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Linda Hutchings (standing), a candidate for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, answers a question during a forum with fellow candidates Dale Bagley (center) and Charlie Pierce (right) at the Funny River Community Center on Aug. 16, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Absentee ballots counted; results unchanged

None of the Oct. 3 Kenai Peninsula Borough election results have changed after all the absentee ballots have been counted. Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral candidates… Continue reading

Linda Hutchings (standing), a candidate for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, answers a question during a forum with fellow candidates Dale Bagley (center) and Charlie Pierce (right) at the Funny River Community Center on Aug. 16, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Flu tops murder for cause of death in Alaska in 2016

Flu and pneumonia killed more Alaskans in 2016 than assault or homicide, according to new statistics from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.… Continue reading

BlueCrest sells first oil

BlueCrest sells first oil

BlueCrest Energy sold its first barrel of oil from its new Cosmopolitan development last week to the Tesoro refinery in Nikiski. Carlile Transportation Systems, a… Continue reading

BlueCrest sells first oil

BlueCrest answers questions on oil fracking

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the height of BlueCrest's drill rig. The rig's platform is 30 feet tall; the derrick mounted on… Continue reading

Bethel homeless shelter searches for new home before winter

BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — A homeless shelter in Bethel is searching for a new facility before the arrival of winter, which can be deadly for… Continue reading

  • Oct 8, 2017
  • By The Associated Press
Deacon Kevin Woodvine of Our Lady of Angels Church in Kenai blesses Max the Australian shepherd while Max’s owner Jon Wolhlers tries to keep the puppy still at St. Francis by the Sea in Kenai, Alaska on Sunday, October 8, 2017 during the Blessing of the Animals. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Bless this pet

Pets of all shapes and sizes were welcomed at St. Francis by the Sea in Kenai on Sunday. The church, along with Our Lady of… Continue reading

Deacon Kevin Woodvine of Our Lady of Angels Church in Kenai blesses Max the Australian shepherd while Max’s owner Jon Wolhlers tries to keep the puppy still at St. Francis by the Sea in Kenai, Alaska on Sunday, October 8, 2017 during the Blessing of the Animals. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Elementary school students take turns looking at salmon eggs that have been mixed with milt from a male coho and water to start the fertilization process during an egg take demonstration Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017 at the Anchor River in Anchor Point, Alaska. Students from all over the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District participate in the Salmon in the Classroom program, which takes them through the life cycle of salmon. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Students learn about salmon through annual life cycle program

Sometimes it’s nice to go back to where it all begins. At least that’s what several lower Kenai Peninsula elementary school kids did last week… Continue reading

Elementary school students take turns looking at salmon eggs that have been mixed with milt from a male coho and water to start the fertilization process during an egg take demonstration Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017 at the Anchor River in Anchor Point, Alaska. Students from all over the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District participate in the Salmon in the Classroom program, which takes them through the life cycle of salmon. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

With defeat of Prop 1, cannabis industry breathes sigh of relief

Cannabis business owners and employees in the borough outside city limits have a weight off their shoulders on working and expanding their businesses with Kenai… Continue reading

Safari Club International volunteers work closely with participants throughout the day in Funny River, Alaska on Saturday, October 9, 2017 to ensure safety and an understanding of the basics of shooting and hunting. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

The hunt is on: Safari Club International hosts bird hunt

Staring into a sea of neon orange at the Tachick homestead on Saturday morning, it was clear that safety was paramount during the annual Safari… Continue reading

Safari Club International volunteers work closely with participants throughout the day in Funny River, Alaska on Saturday, October 9, 2017 to ensure safety and an understanding of the basics of shooting and hunting. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed a milk and electrolyte mix to a beluga calf, rescued on Sept. 30 after being stranded in Trading Bay, by holding a tube to its lips (a method they’ve found works better than bottle-feeding) on Friday, Oct. 6 in Seward, Alaska. The calf is the first Cook Inlet beluga under human care. Activities in this picture have been authorized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program under the Marine Mammal Protection Act/Endangered Species Act

Stranded beluga calf recovering in Seward

A male beluga calf, estimated between two and four weeks old, became the first member of Cook Inlet’s endangered beluga population under human care after… Continue reading

Volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed a milk and electrolyte mix to a beluga calf, rescued on Sept. 30 after being stranded in Trading Bay, by holding a tube to its lips (a method they’ve found works better than bottle-feeding) on Friday, Oct. 6 in Seward, Alaska. The calf is the first Cook Inlet beluga under human care. Activities in this picture have been authorized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program under the Marine Mammal Protection Act/Endangered Species Act

Company unveils plan for what it calls smaller mine

JUNEAU— A company behind a stalled attempt to develop a copper and gold mine near a major salmon fishery in Alaska has unveiled plans for… Continue reading

  • Oct 7, 2017
  • By Becky Bohrer
Sen. Peter Micciche (left), R-Soldotna, speaks to constituents after a town hall meeting with Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, and Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The three addressed constituent concerns about crime reform and the potential for a statewide broad-based tax in preparation for the upcoming special session, the fourth special session the Legislature has entered this year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Crime, tax bill on docket for Legislative special session

Crime and taxes are very much on the minds of Kenai Peninsula residents as the Legislature gears up for its fourth special session this year.… Continue reading

Sen. Peter Micciche (left), R-Soldotna, speaks to constituents after a town hall meeting with Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, and Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The three addressed constituent concerns about crime reform and the potential for a statewide broad-based tax in preparation for the upcoming special session, the fourth special session the Legislature has entered this year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Visiting author looks at Alaska-Russian relations

Central Kenai Peninsula residents may not be able to see Russia from their homes, but on Thursday they’ll have a chance to see and hear… Continue reading

Pallet fires banned on Kenai beaches

By the middle of next summer, pallet fires will be illegal on Kenai’s beaches. On Wednesday the Kenai city council unanimously approved a ban on… Continue reading

Juneau residents Hilary Rehfield-Green and her husband, Ryan Green, talk Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, about surviving the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas last weekend. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau couple survives Las Vegas shooting, recounts harrowing experience

Hiding in an abandoned area in the MGM Grand Las Vegas late Sunday night, Hilary Rehfield-Green and her husband Ryan Green faced an impossible question:… Continue reading

Juneau residents Hilary Rehfield-Green and her husband, Ryan Green, talk Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, about surviving the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas last weekend. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Dale Prechel of Minnesota poses for a picture with Ruth and Bob Knorr of Funny River in this undated photograph. The Knorrs helped Prechel when he showed up on their porch after falling off the bluff in the middle of the night in July 2014. (Photo courtesy Jackie Prechel)

Funny River couple rescued man after harrowing tumble off bluff in 2014

A fishing trip to Soldotna in July 2014 turned to a long nightmare for a Minnesota man, ending only with kindness from a Soldotna couple.… Continue reading

Dale Prechel of Minnesota poses for a picture with Ruth and Bob Knorr of Funny River in this undated photograph. The Knorrs helped Prechel when he showed up on their porch after falling off the bluff in the middle of the night in July 2014. (Photo courtesy Jackie Prechel)
The stands of birch trees alight with fall colors line the Seward Highway near Tern Lake on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The fall colors have hung onto the trees on the Kenai Peninsula this year, leading many out into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest to enjoy the sunshine between rain showers. Clouds dropped rain on the western Kenai Peninsula Wednesday and Thursday, but the National Weather Service predicts that sunshine will grace the area on Friday and Saturday, with highs in the low 50s. However, the forecast is for the rain to return Saturday night and continue through Sunday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Flaming colors

The stands of birch trees alight with fall colors line the Seward Highway near Tern Lake on Saturday near Cooper Landing. The fall colors have… Continue reading

The stands of birch trees alight with fall colors line the Seward Highway near Tern Lake on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The fall colors have hung onto the trees on the Kenai Peninsula this year, leading many out into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest to enjoy the sunshine between rain showers. Clouds dropped rain on the western Kenai Peninsula Wednesday and Thursday, but the National Weather Service predicts that sunshine will grace the area on Friday and Saturday, with highs in the low 50s. However, the forecast is for the rain to return Saturday night and continue through Sunday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Commercial fishing vessels wait at anchor in the mouth of the Kenai River before a Saturday fishing period Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Smallest sockeye harvest in last 10 years; late runs made openings complex

Sockeye salmon were scarcer in Upper Cook Inlet this year, but coho, chum and pink salmon were more plentiful than expected. Commercial fishermen in Upper… Continue reading

Commercial fishing vessels wait at anchor in the mouth of the Kenai River before a Saturday fishing period Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Troopers ID officer in Seward shooting

Troopers ID officer in Seward shooting Alaska State Troopers have identified a Seward Police Department officer involved in a shooting that left a man dead… Continue reading

Soldotna looks to apply for loan for wastewater treatment plant

The Soldotna City Council has authorized the City Manager Mark Dixson to apply for a loan for $3,000,000 to finance construction of the 2017 wastewater… Continue reading