Ashlyn O'Hara

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna, Alaska, is seen on June 1, 2020. (Peninsula Clarion file)

Assembly strengthens borough protections against malfeasance

Legislation overhauls the sections of borough code that discuss employee protection, surety bonds, liability for conduct and indemnification

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna, Alaska, is seen on June 1, 2020. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at the Kenai Classic Roundtable at Kenai Peninsula College on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Dunleavy budget vetoes include peninsula projects, bonus funding for schools

Funding for Kenai Peninsula projects and a slash to the extra money approved by state lawmakers for K-12 education are among the vetoes made by… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at the Kenai Classic Roundtable at Kenai Peninsula College on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion
Soldotna Elementary School Principal Dr. Austin Stevenson points out corroded insulation outside of the school building on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska.

School district moves ahead with bond projects

$65.5 million in bonds will fund deferred maintenance projects at 10 KPBSD schools

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion
Soldotna Elementary School Principal Dr. Austin Stevenson points out corroded insulation outside of the school building on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska.
Alaska LNG Project Manager Brad Chastain presents information about the project during a luncheon at the Kenai Chamber Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Alaska LNG Project gets mixed response at Kenai meeting

The proposed 800-mile pipeline would move gas from the North Slope to Nikiski for shipment overseas

Alaska LNG Project Manager Brad Chastain presents information about the project during a luncheon at the Kenai Chamber Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
LaDawn Druce asks Sen. Jesse Bjorkman a question during a town hall event on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Druce returns as head of teachers union

The special election followed the firing of former president Nathan Erfurth, who was arrested in May on charges of sexual abuse of a minor

LaDawn Druce asks Sen. Jesse Bjorkman a question during a town hall event on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
A mock up of the Soldotna Field House. (Photo via City of Soldotna)

Soldotna plans to scale back field house project scope after high cost estimate

The project cost estimate in June 2022 was about $18.3 million

A mock up of the Soldotna Field House. (Photo via City of Soldotna)
A pavillion under construction marks the entrance to the future Kenai Dog Park on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Work underway at Kenai dog park

The city has eyed July for a grand opening

A pavillion under construction marks the entrance to the future Kenai Dog Park on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
A copy of Tom Walker’s “The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf’s Final Journey” is held in The Peninsula Clarion building on Thursday, June 15, 2023 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Off the Shelf: Take a walk on the wolf side

“The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf’s Final Journey,” is the latest book from Alaska writer and photographer Tom Walker

A copy of Tom Walker’s “The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf’s Final Journey” is held in The Peninsula Clarion building on Thursday, June 15, 2023 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Building materials pile up at the site of the former ZipMart on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough looks to demolish collapsed ZipMart building

It’s been more than 20 years since the Sterling business, a convenience store and gas station, was in operation

Building materials pile up at the site of the former ZipMart on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Mountain View Elementary School students use their hands to build works using methodology from the University of Florida Literacy Institute during a board of education meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

New reading curriculum to cover Alaska history, culture instead of religion

The change comes after some teachers and community members questioned whether some of the proposed topics, specifically Judaism, Christianity and Islam, were age-appropriate

Mountain View Elementary School students use their hands to build works using methodology from the University of Florida Literacy Institute during a board of education meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska State Troopers logo.

Troopers investigating Soldotna shooting death

An investigation into the incident by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Soldotna Major Crimes Unit is active and ongoing

Alaska State Troopers logo.
A sign opposing the participation of trans girls in girls sports is propped against a fire hydrant outside of the George A. Navarre Admin Building on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Alaska Board of Education met in the building to discuss a resolution that would ban trans girls from girls high school sports. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula residents protest trans girls in sports at state school board meeting

The Alaska Board of Education last week met at the George A. Navarre Kenai Peninsula Borough Administration Building in Soldotna

A sign opposing the participation of trans girls in girls sports is propped against a fire hydrant outside of the George A. Navarre Admin Building on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Alaska Board of Education met in the building to discuss a resolution that would ban trans girls from girls high school sports. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Protest signs hang on the entryway wall at the Kenai Peninsula Education Association office on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Voting underway to determine next head of teachers union

The election follows the firing of former president Nathan Erfurth, who was arrested in May on charges of sexual abuse of a minor

Protest signs hang on the entryway wall at the Kenai Peninsula Education Association office on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank (left) and Kenai Controller Lana Metcalf (right) present budget information during a city council work session on Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai adopts budget, staff recruitment strategies

The city expects there to be a general fund surplus of about $436,000 in fiscal year 2025

Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank (left) and Kenai Controller Lana Metcalf (right) present budget information during a city council work session on Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
The Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is seen on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai cuts ties with out-of-state marketing firm

Council members expressed skepticism about the firm’s performance

The Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is seen on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Finance Director Liz Hayes, left, testifies before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during a budget work session on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly passes borough budget

The document fully funds borough schools and includes a decrease in property taxes

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Finance Director Liz Hayes, left, testifies before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during a budget work session on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
The George A. Navarre Kenai Peninsula Borough building. (Peninsula Clarion file photo)

Assembly shrinks borough planning commission

The planning commission is responsible for planning the “systemic development and betterment” of the borough

The George A. Navarre Kenai Peninsula Borough building. (Peninsula Clarion file photo)
Kristin Lambert testifies in support of funding for the Soldotna Senior Center during an assembly meeting on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

After leadership change, borough funds Soldotna senior center

The Soldotna City Council in May voted to defund the center for the upcoming fiscal year

Kristin Lambert testifies in support of funding for the Soldotna Senior Center during an assembly meeting on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Signs direct visitors at Seward City Hall on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in Seward, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

5 vying for Seward city manager gig

The Seward City Council will convene for a special city council meeting on June 12 to review candidates’ applications

Signs direct visitors at Seward City Hall on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in Seward, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
David Brighton (left) and Leslie Byrd (right) prepare to lead marchers from the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex to Soldotna Creek Park as part of Soldotna Pride in the Park on Saturday, June 3, 2023 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

‘Nobody Can Drag Us Down’: Soldotna celebrates LGBTQ+ pride

The event featured food trucks, vendors and a lineup of performers that included comedy, drag and music

David Brighton (left) and Leslie Byrd (right) prepare to lead marchers from the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex to Soldotna Creek Park as part of Soldotna Pride in the Park on Saturday, June 3, 2023 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)