Elizabeth Earl

Peninsula sheds 234 jobs from 2017–2018

The Kenai Peninsula lost about 234 jobs in the third quarter of the fiscal year compared to the year before it. Between January 2017 and… Continue reading

This Friday, March 9, 2018 photo shows the space beneath Nikiski resident Kimbra Mensch’s home, which is currently being torn down, in Nikiski, Alaska. The contractor Mensch hired to build her home left her with 48 building violations, resulting in an unsafe building she is having to pay to have torn down and start over. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Homeowners can be left holding the bag if they hire unlicensed contractors

A thin layer of snow shifted across the bare plywood floor of the unfinished house when construction contractor Ward Adams lifted one of the panels… Continue reading

This Friday, March 9, 2018 photo shows the space beneath Nikiski resident Kimbra Mensch’s home, which is currently being torn down, in Nikiski, Alaska. The contractor Mensch hired to build her home left her with 48 building violations, resulting in an unsafe building she is having to pay to have torn down and start over. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fish and Game to stock grayling in peninsula lakes again

Peninsula anglers hankering after grayling won’t have to go so far afield in the future — the fish will be available in some of the… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Council works to disentangle state, federal Cook Inlet salmon fisheries

About a year after the North Pacific Fishery Management Council first took up the Cook Inlet federal fishery management plan issue, the definition of what… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Court hears arguments on invocation lawsuit

Court hears arguments on invocation lawsuit

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s policy on who can give invocations had its day in court. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Kenai Peninsula… Continue reading

Court hears arguments on invocation lawsuit
This 1976 photo shows emergency vehicles parked at Central Emergency Services’ Station 1 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo courtesy the Kenai Peninsula Borough)

CES looks to move Soldotna fire station

Central Emergency Services is looking to East Redoubt Avenue in Soldotna for its new Station 1 site. The service area, which provides emergency medical and… Continue reading

This 1976 photo shows emergency vehicles parked at Central Emergency Services’ Station 1 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo courtesy the Kenai Peninsula Borough)
Central Emergency Services firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in an apartment building on Cork Line Drive in the Kalifornsky Beach area on Monday, April 9, 2018 near Kenai, Alaska. No one was reportedly hurt in the blaze, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. (Photo courtesy Roy Browning/Central Emergency Services)

CES douses fire in K-Beach apartment building

No injuries were reported in an apartment building fire in the Kalifornsky Beach area Monday evening. Central Emergency Services doused a fire in a four-plex… Continue reading

Central Emergency Services firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in an apartment building on Cork Line Drive in the Kalifornsky Beach area on Monday, April 9, 2018 near Kenai, Alaska. No one was reportedly hurt in the blaze, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. (Photo courtesy Roy Browning/Central Emergency Services)

After public objection, borough trims land auction list

The list of Kenai Peninsula Borough-owned parcels up for auction got significantly shorter after the borough assembly trimmed the list in response to public concern.… Continue reading

This Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 photo shows the Kenai City Dock in Kenai, Alaska. The city is seeking a new concessionaire to operate the dock’s equipment after seafood processor Copper River Seafoods did not show interest in operating the facility for the 2018 season. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Copper River to stop operating Kenai dock

Seafood processor Copper River Seafoods won’t be operating the city of Kenai’s dock this year. The company, which has operated the dock’s heavy equipment and… Continue reading

This Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 photo shows the Kenai City Dock in Kenai, Alaska. The city is seeking a new concessionaire to operate the dock’s equipment after seafood processor Copper River Seafoods did not show interest in operating the facility for the 2018 season. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Public battles over gravel pit restrictions

Public battles over gravel pit restrictions

The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s working group on gravel pits wanted public comment, and on Thursday night, they got it. Property owners and gravel pit operators… Continue reading

Public battles over gravel pit restrictions
In this August 2017 photo, sockeye salmon mill in the pool just below the Russian River Falls near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Salmon habitat bill still milling in House Fisheries committee

With the Legislature closing in on the final day of its regular session, the battle over a bill to tighten restrictions on permits to develop… Continue reading

In this August 2017 photo, sockeye salmon mill in the pool just below the Russian River Falls near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
This undated photo shows Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Manager Andy Loranger enjoying the Kenai Peninsula summer. Loranger was recently named 2018 national wildlife refuge manager of the year by the National Wildlife Refuge Association, a nonprofit supporting the federal wildlife refuge system. (Photo courtesy the National Wildlife Refuge Association)

Kenai refuge manager wins national recognition

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s manager has been selected as the best refuge manager in the country for 2018. The National Wildlife Refuge Association named… Continue reading

This undated photo shows Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Manager Andy Loranger enjoying the Kenai Peninsula summer. Loranger was recently named 2018 national wildlife refuge manager of the year by the National Wildlife Refuge Association, a nonprofit supporting the federal wildlife refuge system. (Photo courtesy the National Wildlife Refuge Association)
Kindergarten teacher Daniel Bowen (at podium) speaks to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in favor of full funding for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District at the assembly’s meeting on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. About 40 people attended the meeting Tuesday, many wearing red, to show their support for public education funding. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly hears tax options, postpones sales tax decision

The Kenai Peninsula Borough has a lot of options to balance its budget and fund public schools, but not everyone is on the same page… Continue reading

Kindergarten teacher Daniel Bowen (at podium) speaks to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in favor of full funding for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District at the assembly’s meeting on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. About 40 people attended the meeting Tuesday, many wearing red, to show their support for public education funding. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Mark Hamilton, the vice president of external affairs for the Pebble Limited Partnership, speaks to a crowd gathered for a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The Pebble Limited Partnership, which has been working on plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the Bristol Bay region for about a decade, recently applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit with scaled-back plans. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pebble lays out smaller mine plan

The Pebble Limited Partnership is changing its plans and its tone as it continues its permitting process. The Pebble Mine, a gold, copper and molybdenum… Continue reading

Mark Hamilton, the vice president of external affairs for the Pebble Limited Partnership, speaks to a crowd gathered for a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The Pebble Limited Partnership, which has been working on plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the Bristol Bay region for about a decade, recently applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit with scaled-back plans. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly revisits hospital boundary move

The debate over who has to pay property taxes to which of the borough’s hospitals is getting into gear again. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly… Continue reading

After squall, fish board nominees sail through committee

After a rapid upheaval in the Board of Fisheries nomination process in March, Gov. Bill Walker’s two nominees sailed quietly through the Alaska Legislature’s committees… Continue reading

Road construction to tie up central peninsula this summer

The snow is melting, the aspens are budding and the construction contractors are gearing up to work on the Kenai Peninsula’s roads. This summer will… Continue reading

Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel (left) talks with Dr. Peter Hansen (right) a retirement party for Hansen hosted by Peninsula Community Health Services at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center on Thursday, March 29, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Hansen arrived in Kenai in 1967 and has practiced family medicine since in private practice, with Central Peninsula Hospital and with Peninsula Community Health Services. He plans to retire but to stay in the community and work on a book about his experiences. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Longtime Kenai doctor plans to retire

Editor's note: This article has been updated to show that Central Peninsula Hospital opened in 1971. Though the main room at Kenai Visitors and Cultural… Continue reading

Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel (left) talks with Dr. Peter Hansen (right) a retirement party for Hansen hosted by Peninsula Community Health Services at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center on Thursday, March 29, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Hansen arrived in Kenai in 1967 and has practiced family medicine since in private practice, with Central Peninsula Hospital and with Peninsula Community Health Services. He plans to retire but to stay in the community and work on a book about his experiences. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Ruffner files to run against Seaton for House seat

A Board of Fisheries member is planning to challenge Rep. Paul Seaton (R-Homer) for his seat in the Alaska Legislature. Robert Ruffner of Kasilof filed… Continue reading

Sales tax increase back on assembly agenda

The public will have a chance to weigh in Tuesday on a proposition to ask voters whether the Kenai Peninsula Borough should raise the sales… Continue reading