Heart Rate Variability is an indicator of the state of our health & fitness, recovery, and readiness. This makes it a valuable tool to monitor when exercising. A high HRV indicates a day to attempt that PR. A low HRV should lead to an active recovery day. Research correlates HRV to disease risk and progression, morbidity and mortality, biological age and health, physical performance, and mental cognition.

Text/Image Credit: aimhumanperformance.com

Bronsen Stewart

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, thousands of airline passengers are stranded in a small town in Newfoundland, where they were housed and welcomed.

Photo/Text Credit: Bronsen Stewart/Glenn Massay Theater/ IMDB

Trade wars, robot wars, and Blackbeard with broadband. Canadian tariffs come for Alaska, delayed federal ferry money finally docks, and AI agents discover cooperation—and even self-sacrifice. John and Rachel also ask whether cyberwar will revive an old constitutional idea: privateering.

Dean Williams led the Colorado Department of Corrections for approximately four years until he became a consultant in 2023. Prior to joining the Colorado DOC, he was the Commissioner of Corrections in Alaska where he oversaw the operation of community jails, halfway houses, pretrial and sentenced facilities, probation, parole and pre-trial efforts in the state. Dean served in several capacities during his time in Alaska, including Special Assistant to Governor Walker, Special Assistant in the Alaska Department of Public Safety, Researcher for the Alaska Legislature, Executive Director of the Downtown Soup Kitchen, Juvenile Justice Superintendent, Youth Counselor for the Dept. of Juvenile Justice, and Reserve Police Officer for the Anchorage Police Department.

Image and Text Credit: University of Texas at Austin

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Commander Luke Szipszky with the Palmer Police Department

Mike Chmielewski and Scott Blair from My Favorite Realty have their monthly talk about the local real estate market and current trends.

Scott Blair

Image Credits: My Favorite Realty

Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper discusses the recent city council meeting for August 25th. 2026, on this week’s Mayor’s Minutes with host Mike Chmielewski.

Palmer’s Mayor Jim Cooper

image Credit: City of Palmer

Join host Emily Forstner and her guests, The Chickaloonies. Listen in and discover what a Chickaloonie is and what this very talented duo is doing. Also introducing “Radar the Radio Dog” and his sidekick “Cabby“

Founded in 2010 by lifelong collaborators Dimi Macheras (Ahtna Athabascan) and Casey Silver, Chickaloonies lives at the intersection of ancient storytelling traditions and modern visual culture.

Text and Image Credit: Chickaloones and Big Cabbage Radio

The Alaska Grown logo began as a sketch with a No. 2 pencil about 40 years ago. Doug Warner drew it at his desk in a small back office at the Alaska Division of Agriculture. The logo is now on sweatshirts at farm stands and on grocery store shelves all over Alaska.

Warner started with the Division of Agriculture in 1985. He was the market development specialist. One of his projects was to design a logo to make the quality of Alaskan agricultural products more visible.

So, Warner scratched a logo out at his desk.

He can’t remember if he even used a compass to draw the circle. It might have been a tin can.

Alaska Grown became official in 1986. It is the second-oldest agricultural branding program in the country. Jersey Fresh in New Jersey beat it by a year.

The name was deliberate. Warner wanted something about growing things, not making things. The color choices were intentional. The green state of Alaska stretches across a blue circle framed with a yellow border. Green is for growing. Blue and yellow are for the state flag.

Warner credits his boss Ed Kern for the vision. Kern helped shape the regulations. He gave Warner the room to develop the logo. Several other people in the division also worked on the idea. Warner says, “It wasn’t just me.”

But Warner scratched it out, and in his words ‘gave it legs’.

Warner’s goal was simple. He wanted a logo that let shoppers instantly recognize Alaska products. Quality standards stood behind the mark. It meant something beyond geography.

About five competing designs went before the 300 or so producers at the Alaska Agriculture Symposium in Fairbanks. Warner’s design won. It is now ubiquitous across the state.

A graphic artist converted his sketch into printable process colors so it could be duplicated at scale.

Retailers like Carrs, Safeway, and Fred Meyer resisted the Alaska Grown products at first. They were reluctant to dedicate the shelf space. Customer demand changed that.

The logo took off and developed an identity. T-shirts appeared with slogans identifying born-and-raised Alaskans as distinct from transplants.

Alaska’s balladeer Hobo Jim wrote a jingle for the program. He donated all the proceeds from the jingle to promote Alaska agriculture. The jingle can be found on the Division of Agriculture website.

The logo was blossoming until 2004. It became more about copyright than local produce.

The Mat-Su Farm Bureau chapter was selling Alaska Grown merchandise. The chapter pushed for exclusive rights to the logo when sales became very profitable. The dispute stretched into a four-year legal battle.

Warner remembers that time as costly and divisive among people who should have been on the same side. The case ended when the chapter’s insurer declined to continue backing the legal costs.

The State of Alaska retains the rights to the Alaska Grown logo. People can apply to use the logo through the Division of Agriculture website.

Warner is retired from the division. He and his wife Jill farm hay on their Lazy Mountain homestead.

Many of the old farmers are aging out, he says. He hopes that farmers markets and the Alaska Farmland Trust open doors for new young farmers.

He may not have to look too far. His grandson Rory was asked what adventure sport he preferred: kayaking, skiing or biking. Rory said that he liked growing raspberries best.

Through it all, Warner remains surprised.

“I had no clue the logo would be that popular,” he laughed.

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.

Hobo Jim singing the Alaska Grown Jingle

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 28, 2026.

Photo: Doug Warner at his farm on Lazy Mountain by Emily Forstner

The Fair reopens today after its break on Tuesday and Wednesday. One week of the Fair down, and two to go.

The Cake concert at the Fair tonight is sold out, as is the Modest Mouse concert tomorrow.

There are a few tickets available for Nate Smith on Saturday. He has several platinum songs under his belt including “Whiskey on You”, “World on Fire”, and “Bulletproof”.

There are still tickets for the Sunday afternoon show with comedian, author, and actor Nick Offerman. BigXthaPlug takes the stage Sunday evening. There are tickets available for his show too.

The Outlaw Mariachi Band is straight out of Los Angeles. They make their first concert appearance in Alaska this weekend. They play the Sluicebox on the Fairgrounds on Saturday at 3 p.m., Sunday at 9:30 p.m., and Monday at 7:30 p.m. Drop in and welcome them to Alaska.

And for rodeo fans, the Rodeo Alaska Champions Tour Rodeo takes over the MTA Grandstand on the Fairgrounds at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The rodeo features bull riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, chute doggin’, double mugging, team roping, ribbon roping, and steer riding. The $30,000 prize money and the title of champion are at stake.

Plan to get to the Fair early for these concerts and events . For the Fair details including concert times and ticket info, check out alaskestatefair.org.

Here are a few things to do outside the Fair.

The Skeetawk Scramble starts tomorrow. It’s a three-day mountain running event starting and finishing at Skeetawk Ski Area. Runners experience the incredible views, steep climbs, and impressive ridges of the southwest Talkeetna Mountains. Details are in the Skeetawk Scramble Facebook event page.

Eat, drink, and be merry at Palmer Shakes & Bakes on Saturday. MASCOTarts and the Palmer Arts Council organized this Shakespeare-inspired event featuring performances, vendors, and food trucks. Stop by the green space across from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Palmer for this free event between noon and 6 p.m.

The Moonstone Farm Farmers Market is on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The farm also features a tasting room in a refurbished 1943 Alaska Railroad boxcar. Stop by for Alaska brewed beers, ciders, wines and spirits on a deck with a view of Pioneer Peak. Moonstone Farm is at 2141 South Church Street. See Moonstonefarmak.com for details.

You can wander up to Hatcher Pass Lodge on Saturday to listen to Jerry Wessling between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Mat-Su Youth Orchestra registers musicians for its 2026-2027 season on Monday. Middle school, high school, and older students who play string instruments at the intermediate level are welcome. This is an opportunity to earn, grow and play in a larger ensemble. Registration is at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at Iditarod Elementary School. Find details at MSYO.org.

Who needs sunny weather? We can still experience the Fair, Shakespeare and fun, and a Farmer’s Market. It wouldn’t be Fair season without a bit of rain.

Have a great day and better tomorrow.

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.

Keith Peticolas 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 Thursday August 27, 2026.