Ashlyn O'Hara

The view from the van on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Of cars and cliches

It’s cliche to say that the journey is more important than the destination. Sometimes that looks like rerouting how you end up at the destination,… Continue reading

The view from the van on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Swim coach Angie Brennan speaks in support of lower user fees for Kenai Peninsula Borough School District pools during a Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

School board mulls school pool user fees

Noncommercial user groups say they’re being charged too much

Swim coach Angie Brennan speaks in support of lower user fees for Kenai Peninsula Borough School District pools during a Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Sara Bieber, who supervises the Peninsula Job Center for the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, presents during a joint chamber of commerce luncheon at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula Job Center rep discusses resources for those seeking employment

Information was presented at a joint chamber of commerce luncheon Wednesday

Sara Bieber, who supervises the Peninsula Job Center for the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, presents during a joint chamber of commerce luncheon at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska State Troopers logo.

2 dead after propane fills cabin

Both were declared deceased at the scene

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks about state revenue during a press conference on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 in Juneau, Alaska. (Screenshot)

Citing spike in oil prices, Dunleavy urges $3,700 PFD

Dunleavy said oil prices are still up overall and high inflation demands action

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks about state revenue during a press conference on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 in Juneau, Alaska. (Screenshot)
Homer High School student and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education Student Representative Neviya Reed speaks during a board meeting on Monday, March 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Students take advantage of new speaking opportunities at school district meetings

Students were able to communicate directly with the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District at Monday’s Board of Education meeting, where they shared student council resolutions… Continue reading

Homer High School student and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education Student Representative Neviya Reed speaks during a board meeting on Monday, March 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
The logo for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is displayed inside the George A. Navarre Borough Admin Building on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

District: Staff resignations on par with previous years

Union rep says staff loss will be “devastating” for students

The logo for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is displayed inside the George A. Navarre Borough Admin Building on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Charlie Pierce stands in his home on Thursday, March 11, 2022 in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Pierce would seek to reduce spending, boost education as governor

The borough mayor sat down with the Clarion at his Sterling home to discuss his gubernatorial platform

Charlie Pierce stands in his home on Thursday, March 11, 2022 in Sterling, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Snow collects in a lot near the Aspen Hotel on Thursday, March 10, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. The area will be the site of a new parking lot planned by the City of Soldotna. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Parking lot would bring 70 spaces to downtown Soldotna

The Soldotna City Council greenlighted Wednesday the execution of a lease agreement between the city and the Aspen Hotel

Snow collects in a lot near the Aspen Hotel on Thursday, March 10, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. The area will be the site of a new parking lot planned by the City of Soldotna. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Linda Farnsworth Hutchings, left, and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce participate in a mayoral candidate forum hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center on Sept. 9, 2020. (Peninsula Clarion file)

Farnsworth-Hutchings gets 4th nod for planning commission

The city’s seat has been the subject of a back-and-forth between Soldotna and the borough mayor

Linda Farnsworth Hutchings, left, and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce participate in a mayoral candidate forum hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center on Sept. 9, 2020. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen listens to a presentation from Alaska Communications during a meeting of the Soldotna City Council on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

ACS looks to bring faster internet to the central peninsula

The company successfully piloted the mesh network technology in Anchorage in 2020

Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen listens to a presentation from Alaska Communications during a meeting of the Soldotna City Council on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
EPA logo

Hilcorp fined for Clean Air Act violations on North Slope, near Kenai

The company paid a roughly $180,000 penalty for the violations

EPA logo
A spruce tree seeps sap outside of the Kenai Post Office on Friday, July 2, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Russian River, Quartz Creek campgrounds closed for tree removal

The closure will allow trees infected with spruce bark beetles to be removed

A spruce tree seeps sap outside of the Kenai Post Office on Friday, July 2, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Susie Smalley demonstrates during a vigil in support of Ukraine on Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Dunleavy directs state agencies, corporations to divest from Russia

The move is in response to the nation’s invasion of Ukraine

Susie Smalley demonstrates during a vigil in support of Ukraine on Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Former Kenai Vice Mayor Bob Molloy proposes changes to the City of Kenai’s draft Land Management Plan during a city council work session on Monday, March 7, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai finalizing comprehensive inventory of city land

The final plan is subject to approval by the city council

Former Kenai Vice Mayor Bob Molloy proposes changes to the City of Kenai’s draft Land Management Plan during a city council work session on Monday, March 7, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Cyclers race at the Soldotna Cycle Series at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska, on July 18, 2019. The Kenai City Council last week approved funding for a local bike repair station at Kenai Community Library. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Bike repair station coming to Kenai library

The bike repair station is expected to be installed this summer

Cyclers race at the Soldotna Cycle Series at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska, on July 18, 2019. The Kenai City Council last week approved funding for a local bike repair station at Kenai Community Library. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski Fire Station No. 3 is seen on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Project will treat water at Nikiski Fire Station #3

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved additional funds for the project this month

Nikiski Fire Station No. 3 is seen on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
A copy of Don’t Cry For Me is displayed on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Off the Shelf: ‘Don’t Cry for Me’ a raw reflection on masculinity, black fatherhood

A central motif is the idea of masculinity and how that idea is or is not upheld by characters

A copy of Don’t Cry For Me is displayed on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a board meeting on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Contact tracing, masking to end at schools Friday

The district announced new changes to its COVID-19 protocol on Monday

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a board meeting on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Assembly members Richard Derkevorkian (left) and Jesse Bjorkman consult during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara)

Borough seeks to fill planning commission vacancies

Two new commissioners took their seats for the Monday night meeting

Assembly members Richard Derkevorkian (left) and Jesse Bjorkman consult during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara)