Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guests, Kelley Shoemake, Executive Director of the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce, and Jim Cooper, Mayor of Palmer. Listen in as they discuss how the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce and the city of Palmer work with each other to help make Palmer “Alaska At Its Best”.

Image Credits: Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce and the City of Palmer

If you didn’t know the Mat-Su Sentinel now publishes obituaries, you’re not alone. You probably didn’t know they cost less than you’d expect either.

A standard obituary starts at $250 in the Anchorage Daily News. It can cost more depending on the package and length.

An obituary at the Mat-Su Sentinel costs $100. A short death notice costs $30.

Amy Bushatz is founder and editor of the Mat-Su Sentinel. She purchased the longtime local newspaper, the Frontiersman in June. Bushatz was researching how the Sentinel would approach obituaries, also called obits, weeks before the sale was final.

“I wanted to run obits on day one,” she said.

It took longer than she expected. The third-party service for obituaries needed a few weeks to transfer the archived obituaries from the Frontiersman to the Sentinel.

Bushatz notes that obituaries have been a reliable source of income for print newspapers. They are a community service first and business second for her.

Publishing obituaries does cost money. The fee helps cover the third-party services that verify a death before the obituary is published.

There are a lot of costs involved in a print paper. Digital news sources cost less to run. This means the Mat-Su Sentinel can publish obituaries. And it can charge less than a traditional newspaper,

The Sentinel charges a flat fee of $100. This includes photos and a generous word count.

The platform at the Frontiersman had bundled the obituaries with a paid Facebook promotion. Bushatz dropped it. She says families should have full autonomy over how, or whether, they publicize a death. They shouldn’t be upsold on extras. This could mean fewer obituaries, which do bring in a small amount of income.

Bushatz stated, “How you honor your loved one’s legacy is completely up to you. You should publish an obituary exactly the way you want to.”

That philosophy is rooted in something more personal than pricing. Bushatz doesn’t remember what she wrote for her grandmother’s obituary over twenty years ago. She only remembers wishing she had known her grandmother better.

Writing the obituary created a bond of its own.

“It was a memorable connection with her that I otherwise would not have had,” she says.

Bushatz has written many obituaries since penning her grandmother’s. She considers an obituary an opportunity to get to know someone. It’s an act that honors a life.

As a journalist, Bushatz mostly writes obituaries about public officials.

She notes that public service is hard. The public figures could do really anything they wanted to, but they decided to do this hard thing instead.

Bushatz is prepared. She keeps a running file of draft obituaries in her back pocket.

She says, “I’m always very impressed by the lives of these people.”

Obituaries and death notices can be submitted via the link at the top menu of the matsusentinel.com. All obituaries published in the former Frontiersman online portal are available.

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 and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

Emily Forstner reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. 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, August 11, 2026.

image from matsusentinel.com

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins (born February 7, 1989), also known as JKT, is an American politician who was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023. As a Democrat, he represented the state’s 35th district, 

photo/text credit: Wikipedia

Join host Kenni Psenak as she interviews Shelley Hughes candidate for Alaska’s Governor.

Shelley Hughes

Shelley Hughes (born January 6, 1958) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Alaska Senate from 2017 to 2025. Hughes represented Palmer and other parts of the southern Mat-Su Borough. She was a member of the Alaska State Representatives from January 18, 2013, until January 22, 2017.

Tom Begich

Thomas Scott Begich (born October 31, 1960) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Alaska Senate. He represented District J from 2017 to 2023.

photo/text credit: Wikipedia

Join host Kenni Psenak as she interviews Edna DeVries, candidate for Alaska’s Governor.

Edna DeVries

Edna B. DeVries (born July 12, 1941) is an American realtor and politician from Alaska, who has been mayor of the Mat-Su Borough since November 2021. DeVries served in the Alaska State Senate from 1984 to 1988. She has previously served as mayor of Palmer from December 2016 to November 2021, and was a member of its city council from 2010 to 2016 and 1996 to 1999.

Photo and text credit: Wikipedia

Join Dr. Jill Valerius and host Lee Henrikson as they continue a 3-part discussion on keeping healthy bones.

Simple steps can help protect your bones as you age. However, prevention also involves understanding your risk. Talk to your doctor about bone density and strength screenings you may need to help detect changes early and keep your bones strong for years to come.

Image and Text Credit: Clinch Valley Health

The Alaska primary election is next Tuesday, August 18. This is an open primary. All candidates for each seat are listed on the ballot. Voters may choose one candidate in each race. The top four vote getters in each race will be on the ballot in November.

Ballot Measure 1 is on the Primary ballot. It would reinstate campaign contribution limits if passed. Two additional ballot measures will be decided in November.

The Division of Elections oversees statewide elections. This includes U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state Senate and House seats, and judicial retention elections. Municipal elections, such as city, borough and school district races, are handled by local election officials. Houston, Palmer and Wasilla elections are on October 6. The borough elections are on November 3.

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day. It’s a good idea to check your voting location before heading to the polls. Locations can change from one election to another. You can look up your polling location on myvoterportal.alaska.gov.

Early voting is underway. Mat-Su voters can vote early at the Mat-Su Borough building in Palmer on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. through next Monday. Any voter registered in the State of Alaska can vote early at the Menard Center. The center will be open Monday – Friday 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday noon – 4:00 p.m. It will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Preliminary election results will begin to be released about an hour after polls close next Tuesday. These initial numbers are not final. Alaska’s size, remote communities, and overseas voters mean that absentee ballots will continue to arrive after Election Day.

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by August 18 and received by August 28. Final results will be reported on August 28. The Division of Elections plans to provide ongoing updates, including results by precinct and region. The target date for certification of the primary election is August 31.

Voters who want to check whether a ballot was counted can check myvoterportal.alaska.gov. If you can’t see your data, there are links to contact information.

Elections.alaska.gov is another useful resource. Voters can find polling and early-voting locations, hours, sample ballots, candidate biographies and position statements, and information about ballot measures.

Accessible versions, including audio information for candidate statements, are also available. Our regional Division of Elections office in Wasilla can provide printed information or mail materials to voters who prefer not to use the internet. You can call them at (907) 373-8952.

Here’s the bottom line. Before voting on election day: check your poll location, confirm the hours, review your ballot, and understand that election-night numbers are preliminary. Certified results are reported after all eligible ballots have been received, processed, and counted.

Please vote.

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 and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

Mike Chmielewski reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. 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 August 10, 2026.

Image: Sample ballot front side from e​​lections.alaska.gov

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Steve Kirsch, with the Alaska Division of Elections. Listen in as they discuss the upcoming election season.

The Alaska Division of Elections (DOE) is publishing a Ballot Measure Pamphlet (BMP) for the 2026 Primary Election. This is the first BMP issued by the DOE since 2014.

Image and Text Credit: Alaska Division of Elections.