So, I threw the bones for the year ahead, and let me tell you, they were very clear. This message has been ringing in my ear for a few weeks now. The message was real simple: stay focused. That’s it. That’s the word. No long speech. No drama. Just focus.

For decades, Americans were taught to follow a food pyramid that emphasized processed grains, low-fat products, and calorie counting. Over time, rising rates of chronic illness and inflammation forced a reevaluation of that approach. Today, national dietary guidelines have shifted away from the old pyramid toward a model that more closely reflects how humans have eaten for most of history: whole foods, balanced portions, and nutrient-dense ingredients drawn from nature.

It is amazing how the winds seem to zoom into Palmer every couple of years with a ferocity that I have never experienced anywhere else. During Christmas break of 2021/22 we endured a horrific windstorm that made the snow pile up in huge drifts. A 6' drift at our front door and another 6' on our patio. We needed help to get out of our house that year. We also lost part of our wooden fence.

Sunshine Community Health Center (Sunshine CHC) is currently seeking Dental Assistants to join our dedicated dental team serving rural Alaska. Dental assistants at Sunshine play a critical role in improving oral health, restoring confidence, and supporting overall well-being for patients across our communities.

R.O.C.K. Mat-Su is proud to announce Julie Hubbard as the recipient of the 2025 R.O.C.K. Star Award, recognizing her dedication to improving the lives of children and families throughout the Mat-Su.

Since 2021, MTA employees have come together every year for their Employee Giving campaign. Together, they’ve made an incredible difference each year, raising money for nonprofit organizations throughout our community.

In every community, there are quiet stories unfolding stories of resilience, loss, hope, and healing. They are not always visible from the outside, and they rarely begin with a clear solution. More often, they begin with a person choosing to stay present when it would be easier to walk away.

Awareness is the Only Solution. We all realize President Trump is not a smooth-talking, polished politician, and it is true there are times when we wish he had more of a filter. But could it be the pendulum has swung so far into the realm of disinformation, double-talk, spin, and false narratives that it’s pulling this country apart? Maybe we need the pendulum to take a wide swing back to the fact and reality dialogues we are so lacking, filter or not.

Why does President Trump want to take responsibility for 35 million Venezuelans? Their economy has been in collapse for many years, has been plagued by hyper-inflation, has over 150 billion of debt, and a crumbling infrastructure. Apart from Chevron, American oil companies showed little interest in new investments during their January 9, 2026, meeting with Trump.

There were some things with which I agreed, at least in sentiment, with Lela Ryterski; however, there were also some things with which I greatly disagreed. In response to Ryterski’s call for dialogue at the end of their article, I have sought to compile a response to three of those points with which I disagreed. The first point is on how to solve the division caused by the two-party system. The second point is on the current structure of the government and problems with representation. The third point is on her suggestion for an imitative method of education.

The Rock

The Alaskan Breezes

SLUG

Ask the average American: “Can the federal government create a national healthcare program?” Their answer: “Yes, of course. The Constitution says the government should provide for the general welfare.” Ask them: “Which of the eighteen enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8 authorizes federal healthcare regulation?” Their response: “General welfare! It’s right there in the Constitution!” Press further: “But if ‘general welfare’ grants unlimited power, why does the Constitution enumerate eighteen specific powers immediately after that phrase?” Now they’re confused. This isn’t accidental. It’s the product of systematic civic miseducation.

To understand the Christian view of pets one must first understand the Christian view of animals and our relationship with them. “God made the animals of the earth according to their kind. . . and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25 NASB) this comes right before God makes humankind in His own image. After both man and woman are made God then gave them a purpose “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (1:28) and after he informed man and woman what they and the animals would be eating, called everything very good. What can be taken away from this? That mankind is separate from animals in both the purpose given and in being made in God’s image, and also that the animals are considered good, but that mankind, with their purpose and position fulfilled, is considered very good.

Last November, we announced that Valley’s Got Talent was coming to the Mat-Su. This is the follow-up; but more importantly, this is the invitation.

Because Valley’s Got Talent isn’t about finding the single best performer in the Valley. It’s about something much simpler, and much more joyful: showing up, having fun, and sharing what you love to do.