Just as Gov. Mike Dunleavy has left decisions on mask mandates up to Alaska cities, all but one Kenai Peninsula city has left those decisions up to businesses.
Local officials say they’d rather give owners the option to enforce — or not enforce — mask wearing. But that hands-off approach has put some in a bind.
An untraditional Thanksgiving warrants an untraditional dessert.
Todd Ritter of Alaskan Roots Catering in Soldotna is taking that philosophy in stride as he prepares for Turkey Day.
“You know, I really love chocolate and I really love bourbon and I don't like desserts that are a little too sweet," he said. "So this is a chocolate maple bourbon pecan pie.”
Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church
Repairs have wrapped, for now, on one of Alaska’s oldest standing Orthodox churches. The Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Old Town Kenai has shed its scaffold to reveal an updated roof, cupolas and crosses.
Any building with the superlative of “oldest” is going to need an upgrade once in a while. Especially when that building is made of wood and sits on a blustery bluff.
“If you've ever owned an old house, you know what it’s like. You fix one thing and then something else goes wrong," said Dorothy Gray, treasurer-secretary of Holy Assumption and the chair of Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska (ROSSIA).
Seward is once again requiring masks in public spaces where social distancing is not possible. The emergency ordinance, passed unanimously at Monday night's meeting, will take effect at midnight tonight.
This ordinance goes for 30 days, though the city may renew it when that period is up.
Seward put a similar emergency ordinance in place this July, but that expired this fall. To date, it’s the only city on the peninsula that has made masks mandatory.
Another coronavirus patient at Central Peninsula Hospital died yesterday, bringing the total COVID-19 deaths at the hospital to three since Nov. 12.
One of those deaths was a resident of Heritage Place, the nursing facility that had an outbreak earlier this month. Hospital spokesman Bruce Richards says there are currently 17 active coronavirus cases at Heritage Place.
Eight Kenai Peninsula Borough residents have died due to COVID-19. Statewide, 115 Alaska residents have died. The state recorded its highest number of deaths in one day today, at 13.
