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William Henry Franke signed this draft-registration card in August 1942 in Massachusetts. At the time, he was serving with the U.S. Merchant Marine. Four years later, he would move to the Kenai Peninsula. In January 1948, he would kill Ethen Cunningham.

Life

States of Mind: The death of Ethen Cunningham — Part 2

Conjecture about motive was rampant immediately after the shooting and in the months before Franke’s court date

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Life

Minister’s Message: Entering rest

I asked a group of people to share their ideas of what they think of when they hear…

Former Kenai resident and businessman Hal Thornton first arrived in Kenai on the evening that Ethen Cunningham was murdered. He described his experience with this event in the Kenai chapter of this memoir.

Life

States of Mind: The death of Ethen Cunningham — Part 1

It may have seemed like an open-and-shut case

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Life

Minister’s Message: The quest for unity

The solution for unity must be in terms of honoring God and God’s values

Pigs race at the Kenai Peninsula Fair in Ninilchik, Alaska, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Pigs race at the Kenai Peninsula Fair in Ninilchik, Alaska, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Life

Kenai Peninsula Fair 2024: Back to the Last Frontier

Some of the highlights this year will include horse rides, hamster balls, pig races, rodeo and competitions

On its last legs. When the Peninsula Clarion’s Ashlyn O’Hara captured this image of Good Time Charlies in 2022, the old bar and strip club was about to be demolished to make room for a highway-safety project.

Life

A violent season — Part 7

No bar stands today north of the Sterling Highway and across from the Birch Ridge Golf Course.

A turtle is made out of kid-friendly snacks for Vacation Bible School. (Photo courtesy Meredith Harber)

Life

Minister’s Message: We all need to feel loved and liked

Over the last few days, my church has hosted our yearly Vacation Bible School.

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Life

Minister’s Message: Trusting in the will of God

Many people avoid having a relationship with God because of the trust issue

Harvey Dale Hardaway, seen here in his military uniform, was one of four men involved in a shoot-out at the Hilltop Bar and Café in December 1967. (Public photo from ancestry.com)

Life

A violent season — Part 6

A disagreement over the payment for some food led to a shoot-out at the Hilltop Bar and Café

Nick Varney

Life

Unhinged Alaska: The rise and demise of the rodent

Husbands can make very rare and somewhat dim-bulb mistakes

Virginia Walters (Courtesy photo)

Life

Life in the Pedestrian Lane: Good old summertime

The lupines are crazy this year, as were the dandelions.

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Life

Minister’s Message: The gift of lament

We don’t always know what to do in those difficult parts of life.

This advertisement for the Hilltop Bar and Café, the successor to the Circus Bar, appeared in 1962. The names under “Beer and Booze” refer to co-owners Swede Foss and Steve Henry King. (Advertisement contributed by Jim Taylor)

Life

A violent season — Part 5

Bush did not deny killing Jack Griffiths in October 1961, but he claimed to have had no choice…

Lupine is photographed in July 2024 on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Meredith Harber)

Life

Minister’s Message: Take a moment and admire the flowers

Summer has finally arrived

James Franklin Bush was arrested and jailed for vagrancy and contributing to the delinquency of minors in California in 1960, about a year before the murder in Soldotna of Jack Griffiths. (Public document from ancestry.com)

Life

A violent season — Part 4

James Franklin “Jim” Bush stood accused of the Soldotna murder of Jack Griffiths in October 1961

Will Morrow (courtesy)

Life

Hard to say goodbye

I’ve mentioned in the past that I’ve been perfectly happy with my 14-year-old, base model pickup truck.

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Life

Minister’s Message: Faith will lead to God’s abundance

Abundance is in many aspects of our lives, some good and some not.

[csC1—]Jack and Alice Griffiths, owners of the Circus Bar, pose together in about 1960. (Public photo from familysearch.org)

Life

A violent season — Part 3

The second spirit, said Cunningham, belonged to Jack Griffiths….

Ruth Ann and Oscar Pederson share smiles with young Vicky, a foster daughter they were trying to adopt in 1954. This front-page photograph appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on June 17, 1954.

Life

A violent season — Part 2

Triumph, tragedy and mystery

Nick Varney

Life

Unhinged Alaska: Sometimes it’s not cool to mention heat

Thanks for the joke fest material rolling into our Unhinged Alaska headquarters folks but chill out.