Friday, February 3, 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.

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

‘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.

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

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

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.

Soldier’s mother angered by remark
My heart rejoiced when Alaska Troops arrived back on American soil, but with sadness, I know that my son who is attached to the Kansas National Guard is still in Iraq.

Reader: Decision could bring sunshine
Democrats have convinced the liberal Alaska Supreme Court to make a decision that seemingly grants health care benefits to people in homosexual relationships, even though common law marriages are not recognized in Alaska. Although the ramifications could be disastrous, there may be sunshine coming.

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.

Health fair supporters are a shot in the arm
On behalf of the Central Peninsula General Hospital I would like to thank the following for making the 2006 health fair a huge success:

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.

Tesoro ship runs aground in Nikiski
An oil tanker leased by Tesoro was struck by an ice floe, broke loose of its moorings and grounded on the beach one-half mile north of the Kenai Pipeline Company dock in Nikiski at 5:25 a.m. Thursday.

Saturday event will honor troops past and present
Seven Alaska National Guard troops who served in Iraq over the past year are set to receive a warm welcome at the Kenai Armory on Saturday.

Tanker tugged free from shoreline
An oil tanker leased by Tesoro was struck by an ice floe, broke loose of its moorings and grounded on the beach one-half mile north of the Kenai Pipeline Company dock in Nikiski at 5:25 a.m. Thursday.

Women set to ski for a good cause
Domestic violence is all too often ignored so a local fundraiser aims to bring to light this problem, and they’re doing it on a day purported to be one of the highest for violence against women - Super Bowl Sunday.

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.

Koch fills top Kenai position
It’s official. The city of Kenai has a new city manager.

Cook Inlet shipwrecks date to 1871
The Thursday morning grounding of the Seabulk Pride oil tanker north of the Tesoro loading dock in Nikiski is just the most recent in a long list of Cook Inlet mishaps dating back as far as 1871.

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.

Stephen J. Strain
Anchorage resident Stephen J. Strain died Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at the corner of 20th and Lake Otis in a car accident. He was 35.

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

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

Billy Brown Wise
Anchorage resident Billy Brown Wise died Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at her home. She was 75.

Tanker response quick, but safety issues still linger
What a jolt it was to wake up to the news that a tanker had run aground in Nikiski on Thursday morning. We’re sure many people immediately flashed back to images of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

Wildfire protection is a responsibility for everyone
For the past year or so I’ve been participating in Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) meetings around the Kenai Peninsula. My role at these meetings is that of a federal land and fire management agency consultant or advisor.

Edwards flexes ’but skills on TV
A former Soldotna High School teacher sported his Alaska fishing skills Thursday and will again Sunday on “Cabela’s Outfitter Journal,” an outdoor television program.

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

Around the Peninsula
Public schools to be discussedMushroom society meeting slatedMiners set to dig in

Kenai, SoHi skaters open with victories
The Kenai Central High School hockey team got up early and kept the pressure on, bumping Skyview from the North Star Conference tournament with an 8-3 win Thursday at the Soldotna Sports Center.

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.

Hutchisons could make history
The biggest wrestling meet of the year kicks off today, and there could be big things in store as the state’s top 4A wrestlers meet at Chugiak High School for the state championship tournament.

SoHi girls get past Kardinals
Both the girls and boys basketball games came down to the final seconds Thursday in Northern Lights Conference action between host Kenai Central and rival Soldotna.

Is a world without AIDS even possible?
Some of the most moving stories of suffering ever told relate to the plight of both adults and children affected by the AIDS epidemic.

Church Briefs
Addictions group meetsClothes Quarters lists scheduleBaha’i classes slatedMatrix Church moves to mallSoldotna aglow to meetNikiski group offers Bible studyLeadership strategist to speakGroup studies book of Joshua

Oilers gain infielder, lose assistant coach
Matt Clark, a freshman third baseman from the University of California, Santa Barbara, has joined the 2006 Oilers. After Clark’s senior year at Etiwanda High School he was named as one of Team One’s top 10 third base prospects in America. The 6-foot-5 Clark also was named as one of the nation’s top 100 prospects at the Perfect Game National Showcase. Clark, son of former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Terry Clark, is from Fontana, Calif., and has not selected his college course of study.

Sports Briefs
KPHA squad plays three in Fairbanks