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A honeybee enjoys the flowers on the front lawn of the Soldotna Senior Center on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Jan Fena, the director of the senior center, said the plants on the front lawn are all maintained by volunteers. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Summer glory

By ELIZABETH EARL Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

A honeybee enjoys the flowers on the front lawn of the Soldotna Senior Center on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Jan Fena, the director of the senior center, said the plants on the front lawn are all maintained by volunteers. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly debates bed tax, introduces sales tax cap increase

The Kenai Peninsula’s lodging industry is mounting opposition to the Kenai Peninsula Borough administration’s proposed bed tax. The borough assembly is considering a ballot proposition… Continue reading

Arson suspected in Nikolaevsk fire

Arson is suspected in a Sunday night structure fire in the village of Nikolaevsk. None of the home’s occupants were present at the time of… Continue reading

Alinna Granados of the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department takes down beach signs after the end of the personal use dipnet fishery on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 on Kenai’s north beach. Granados and fellow Parks and Rec employee Randy Dodge, who used a loader to pull the signs from the sand, took down signage and barriers after the beach had been cleaned of trash and fish waste earlier that morning. Alinna Granados of the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department takes down beach signs after the end of the personal use dipnet fishery on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 on Kenai’s north beach. Granados and fellow Parks and Rec employee Randy Dodge, who used a loader to pull the signs from the sand, took down signage and barriers after the beach had been cleaned of trash and fish waste earlier that morning.

Signs of the end

Signs of the end Alinna Granados of the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department takes down beach signs after the end of the personal use dipnet… Continue reading

Alinna Granados of the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department takes down beach signs after the end of the personal use dipnet fishery on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 on Kenai’s north beach. Granados and fellow Parks and Rec employee Randy Dodge, who used a loader to pull the signs from the sand, took down signage and barriers after the beach had been cleaned of trash and fish waste earlier that morning. Alinna Granados of the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department takes down beach signs after the end of the personal use dipnet fishery on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 on Kenai’s north beach. Granados and fellow Parks and Rec employee Randy Dodge, who used a loader to pull the signs from the sand, took down signage and barriers after the beach had been cleaned of trash and fish waste earlier that morning.

Health insurer files for rate decrease for Alaska market

JUNEAU — The lone insurer offering policies on Alaska’s individual health insurance market has filed for an average rate decrease of about 22 percent next… Continue reading

  • Aug 1, 2017
  • By Becky Bohrer
In this Saturday photo provided by KYUK Public Media, a gray whale killed in the Kuskokwim River is butchered and the meat and blubber distributed in Napaskiak. (Katie Basile/ KYUK Public Media via AP)

Native hunters kill whale in Kuskokwim River

ANCHORAGE — Federal officials on Tuesday were investigating the killing of a protected gray whale by Native hunters in Alaska after the massive animal strayed… Continue reading

  • Aug 1, 2017
  • By RACHEL D’ORO
In this Saturday photo provided by KYUK Public Media, a gray whale killed in the Kuskokwim River is butchered and the meat and blubber distributed in Napaskiak. (Katie Basile/ KYUK Public Media via AP)

Peninsula residents lead, contribute to state boards

The Kenai Peninsula has a number of voices on Alaska’s myriad boards and commissions. The state has about 130 active boards and commissions, which range… Continue reading

A drift gillnet fishing vessel makes its way into the Kenai River on Friday in Kenai. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Commercial fishermen harvest 1.8M sockeye so far, no fishing Tuesday

Upper Cook Inlet’s commercial drift gillnet commercial fishermen got to fish throughout the waters of the central district during their regular period Monday. It’s the… Continue reading

A drift gillnet fishing vessel makes its way into the Kenai River on Friday in Kenai. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Man charged with stealing, burning car

A Kenai man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a car and setting it on fire. Kenai Police Department officers arrested Kenny Kitchen, 25, of… Continue reading

In this May 31 file photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, right, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks during a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Zinke said it is “laughable” to suggest he threatened Alaska’s U.S. senators Murkowski and Dan Sullivan over a vote by one of them on health care. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Zinke: ‘Laughable’ to suggest he threatened Alaska senators

BUNKERVILLE, Nev. (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said it is “laughable” to suggest he threatened Alaska’s U.S. senators over a vote by one of… Continue reading

  • Jul 31, 2017
In this May 31 file photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, right, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks during a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Zinke said it is “laughable” to suggest he threatened Alaska’s U.S. senators Murkowski and Dan Sullivan over a vote by one of them on health care. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Tawnisha Freeman (left) and Giaseena Nicks of the Nikiski clubhouse with Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula keep the tables organized Monday, July 31, 2017, at the free clothing, shoes and book event they helped organize. The event, which is held at Nikiski North Star Elementary School in Nikiski, Alaska, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Wednesday, August 2, 2017. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Free for all: Nikiski teens give back with free clothes, shoes and books

From winter boots to a Winston Churchill biography, the gymnasium of Nikiski North Star Elementary School has been transformed into Nikiski’s own department store, with… Continue reading

Tawnisha Freeman (left) and Giaseena Nicks of the Nikiski clubhouse with Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula keep the tables organized Monday, July 31, 2017, at the free clothing, shoes and book event they helped organize. The event, which is held at Nikiski North Star Elementary School in Nikiski, Alaska, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Wednesday, August 2, 2017. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Landon Beaudon shows off some bugs he found while on a nature walk on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 during his week at the Kenai Watershed Forum’s Adopt-A-Stream summer camp in Soldtona, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Arts, bugs and more: Kenai Watershed Forum summer camp teaches about local ecology

Circled up on the floor of a yurt just a couple hundred yards from the Kenai River, a group of campers learn about the ecosystem… Continue reading

Landon Beaudon shows off some bugs he found while on a nature walk on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 during his week at the Kenai Watershed Forum’s Adopt-A-Stream summer camp in Soldtona, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna man, 18, arrested for holding 14-year-old against her will

A Soldotna-area man was arrested Saturday after allegedly holding a 14-year-old girl against her will, firing shots at two people in a truck and threatening… Continue reading

Kenai Superior Court Judge Anna Moran (right) offers congratulations and advice to newly installed Superior Court Judge Jennifer Wells (left) during Wells’ installation ceremony Thursday, July 27, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Wells, a 22-year veteran of the Alaska court system, replaces former Superior Court Judge Carl Bauman, who retired in February. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Jennifer Wells installed as Kenai Superior Court judge

Judging by the number of attorneys making their way into Courtroom 1 in the Kenai Courthouse on a Thursday afternoon, the installation of Superior Court… Continue reading

Kenai Superior Court Judge Anna Moran (right) offers congratulations and advice to newly installed Superior Court Judge Jennifer Wells (left) during Wells’ installation ceremony Thursday, July 27, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Wells, a 22-year veteran of the Alaska court system, replaces former Superior Court Judge Carl Bauman, who retired in February. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Recall opponent Alex Koplin, center, with blue sign, joins pro-recall supporters at WKFL Park about 11 a.m. Tuesday as citizens rallied on Pioneer Avenue to state their sides in the recall special election. (Photo by Michael Armstrong, Homer News)

APOC assesses penalty against Heartbeat of Homer

The Alaska Public Offices Commission has assessed a penalty of $725 against Heartbeat of Homer – Assembly Recall, the political group that registered to advocate… Continue reading

Recall opponent Alex Koplin, center, with blue sign, joins pro-recall supporters at WKFL Park about 11 a.m. Tuesday as citizens rallied on Pioneer Avenue to state their sides in the recall special election. (Photo by Michael Armstrong, Homer News)
A couple chats at a table at the 50th Kenai Central High School Class of 1967 reunion at the Kenai Senior Center on Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The reunion was organized to mark the ‘67 graduating class’s reunion, though classes from the ’60s, ’50s and the days of the Territorial School before that were also welcome. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photos: 50 years later, KCHS grads reunite

Most of the attendees at the 50th Kenai Central High School class of 1967 reunion wore black and white printouts of their own yearbook photos… Continue reading

A couple chats at a table at the 50th Kenai Central High School Class of 1967 reunion at the Kenai Senior Center on Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The reunion was organized to mark the ‘67 graduating class’s reunion, though classes from the ’60s, ’50s and the days of the Territorial School before that were also welcome. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this July 2016 photo, a commercial drift gillnet boat makes its way out of the Kenai River early in the morning in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Kenai sockeye run late, biologists say

Cook Inlet east side set gillnet fishermen and drift gillnet fishermen will get their first chance to fish in more than a week on Saturday.… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, a commercial drift gillnet boat makes its way out of the Kenai River early in the morning in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
The muddy sand of the south Kenai beach traps Armin Schmidt’s pickup truck on Thursday, July 27, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Schmidt, a commercial set gillnet fisherman, was driving the truck Wednesday when it sank into the spongy mud in the intertidal area of the south Kenai beach near the jersey barrier designating the legal personal-use dipnet area. He was working with the city of Kenai’s Parks and Recreation Department, which coordinates the dipnet, to get it it out Thursday. No one was hurt in the incident. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Owner, Kenai Parks and Rec work to retrieve truck stuck in south beach

Update, 7/28/17, 1 p.m.: The truck's owner was able to pull the vehicle out of the beach with the help of other private commercial set… Continue reading

The muddy sand of the south Kenai beach traps Armin Schmidt’s pickup truck on Thursday, July 27, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Schmidt, a commercial set gillnet fisherman, was driving the truck Wednesday when it sank into the spongy mud in the intertidal area of the south Kenai beach near the jersey barrier designating the legal personal-use dipnet area. He was working with the city of Kenai’s Parks and Recreation Department, which coordinates the dipnet, to get it it out Thursday. No one was hurt in the incident. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Voters cast their ballots at the Kasilof Fire Station on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Step on up, take a seat

With 42 elected offices opening up this fall, Kenai Peninsula residents will have ample opportunity to get involved in local governments. On October 3, voters… Continue reading

Voters cast their ballots at the Kasilof Fire Station on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

House passes $1.4B capital budget

In a one-day special session Thursday, the Alaska Legislature passed a $1.4 billion capital construction budget, then adjourned without taking action on Alaska’s larger fiscal… Continue reading