Wire Service

Christmas comes to Kenai Friday

Christmas comes to Kenai Friday

In Kenai, the Friday after Thanksgiving means one thing — it’s time for Christmas. This year, the Kenai Chamber of Commerce continues their tradition with… Continue reading

Christmas comes to Kenai Friday
Dunleavy picks MacKinnon for transportation commissioner

Dunleavy picks MacKinnon for transportation commissioner

JUNEAU (AP) — Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy has named the outgoing executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska as his transportation commissioner. John MacKinnon… Continue reading

Dunleavy picks MacKinnon for transportation commissioner
Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Jason Gist appointed to Kenai Superior Court

Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Jason Gist appointed to Kenai Superior Court

Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Jason Gist will be the next member of the Kenai Superior Court. Gist, who has been living and practicing law in… Continue reading

Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Jason Gist appointed to Kenai Superior Court
Hector Mojica exits a voting booth at Glacier Valley Baptist Church on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Key Alaska House race tied, though ballot review continues

JUNEAU — The race for an Alaska House seat that will decide control of the chamber was tied Wednesday, though that tally could change with… Continue reading

Hector Mojica exits a voting booth at Glacier Valley Baptist Church on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
A black ash cloud from Alaska’s Mount Veniaminof passes the community of Perryville, Alaska, on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018. Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists said the overnight ash emissions from Mount Veniaminof generated an ash plume that drifted more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) to the southeast. (Victoria Tague via AP)

Ash from Alaska volcano prompts aviation warning

ANCHORAGE — Residents of a tiny Alaska Native community woke up to a little pre-Thanksgiving excitement Wednesday, with a neighboring volcano spewing a billowing dark… Continue reading

A black ash cloud from Alaska’s Mount Veniaminof passes the community of Perryville, Alaska, on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018. Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists said the overnight ash emissions from Mount Veniaminof generated an ash plume that drifted more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) to the southeast. (Victoria Tague via AP)
Steam rises from Redoubt Volcano on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 21, as seed from Diamond Ridge. (Photo by Michael Armstrong, Homer News)

Quake reported across Inlet

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook the Kenai Peninsula Wednesday. The earthquake struck at 9:21 a.m. 65 kilometers — about 40 miles — south southwest of… Continue reading

Steam rises from Redoubt Volcano on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 21, as seed from Diamond Ridge. (Photo by Michael Armstrong, Homer News)
Preparing for the crowd attending the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers community scoping meeting for Pebble Limited Partnership’s proposed Pebble mine, Dan Laylord (not pictured) and Judy Gonsalves post a reminder that copper can be recycled, not just mined. PLP is proposing the open-pit copper-gold molybdenun pophyry mine for Southwest Alaska. It would be powered by Hilcorp’s natural gas from the Kenai Peninsula. The meeting was held at Homer High School, Homer, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. (Photo by McKibben Jackinsky)

Alaska mine project launches postelection outreach campaign

ANCHORAGE (AP) — The company behind a proposed copper and gold mine near a major salmon fishery in southwest Alaska has launched a new marketing… Continue reading

Preparing for the crowd attending the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers community scoping meeting for Pebble Limited Partnership’s proposed Pebble mine, Dan Laylord (not pictured) and Judy Gonsalves post a reminder that copper can be recycled, not just mined. PLP is proposing the open-pit copper-gold molybdenun pophyry mine for Southwest Alaska. It would be powered by Hilcorp’s natural gas from the Kenai Peninsula. The meeting was held at Homer High School, Homer, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. (Photo by McKibben Jackinsky)
Alaska Lt. Gov. Valerie Davidson holds up an owl mask presented to her after addressing delegates at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Davidson was sworn in as lieutenant governor on Oct. 16, 2018, after Bryon Mallott resigned. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Alaska lieutenant governor considers her political future

BETHEL (AP) — Alaska Lt. Gov. Valerie Davidson said she hasn’t ruled anything out about continuing her political career when the new administration enters office… Continue reading

Alaska Lt. Gov. Valerie Davidson holds up an owl mask presented to her after addressing delegates at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Davidson was sworn in as lieutenant governor on Oct. 16, 2018, after Bryon Mallott resigned. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ — a gorgeous, nearly unwatchable masterpiece

‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ — a gorgeous, nearly unwatchable masterpiece

If I really stop to think about it, Joel and Ethan Coen are probably my favorite all around filmmakers because I’ve never seen a movie… Continue reading

‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ — a gorgeous, nearly unwatchable masterpiece
In this Jan. 24, 2010 file photo, the moon hangs low in the sky over the remote Inupiat Eskimo village Noorvik. Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy will become Alaska’s top elected official Dec. 3, when he takes the oath of office in Noorvik. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Alaska’s governor-elect to be sworn in above Arctic Circle

ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska’s newly elected governor will be sworn in above the Arctic Circle, marking a first for the state. Republican Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy… Continue reading

In this Jan. 24, 2010 file photo, the moon hangs low in the sky over the remote Inupiat Eskimo village Noorvik. Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy will become Alaska’s top elected official Dec. 3, when he takes the oath of office in Noorvik. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Walker: Dunleavy resignation requests creating anxiety

Walker: Dunleavy resignation requests creating anxiety

JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Bill Walker said Gov.-elect Mike Dunleavy’s request for resignations from a swath of state employees is “creating anxiety and uncertainty” for… Continue reading

Walker: Dunleavy resignation requests creating anxiety

Cal Thomas: The Florida fiasco ends

After two recounts — one by machine, the other by hand — after a concession speech by Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for governor, which… Continue reading

In this file photo, Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, reads one of the two versions of HB 111 dealing with oil tax credits during a Conference Committee hearing at the Capitol on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Republicans pick Giessel as new Alaska Senate president

JUNEAU (AP) — Republicans have maintained control of the Alaska Senate and chose Sen. Cathy Giessel of Anchorage to be the new president of the… Continue reading

In this file photo, Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, reads one of the two versions of HB 111 dealing with oil tax credits during a Conference Committee hearing at the Capitol on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
A measuring cup full of bog cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos) is seen in the kitchen of Erin Anais Heist on Oct. 14, 2018. (Erin Anais Heist | For the Juneau Empire)

Pioneer Potluck: How times change

1937 TO 2018 I was born on a small farm at the end of the Depression in 1937. My first memories are sitting in a… Continue reading

A measuring cup full of bog cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos) is seen in the kitchen of Erin Anais Heist on Oct. 14, 2018. (Erin Anais Heist | For the Juneau Empire)

Rich Lowry: Trump’s not populist enough

The midterms suggest that President Donald Trump needs to double down on populism, just not the sort that’s been his signature to this point. Trump… Continue reading

Kenai Peninsula College Around Campus for the week of Nov. 19, 2018

Thanksgiving holiday closures this week There will be no classes held Nov. 21 at the Kenai River and Kachemak Bay campuses and the facilities will… Continue reading

Department seeks to adapt amid climate change in Alaska

JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska transportation department is changing how it maintains roads as the state feels the effects of climate change. Alaska’s Energy Desk… Continue reading

School Briefs 11/19-11/25

School Briefs 11/19-11/25

River City Academy This past week River City Academy students went to Redoubt Elementary’s first grade classes to help with some writing. The students at… Continue reading

School Briefs 11/19-11/25
This Jan. 16 photo shows Alaska state Rep. Scott Kawasaki, a Fairbanks Democrat, talking on a telephone before the start of the legislative session at the state Capitol in Juneau. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Kawasaki appears to upset Kelly in Alaska Senate race

JUNEAU (AP) — Republican Alaska Senate President Pete Kelly appears to have lost his re-election bid but told The Associated Press Friday that he’s leaving… Continue reading

This Jan. 16 photo shows Alaska state Rep. Scott Kawasaki, a Fairbanks Democrat, talking on a telephone before the start of the legislative session at the state Capitol in Juneau. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
Single-use plastic bags litter the side of Lake Street on Sept. 25, 2018, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Recycling Bin: Turn the tide against plastic

Turning the tide on plastic pollution requires the commitment of industry and consumers. Last month more than 275 brands, retailers, recyclers, governments and NGOs from… Continue reading

Single-use plastic bags litter the side of Lake Street on Sept. 25, 2018, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)