Business news

Chambers set schedules

■ The Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce will host a joint luncheon at noon today at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. A forum for candidates for Alaska House District 30 is planned. RSVP to 262-9841.

■ The Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce will host a joint luncheon at noon today at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. An update from Leslie “Fritz” Krusen of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) is planned. RSVP to 283-1991.

■ A Kenai Young Professionals Leaders Luncheon will take place at noon on Friday at Veronica’s Cafe, 604 Peterson Way in Kenai. Tim Dillon, Executive Director of the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, will speak on the topic “From Red to Black: Turning the Financial Tide.” RSVP to https://kenaichamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/1148.

■ A Kenai Young Professionals Advisory Council meeting is schedeuled for Friday at 5 p.m. at the Kenai Visitor Center, 11471 Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai.

Farm Bureau gathering input

The Kenai Peninsula Farm Bureau is gearing up for the upcoming year and will be gathering input from residents of the Peninsula at upcoming meetings taking place in Homer on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Kachemak Community Center, and in Kenai on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Building.

VIP Alaska partners with SCRAM Systems

VIP Alaska Inc. is proud to announce a partnership with SCRAM Systems, the leader in Electronic Monitoring.

Offenders span a wide range of risks and needs. Some offenders are high-risk, low-risk, high-need, low-need, compliant, non-compliant, hardcore, or first time offenders and everything in between. VIP Alaska and Scram Systems provide a single, integrated solution to meet different electronic needs, whether it is something as simple as house arrest or a more complex GPS device that tracks the offender’s movements, or one that monitors alcohol consumption every half hour. These devices are designed to fit supervision model, budget, laws, and purchasing processes. Supported by the 24/7 SCRAM Systems Program Management Center, these devices allow offenders with court approval to continue employment, meet with attorneys and seek medical or addiction treatment.

For more information, visit www.VIPAlaska.com or email SCRAM@VIPAlaska.com.

Volunteers needed for JA in a Day

Junior Achievement and Nikiski North Star Elementary are excited to put together another JA in a Day event for fall semester. This event will take place on Nov. 18. Junior Achievement programs align with state standards and teach students the value of workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. The hands-on, age appropriate curriculum equips students with the knowledge needed to be successful in today’s ever changing global economy. Volunteers are needed for this event. A light breakfast, lunch, training and program materials will be provided. Visit alaska.ja.org to learn about the JA programs that will be offered to all K-5 students.

For more information, contact Amarin Ellis, Program Manager, at 907-344-0101 or aellis@ja-alaska.org, or Janet Johnson, Committee Chair, at 907-598-5489 or janet.johnson@denalifcu.com.

Extension offers money management video series

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service has launched a series of short videos to help Alaskans manage their finances.

Topics in the Mastering Money Management series include improving your credit score, reading your credit report, children’s allowances, living on a seasonal income, automating your bill payments and what to do before choosing bankruptcy.

Roxie Dinstel, who has been teaching family finance classes for Extension for nearly 40 years, coordinated the series of five- to eight-minute YouTube videos. Ideas for topics came from agents and their clients, including farmers and fishermen, she said. Dinstel hopes the videos will be a quick resource that people can use.

Personal finance is important, she said. “But we’re not teaching it in school.”

Dinstel said Alaskans face special challenges for money management because of seasonal incomes, an uncertain state economy and budget cuts.

The videos are available at www.uaf.edu/ces/money.

Anyone with ideas for additional video topics may contact Dinstel at 907-474-7201 or at rrdinstel@alaska.edu.

What’s new in your business?

Have you opened a new business, moved to a new location, hired a new person or promoted an employee? Send us your information at news@peninsulaclarion.com, fax it to 907-283-3299, or drop it by the Clarion at 150 Trading Bay in Kenai.

Questions? Call 907-335-1251.

 

Business announcements may be submitted to news@peninsulaclarion.com. Items should be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication.

More in Life

File
Minister’s Message: Search me and know me

I have a brilliant friend who was a former archaeologist. She recalled… Continue reading

Sesame seed buns made from scratch elevate a meal. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A taste of Americana

Like all great things familiar and traditional, these sesame seed buns were born of a woman’s labor.

This image is the only confirmed photograph of guide Ben Swesey discovered by the author. The photo, from John P. Holman’s 1933 hunting memoir, “Sheep and Bear Trails,” shows Swesey working to remove the cape from a Dall sheep ram shot by Holman in 1917.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Danger was inherent in the job. Although his fellow hunting… Continue reading

Historic Elwell Lodge Guest Cabin is seen at its new spot near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Center. (USWS)
Around the peninsula

Local events and happenings coming soon.

Nián gāo is a traditional Lunar New Year treat enjoyed in China for over two thousand years. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A Lunar New Year’s treat

This sweet, steamed rice cake is chewy, gooey and full of positivity.

This excerpt from a U.S. Geological Survey map shows the approximate location of Snug Harbor on lower Kenai Lake. It was in this area that William Weaver nearly drowned in 1910.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Michigan’s hard-luck Swesey clan sprang into existence because of the… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: Rhythms and routines

Your habits are already forming you.

This screenshot from David Paulides’s “Missing 411” YouTube podcast shows the host beginning his talk about the disappearance of Ben Swesey and William Weaver.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 1

More than a hundred years after Ben Swesey and Bill Weaver steered… Continue reading

This dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and gets dinner time done fast. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Full of mother’s love

This one-pot dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and can be ready in 30 minutes.

Photo by Clark Fair
This 2025 image of the former grounds of the agricultural experiment station in Kenai contains no buildings left over from the Kenai Station days. The oldest building now, completed in the late 1930s, is the tallest structure in this photograph.
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 8

Over the past 50 years or more, the City of Kenai has… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: So your life story can be better

Last month the Christmas story was displayed in nativity scenes, read about… Continue reading

These gyros make a super delicious and satisfying tofu dish. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A new addition to the menu

Tofu gyros with homemade lentil wraps are so surprisingly satisfying and add extra fiber and protein to a meal.