Giessel-Newsletter

Dear friends and neighbors, The University of Alaska has an Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) that Alaskans can be very proud of.ISER was established 60 years ago.The research covers a wide range of topics. You can see more at ISER website.The economists who have worked there over the decades have been George Rogers, […]

Dear friends and neighbors, Budget. This is the most important topic we deal with this year. I have a section on Senate Finance meetings week, and will repeat it each week, so you can follow along. In the section are links to actual meetings and documents, and summary notes from the meetings.

Dear friends and neighbors, We have a lot on the Legislative plate. If you are reading this before 9 AM on Jan.22, you could sign onto Alaska State Legislature (chose “live now”) to listen to the Joint Session (House and Senate meeting) in which we vote on the question to override the Governor’s veto of SB

Dear friends and neighbors, As the New Year begins, we hope for calmer, more rational times.But the challenges keep coming.

Dear friends and neighbors, My staff and I are in the process of moving to Juneau, saying good-bye to family, friends, and homes. We all continue to respond to email and phone messages.

Dear friends and neighbors, Happy New Year and Happy Alaska Statehood Day, January 3!On this day, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act. This photo is of Pres. Eisenhower with Mike Stepovich, Alaska Territorial Governor, and Frank Seaton, Sec. of Interior. (I went to grade school with one of the Stepovich sons, in Fairbanks.)

Dear friends and neighbors, Tuba Christmas performance is something Rich and I look forward to every year. They were at Bell’s Nursery on Specking on Dec. 20. They played to a large crowd amid the Christmas cheer of trees, wreaths, and poinsettas, along with vendors from the Farmer’s Market.

Dear friends and neighbors, My dog, Andy, and I really enjoy these recent nice cold winter days! They are just what winter should be! And what Anchorage winters used to be when I moved down here from Fairbanks, in 1974.

Dear friends and neighbors, We expect the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget to be released today (12/11) or Friday (12/12). So watch for that.

Dear friends and neighbors, Its a phenomenon where the perceived brightness of colors changes as the light level changes, causing blue-green colors to appear brighter than red-yellow colors in low light. This occurs because, as vision shifts from cone cells (for bright light) to rod cells (for low light), the eye’s sensitivity shifts towards the