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Leading a group of berry seekers, Janice Chumley of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service contrasts the tasty lingonberry (also known as lowbush cranberries) with the “edible but insipid” specimen of bunchberry dogwood in her right hand during an instructional walk on Monday, August 28, 2017 at Tsalteshi Trails near Soldotna, Alaska. The event was part of the fifth annual Harvest Moon Local Food Festival, which concluded Monday.

A tasty walk in the woods

Leading a group of berry seekers, Janice Chumley of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service contrasts the tasty lingonberry (also known as lowbush… Continue reading

Leading a group of berry seekers, Janice Chumley of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service contrasts the tasty lingonberry (also known as lowbush cranberries) with the “edible but insipid” specimen of bunchberry dogwood in her right hand during an instructional walk on Monday, August 28, 2017 at Tsalteshi Trails near Soldotna, Alaska. The event was part of the fifth annual Harvest Moon Local Food Festival, which concluded Monday.

Walker to call fourth special session

The Alaska Legislature will try to find a new hope in the fourth special session of the year. On Thursday morning, lawmakers were informed by… Continue reading

Trustee recommends Chapter 7 liquidation after Dispatch sale

A new filing in the Alaska Dispatch News bankruptcy case is an Aug. 30 request to liquidate Alice Rogoff’s corporate holdings after the purchase agreement… Continue reading

(From left) Lisa Pimentel, Joanie Pimentel and Nicola Berlinsky, the three members of Los Angeles-based rock outfit No Small Children, pose for a photo near the Burger Bus restaurant on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The three will perform at an assembly at Nikiski Middle-High School on Friday afternoon, followd by a show at 7 p.m. at the Triumvirate Theatre in North Kenai and another show at Alice’s Champagne Palace in Homer on Saturday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

LA band No Small Children to peform 3 peninsula shows

Although the band playing Triumvirate Theatre on Friday night is called No Small Children, the members want to be very clear that children are allowed.… Continue reading

(From left) Lisa Pimentel, Joanie Pimentel and Nicola Berlinsky, the three members of Los Angeles-based rock outfit No Small Children, pose for a photo near the Burger Bus restaurant on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The three will perform at an assembly at Nikiski Middle-High School on Friday afternoon, followd by a show at 7 p.m. at the Triumvirate Theatre in North Kenai and another show at Alice’s Champagne Palace in Homer on Saturday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this September 2016 photo, mountains loom over Skilak Lake and its surrounding hills near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The U.S. Forest Service noted a sharp increase in spruce bark beetle activity in summer 2017 around Southcentral Alaska, including on the Kenai Peninsula, which lost millions of trees to an outbreak of the beetle infestations in the 1990s. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Spruce bark beetle activity spikes in Southcentral

Spruce bark beetle activity in Southcentral Alaska has jumped this summer, though it’s not as widespread as it was in the 1990s. The U.S. Forest… Continue reading

In this September 2016 photo, mountains loom over Skilak Lake and its surrounding hills near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The U.S. Forest Service noted a sharp increase in spruce bark beetle activity in summer 2017 around Southcentral Alaska, including on the Kenai Peninsula, which lost millions of trees to an outbreak of the beetle infestations in the 1990s. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Putting technology to work Mariana Livingston (standing) of Assistive Technology of Alaska guides Brad Rooker through demonstrations of a hearing device and software that enlarges and enhances the contrast of digital text for the visually impaired on Wednesday at the Kenai Senior Center. Livingston’s Anchorage-based group was one of four at the senior center to hold a health fair and one-on-one clinics for those interested in aid devices for vision, hearing, and mobility. Others included the Independent Living Center, the Alaska Center for the Blind, and the Kenai Centenial Savvy Lions Club, which offered free vision exams. Independent Living Center office manager Melissa Kline said the groups hope to hold the event annually in Kenai in the fall and at the Soldotna Senior Center in the spring. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Seniors get demo of hearing and vision aids

Mariana Livingston (standing) of Assistive Technology of Alaska guides Brad Rooker through demonstrations of a hearing device and software that enlarges and enhances the contrast… Continue reading

Putting technology to work Mariana Livingston (standing) of Assistive Technology of Alaska guides Brad Rooker through demonstrations of a hearing device and software that enlarges and enhances the contrast of digital text for the visually impaired on Wednesday at the Kenai Senior Center. Livingston’s Anchorage-based group was one of four at the senior center to hold a health fair and one-on-one clinics for those interested in aid devices for vision, hearing, and mobility. Others included the Independent Living Center, the Alaska Center for the Blind, and the Kenai Centenial Savvy Lions Club, which offered free vision exams. Independent Living Center office manager Melissa Kline said the groups hope to hold the event annually in Kenai in the fall and at the Soldotna Senior Center in the spring. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
Two anglers work together to land a silver salmon from the steps on the fishing platform near the Soldotna Visitors Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The silver salmon fishing has been reportedly good throughout the Kenai River since early August, and silver salmon continue to enter the river throughout the fall. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing report: Silver fishing keeps up quality on Kenai River

A draft morning schedule for a silver salmon angler: 4 a.m.: Alarm goes off. Pat self on back for packing tackle the evening before. 4:30… Continue reading

Two anglers work together to land a silver salmon from the steps on the fishing platform near the Soldotna Visitors Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The silver salmon fishing has been reportedly good throughout the Kenai River since early August, and silver salmon continue to enter the river throughout the fall. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Mayor advocates for ballot props to increase revenue

Kenai Peninsula voters will get to reconsider a tax measure that failed at the ballot box last year in the upcoming Oct. 3 election. The… Continue reading

Paul Montenieri, the founder of the Soldotna senior softball league, releases a wreath in honor of Kurt Keltner on the Kenai River on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Keltner, who lived in Sterling during the summers and Colorado in the winters, has been missing since Aug. 4, when he was thrown from a fishing boat due to a mechanical error near Centennial Park and was not able to swim to shore. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

With no sign of missing man, community members say goodbye

Blustering winds and rain may have stopped the Soldotna senior softball league from playing their final game of the season Tuesday, but it wouldn’t stop… Continue reading

Paul Montenieri, the founder of the Soldotna senior softball league, releases a wreath in honor of Kurt Keltner on the Kenai River on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Keltner, who lived in Sterling during the summers and Colorado in the winters, has been missing since Aug. 4, when he was thrown from a fishing boat due to a mechanical error near Centennial Park and was not able to swim to shore. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

A lack of candidates plagues service area board elections

After October, only two of the five members of the Seldovia Recreational Service Area Board will be elected. The other three will be appointed by… Continue reading

Candidate withdraws from borough assembly race

The three-way race to fill the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s District 1 seat — representing the Kalifornsky area — in the Oct. 3 election will… Continue reading

Nikiski man arrested on charges of threatening family member with gun

A Nikiski man has been arrested after allegedly attacking and threatening a family member with a gun. Alaska State Troopers arrested Dakoda Neely, 22, on… Continue reading

Central Peninsula Hospital ends fiscal year with approximately 93% decline in net income

Central Peninsula Hospital saw a sharp decrease in its net income in the last year, but the hospital administration says the trend is already turning… Continue reading

ENSTAR contracts with AIX energy for supply until 2021

A deal between the regional gas utility ENSTAR and the Texas-based independent producer AIX may cover a small slice of the region’s demand for heat… Continue reading

Fish and Game asks fishermen to report Atlantic salmon catches

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is asking that fishermen around the state report any Atlantic salmon they catch. Damage to a salmon farm… Continue reading

Missing child returned to parents

A three-year-old was safely returned to their parents after disappearing on Chas Ross Road, near Sterling, on Saturday. According to the police report, the child… Continue reading

  • Aug 27, 2017
  • By KAT SORENSEN
Four hands of fury

Four hands of fury

During a stop on her Listen Hear Alaska tour, classical pianist Miki Sawada (left) played a four-hand piece -- "Slavonic Dances" by Antonin Dvorak --… Continue reading

Four hands of fury
In this April 2017 photo, the Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River and runs through the community of Cooper Landing, Alaska. The federal and state departments of transportation have been looking at rerouting the highway since the 1970s to avoid the town of Cooper Landing, where traffic must slow down to 35 miles per hour and run through an area that becomes congested in the summer. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Decision to reevaluate Cooper Landing bypass route met with relief

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that the land swap between Cook Inlet Region, Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service… Continue reading

In this April 2017 photo, the Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River and runs through the community of Cooper Landing, Alaska. The federal and state departments of transportation have been looking at rerouting the highway since the 1970s to avoid the town of Cooper Landing, where traffic must slow down to 35 miles per hour and run through an area that becomes congested in the summer. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this April 2014 file photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, left, speaks with Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, before their Senate Finanace Committee meeting at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Meet Gov. Walker’s first big challenger

Five years ago, Mike Dunleavy ran for Alaska Senate and asked residents of the Mat-Su to kindly not shoot him. “Mike Dunleavy knows that Alaska… Continue reading

In this April 2014 file photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, left, speaks with Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, before their Senate Finanace Committee meeting at the Capitol. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
A pair of crew members work on the drilling deck of Parker Rig 272 at Prudhoe Bay in May. The oil industry has lost 25 percent of its jobs since hitting a peak in 2015, with about 3,600 jobs lost over the past two years. (Photo/Michael Dinneen/For the Journal)

State unemployment rate hits five-year high

Alaska seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 7 percent in July according to the state Labor Department. It’s the highest the unemployment rate the state has… Continue reading

A pair of crew members work on the drilling deck of Parker Rig 272 at Prudhoe Bay in May. The oil industry has lost 25 percent of its jobs since hitting a peak in 2015, with about 3,600 jobs lost over the past two years. (Photo/Michael Dinneen/For the Journal)