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Nick Varney

Unhinged Alaska: Sometimes I wonder, who needs who

Dog whispers we are not. Suckers for unconditional love, you bet.

Nick Varney
Lawmakers havereturned to the Alaska State Capitol for a fourth special session. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Revenues should be determined before more PFD spending

The governor believes the dividend drives the entire calculation. Sadly, he has it backwards

  • Oct 7, 2021
  • By Larry Persily
Lawmakers havereturned to the Alaska State Capitol for a fourth special session. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Meredith Harber (courtesy)

Minister’s Message: Don’t let termination dust bring you down

If I’m honest, this time of year is the hardest for me mentally and emotionally.

Meredith Harber (courtesy)
Frannie Nelson collecting ground validation data for her undergraduate thesis in the Caribou Hills. (Photo by Angelica Smith/FWS)

Refuge Notebook: Spreading my wings and flying into a new field

In 2019, I became a biology intern at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge for the first time! Here I was met with forward-thinking and tradition-challenging… Continue reading

Frannie Nelson collecting ground validation data for her undergraduate thesis in the Caribou Hills. (Photo by Angelica Smith/FWS)
Anthony Botello fishes for halibut off the coast of Homer, Alaska, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Camille Botello)

Out of the Office: Fish on!

I was pretty spoiled as a kid. The chest freezer in our garage was almost always stuffed to the brim with real Alaska salmon, and… Continue reading

Anthony Botello fishes for halibut off the coast of Homer, Alaska, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Camille Botello)
The Cosmic Hamlet Entertainment film crew prepares for a new scene to roll on the set of “Bolt from the Blue” at the Kilcher Homestead on Sept. 28. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)

‘Bolt from the Blue’ film features Homer

“The Office” star Kate Flannery cast in feature film produced in Homer.

The Cosmic Hamlet Entertainment film crew prepares for a new scene to roll on the set of “Bolt from the Blue” at the Kilcher Homestead on Sept. 28. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)
Pieces hang on display at the Kenai Art Center for the open call show on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021 in Kenai, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

‘They felt like they could share with us now’

Art center open call offers space for new artists.

Pieces hang on display at the Kenai Art Center for the open call show on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021 in Kenai, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
These old-fashioned doughnuts don’t skimp on the fat or sugar. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

On the strawberry patch: Memories of old-fashioned doughnuts

My recipe is for old-fashioned doughnuts, and since I make these maybe twice a year, I don’t skimp on the sugar and fat.

These old-fashioned doughnuts don’t skimp on the fat or sugar. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Peter Zuyus

Voices of the Peninsula: Seniors appreciate vaccination efforts

To those who have worked to encourage vaccination we say: Be proud, you are, in fact, saving lives.

Peter Zuyus
Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Dunleavy: Facts Matter

Political opportunists care more about spreading political untruths than accepting the facts.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Author Kathleen Sorensen (252) and the rest of the field take off from the starting line at the Kenai River Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Tangled Up in Blue: Three halves

I ran my third Kenai River Half Marathon this weekend. I remember sitting in the newsroom at the Peninsula Clarion in 2017 and telling our… Continue reading

Author Kathleen Sorensen (252) and the rest of the field take off from the starting line at the Kenai River Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Scaly, pale green leaves of a yellow-cedar near Sitka, Alaska. (Photo by M. Goff http://www.sitkanature.org/)

Refuge Notebook: Will yellow cedar move to Kenai Peninsula?

My first job as a field biologist in Alaska was working for the Tongass National Forest. I was stationed in Petersburg, but would be boated… Continue reading

Scaly, pale green leaves of a yellow-cedar near Sitka, Alaska. (Photo by M. Goff http://www.sitkanature.org/)
Tomato soup with grilled cheese. (Photo by Tressa Dale)

On the strawberry patch: The comfort of tomato soup

When I was very young, my mother would make me tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on days when I was feeling down.

Tomato soup with grilled cheese. (Photo by Tressa Dale)
A wood-carved whale hangs in the Nikiski Senior Center on Sept. 23, 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Nikiski Senior Center)

Whale of a job

Nikiski Senior Center gets addition to dining room.

A wood-carved whale hangs in the Nikiski Senior Center on Sept. 23, 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Nikiski Senior Center)
Steve Hughes. (Photo provided)

Voices of the Peninsula: We are all victims of COVID-19

It is disturbing to hear, as a triage nurse, the many reasons cited for not getting a vaccine that are based on misinformation.

Steve Hughes. (Photo provided)
A visual picture of profound change in the alpine plant community post-2019 Swan Lake Fire. This picture is from 2021, two years after the fire. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Swan Lake Fire update: How are plant communities doing?

By HEIDI HELLING Kenai National Wildlife Refuge What can we learn from the Swan Lake Fire that burned over 167,000 acres in 2019? Large areas… Continue reading

A visual picture of profound change in the alpine plant community post-2019 Swan Lake Fire. This picture is from 2021, two years after the fire. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)
The afternoon sun makes birch leaves glow yellow on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at the Hidden Lake Campground in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Fall in Alaska is subtle but fabulous

On my mother’s side I come from a long line of New Englanders, the kind of people for whom fall leaf peeping can be something… Continue reading

The afternoon sun makes birch leaves glow yellow on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at the Hidden Lake Campground in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Sheryl Maree Reily speaks last Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, about the Homer Drawdown Peatland exhibit showing at the Pratt Museum & Park in Homer, Alaska. Reily was a Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence who did an installation and video for the exhbit. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Peatlands exhibit at Pratt merges art and conservation

The exhibit caps a yearslong effort to identify a locally sustainable way to reduce or capture carbon emissions

Sheryl Maree Reily speaks last Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, about the Homer Drawdown Peatland exhibit showing at the Pratt Museum & Park in Homer, Alaska. Reily was a Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence who did an installation and video for the exhbit. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Claire Richardson is retired and resides in Juneau. (Courtesy Photo)

Alaska Voices: Whatever happened to governing our ship of state?

Like it or not, we are all in this together.

  • Sep 21, 2021
  • By Claire Richardson
Claire Richardson is retired and resides in Juneau. (Courtesy Photo)
Seasoned spinach, sauteed mushrooms and onion, acorn jelly, seasoned mung bean sprouts, stir-fried dried anchovies and peanuts, pickled radish, fried zucchini, fried shrimp pancakes, and beef and radish soup were featured in the author’s celebration of Chuseok. The traditional Korean harvest festival dates to antiquity and pays homage to Korea’s ancient farming roots and was celebrated Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

On the strawberry patch: Sharing a harvest feast

Chuseok, a traditional Korean harvest festival, dates to antiquity and pays homage to Korea’s ancient farming roots.

Seasoned spinach, sauteed mushrooms and onion, acorn jelly, seasoned mung bean sprouts, stir-fried dried anchovies and peanuts, pickled radish, fried zucchini, fried shrimp pancakes, and beef and radish soup were featured in the author’s celebration of Chuseok. The traditional Korean harvest festival dates to antiquity and pays homage to Korea’s ancient farming roots and was celebrated Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)