News

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — An Alaska-owned aerospace corporation wants to build a satellite launch site in Hawaii. An environmental assessment is being drafted for a… Continue reading

  • Dec 30, 2018
Students sit on the front steps of the Alaska Capitol on April 6, 2018. (James Brooks photo | Juneau Empire)

State minimum wage will rise 5 cents Jan. 1

Starting Jan. 1, 2019, Alaska’s minimum wage will be raised by 5 cents, from $9.84 to $9.89. The 5 cent raise is to adjust the… Continue reading

Students sit on the front steps of the Alaska Capitol on April 6, 2018. (James Brooks photo | Juneau Empire)
Kachemak Emergency Services Deputy Chief Joe Sallee inspects an exploded house near Mile 166 Sterling Highway on Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, near Homer, Alaska. The debris field from the explosion spread at least 200 feet in all directions. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).

Home explosion rocks Homer area

A loud explosion rocked the Diamond Ridge area and the west side of Homer about 10 p.m. Thursday night. Kachemak Emergency Services was the primary… Continue reading

Kachemak Emergency Services Deputy Chief Joe Sallee inspects an exploded house near Mile 166 Sterling Highway on Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, near Homer, Alaska. The debris field from the explosion spread at least 200 feet in all directions. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News).

Deadliest shooting at an American high school: Parkland, Florida. Deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century: Paradise, California. Deadliest attack on Jews in American history: Pittsburgh.… Continue reading

  • Dec 29, 2018
  • By The Associated Press
The view from the Staton residence on Meander Way shows the erosion caused by the Mendenhall River. The Statons are putting in a bank stabilization project after erosion has caused them to lose most of their backyard. They recently cut part of their deck off, seen in the lower right. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)

In Juneau, residents take erosion into their own hands

“We’ve got to get it done.”

The view from the Staton residence on Meander Way shows the erosion caused by the Mendenhall River. The Statons are putting in a bank stabilization project after erosion has caused them to lose most of their backyard. They recently cut part of their deck off, seen in the lower right. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
In this Dec. 21 photo the highway littered with rockfall south of Anchorage. (Anne Raup/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

ANCHORAGE — The big earthquake that struck Southcentral Alaska on Nov. 30 dislodged several dump trucks’ worth of rocks and debris from the steep rock… Continue reading

  • Dec 29, 2018
  • By DEVIN KELLY Anchorage Daily News
In this Dec. 21 photo the highway littered with rockfall south of Anchorage. (Anne Raup/Anchorage Daily News via AP)
Personal New Years fireworks allowed in Kenai fourth year in a row

Personal New Years fireworks allowed in Kenai fourth year in a row

This New Year’s Eve, ring in 2019 safely. The use of fireworks is forbidden in the Kenai Peninsula Borough unless they are part of a… Continue reading

Personal New Years fireworks allowed in Kenai fourth year in a row
The intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kalifornsky Beach Road is covered with blowing snow on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. A winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow to some areas of the peninsula made for hazardous driving conditions over the weekend. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Blizzard conditions expected for western Kenai Peninsula

A blizzard warning is in effect for the western Kenai Peninsula from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Blizzard conditions… Continue reading

The intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kalifornsky Beach Road is covered with blowing snow on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. A winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow to some areas of the peninsula made for hazardous driving conditions over the weekend. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty

Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty

As another year draws to a close, the seafood industry seems to be facing even more uncertainty than usual, with some groundfish stocks cratering, salmon… Continue reading

Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty
A sign is posted outside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center that lets residents know that due to the partial government shutdown, refuge employees and visitor services are unavailable and that visitors should enter the refuge at their own risk, on Thursday, in Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Shutdown continues; some local agencies affected

A partial government shutdown that could extend into next year has shuttered several federal operations on the peninsula, and left other government employees working without… Continue reading

A sign is posted outside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center that lets residents know that due to the partial government shutdown, refuge employees and visitor services are unavailable and that visitors should enter the refuge at their own risk, on Thursday, in Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Tyle Owens rides to victory Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, in Freezer Food Series Race 5, a six-mile fat bike race at the Slikok Trails outside of Soldotna. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Group looks to make Beaver Loop Road bike friendly

A local biking group is working to make Beaver Loop Road in Kenai bike-friendly. The Bike Kenai and Soldotna (BIK&S) group is seeking a grant… Continue reading

  • Dec 26, 2018
  • By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Tyle Owens rides to victory Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, in Freezer Food Series Race 5, a six-mile fat bike race at the Slikok Trails outside of Soldotna. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Clamming on eastside beaches to remain closed

Clamming on eastside beaches to remain closed

There won’t be any clamming, whether sport or personal, on the Cook Inlet side of the Kenai Peninsula in 2019. The Alaska Department of Fish… Continue reading

  • Dec 26, 2018
  • By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Clamming on eastside beaches to remain closed
From left, Alaska state Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, and Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, sit in the House chamber to hear Gov. Bill Walker deliver his annual State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2017. After several years of budgets passing late and forcing education pink slip notices, Stevens, the Senate Education Committee chair, is introducing a bill to mandate an education budget by April 1. (Photo/Mark Thiessen/AP)

Big issues in Legislature will be PFD, budget cuts, Stevens says

Heading into his 19th year as a state senator, Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, has some advice for Homer’s newest legislator, Rep.-elect Sarah Vance. She’s the… Continue reading

From left, Alaska state Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, and Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, sit in the House chamber to hear Gov. Bill Walker deliver his annual State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2017. After several years of budgets passing late and forcing education pink slip notices, Stevens, the Senate Education Committee chair, is introducing a bill to mandate an education budget by April 1. (Photo/Mark Thiessen/AP)

FROM NORTH AMERICA SYNDICATE, 300 W 57th STREET, 41st FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311 EXT. 236 BOB FRANKEN FOR RELEASE TUESDAY,… Continue reading

  • Dec 26, 2018
Poor runs prompt southeast salmon fleet buyback

Poor runs prompt southeast salmon fleet buyback

The Southeast Alaska Seiners Association is spearheading another effort to reduce the size of the salmon fleet with another buyback, similar to the one in… Continue reading

Poor runs prompt southeast salmon fleet buyback
An aerial photo taken in 2014 shows the current South Peninsula Hospital campus. (Homer News file photo)

After complaints, state board finds Homer physical therapist didn’t violate regulations

Two complaints made against a physical therapist at South Peninsula Hospital to the state’s licensing board for therapists have been reviewed and closed. An unidentified… Continue reading

An aerial photo taken in 2014 shows the current South Peninsula Hospital campus. (Homer News file photo)

School board to offer remote testimony in 2019

The new year is bringing a new feature to Kenai Peninsula Borough School District meetings. Starting at the Jan. 14, 2019 6 p.m. Board of… Continue reading

In this October 2017 file photo, volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed beluga calf Tyonek, who was rescued on Sept. 30, 2017, after he was stranded in Trading Bay. (Photo courtesy of Alaska SeaLife Center).

Tyonek being treated around the clock

Tyonek, the stranded baby beluga whale rescued in 2017, is under constant care at SeaWorld San Antonio. “Tyonek, the endangered beluga calf found abandoned in… Continue reading

In this October 2017 file photo, volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed beluga calf Tyonek, who was rescued on Sept. 30, 2017, after he was stranded in Trading Bay. (Photo courtesy of Alaska SeaLife Center).
University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, left, listens to Dr. Steve Atwater, Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education, during an interview at the University of Alaska Southeast on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Alaska’s teachers are leaving at much higher than the national average. Here’s what’s being done about it.

Alaska has a teacher problem.

University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, left, listens to Dr. Steve Atwater, Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education, during an interview at the University of Alaska Southeast on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Teachers, support staff and community members, many of them wearing red, prepare to listen to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education’s Sept. 10 meeting at Homer High School in Homer. The board holds one meeting each year in Homer, and another in Seward. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Kenai Peninsula teachers still without a contract

As the Anchorage and Ketchikan school districts finalize employee contracts, it is unknown when teachers in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will see their… Continue reading

Teachers, support staff and community members, many of them wearing red, prepare to listen to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education’s Sept. 10 meeting at Homer High School in Homer. The board holds one meeting each year in Homer, and another in Seward. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)