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.

Construction continues on the new library

Photo Credit: Big Cabbage Radio

Graduates at the Don Young Alaska Job Corps Center in Palmer will walk across the stage next week. They will wear caps and gowns. Pomp and Circumstance will play. The graduation ceremony is next Friday, August 14, at the Job Corps Center on Lynn Martin Drive in Palmer.

Center Director Bobbie Irvin sees graduation as a time to celebrate more than completed classes. It’s a day to honor young people who are making the most of their lives.

Irvin said, “I think the only thing that really keeps young people from succeeding is opportunity. And we have this great opportunity. And when they take advantage of it, they’re better for it, and they know that.”

Irvin knows opportunity first hand. He jumped at the chance to run the Center two years ago. He packed up his car and made the move to Alaska along with his dog.

United States Representative Don Young worked to establish the first and only Job Corps Center in Alaska. It opened in Palmer in 1994. It was renamed for Don Young after his death in 2022.

The Center is open to students aged 16 to 24 who fall under the poverty guidelines. Most students come from villages in Western Alaska.

The program is free. Transportation, room, and board are covered. Graduates receive a cash bonus of $1,250 for graduating.

The Center offers eight trade certificates. They range from welding and culinary arts to the only water treatment program at a Job Corps across the country.

A number of young women want to get the water treatment certification according to Irvin.

Most students complete a program in about 320 days. Some need longer. And some simply don’t want to leave. Every Job Corps Center tracks an alert list of students nearing their final eligibility days.

Most Centers have two or three students on the alert list. Irvin has about 15.

This Center has a unique challenge. Many students come from a subsistence lifestyle. They feel the pull to help with fishing, hunting, and gathering back home.

The Department of Labor responded by creating subsistence leave. It’s a short break so students can go home and help out.

“We respect that. I have a student leaving this week,” Irvin said.

Food is another challenge. Some students struggle with the foods and spices eaten at the Center. Irvin reaches out to their villages and their communities. He is able to get foods like muktuk sent to the Center.

The federal closure of all Job Corps Centers in the country from February to October last year cut enrollment by about 50% at the Center in Palmer. It’s back up to 152 students now. This is below the typical 215 to 220 students.

The Center invited 41 students to attend graduation this year. Many are unable to attend. They are already in the military, working, or back in their villages. Irvin expects about 25 to show up.

Irvin remembers one young man who left the program with just four days to go. Irvin called him. He encouraged him to come back and finish.

Next thing Irvin knew, the young man was back. He wanted to do his four days and graduate. The young man walked across the stage. He gave Irvin a hug. He told Irvin that he wouldn’t have done it without him.

For Irvin, there are a lot of emotional things that happen. A lot. Sometimes he has to close his door and process it.

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 Friday August 7, 2026.

Image credit: Mat-Su Sentinel