Radio Free Palmer

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Adelina Rodriguez, and her work as Scholarship Program Officer for the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

Dr Jill Valerius and Lee Henrikson continue a two-part discussion about Asthma.

For this show we review the gains and losses in federal funding for rural healthcare, recent ICE arrests in Soldotna, and how the US Constitution's Progress Clause means for Alaska. We also review some of the stranger things said by some of the nation's leaders.

Dr Jill Valerius and Lee Henrikson begin a two-part discussion about Asthma.

James Bunch, COO at Mat-Su Regional Hospital joins host Mike Chmielewski on Valley Edition to discuss the new behavioral health center in Wasilla.

: Join host Mike Chmielewski with Peter House from Deep Tree as they discuss current cybersecurity threats

Palmer Airport Superintendent John Diumenti joins Mike Chmielewski on Inside The City to learn about future plans of the airport

Join us for the current 24-hour avalanche report by Lead Forecaster Tim Rogers of the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center. Forecast is good until 7:00 a.m. Saturday, February 21st.

Dr. Jill and Lee discuss what is Gout. What causes Gout and ways to avoid getting it.

Join Host Mike Chmielewski and his guest Dr. Randy Traini to discuss the latest goals of the Mat-Su School District.

Join host Mike Chmielewski and Palmer’s Mayor, Jim Cooper, to discuss the February 10th, 2026 Palmer City Council meeting.

Join Host Mike Chmielewski and Palmer’s Chief of the Fire and Rescue Department, John Prevost.

Join hosts Rachel Levitt and John Robertson to discuss likely consequences of the DHS shutdown and of the Trump administration's decision to pretend that global warming is not real. We also discuss the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause and laugh about some of the weirder public statements of the past week.

Join host MIke Chmielewski as he welcomes author Erica Watson to discuss her book “Ghost of Distant Trees”.

Join host Ken Hoffman and his guests Tara and Brad to discuss the Alaska Farmers Market Association.

Ken Barkley, Director of Emergency Services for the Borough, joins Mike on Valley Edition/Inside the Borough

Scott Blair from My Favorite Realty gives an update on the real estate market.

Palmer Police Commander Luke Szipszky joins Mike Chmielewski on Inside the City at 8 a.m., repeating at 5:30 p.m. on Big Cabbage Radio

Rachel and John  discuss the prospect of a new Canadian consulate, federal pressure to stop states from keeping medical debt off credit reports, and federal threats to deport Alaskans due to errors by Alaska's DMV. We also see who Mike Johnson works for and how Trump's threats to Greenland are especially relevant to Alaska.

Judy Gette and her daughters discuss “It’s the Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” by Ally Carter.

Telsche Overby and Rachel Christensen talk about Mat-Su Health Foundation community partnerships and community engagement stories.

The Book of Reservations is the second installment of The Ghost Table trilogy. It picks up one year after The Coat Check Girl ends. It is autumn 2000 and Miss Sylvie's Bistrot in Greenwich Village, New York is struggling to survive.

Petra Illig from Alaska Rhodiola joins host Ken Hoffman on Ag Matters.

Rachel and John discuss disappearing federal health insurance subsidies, disappearing federal atmospheric research, and disappearing manufacturing jobs. We also discuss the how the Constitution's ban on religious tests was intended to protect religion, not just the government, from hypocrisy.

Mikę Chmielewski interviews Lucas Cantor Santiago regarding his book UNFINISHED.

Host Ken Hoffman interviews Meg Bagetis from Alaska Farm Supply

Mikę Chmielewski talks with Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper about the Dec. 16 Palmer City Council meeting

Host Mike Chmielewski interviews Palmer Fire Chief John Prevost

It’s time for Page Two: News that might not make the front page for Friday December 19, 2025. Chief Chad Cameron quickly made his presence felt when he arrived at Palmer Fire & Rescue. His focus was clear from the beginning: build stability, plan for the long term, and take care of people. He understood […]

Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper summarizes the actions taken by the City Council at the end of this week’s Council meeting.

Ken Hoffmann speaks with Big Dipper Ice Cream owner, Rob Brown. Rob and Lisa Brown opened the first Big Dipper Homemade Ice Cream location in downtown Palmer in May 2021. It has expanded to three locations in the Mat-Su Valley. Rob said that he knew he wanted to run a business with the whole family, but […]

Nelson Crone speaks with Mike Chmielewski to give the monthly update on the UAF Farm and more. Nelson recently visited Kodiak Island. He described Kodiak’s success in extending its growing season by the use of wind tunnels and hydroponics. He also discussed the many events planned at Matanuska Experiment Farm this month. Check out the […]

Mike Chmielewski flips the microphone on Ag Matters host Ken Hoffman to talk about the Mat-Su Farm Bureau and farming microgreens. Ken Hoffman wears many hats. He started Mat-Su Microgreens in a spare bedroom in 2022. He now has three employees and a 30X30 barn filled with 50 varieties. Ken says he loves working the […]

Dr Jill Valerius and Lee Henrikson begin a four-part discussion about sleep apnea. Part One Nov.10, 2025: Sleep Apnea is when breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, often with loud snoring and or gasping. Dr. Jill describes the three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and combination. Dr. Jill lists the common symptoms for […]

Director of Finance for the City of Palmer, Gina Davis, joins Mike Chmielewski on Inside the City. Gina describes her job as collecting the city’s revenue and then spending it.

Mike Chmielewski talks with author and long-time Alaskan Bailey Berg about her latest book. Secret Alaska features stories of ghost towns, unique festivals, and the history of the state’s eccentric figures. Bailey explores the quirky, hidden, and unusual sides of Alaska. 

Two interviews in one this week, Ken Hoffman talks to both Max Lyons from the Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute & Valentina Romanovskaia of Northern Beauty Alaska. The Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute is a community-based, non-profit organization based in Kodiak, Alaska. Their mission is to support the long-term sustainability of our region's coastal communities of Alutiiq heritage. […]

Rachel Levitt and John Robertson discuss the new Coast Guard icebreakers and changes in federal homeless policies, play Public Policy Pursuit, and review the Constitution's Oath Clause.

Peter House from Deep Tree discusses current cybersecurity threats with Mike Chmielewski. Mike is traveling this holiday to Florida and asks Peter to look at threat actors in the news for Florida, Alaska, and the rest of the country. Peter’s big tip this week is to make sure that if you have Office 365, you […]

Scott Blair from My Favorite Realty shares an update with Mike Chmielewski on the real estate market in the Mat-Su Valley. Winter, especially around the holidays, is a slow time for buying and selling real estate. Buyers and renters want to be settled in the new place before having family and friends over for Thanksgiving […]

Emily Forstner talks with Mike Chmielewski about the Dec. 3, 2025 school board meeting. The school board meeting opened with student recognitions, including National Merit scholars, music and band groups, athletes and teams, and College Board AP and SAT awards. Emily explains the budget process and the timetable for the FY27 Preliminary Budget. Public comments […]

Rachel Levitt and John Robertson review federal actions that impact Alaska on Home to Roost. This week, we discuss what a less capable federal workforce might mean for Alaska, the craziest statements to come from the White House recently, and the meaning of the Constitution's Guarantee Clause.

Mike Chmielewski welcomes Ailis Vann, Parks and Facilities Manager for the City of Palmer. Ailis explains to Mike that the Parks and Facilities manager is responsible for the MTA Events Center and for planning and implementing long-term projects. Parks and Facilities works closely with Public Works, Ailis says. “Those guys know things.” Online booking is […]

Emily Forstner gives insight into the school board meeting on November 19th . The board welcomed two returning members, Brooks Pitcher and Kendall Kruse, and one new member, Lori Colee. Discussion included the replacement of the land acknowledgment at schools. There were presentations from proposed charter schools.

David Cheezem, Herb Bischoff, and Judy Donegan discuss the book Enshittification. There was a question of whether the FCC would allow that word to be aired, so they were looking for substitutes. Enpoopification, Enscatification, and Ensitification were considered. The book’s subtitle is “Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It, which seemed […]

Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper joins Mike Chmielewski in the studio to talk about his first month in office. Mike asks Mayor Cooper what he sees as the change from being a council member and being mayor. Mayor Cooper joked that it is easier to schedule meetings as the mayor. He went on to explain that […]

Peter House from Deep Tree talks with Mike Chmielewski about current cybersecurity threats and how they affect us here in Alaska. Today’s topic was router vulnerability. Routers have become a target for malicious actors and many older routers cannot be updated and are vulnerable. Credential theft is on the rise: they are using the puzzles […]

Mike Chmielewski talks with Meggy Abe from the Palmer Arts Council. Meggy explained the goal of the Palmer Arts Council’s goal – to bring more art opportunities to Palmer. They do this through education, workshops, performances, and literary events. The Arts Council is excited to host Parlor in the Round, Friday, November 23rd at 7:00 […]

Palmer Food Bank Executive Director Jennifer Brandt talks with Mike Chmielewski. The Palmer Food Bank opened in 1991 with the full name Palmer Emergency Food and Community Services. 25% of its food comes from the USDA; the other 75% is from community donations. Executive Director Jennifer Brandt started in September and is seeing significant growth […]

Mike Chmielewski and Mayor Jim Cooper discusses the November 18 Palmer City Council meeting. Penny Mosher was sworn in as a council member. Mayor Cooper is impressed with the council members and believes they will accomplish wonderful things together. Palmer City Manager Kolby Zerkel explained the issues surrounding the airport, golf course, and the FAA […]

Misty Vanderweele from All Dahlia’d Up visits with Ken Hoffman and talks about growing flowers in Alaska. Starting with one smushed dahlia brought home by Misty’s son, Luke. All Dahlia’d Up has grown to 2,000 dahlias and hundreds of other flowers in 13 years. The flower farm grows everything you could want in an Alaska-grown […]