Operation Warp Speed is the partnership with an aim of developing and distributing vaccinations for COVID-19. Senator Dan Sullivan issued a statement to Alaskans to summarize the the state of the project, after being briefed by the partnership’s chief operating officer and chief scientific advisor. All U.S. senators were present for the briefing.

The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short Term Program is sending some of America’s best-and-brightest educators to Uzbekistan in a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Amanda Adams, a teacher in the district’s Distance Learning department, is set to be abroad for six weeks in 2021.

The State of Hawai‘i has allocated several “trusted partners” for its domestic transpacific and inter-county pre-travel testing. The state will accept COVID-19 test results from the new partners, exclusively. In Alaska, the biggest name of note is Capstone Clinic.

Act with caution, wear masks when possible, and work with your neighbors to keep the economy rolling – better behaviors are imperative, but they will not be mandated. Those were the common themes present in messages from Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce and City of Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel in video messages aimed at constituents on Wednesday.

When will vaccinations be be available? Who will be vaccinated first? Is the state going to force them on Alaskans? The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services issued a statement on Tuesday answering those questions, while also tipping Alaskans off to where they can get more answers, directly from physicians.

While the U.S. federal government has seemingly come to a halt with regards to another round of stimulus aid for individuals and families, businesses throughout the peninsula are seeing some help thanks to Alaska’s CARES program. Tim Dillon of KPEDD told KSRM that money is being distributed at a very high rate on the Kenai peninsula for businesses.

Even if that new mobile phone or smartwatch feels like it could be a lot easier to use, the FBI advises to always solicit help before allowing anyone access to a device. This is known as technical support fraud, and it can disproportionately victimize Alaska’s senior population. This brand of fraud involves a criminal claiming to provide customer, security, or technical support, all with the aim of defrauding a victim.

In the statement, he asserts that COVID is a very real concern: “Very frankly, I had not felt this sick in a very long time, and I am grateful to everyone to who kept me in their thoughts in prayers.”

Kenai’s mitigation plan already mandated temporary closures to many city buildings, but on Friday afternoon, City Manager Paul Ostrander’s office issued a release stating that many of those mandates are now effective until at least November 30. It also includes at least a couple of new closures.

The drive-through testing will take place on from Tuesday, November 17, until Thursday, November 19.  The testing hours for each day will be 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at 417 First Avenue.