Mike Chmielewski and Palmer Mayor Steve Carrington discuss the September 9th council meeting.
At a special city council meeting on October 13th, the council will certify the election. The new mayor and council members will be sworn in, and Steve Carrington will hand the gavel over to the new mayor.
Ag Matters 2025-9-17 Fruit Trees Mark Wolbers
Sep 15, 2025
Host Ken Hoffman welcomes Mark Wolbers, the President of the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association.
You don’t need to be a commercial grower to benefit from membership in The Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association. The association aims to share information with anyone interested in fruit growing through monthly meetings, guest speakers, workshops, and tastings.
Your Health with Dr. Jill: Headaches
Sep 15, 2025
Dr. Jill Valerius talks with Lee Henrikson about the types of headaches and their causes.
50% of adults suffer from headaches, which are categorized into two main types: primary headache syndrome and secondary headaches. Your doctor can help you understand what type of headaches you have and thus get proper treatment.
Triggers for the different types of headaches are often the same causes for many other ailments. These include stress, posture, tmj, poor sleep, bad pillows, loud noises, bright lights, and caffeine.
Valley Edition 2025-9-12 Gino Graziano
Sep 15, 2025
Gino Graziano from the UAF Extension talks about invasive plants with host, Mike Chmielewski.
The two invasive plants that Gino has been working with are the European Bird Cherry and the Choke Cherry. These plants were introduced to Alaska in the 1950s as ornamental plants, but they are now causing damage to our ecosystem. Both of these plants are quarantined by the Division of Agriculture, which means they can not be sold or distributed in Alaska. Gino shares websites where you can get more information about invasive species in Alaska:
Author Interviews 2025-9-12 Taking Time by Larri Spengler
Sep 15, 2025
Mike Chmielewski talks with Larri Spengler about her first novel, “Taking Time: Sailing with My Family in Southeast Alaska.”
Larri chronicles her family’s adventures on the sailboat Altariel. Larri, her husband, and daughter experienced a range of adventures, from the dangerous to the appreciation of Southeastern Alaska’s fantastic nature. Taking Time conveys one way to live in the present, and to nurture together time in the face of brimming schedules and encroaching technology.
Ag Matters 2025-9-10 Ted Hammer of Hammers Family Birch
Sep 15, 2025
Ted Hammer of Hammers Family Birch joins host Ken Hoffman.
Ted Hammer, his brother Alex, and a childhood friend, Chris Sorensen, started Hammers Family Birch. They now have 6,000 trees on 100 acres of land. Each tree produces ten to twenty gallons of sap per season, and it takes 135 gallons of sap to make one gallon of birch syrup. They also harvest chaga from the trees and produce several natural remedies from sap, bark, and leaves. For more information about the products and which retail stores carry them, visit hfbirch.com.
Page 2- Mon. Sept. 15 Vern Halter
Sep 15, 2025
The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame inducted 23 new legends at the Sioux Falls Convention Center on Sunday, September 14. One of them is Mat Su Borough’s Vern Halter.
Trained as a lawyer, Vern Halter worked in Alaska as a public defender, a magistrate, and later as an elected leader in Alaska’s Mat-Su Borough.
Halter served two terms on the Assembly and then two more terms as mayor from 2015-2021. During his time in office, he oversaw major projects including the Burma Road underpass, the Bogard Road extension, the Wasilla High Pool renovation, the building of Denai’na Elementary and Redington High Schools, installation of trail lights at Government Peak Recreation Area, and the building of Port MacKenzie.
Halter grew up on a farm near Flandreau, South Dakota before moving to Alaska in 1977. Since then, he’s run 18 Iditarods and 6 Yukon Quests — winning the Quest in 1990 — and logging more than 300,000 miles with his sled dogs. He’s also earned nine top ten Iditarod finishes, including a third-place run in 1999.
Halter considers himself first a dog-musher. He and his wife, veterinarian and fellow musher Susan Whiton, started their kennel back in 1983. They continue to raise and train sled dogs at their home in Willow, Alaska.
Mr. Halter has also been inducted into the Flandreau Hall of Fame in Moody County, South Dakota.
Here are some events to look forward to today:
Palmer Rotary is hosting a forum of Palmer City Council and Mayoral candidates at the Depot from 6 to 8pm. Election Day is Tue. Oct. 7. Early voting starts on Mon. Sept. 22.
The Palmer Historical Society meets tonight at the Moose Lodge at 7pm. Tonight’s talk is “A Day in the Life of a Continental Soldier.” In this living history experience, private Davis Lee Wright of the first New York Regiment Continental Line will bring the Revolutionary War era to life with a look at the daily life of a Continental Soldier.
Some events coming later this week:
The Borough Assembly meets on Tue. Sept. 16, at 6 pm. The audio is live streamed from our streamed meetings page.
The School Board meets on Wed. September 17 at 6pm. The audio is live streamed from our streamed meetings page.
The first of 6 open houses to discuss the proposed 7 cent fuel excise tax will be held at Butte Elementary Wednesday Sept 17 from 6pm to 8pm.
Oh and if you missed our interviews with the candidates for Palmer mayor, you can listen to them here under News or Election Forums and Info.
Thank you for your continued support for Big Cabbage Radio. It’s never too late to donate and be a part of your community radio station. Donate today. That’s it for today and the news on Page Two, Monday Sept. 15, 2025
2025 Palmer: Mayoral Candidates
Sep 15, 2025
We aired the interviews with the candidates for mayor on Sept. 14 at 5pm.
John Alcantra
Jim Cooper
Cachet Garrett
Victoria Hudson
Josh Tudor
Council candidates will air on Sept. 21 at 4 pm and be posted later that day at 7pm.
Page 2 Fri. Sept. 12- Miles & Mutts and Weekend Fun
Sep 12, 2025
It’s that time of year with darker mornings and earlier sunsets. The change of seasons can sometimes bring about mild seasonal blues. But here’s a bright idea: give yourself a reason to get outside and make a difference doing it.
The Mat-Su Animal Shelter runs a program called Miles and Mutts. Volunteers take adoptable dogs out on local trails for a walk or hike. The dogs get fresh air, exercise, and a break from kennel stress. You get fresh air, movement, and a four-legged friend to share it with. A simple walk can change two lives: yours, and a dog’s.
Plus, every outing exposes the pups to potential adopters, boosting their chances of finding a forever home.
You must be 18 or older and the shelter provides everything you need—leash, harness, treats, even a water bowl. All you need to bring is your time and maybe a warm jacket.
For more information, email milesandmutts@matsu.gov or call 907-746-5500.
Here are some events this weekend:
Aboveboard is playing at Valley Performing Arts. Fri-Sun this weekend and next.
When Nick’s food starts disappearing from his apartment fridge, he immediately suspects his best friend Milo, a bumbling magician who lives down the hall. But Milo refuses to confess, so Nick installs a camera to catch the culprit in the act—and finds an unlikely trespasser has been secretly living in his apartment for nearly a month. When the video hits the internet, the surprises multiply in this romantic comedy about magic, misunderstanding, and running out of milk. You can buy tickets at Valley Performing Arts
Today at 6 PM, there’s a push in of the new fire truck at the Palmer fire station in downtown Palmer. Meet the crew, tour the truck, and literally help push in the truck to its new home. This tradition dates back to the time when firetrucks were pulled by horses and needed to be pushed in to the fire station.
On Saturday
Fall Harvest Festival at Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm noon to 6 pm. $10 admission
Regenerative Agriculture class at Rebarchek Agricultural Park on the State Fair Grounds. The topic is Prepping the Food Forest for Winter. It’s from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
On Sunday, the Never Forget Fun Run in remembrance of 9/11 – sponsored by Get Moving Mat Su at 1080 N Wasilla Fishhook Rd. More info is in their Facebook event
On Monday Sept. 15, the Palmer Rotary is hosting a Palmer city council candidate forum from 6 to 8 PM at the Palmer train depot.
Music this weekend
Tonight, I Like Robots is playing at the Palmer ale house from 7 to 10 PM.
Saturday, Aspenyarrow plays from 4-7pm at the A Frame in Hatcher Pass. Aspenyarrow is an emerging Alaskan singer-songwriter, blending the introspective storytelling of Maisie Peters with the ethereal soundscapes of Imogen Heap.
Also on Saturday, ABBAlaska returns to the Palmer Alehouse from 7 to 10pm
photo by Michele Harmeling
Real Estate Report 2025-6-25
Sep 10, 2025
Mike Chmielewski and Scott Blair from My Favorite Realty have their monthly talk about real estate.
They discussed commercial real estate pricing, comparing new versus older sites. The mortgage rate is staying steady at 7% to 7.5% depending on the loan agreement. What can be done to make your house seller-friendly, Scott reminds us, is that it’s the kitchens and bathrooms that make a home more buyer-friendly.
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