Thursday, February 2, 2006

Kenai airport prepares to go international — for a few days
Usually, a visit to the Kenai Municipal Airport is a stop on the way to Anchorage. No big airport-style security stands in the way of a friendly flight on a small Dash-8 aircraft to busy Ted Stevens International.

Arctic Winter Games meets volunteer goal
Residents who may have procrastinated in signing up to volunteer for the 2006 Arctic Winter Games waited just a little too long.

Business Briefs
Area chambers set schedules Parker named GE Healthcare Alaska account manager SBDC to host workshops Personal Inventory class offered Foraker Group to hold class Cultural center workshop planned Custom CPU changes locations Arsenault receives award for excellence in appraisal

Art Briefs
Writers’ group to meet Stained glass classes offered Contestants sought for Mrs. International World Cafe seeks auditions Carving workshops slated Art donations wanted for auction Area writers’ work sought Fairbanks poetry contest submissions sought Dance club seeks members Storytellers wanted Arts educator grants offered

‘Nanny’ definitely a kids’ movie
“Nanny McPhee” is but one of a rash of children’s films to hit the market lately, including “Hoodwinked,” an animated spoof on fairy tales, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” the incredibly successful story of five children in a magical world, and “Big Momma’s House 2,” which appears to have been made by a bunch of 6-year-olds.

What’s Happening
Best Bets Events and Exhibits Entertainment Upcoming events Films Down the Road Anchorage events

Health care issue goes beyond same-sex benefits
I’m writing in reference to the article submitted by Paul Morrison in Monday’s (Jan. 30) Clarion. Although I agree our societies’ morals have degraded to unprecedented levels, I believe this is not truly the issue.

Palin not an entrenched politician
As the race for Governor begins to heat up, I’d like to add my support for Sarah Palin for Governor. I have known Sarah for quite a few years and have come to admire her work ethic, her determination to do what’s right in the face of adversity and her drive to make Alaska better for everyone. I personally like the fact that she is not an entrenched politician with an agenda. Rather, Sarah’s only agenda is doing what’s right for Alaska.

Tsalteshi trails is welcome mat for visitors
Nice coverage and story on the SoHi Invite (Clarion, Jan. 29). I always enjoy going to the Peninsula for ski meets. The Tsalteshi trails are just great and the people in the community are always so friendly!

Reader: Love more important than morality arguments
Regarding Paul Morrison’s letter “Reader: Same-sex benefits debate shows erosion of morals” (Clarion, Jan. 30). I’d like to say to Paul, get off your moral high horse before you fall off. I happen to be a heterosexual with children and grandchildren. My interpretation of a homosexual would be a person who lives next door, a person who works in a courthouse or next to you on the sliming line at the cannery. Most likely a Republican or Democrat or whatever. One happens to be the daughter of Dick Cheney. If you don’t think they were around in the ’50s, you had your head in the sand or some other dark place.

Binkley has reader’s vote for governor
I was glad to see that John Binkley is back in Alaskan politics and running for Governor, now that his children are grown up and live in Alaska. I have known John since he was in high school. Even then, it was obvious that he is very intelligent and hard working. Through the years I have followed his career as he became a successful businessman in the visitor industry, started a shipping business on the Kuskokwim River, and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alaska Railroad. In the meantime, he was elected to the State Senate and served on the Finance Committee.

Project lets kids know ‘we care’
Project Kids — We Care were the combined efforts of the central peninsula churches to gather stuffed toys for children who had experienced the trauma of Hurricane Katrina. As the stuffed animals arrived, bags of Beanie Babies arrived, as well. Small tags were attached to every toy to convey on important message: Jesus loves you and me.

Sterling crash hurts teacher
A Skyview High School teacher was injured in a vehicle collision at Mile 99 of the Sterling Highway on Tuesday afternoon.

Kenai airport prepares to go international — for a few days
Usually, a visit to the Kenai Municipal Airport is a stop on the way to Anchorage. No big airport-style security stands in the way of a friendly flight on a small Dash-8 aircraft to busy Ted Stevens International.

School district begins staff negotiations
Contract talks have begun among the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and its teachers and support staff, but don’t expect the process to be the same this time around.

Augustine plume has yet to blanket any communities
Steam clouds have continuously bellowed from Augustine since Saturday, but surprisingly little ash has fallen and only two observations have detected ash on the peninsula, according to geologists monitoring the volcano.

Arctic Winter Games meets volunteer goal
Residents who may have procrastinated in signing up to volunteer for the 2006 Arctic Winter Games waited just a little too long.

Breaking: Tesoro sizing up grounded tanker situation
At 5:25 a.m. today an oil tanker, leased by Tesoro, was struck by an ice floe, broke loose of its moorings and grounded on the beach a half a mile north of the Kenai Pipeline dock in Nikiski.

New charges added in assault
A Kenai middle school teacher indicted on one first-degree count of sexual assault involving an 18-year-old woman from Kenai on Jan. 13, was indicted on seven additional first-degree counts of sexual assault Friday after investigation revealed a second victim.

City dwellers asked to help fire departments dig
Now that snow is starting to pile up in the central Kenai Peninsula, firefighters in the cities are asking residents to lend a helping hand by unburying neighborhood fire hydrants.

Barbara J. Shull
Former Nikiski resident Barbara J. Shull died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, in Albany, Ore., of cancer. She was 57.

William ‘Bill’ Hale Egbert
Longtime Nikiski resident William “Bill” Hale Egbert died Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006, at his home in Nikiski. He was 65.

Maude C. Dubendorf
Longtime Soldotna resident Maude C. Dubendorf died Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, at Heritage Place in Soldotna. She was 96.

Wayne M. Turpin
Soldotna resident Wayne M. Turpin died in Medford, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006. He was 85.

Around the Peninsula
Skyview grad committee to meet Miners set to dig in Mushroom society meeting slated Prime rib dinner fund-raiser set to go Troops return cause for celebration

Around the Peninsula
Clarion looking for love Wrestling club seeks members Parenting class set Wine tasting, auction slated Photo guild to meet Seavey goes to the dogs Caregiver training slated

NSC tournament anybody’s game
There will be favorites, but there will be no givens when the North Star Conference hockey tournament comes to the Soldotna Sports Center today, Friday and Saturday.

CIA, Ninilchik cagers earn split
The Ninilchik Wolverines girls basketball team used their patented man-to-man defense to pull out a 53-33 Peninsula Conference victory against the visiting Cook Inlet Academy Eagles Tuesday at Ninilchik.

Augustine’s eruption provides educators with ‘real-time’ lessons
On a clear day, Augustine Volcano is visible from Homer Middle School. So when the volcano began erupting earlier this month, Suzanne Haines decided her seventh-grade geography students could take a break from pyramids and pharaohs to take a closer look.

Around the District
Students of the Month announced Scholarships offered to high school seniors Connections Cook Inlet Academy Grace Lutheran Kalifornsky Beach Elementary Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Sciences Kenai Central High Kenai Middle Kenai Montessori Kenaitze Cuya Qyut’anen Head Start Mountain View Elementary Nikiski Middle-Senior Nikiski North Star Elementary Redoubt Elementary Ridgeway Preschool Sears Elementary Skyview High Soldotna Elementary Soldotna High Soldotna Middle Sterling Elementary Sterling RurAL CAP Head Start Tustumena Elementary Wings Christian Academy

The customer is always right; even if they are rude, undecided
“Can I get a number two, large-sized, with a coke?”

KPC busy with new courses, aid workshops, art reception
Active Stock Trading Course Oil painting course slated Financial aid workshop set Artist reception planned Kenai River Campus installs new sign