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KNBA WEBCAST: Friday, July 3, 2026

KNBA | By Rhonda McBride
Published July 3, 2026 at 1:52 PM AKDT
John Wayne Melovidov takes his turn at bat at a demonstration game at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on Monday, June 29, 2026. Melovidov is president of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island and a proud member of one of the oldest ball clubs in Alaska, the "Knock Down and Skin'ems."
Rhonda McBride/KNBA
John Wayne Melovidov takes his turn at bat at a demonstration game at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on Monday, June 29, 2026. Melovidov is president of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island and a proud member of one of the oldest ball clubs in Alaska, the "Knock Down and Skin'ems."

KNBA’s Top Stories:

  • ALASKA ABSENT. Alaska 's exhibit turns out to be a dud at the Great American State Fair. Visitors hoping to get a feel for Alaska’s greatness left disappointed. The governor's office did not respond to questions about it.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski autographs a baseball. Murkowski made a stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on June 29, 2026. She is touring Alaska's fields of dream, both big and small this week, as part of the State of Alaska's celebration of its rich baseball history.
Rhonda McBride/KNBA
Sen. Lisa Murkowski autographs a baseball. Murkowski made a stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on June 29, 2026. She is touring Alaska's fields of dream, both big and small this week, as part of the State of Alaska's celebration of its rich baseball history.

  • WEEK OF DREAMS. Alaska’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday pays tribute to the state’s little-known but colorful baseball history, with teams like St. Paul Island’s “Knock Down and Skin’ems,” the oldest ball club in Alaska.

    Billee Zacharof is only two-years-old but his parents are hoping he'll grow up to play on St. Paul Island's "Knock Down and Skin'em" team, which takes its name from the way islanders hunted seals, a staple of their traditional diet. Billie was photographed while watching a baseball demonstration game at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on June 29, 2026.
    Rhonda McBride/KNBA.
    Billee Zacharof is only two-years-old but his parents are hoping he'll grow up to play on St. Paul Island's "Knock Down and Skin'em" team, which takes its name from the way islanders hunted seals, a staple of their traditional diet. Billie was photographed while watching a baseball demonstration game at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on June 29, 2026.

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Rhonda McBride
Rhonda McBride has a long history of working in both television and radio in Alaska, going back to 1988, when she was news director at KYUK, the public radio and TV stations in Bethel, which broadcast in both the English and Yup’ik languages.
See stories by Rhonda McBride