working to reinvent their economies in the face of declining traditional industries like fishing and timber.

A port call by large cruise ships is more than just an economic boost—it’s a chance to share unique cultures, histories, and ways of life with the world.

“Alaska is a must-see destination for many travelers and has proven to offer the most profitable itineraries for cruise lines,” says Russell Dick, president and CEO of Huna Totem Corporation. “This presents our state with an incredible opportunity to showcase the many cultures and expansive beauty of Alaska. While a few Alaska ports are well-known and expected stops for visitors to our state, we have repeat visitors who want to see new destinations and have deeper, more meaningful experiences.”

slands of Southeast demand a certain self-sufficiency, even for the building designers who live in the region. Unlike in urban settings where architects may specialize in certain areas such as healthcare or education, Southeast professionals work on projects running the gamut from historical renovations and private homes to schools, hospitals, and government buildings.

“In larger regions, firms can specialize in medical buildings or hospitality design, but up here, we’re like a general practice doctor in a small town,” says James Bibb, partner and principal at Juneau-based NorthWind Architects. “One day we may be creating a broad-brush master plan, and the next day we’re designing someone’s garage or the front deck of a house. Either way, we’re problem-solving and servicing a client.”

hen Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) reached its silver jubilee this year, it chose to kick off a $25 million capital campaign. Investing a million dollars for each year of its past existence would let ANHC continue to educate visitors about Alaska Native cultures and strengthen community engagements for years to come.

Kelsey Ciugun Wallace, ANHC vice president of strategic advancement and communications, laughs as she recalls a totem pole raising and potlatch last October that attracted more than 1,000 people. “We were quickly reminded about how small our space was,” she says. “So when it came to celebrating our 25th anniversary, we decided to dream big and developed a four-phase capital campaign which is going to refresh our existing facility and expand our campus.”

laskans can be water snobs. While parts of the Lower 48 fight for access to clean and safe drinking water, the Upper 1 boasts nearly 3 million lakes, 12,000 rivers, and 100,000 glaciers—pristine sources that make up nearly 50 percent of the total surface waters in the United States.

But getting water from a glacier or a lake and into homes is another story. In rural Alaska, extreme temperatures and challenging geography complicate the design and construction of water systems. Some remote villages rely on washeterias where residents can access drinking water, filling containers and hauling them to their homes. About twenty-three Alaska villages have no water-access facilities at all.

long-awaited Alaska Feed Grain Reserve was established last year to purchase part of the state’s cereal crop and help stabilize food security.

Farmers have been raising grain in the Tanana Valley since the late ‘70s, when the State of Alaska allocated Interior farmland for barley production. “There’s not a lot of issue with being able to grow the barley,” explains Zach Knight, manager of the Alaska Farmers Cooperative in Delta Junction. The short season at 64° north latitude is not an insurmountable obstacle; approximately 5,000 acres of barley under cultivation benefit from clean water, clean soil, and fewer pests than in other climates.

few of my college professors had a profound impact on my beliefs about the impact of business on community. One lesson came from my undergraduate professor of economics, an old Jesuit with a keen eye for numbers and a stoic teaching style. He had us study the Banana Wars, a series of trade and political disputes involving US intervention in Central America in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Our final exam was to write a review of the economic impact of those wars and the influence they still had on our present day—but from three different perspectives: a US corporation’s perspective, a global consumer’s perspective, and the perspective of a farming family in Honduras. That class changed my view about the impact of business forever.

Another lesson came from a graduate marketing course. The instructor argued that the fastest way to change our world was through business. He then shared research about how quickly businesses could produce goods, shift global economics, and positively influence and improve the lives of people—employees, stakeholders, community members, and future generations.

ob is the manager of a customer service department for a software product. The company has just launched an AI feature that has caused a spike in new account sign-ups. The customer service team is busy taking calls for new orders, which has caused them to stop conducting a regular two-month check-in call with customers.

Bob’s boss shows him the latest quarterly report. Although new customers are booming, there has been a dramatic increase in accounts closing after three months. The lack of customer retention has decreased revenue and spooked investors. The boss wants a plan to address the issue.

renewableipp.com | homerelectric.com