(The Center Square) – Imagine the value of your home goes way up, but your property tax bill goes down.
Author: alaskaadmin
We get it, seasonal sales are overwhelming. When Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale touches thousands of skus across fashion and accessories categories alone, we professionally sort through the best…
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(The Center Square) – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with President Donald Trump Wednesday, putting NATO on the defensive as the president has questioned the alliance’s relationship with the treaty organization.
(The Center Square) – The former Los Angeles fire chief is suing Mayor Karen Bass for defamation related to the devastating Palisades Fire.
Kathy Hilton has a hunky dory Prime Day deal recommendation for achieving a lifted, youthful looking neck. The RéVive Fermitif Neck Renewal Cream is 44% off on Amazon right now, which is the…
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A free VSP Eyes of Hope clinic at the Fairview Recreation Center is providing eye exams and prescription glasses at no cost to people without vision insurance. Open to anyone ages 5 and older, the event aims to improve access…
Royal Dutch Shell’s conical drilling unit Kulluk sits aground on the southeast shore of Sitkalidak Island, 40 miles southwest of the city of Kodiak, on Jan. 1, 2013. The Kulluk was being towed from Dutch Harbor to Everett, Wash., after a season of drilling in the Beaufort Sea. The Kulluk broke away from the two during a storm and grounded. Shell determined later that it could not salvage the Kulluk, and the company scrapped its Beaufort drilling plan that year. In 2015, it abandoned its entire Arctic offshore drilling plan. (Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis/U.S. Coast Guard)
Alaska and fisheries are intrinsically linked, both economically and culturally. Alaska’s fisheries provide for communities and rural economies across the state—and they will do so sustainably, year after year, provided we take care of the ocean and rivers that support them.
That is why Alaska should be excluded from the federal government’s latest plan for offshore drilling, called the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, or Five-Year Plan. It would open almost all of Alaska’s coasts to drilling and the oil spills that inevitably follow.
The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates that Alaska’s abundant waters produce more than half the fish caught off the U.S. coasts, with an average wholesale value of almost $4.5 billion a year. Indigenous communities depend on these fish stocks for subsistence, cultural practices and livelihoods. Commercial fisheries are the largest private sector employer in the state.
Early in his term, President Trump signed Executive Order 14276 titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” It was aimed at reducing regulations that seemed overly burdensome and “modernizing” the U.S. fishing industry to increase competitiveness in world markets. To assist with this mission, an Office of Seafood was created at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and government programs currently available to farmers and ranchers are being expanded to include fishermen. In direct contradiction to that goal, our nation’s fishing grounds are now under threat from offshore oil and gas development, with Alaska squarely in the crosshairs.
The most recent part of the Five-Year Plan, the Draft Proposed Program, included almost all the Alaska coast, including the Arctic. This would offer important fishing grounds to the oil and gas industry for possible development, along with the already highly vulnerable marine ecosystems of the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea.
Alaskans know firsthand how damaging oil spills in our waters can be. The Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 released 11 billion gallons of oil, killing billions of salmon and herring eggs, leading to the collapse of the herring fishery in 1993 and the loss of more than $166 million in income over the 20 years after the spill. Given the value of Alaska’s fisheries, the lack of in-state infrastructure to contain a spill and the wildness of Alaska’s weather, outer continental oil development is simply not worth the risk.
The prospect of offshore drilling is also unpopular in Alaska. In every comment period of this process, Native communities and state representatives have opposed the oil industry drilling in our waters. Both Alaska senators issued a statement against drilling outside of Cook Inlet.
Alaska’s waters support the most thriving fisheries in the country, and they provide the highest quality seafood on the global market. Expanding drilling into the turbulent waters off Alaska creates an untenable risk. The next phase of the offshore drilling plan is expected soon, but there is still time for the Trump Administration to protect Alaska and remove our coasts from consideration before it’s too late.
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‘Tis the season to shop Oprah Winfrey’s Favorite Things! The mogul’s curated list of must-have products is something we look forward to every year when it releases ahead of the holidays, because…
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Lionel Messi has left the door open for a sensational appearance at the 2030 World Cup after cementing his legacy as the greatest goalscorer in the history of the competition. The Argentina icon, currently leading the Albiceleste’s charge at the 2026 tournament in North America, recently surpassed Miroslav Klose to take his total tally to 18 goals across six editions. The GOAT Refuses to Say Goodbye Despite turning 39 this week, Messi is showing no interest in discussing his retirement from the international stage. When quizzed about the possibility of featuring in the 2030 World Cup, which will celebrate the tournament’s centenary, the Inter Miami star remained evasive but optimistic about his longevity. “I don’t know. The truth is, I’m not thinking about that right now. It seems a bit far off but, as I said, I’m living one day at a time and focused on the present,” Messi told reporters, per ANI. The veteran forward, who has scored all five of Argentina’s goals in their opening two group matches against Algeria and Austria, insisted his continued participation depends entirely on his physical state. Messi added: “Yes, yes… I will continue for some time, as long as I can contribute, feel good physically, and help my teammates… I will keep playing.” His comments suggest that the dream of seeing him compete at age 43 remains very much alive for football fans globally. Record-Breaking Exploits On The World Stage Messi’s current form suggests that age remains little more than a number for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. By netting a brace in the 2-0 win over Austria, he became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, moving past the previous record of 16 goals. It has been a clinical start to the 2026 campaign, following his hat-trick in the opening match that also made him the oldest player to score a treble in the competition’s history. The former Barcelona star was humble when reflecting on his milestone, even after missing a penalty earlier in the match. “The truth is that it is spectacular how it happened,” Messi admitted. “Today I had the penalty that I could have increased the score with, but if I had scored the penalty, perhaps I wouldn’t have scored the other two. You never know, but I’m happy with the result.” Peak Physical Condition at 39 While most players have long since retired by their late thirties, Messi continues to stun observers with his fitness levels. While celebrating his 39th birthday, the Argentine captain shared footage of himself performing perfect pull-ups at the Albiceleste’s training base, demonstrating the rigorous gym work behind his on-field success. This physical dedication has convinced many that he could follow in the footsteps of other sporting icons who played well into their forties. Pundits are already speculating on what his next club move might be, with former England international Gabby Agbonlahor agrees that a 2030 World Cup appearance is on the cards. Agbonlahor even suggested that if Messi were to make a shock move to the Premier League with Aston Villa, he would lead them to both domestic and European glory. Defending The Title in North America For now, the primary focus remains defending the World Cup trophy. Argentina have already secured their place in the Round of 32 with a game to spare, allowing manager Lionel Scaloni to potentially rest his stars for their final Group J encounter against Jordan. Scaloni has been vocal about his desire to keep his captain happy and thriving, noting the positive atmosphere within the squad as they pursue back-to-back world titles. “We believe it’s the group that gets through both the good and the bad moments. We know that being beside a friend always makes things better. That’s how we all feel, and I imagine Leo feels the same way, based on what he said,” Scaloni remarked. With the knockout rounds looming, Messi’s record-breaking form and elite physical condition suggest that Argentina remain the team to beat as they march toward the final in New York.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
(The Center Square) – U.S. states and territories made a collective $10 billion in improper payments to SNAP recipients nationwide in fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports.