Photo credit: Matanuska Experiment Farm

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Aimee Young, Farm Manager from the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, for the latest updates from on the farm.

Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper discusses the recent city council meeting for June 9th. 2026, on this week’s Mayor’s Minutes with host Mike Chmielewski.

Jim Cooper, Mayor of Palmer

Photo credit: City of Palmer

Tim Huffman of the Midnight Sun Beekeeping Club joins host Ken Hoffman on this episode of Ag Matters to discuss beekeeping in Alaska.

Photo Credit: Midnight Sun Beekeeping Club

The Mat-Su Sentinel bought the Frontiersman. The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman has been reporting news and sports in the Valley since 1947. Arizona-based Wick Communications bought it in 1996.

Wick Chief Executive Officer Josh O’Connor says, “We could not have found a better successor. The Mat-Su Sentinel is truly the perfect local owner.” 

Thousands of newspapers in the United States have closed over the last two decades. Survivors tend to be digital and located in urban centers. Amy Bushatz has watched this trend unfold over her 25-year journalism career. 

She moved to the Valley in 2016. She was astonished to see local newspapers still operating in Alaska. The Frontiersman, the Peninsula Clarion, the Cordova Times, and the Nome Nugget were still in print. 

“I saw the writing on the wall, how that was going to end,” says Bushatz, “and I wanted to make sure that I had an organization where we were providing trusted local news.”

Bushatz launched the Mat-Su Sentinel in 2024. It’s a digital-only, non-profit news source. It was meant to complement, not compete, with the Frontiersman. After all, there are a lot of communities in the Mat-Su with stories to tell! 

The timing was remarkable. About six months after the Sentinel started, the Frontiersman was put up for sale.

The Sentinel purchased the Frontiersman last month. People can read the Frontiersman digital archives for free now. Bushatz removed the paywall. She hopes to keep the archive accessible. No news is being added to it at this time. 

Bushatz also received decades of print newspapers. These provide a record of Mat-Su history. 

Some coverage formerly reported in the Frontiersman, such as sports and the “Best of the Valley” celebration, will be covered in the Sentinel in the future. 

The Sentinel reports on events, public meetings, and public notices. It provides a calendar of events and a community bulletin board where readers can post announcements. Stories are organized by region. There are still gaps in coverage, especially for towns in the Matanuska Valley.

“It’s a big valley,” says Bushatz. “So, we need more of all the things we’re already doing.”

Bushatz also promotes civic engagement. The Sentinel held a “Flip the Script” election event in 2025. Voters used live polling to express their views on topics. Candidates listened from their seats among the audience. Another Flip the Script is scheduled for this fall. The Sentinel will also host an interactive voter guide based on topics submitted by readers.

Bushatz believes local news coverage strengthens communities and fosters connections. She is betting that still matters even in a changing media environment. 

If you have a news tip, you can reach Bushatz in her office across from the Valley Hotel in Palmer or through matsusentinel.com. 

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News. Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org. 

This Page Two article was summarized by Kendra Zamzow from the Valley Edition interview with Amy Bushatz last week. The full interview is on bigcabbageradio.org in Valley Edition under podcasts.

Yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced this article. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday June 10, 2026.

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Kelley Shoemake, Executive Director of the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce, as they discuss the 2026 Colony Days celebration.

Let’s have a parade! The Colony Days Parade will take place Saturday, June 13th, at 11:00am in Downtown Palmer! Be sure to come out and find a great spot to view the Parade, and enjoy! Can’t make the parade in-person? Listen to the livestream provided by Big Cabbage Radio by visiting their homepage www.bigcabbageradio.org.

They call it Fox Sauce. This dark red barbecue sauce comes in a vacuum sealed pouch. Our reporter found it at the Friday Fling last week.

We had to ask F.J. Kruger how he came to sell barbecue sauce in Palmer, Alaska. It’s a pretty good story. And like lots of good stories, it starts with a grandpa.

Grandpa Fox sat his granddaughter down for a talk one day. He had kept his recipe for barbecue sauce a secret since the 1970s. He decided to share it with her. And he encouraged his granddaughter to sell it to the world.

And that is how Fox Sauce was born.

Kruger says the recipe doesn’t fit into neat regional qualities. It’s not the vinegar-forward style of the Carolinas. It’s not overly sweet like Kansas barbecue sauce. It’s a uniquely Alaskan style.

Our Page Two reporter found the sauce mild. Even the original hot variety had the smallest kick. Kruger says the spice is there to enhance the flavor not to challenge anyone in a torture contest.

He notes that there’s a growing interest in barbecue in Alaska. He says people used to be intimidated by wood and charcoal grills. He notes that wood pellet grills are easier to use.

In other news burn permits have been suspended in the Mat-Su. This is due to increasing fire danger, lower relative humidity, and limited firefighting resources statewide. A burn permit suspension means no burning of burn barrels, debris piles, or lawns.

Campfires smaller than three feet in diameter for the purpose of warming, cooking, or signaling are allowed. Adequate clearance from combustibles is required. The campfire must be attended until cold to the touch. Any approved fire should be undertaken with caution and vigilance. The burn permit suspension will remain in place until conditions change.

The Palmer City Council meets in their chambers tonight at 6 p.m. Find the agenda at palmerak.org

The Matanuska Community Farmers Market opens tomorrow. Stop by the log church parking lot at 713 S Denali St between 4 and 7 p.m. Come on out for fresh, locally grown and produced foods, kids activities, plant starts, soup and spring rolls, and a good time.

Raised by Elephants brings their psychedelic, alternative, and experimental rock to the Palmer Alehouse on Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. This is a free all ages show. Attendees under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News. Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

This Page Two article was reported by David Cheezem and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tuesday June 9, 2026.

Streaming Tue Jun 9

Tune in to the audio or video streams of the Palmer City Council meeting at 6 p.m. on bigcabbageradio.org

On the radio this week

Tue Jun 9

Hear what’s going on in our Palmer Chamber of Commerce at 8 a.m. repeating at 5 p.m.

Wed Jun 10

Tim Huffman from Midnight Sun Beekeepers joins host Ken Hoffman on Ag Matters at 7:30 a.m. repeating at 5:30 p.m.

Aimee Young gives the monthly update on the UAF Farm and Extension Service along with her sage advice at 8 a.m. repeating at 5 p.m. This is airing a week late due to illness.

Fri Jun 12

Palmer Police Dispatch Supervisor Whitney Daw joins Mike Chmielewski on Inside the City at 8 a.m. repeating at 5:30 p.m.

Get an update on Valley Transit service to Anchorage on Valley Edition at 5 p.m. repeating Sat. at noon.

Sat Jun 13

Rachel Levitt and John Robertson review federal actions that impact Alaska on Home to Roost. Saturday at 12:30 p.m. repeating on Monday 5:30 p.m.

Join Dr. Jill Valerius and host Lee Henrikson as they continue to discuss vaping dangers and begin a discussion on prostate cancer screening.

Tracie is the Palmer Groundskeeper Foreman. She and her crew keep the hanging flower baskets in downtown Palmer blooming all summer long. The baskets hang on poles along Alaska Street from Fireweed Avenue to Blueberry Avenue. Additional displays adorn the visitor center, public restrooms, the Depot, and the temporary library. A total of 80 baskets brighten the downtown. 

Tracie has spent nearly 20 years tending the hanging flower baskets along Alaska Street. 

The baskets are sourced from Ewetopia Greenhouse in the Butte. Their bold, bright colors are designed to stand out against trees and buildings. Each basket contains 10 to 12 flower varieties. They create ever-changing displays as the season progresses. Early blooms give way to new varieties as summer unfolds. The baskets grow fuller and more colorful as time passes.

Maintaining the baskets requires work. The crew waters them three times a week: on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They fertilize the baskets weekly. The baskets may need extra watering during warm or windy stretches to keep the densely planted baskets from drying out. Wind can be tough on the flowers, but the baskets are resilient and often bounce back after storms.

Beyond their beauty, the flowers support pollinators. Tracie sees bees among the blooms, especially around the visitor center and flowering trees throughout town. As different plants bloom in sequence—cherry bushes, rose trees, clover, and dandelions—they provide vital forage for pollinators across the community.

Palmer also features community food planters through the Grow Palmer program. These volunteer-supported beds are located along popular walking routes. They rely on residents to weed, harvest responsibly, and keep them tidy. Palmer Public Works waters and fertilizes the beds, but community participation is key. Other gardens, such as the one at the Palmer Museum of History and Art, are maintained through partnerships and contracts.

Tracie’s crew of six is soon to grow to seven or eight. They handle more than flower baskets. They mow city parks and sports fields weekly, maintain landscaping at city buildings and the airport, empty the public trash cans three times a week, and service the 13 dog waste stations across town. The crew really appreciates everyone who picks up after their pets.The volume of dog waste collected underscores how important those stations are for keeping trails and green spaces clean. 

The most rewarding part of the job for Tracie is her “victory lap.” She drives through the downtown after a week of mowing, trimming, and watering and sees Alaska Street manicured and vibrant before Friday Fling. Positive comments from tourists and locals make the hard work worthwhile.

Looking ahead, Tracie would love to expand flower displays beyond the downtown and update aging park equipment with newer, safer playground structures. She wants to explore adding flower baskets to the municipal golf course clubhouse.

Groundskeeping in Palmer is constant work. Grass and flowers grow fast with the long summer daylight. Tracie and her team take pride in keeping the city beautiful. If you see them out working, don’t hesitate to offer a wave or a thank-you.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News. Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org. 

Mike Chmielewski reported this story based on an interview last Friday. The full interview is on bigcabbageradio.org in Inside the City under Podcasts.

Page 2 is produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Monday June 8, 2026.

This week, we discuss new medicaid rules, new proposed mail-in ballot rules, and new threats to Alaska’s tourism industry. We also host two special guests for this week’s rendition of “Who Said It?’