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Kenai Watershed Forum to host environmental film festival

Kenai Watershed Forum to host environmental film festival

It will be a night of drinks, mingling and movies — with some environmental awareness thrown in. On Saturday, Feb. 24, the Kenai Watershed Forum… Continue reading

Kenai Watershed Forum to host environmental film festival
Del Otter leads a whittling lesson at the Kenai Senior Center in Kenai on Tuesday, guiding a class through the basics of carving a small bird magnet. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Carving out time to learn something new

A beginner whittler is usually timid. “After so many years, you get to know the wood and go in it for the big chunks, but… Continue reading

Del Otter leads a whittling lesson at the Kenai Senior Center in Kenai on Tuesday, guiding a class through the basics of carving a small bird magnet. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Anglers try their luck for king salmon on the Anchor River on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing license sales drop in 2017

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s sportfishing license sales fell last year, even while its revenue from license sales increased. The department was expecting… Continue reading

Anglers try their luck for king salmon on the Anchor River on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this July 2016 photo, anglers cast their lines into the Kenai River from the bank above the Sterling Highway Bridge in Soldotna, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Report: More than 500K out-of-state tourists came to Kenai in 2016

More than 562,000 people from outside the state visited the Kenai Peninsula in summer 2016, about 10 times the area’s resident population, according to a… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, anglers cast their lines into the Kenai River from the bank above the Sterling Highway Bridge in Soldotna, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
This undated file photo shows hats trimmed with sea otter fur, offered by Alaska Native Marcus Gho’s Tuvraqtuq online retail store based in Juneau. (Marcus Gho via AP, file)

Etsy.com lifts ban on Alaska Native’s otter fur handicrafts

ANCHORAGE — An Alaska Native man said his otter fur handicrafts are for sale again on Etsy.com after the website briefly took them down to… Continue reading

  • Feb 12, 2018
  • By RACHEL D’ORO
This undated file photo shows hats trimmed with sea otter fur, offered by Alaska Native Marcus Gho’s Tuvraqtuq online retail store based in Juneau. (Marcus Gho via AP, file)
In this June 11, 2015 file photo, Alaska State Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, right, speaks to Sen. Mike Dunleavey, R-Wasilla, during a break in the special session of the Alaska Legislature in Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska Senate Republicans face pressure from within their party to reject Gov. Bill Walker’s pick to fill an open Senate seat after Walker sidestepped a list of GOP finalists in making his selection. (AP Photo/Dan Joling, File)

Republicans urged to buck Walker on Senate pick

JUNEAU — Alaska Senate Republicans face pressure from within their party to reject Gov. Bill Walker’s pick to fill an open Senate seat after the… Continue reading

  • Feb 12, 2018
  • By Becky Bohrer
In this June 11, 2015 file photo, Alaska State Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, right, speaks to Sen. Mike Dunleavey, R-Wasilla, during a break in the special session of the Alaska Legislature in Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska Senate Republicans face pressure from within their party to reject Gov. Bill Walker’s pick to fill an open Senate seat after Walker sidestepped a list of GOP finalists in making his selection. (AP Photo/Dan Joling, File)
Appeals Court: Arctic ringed seals are threatened species

Appeals Court: Arctic ringed seals are threatened species

ANCHORAGE — A seal that depends on Arctic sea ice for reproduction will receive threatened species protection, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled… Continue reading

  • Feb 12, 2018
  • By Dan Joling
Appeals Court: Arctic ringed seals are threatened species
The Alaska Fire Chiefs Association awarded the Warren B. Cummings Chief Officer of the Year Award for the first time this year, in honor of a 43-year veteran of the Alaska Fire Service who passed away from cancer. (Photo courtesy Kenai Fire Department)

Kenai fire chief recognized for excellence

The first winner of an award recognizing the accomplishments of Alaska fire chiefs serves close to home. Kenai Fire Chief Jeff Tucker received the 2017… Continue reading

The Alaska Fire Chiefs Association awarded the Warren B. Cummings Chief Officer of the Year Award for the first time this year, in honor of a 43-year veteran of the Alaska Fire Service who passed away from cancer. (Photo courtesy Kenai Fire Department)
A bicyclist makes her way down the path at Centennial Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Soldotna Department of Parks and Recreation recently began grooming the loop trail at Centennial Park for multiple uses, from walking to skiing to biking. The central Kenai Peninsula got a fresh coat of snow Saturday, with more predicted for Sunday night and Monday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Out for a spin

A bicyclist makes her way down the path at Centennial Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Soldotna Department of Parks and… Continue reading

A bicyclist makes her way down the path at Centennial Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Soldotna Department of Parks and Recreation recently began grooming the loop trail at Centennial Park for multiple uses, from walking to skiing to biking. The central Kenai Peninsula got a fresh coat of snow Saturday, with more predicted for Sunday night and Monday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Gov. Bill Walker speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Hangar Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) Gov. Bill Walker speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Hangar Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Walker: Permanent Fund should bring jobs to state

In a speech to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Gov. Bill Walker told the assembled crowd that he believes the Alaska Permanent Fund… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Hangar Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) Gov. Bill Walker speaks to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Hangar Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Starting a legal cannabis grow begins with ‘immaculate conception’ of plants

The recent denial of Alaska Loven It’s license to cultivate cannabis raises a question not often discussed in Alaska’s growing marijuana industry. How do legal… Continue reading

Kenai Peninsula loses jobs again in 2017

Employment continued to drop in the Kenai Peninsula Borough through 2017, though at a slower rate than in 2016. The borough lost 271 jobs over… Continue reading

The road to Gray Cliff and Moose Point is a narrow, muddy path, shown on Monday, April 11, 2016 near Nikiski, Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula Borough is working on plans to extend a gravel road toward the subdivisions north of Nikiski. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Borough prepares to put North Road extension out to bid

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Roads Department is working its way through the final hoops before putting the Kenai Spur Highway extension project out for bid.… Continue reading

The road to Gray Cliff and Moose Point is a narrow, muddy path, shown on Monday, April 11, 2016 near Nikiski, Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula Borough is working on plans to extend a gravel road toward the subdivisions north of Nikiski. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Jenny Gates, right, of Alaska Department Fish and Game leads Aliya Blough through a salmon dissection at the Connections Homeschool office in Soldotna on Thursday. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Salmon in the Classroom gets gutsy

The “Salmon Professor” visited Connections Home School on Thursday, showing a group of students the ins and outs of one of the Kenai’s most ubiquitous… Continue reading

Jenny Gates, right, of Alaska Department Fish and Game leads Aliya Blough through a salmon dissection at the Connections Homeschool office in Soldotna on Thursday. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce speaks to the attendees at a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Pierce says he plans to fix the borough’s approximately $4 million deficit in the fiscal year 2019 budget without raising taxes or implementing new ones. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough mayor pitches budget plan

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify the borough's education spending and include a statement from Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Sean… Continue reading

Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce speaks to the attendees at a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Pierce says he plans to fix the borough’s approximately $4 million deficit in the fiscal year 2019 budget without raising taxes or implementing new ones. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai water and sewer tax exemption fails

A proposal to exempt Kenai’s residential water and sewer services from city sales taxes failed at Wednesday night’s Kenai city council meeting. Of the council’s… Continue reading

Soldotna to host 4th annual Frozen RiverFest

Soldotna to host 4th annual Frozen RiverFest

Nothing says February in Alaska like a bonfire and an icy beer by a frozen river. On Feb. 17, the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce with… Continue reading

Soldotna to host 4th annual Frozen RiverFest

Borough works on kinks in emergency response system

Emergency managers across the Kenai Peninsula are working on patching gaps in the notification network made evident by January’s tsunami threat. On Jan. 23, many… Continue reading

Tyonek the Texan: Beluga whale will be moved to SeaWorld San Antonio

Tyonek is going to Texas. The rescued Cook Inlet beluga whale will soon call SeaWorld San Antonio home, according to a release from NOAA Fisheries.… Continue reading

Local governments try again for central peninsula fish board meeting

Editor's note: This story has been changed to clarify the Board of Fish's meeting location decision at their October 2017 worksession. Advocates are again seeking… Continue reading