News

State sets up process for reviewing clemency applications

JUNEAU — Those with criminal records who want leniency or forgiveness for their legal troubles have sent pleas for a fresh start to Alaska’s parole… Continue reading

  • Jan 25, 2018
  • By Becky Bohrer

Low silver returns to Seward in 2016 mean fewer to stock in 2018

The coho salmon returns to Seward may be slow next year, though Homer may see a boost in returns to the fishing lagoon on the… Continue reading

Wellness consultant Tia Holley, right, explains traditional uses of local plants and germination techniques to Jasmine Koster during a seed-planting demonstration at the Dena’ina Wellness Center on Jan. 25. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Planting the seeds of tradition

Along the sides of bluffs, on beaches and down roads — even tangled up in your own garden — are ingredients that have long been… Continue reading

Wellness consultant Tia Holley, right, explains traditional uses of local plants and germination techniques to Jasmine Koster during a seed-planting demonstration at the Dena’ina Wellness Center on Jan. 25. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai city planner to return south

In summer 2014 Matt Kelley came from a county planner’s office in California to become Kenai’s city planner. In February he’ll be returning to county-level… Continue reading

Brothers arrested for alleged laundromat ATM heist

Two brothers were arrested Monday for allegedly trying to steal an ATM containing $2,580 from a Kenai laundromat. Christopher E. Brower, 50, and Kevin W.… Continue reading

Soldotna continues planning for pot

The Soldotna City Council held the first of two public hearings on commercial marijuana regulations Wednesday night, taking the next step for regulations to be… Continue reading

  • Jan 25, 2018
  • By KAT SORENSEN
In this July 24, 2016 file photo, a guide boat motors upstream on the Kenai River near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Rashah McChesney, file)

River users question turbidity finding on Kenai

Editor's note: This article has been edited to clarify that the turbidity exceedances for the Kenai River were not contiguous but rather were spread throughout… Continue reading

In this July 24, 2016 file photo, a guide boat motors upstream on the Kenai River near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Rashah McChesney, file)

DNR grants one of three Chuitna Citizens Coalition water reservations

Editor's note: This story has been changed to add additional information and to correct the year of CCC's lawsuit against DNR. The Alaska Department of… Continue reading

Angela Rodell, CEO and executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., gives an overview of the fund to the House Finance Committee at the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Lawmakers could affect value of the Permanent Fund

As lawmakers consider using proceeds from the Alaska Permanent Fund to patch Alaska’s $2.5 billion budget deficit, they are pushing back against a stress test… Continue reading

Angela Rodell, CEO and executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., gives an overview of the fund to the House Finance Committee at the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
This July 12, 2017 file photo shows the newly renovated basement of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Library in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Library checks out 2017 trends

In 2017, about 110,000 visitors walked through the doors of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Soldotna Public Library borrowing more than 125,000 books and furthering… Continue reading

This July 12, 2017 file photo shows the newly renovated basement of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Library in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
In this Dec. 25, 2015 file photo, Central Emergency Services employees and volunteers and their families gather for a Christmas Day potluck at Station 1 in Soldotna, Alaska. The central station, which handles the majority of the calls for the fire and emergency service area, was originally built in 1957 and last renovated in 1981. The service area is now seeking state funding to reconstruct or relocate the station. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

CES, Anchor Point ask state for funds for new fire stations

The peninsula’s busiest emergency services department is looking to relocate its main fire station. Central Emergency Services serves the majority of the Kenai Peninsula’s population,… Continue reading

In this Dec. 25, 2015 file photo, Central Emergency Services employees and volunteers and their families gather for a Christmas Day potluck at Station 1 in Soldotna, Alaska. The central station, which handles the majority of the calls for the fire and emergency service area, was originally built in 1957 and last renovated in 1981. The service area is now seeking state funding to reconstruct or relocate the station. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Powerful undersea quake shakes Alaska

A night that began with a dramatic 7.9 magnitude earthquake and the threat of region-wide tsunamis ended quietly for the Kenai Peninsula — with coastal… Continue reading

Legislative Information Office teleconference schedule for Jan. 25

Thursday, 8:00 a.m. The House Community & Regional Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 267 Release Hunting / Fishing Records to Municipalities.… Continue reading

  • Jan 24, 2018

Earthquake causes small refinery spill

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct an inaccurate use of the term "secondary confinement." The correct term is "secondary containment." While so… Continue reading

Invocation lawsuit progresses toward oral argument

Invocation lawsuit progresses toward oral argument

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the date of the oral argument at the Superior Court of Alaska in Anchorage. A year… Continue reading

Invocation lawsuit progresses toward oral argument

8.2 earthquake south of Kodiak shakes Kenai Peninsula

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake occurred about 175 miles miles southeast of the city of Kodiak at about 12:32 a.m Tuesday morning, the U.S Geological Service… Continue reading

Teacher of the year nominations close Feb. 1

Nominations for the BP Teachers of Excellence are drawing to a close at the end of January. The award recognizes teachers throughout Alaska for their… Continue reading

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2013, file photo, a driver passes a small boat harbor in King Cove, Alaska. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land exchange agreement Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, authorizing a swap of federal land in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge for land owned by King Cove Corporation that could lead to a road through the refuge so King Cove residents can have land access to an all-weather airport at Cold Bay, Alaska. (James Brooks/Kodiak Daily Mirror via AP, File)

U.S. approves land exchange for road through Alaska refuge

ANCHORAGE — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land trade agreement Monday that could lead to construction of a road through a national wildlife refuge… Continue reading

  • Jan 22, 2018
  • By Dan Joling
FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2013, file photo, a driver passes a small boat harbor in King Cove, Alaska. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land exchange agreement Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, authorizing a swap of federal land in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge for land owned by King Cove Corporation that could lead to a road through the refuge so King Cove residents can have land access to an all-weather airport at Cold Bay, Alaska. (James Brooks/Kodiak Daily Mirror via AP, File)

CES fire marshal arrested for alleged assault

The Central Emergency Services Fire Marshal was arrested over the weekend for allegedly choking and punching an adult family member inside a vehicle in the… Continue reading

Drivers skid around one of the corners on the ice track atop a frozen lake at the Decanter Inn on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. Every Sunday in the winter, the Decanter Inn hosts Peninsula Ice Racing events for drivers to try their hand at the frozen track on the shallow lake at the bottom of the hill behind the inn. The racers can use studded tires on their front wheels only and equip the sides of their vehicles with bumpers as other vehicles are likely to slip and slide into them. Spinning out is common. A tow truck waits on the sidelines to retrieve drivers who get stuck on the berms alongside the track. Fans gathered Sunday despite the cold to cheer the racers on. The men race in the morning, followed by the women’s races in the afternoon. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Ready, set, skid

Exhaust plumes toward the sky and engines rev, clattering against the icebound trees and windblown snow around the frozen lake. Drivers in refitted older cars,… Continue reading

Drivers skid around one of the corners on the ice track atop a frozen lake at the Decanter Inn on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. Every Sunday in the winter, the Decanter Inn hosts Peninsula Ice Racing events for drivers to try their hand at the frozen track on the shallow lake at the bottom of the hill behind the inn. The racers can use studded tires on their front wheels only and equip the sides of their vehicles with bumpers as other vehicles are likely to slip and slide into them. Spinning out is common. A tow truck waits on the sidelines to retrieve drivers who get stuck on the berms alongside the track. Fans gathered Sunday despite the cold to cheer the racers on. The men race in the morning, followed by the women’s races in the afternoon. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)