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Will Morrow (courtesy)

Picture perfect

Well, the unrealistic expectations created by social media have finally gotten to me. It’s not the “influencers” with the chiseled physiques who claim I can… Continue reading

Will Morrow (courtesy)
Soldotna’s Tania Boonstra leads a pack of girls from East, Chugiak, Kenai and South during the first leg of the girls 4x3.5-kilometer relay at the ASAA State Nordic Ski Championships at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai girls, Homer boys win DII state ski awards

The Alaska School Activities Association Nordic Ski State Championships came to a close this weekend following the final day of competition Saturday, from which all… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Tania Boonstra leads a pack of girls from East, Chugiak, Kenai and South during the first leg of the girls 4x3.5-kilometer relay at the ASAA State Nordic Ski Championships at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
The Kenai River Brown Bears mob Ryan Finch after he scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

More late-game dramatics push Bears’ winning streak to 4

Kenai River Brown Bears forward Ryan Finch knew exactly what he was doing when he scored the game-winning goal Saturday in a 4-3 overtime victory… Continue reading

The Kenai River Brown Bears mob Ryan Finch after he scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
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)

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 in 1919, escaped from prison in Washington… Continue reading

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)
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Boonstra, Laker lead peninsula skiers at state

Skiers returned to Kincaid Park on Friday for the second day of the state Nordic ski meet. While Thursday was marked by blustery winds and… Continue reading

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Boonstra, Briscoe top Peninsula finishers on first day of State Skiing

The first races of the state Nordic ski meet were held at Kincaid Park on Thursday, as both boys and girls competed in an interval… Continue reading

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Split spruce for firewood sits on the porch of the Dolly Varden Lake cabin on Feb. 5, 2023, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the office: Opening windows

“Maybe we should open the window,” my cabinmates said. “No,” I replied. It was late November 2021 and we were in the Engineer Lake Cabin.… Continue reading

Split spruce for firewood sits on the porch of the Dolly Varden Lake cabin on Feb. 5, 2023, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
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)

‘Disaster!’ strikes the stage

This weekend and next, the Kenai Performers are putting on “Disaster!” — a 1970s inspired musical featuring disco hits and homages to classic disaster cinema.… Continue reading

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

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 time to pick up a book that’s… Continue reading

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion 
The column author holds a copy of “The Truths We Carry” on Wednesday near Soldotna.
Skiiers from Kenai, Seward and Soldotna start the girls race during the Turkey Trot on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna, Alaska.

Skiers ready for state meet

High school ski teams are on their way to compete at Kincaid Park in Anchorage this weekend for the state cross-country skiing meet. Soldotna, Kenai,… Continue reading

Skiiers from Kenai, Seward and Soldotna start the girls race during the Turkey Trot on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna, Alaska.
Baklava. (Photo by Tressa Dale)

Accidental baklava

A while back, someone accidentally grabbed three boxes of phyllo dough instead of the puff pastry they were sent to the store for, so there… Continue reading

Baklava. (Photo by Tressa Dale)
A beaver coasts by in search of the perfect stick for a dam repair. (Photo by C. Canterbury, USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: More research needed to determine beavers’ impact on landscape

Do you ever stare at a map and wonder what that seemingly amazing place looks like in real life? Staring at the contours and colors… Continue reading

A beaver coasts by in search of the perfect stick for a dam repair. (Photo by C. Canterbury, USFWS)
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)

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”

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

On the strawberry patch: Comfort food with grandma

Ground Beef Bulkogi makes for an approachable introduction to Korean cuisine

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

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

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)
A pair of nearly pristine three-year-old workout shoes are placed in the backseat of Jake Dye’s mostly invincible car in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 8. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the office: ‘Stupid walks’

After more than three weeks of regularly hitting the gym — easily the longest stretch of any kind of exercise I’ve managed since leaving high… Continue reading

A pair of nearly pristine three-year-old workout shoes are placed in the backseat of Jake Dye’s mostly invincible car in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 8. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
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)

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

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)
Mark Jurek directs the Soldotna High School Band at a rehearsal on Oct. 11, 2022, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Mark Jurek directs the Soldotna High School Band at a rehearsal on Oct. 11, 2022, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
The cast of Triumvirate Theatre’s production of “Seussical” rehearse on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Seuss on stage

Triumvirate’s “Seussical the Musical” brings to life familiar literary characters

The cast of Triumvirate Theatre’s production of “Seussical” rehearse on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Shells and cheese are served. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

On the strawberry patch: Mac and cheese for make-believe

Indulging childhood memories with this favorite

Shells and cheese are served. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)