The Fairbanks Pioneer Museum received the 2024 Raven Award from Explore Fairbanks, a notable achievement. The Raven Award honors organizations that spark interest in our region among visitors, and this year’s recognition highlights the museum’s contribution to local storytelling and heritage. Located in Pioneer Park, the museum showcases artifacts and exhibits that bring Fairbanks’ frontier history to life. Explore Fairbanks, the city’s destination marketing organization, promotes tourism and community pride, and their annual awards banquet is a celebration of those who go above and beyond in making Fairbanks shine. That Northern Alaska Tours nominated the museum speaks volumes about its value to both locals and visitors alike. It’s heartening to see one of our hometown cultural treasures recognized — and we hope this is just the beginning of many more honors to come.
Cheers to the 20 Fairbanks North Star Borough School District athletes and six Nenana School athletes who competed in the 2025 Senior Native Youth Olympics in Anchorage. Hosted by the Cook Inlet Tribal Council April 24-26, the NYO Games are a statewide celebration of athleticism, cultural heritage and traditional Alaska Native survival skills — from the seal hop to the high kick. The events aren’t just competitions; they’re a living connection to indigenous history and values like resilience, balance and respect. For many students, especially those from rural villages, the games offer a way to proudly showcase traditions they’ve grown up with. Interior athletes earned medals and personal bests and all the students — including first-time coaches like Nenana’s Jarrett Tucker — embodied the NYO spirit of encouragement and perseverance. This is the kind of teamwork and cultural pride worth cheering for all across Alaska.
Demolition is again underway on the long-troubled Polaris Building in downtown Fairbanks. After decades of standing as a crumbling eyesore and public safety hazard, the city is finally seeing real momentum toward clearing the site once and for all. Thanks to federal and state funding, and years of persistence by city leaders, crews are back at work tearing down the towering relic floor by floor, with full removal expected by early October. Yes, it comes with road closures and construction noise, but those are the sounds of long-overdue renewal. The Polaris has loomed over downtown Fairbanks since 1952 — and for too long, it symbolized stagnation. Now, it marks the start of a fresh chapter, with big potential for new development once the dust settles. Raise a glass, Fairbanks — we’re finally watching it come down.
In a move that defies logic, the Alaska House passed a half-measure on campaign finance reform — and then actively rejected the rest of the job. While HB 16 rightly reinstates campaign contribution limits favored by Alaskans, lawmakers shot down amendments from Rep. Kevin McCabe (R-Big Lake) that would have brought crucial transparency to dark money — the shadowy, untraceable funds that increasingly dominate Alaska politics. HB 16 passed by a vote of 22-18 on Monday. And here’s the kicker: it wasn’t Republicans who killed the disclosure rules, it was Democrats and independents, including HB 16 sponsor Rep. Calvin Schrage. That’s political malpractice. Voters deserve to know who’s really behind the flood of glossy mailers and ad buys — not just how much someone can legally write on a check. Kudos to McCabe for doing what reformers should’ve done themselves: trying to close loopholes left wide open by Citizens United. Instead, the House chose to keep Alaskans in the dark. The need for robust disclosure is more pressing than ever. By rejecting these amendments, the House has effectively endorsed the continued influence of undisclosed money in our elections. Voters deserve to know who is funding political messages, and this vote undermines that fundamental principle.
