...visited the Peninsula this summer to renew and energize future partnerships. It all began in 1989 when Japanese born Yasuko Lehtinen began teaching Japanese language at Soldotna High School, "I was homesick for my culture and many students became...

...his paternal grandparents, Terrell and Sally Zimmerman, Melrose, Minn.; maternal grandparents, George and Yasuko Lehtinen, Soldotna; uncles and aunts, John and TJ Hessburg, Grosse Point Park, Mich.; Travis Zimmerman, Garrison...

...Akita, Japan. Bull Don and The Moose Nuggets, a local band, finished performing a purely American tune, then Yasuko Lehtinen welcomed and encouraged the guests to drink sake. The welcoming reception held at Challenger Learning Center of Alaska...

Yasuko Lehtinen hovered above a bamboo mat rolled onto a folding table. A couple teenagers and college-age students watched as she patted rice...