Dermot Cole
Alaska Dispatch News
Fairbanks, AK, United States
Contact Dermot
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Dermot:
Musher Matt Hall finishes off come-from-behind Yukon Quest victory
For the 25-year-old from Two Rivers, the 1,000-mile ultramarathon from Whitehorse to Fairbanks unfolded perfectly. → Read More
Phony outrage over oil tax bill creates needless distraction
The Alaska economy is in a dangerous position. The Legislature has a lot of work to do and there is no time for these games. → Read More
Postponing state tax decisions invites more legislative gridlock
The most practical compromise is to spread the costs by capping the dividend, cutting spending, instituting an income tax and raising oil taxes. → Read More
Alaska congressional delegation turns timid on federal overreach
President Trump acted in haste without consulting Congress, didn't bother with a coherent plan, and created chaos around the world, but the Alaska delegation stayed serene. → Read More
Writer John McPhee and the gift of 'nice little sentences'
On a return trip to Eagle 20 years after the publication of his book about Alaska, writer John McPhee spotted a gavel in the restored 1904 Eagle Courthouse and asked his friend Elva Scott about a line in "Coming Into the Country." "Do you remember in the book, where I compared you to a gavel?" McPhee said. Scott, a medical professional who served on the City Council and did time as mayor, had… → Read More
Trump's reckless call for seizing Iraq's oil and the short-lived dream that Alaska could offer a miracle solution
When the president declares that we should have stolen Iraq's oil, it's no time for our congressional delegation to give tacit assent by keeping quiet. → Read More
Alaska congressional delegation casts confusion on 'Obamacare' replacement plans
Alaska would almost certainly have been one of the states to lose individual health insurance coverage had the plan championed by the Alaska delegation a year ago not been vetoed by Obama. → Read More
Dog caught in a trap survives for a week north of Fairbanks, loses leg and 15 pounds
Her rear leg had to be amputated and she lost three of her toes on her front left paw, perhaps because she pulled it back from the trap. → Read More
State budget targets are easy, but politicians need to identify cuts first
If Senate leaders can't explain the consequences of cutting &u0024;750 million or &u0024;1 billion in the coming years, perhaps they picked those numbers because they sound good. → Read More
Fort Lauderdale airport shooting reveals deficiency in Alaska law on crisis intervention
In Alaska, there is no straightforward legal process to weigh immediate risks and disarm people who are prone to violent behavior. → Read More
Obamacare repeal without replacement creates conditions for chaos
Critics of the Affordable Care Act could have spent the past six years trying to fix the flaws in Obamacare. Instead, they opted for a slogan, with no replacement in sight. → Read More
Mental health board ignores state law with Outside investment plan
The mental health land trust looked past a state law in search of higher returns on real estate. → Read More
Jail time, fine handed down for snowmachine attack on Iditarod teams
The 27-year-old defendant said he's been sober since the attacks on the teams of Jeff King and Aliy Zirkle and has gone through a rehabilitation program. → Read More
Squeaky wheel syndrome drives UA education decision
Juneau's pledge of a &u0024;1 million endowment to keep the department in Southeast never came up in a public meeting, only executive session. → Read More
Earth to Demboski: You are part of the media
Whether Demboski apologizes is up to her, but she should at least admit that this failure of the Alaska media rests with her. → Read More
OPEC has saved Alaska before, but it won't this time
A recent spike in oil prices could boost state income somewhat, but the budget will still remain billions short. → Read More
With PFD cut on the line, oil company arguments about fine points of tax regs will backfire
Cutting the PFD is an easy subject for Alaskans to understand and get riled up about. Like it or not, this will bleed over to taxing questions in 2017. → Read More
Mental Health Trust board ignores clear state law on managing investments
The board is deeply divided on many key issues over which it should be in agreement. It also has to align with the limits in law. → Read More
Permafrost shrinks as warming climate accelerates pace of change
Trump's EPA transition leader says the changes in the Arctic are a natural cycle that is nothing to worry about, three permafrost scientists spoke Monday in Fairbanks that decades of research have given them a different view. → Read More
UA sports teams win reprieve; now they need a plan to slice millions in subsidies
That means raising ticket prices for hockey, basketball and volleyball, getting more paying customers and increasing sponsorships and fundraising. → Read More