Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion 
A copy of Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” sits on a desk in The Peninsula Clarion building on Wednesday in Kenai.

Life

Off the Shelf: Good for her

Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” caught my attention with a flashy cover and a review from Independent Ireland on…

Kenai Peninsula Writers’ Contest logo (Homer Council on the Arts/courtesy)

Life

25th Kenai Peninsula Writers’ Contest winners announced

Winners in all categories were announced March 6

Alaska-style spanakopita includes salmon with the traditional spinach and feta. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

On the Strawberry Patch: Spanakopita — Alaska style

I have been deep cleaning, organizing, rearranging and generally revitalizing our home these last couple weeks

Nick Varney

Life

Vote on National Apathy Week delayed

What are some of these clueless congressional reps trying to prove?

This photo postcard, purported showing William Dempsey (L) and an unnamed partner, was one of two such cards that Dempsey sent from Alaska to his parents in Cleveland in late 1918 and early 1920. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)

Life

A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 5

Although William Dempsey didn’t know it as he fled for his life, several things were working against him

As a teen-ager convicted of larceny in 1916, William Dempsey was incarcerated at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. (Image from the National Register of Historical Places)

Life

A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 3

The lines of history are most accurately understood in retrospect.

Keri Russell’s Sari hides from the Cocaine Bear in “Cocaine Bear.” (Photo courtesy Universal Pictures)

Life

On the Screen: ‘Cocaine Bear’ is a simple, but fun, slasher

The film transforms the titular bear into something like an ‘80s slasher villain

A painting of a small bird with a steely gaze is seen hanging on Feb. 28, 2023, at the Kenai Art Center in Kenai, Alaska, part of “Bird Call,” the center’s March show. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

‘All things Avian’ showcased at Kenai Art Center

The exhibition features paintings of birds, photos of birds and sculptures of birds

Tofu, spinach, fried egg, carrots, mushrooms and sprouts are served on rice in this Korean Bibimbap recipe. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

A Korean dish with a little bit of everything

Bibimbap is a delicious, nutrition-packed meal with all the quintessential elements

Marie (sometimes called Margaret) Lavor was buried in the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery in 1919 after she was murdered by William Dempsey. (Image provided by findagrave.com website)

Life

A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 4

AUTHOR’S NOTE: In the first three parts of this story, William Dempsey, who confessed to killing two Alaskans…

Will Morrow (courtesy)

Life

Picture perfect

Well, the unrealistic expectations created by social media have finally gotten to me.

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion 
The column author holds a copy of “The Truths We Carry” on Wednesday near Soldotna.

Life

Off the Shelf: Harris memoir rings hollow

As Black History Month prepares to give way to Women’s History Month, last week felt like a perfect…

Josiah Burton portrays Chad during a rehersal of “Disaster!” on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at the Kenai Performers’ Theater in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

‘Disaster!’ strikes the stage

This weekend and next, the Kenai Performers are putting on “Disaster!” — a 1970s inspired musical featuring disco…

Baklava. (Photo by Tressa Dale)

Life

Accidental baklava

A while back, someone accidentally grabbed three boxes of phyllo dough instead of the puff pastry they were…

File

Life

Minister’s Message: Choose to love for a better world

Love is hard

From left: Andrew (Ben Aldridge), Wen (Kristen Cui), Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Leonard (Dave Bautista) in Knock at the Cabin, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. (Photo courtesy Universal Pictures)

Life

On the Screen: Knock at the Cabin is middling, disappointing

I’m still chasing the high of 2016’s “Split,” but unfortunately, sometimes I get served an “Old”

Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion 
Ground Beef Bulkogi with sticky rice and noodles make a hearty Korean meal.

Life

On the strawberry patch: Comfort food with grandma

Ground Beef Bulkogi makes for an approachable introduction to Korean cuisine

In 1918, a year before he would be gunned down on the streets of Seward, U.S. Deputy Marshal Isaac Evans posed for this photo on his Port of Seward waterfront pass. (Image courtesy of the Resurrection Bay Historical Society)

Life

A nexus of lives and lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 2

Anchorage authorities believed Dempsey was planning to sail from Seward and flee to the States

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Life

Minister’s Message: A miracle in the woods

Many people prayed for Mike to be rescued from freezing to death

A copy of “The Race Beat: the Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation” sits on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion office on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Off the Shelf: The civil rights movement as told by journalists

The book is an extensive look at how coverage of the American civil rights movement changed public opinion