News

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

Fish waste accumulates along the tide line at the Kenai River’s north beach on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 in Kenai, Alaska. The City of Kenai rakes the waste out to ocean every night and local groups contribute to cleanup efforts, but the waste still builds up on the tideline when the water washes it back in. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Properly get rid of your fish waste this weekend

The final weekend of the Kenai River personal-use dipnet fishery kicks off Friday. With sockeye salmon passage increasing into the Kenai River — nearly 72,000… Continue reading

Fish waste accumulates along the tide line at the Kenai River’s north beach on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 in Kenai, Alaska. The City of Kenai rakes the waste out to ocean every night and local groups contribute to cleanup efforts, but the waste still builds up on the tideline when the water washes it back in. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
The Emerald Princess cruise ship is docked in Juneau Wednesday. The FBI is investigating the domestic dispute death of a Utah woman on board the ship, which was traveling in U.S. waters outside Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

FBI investigating death from domestic dispute on cruise ship

ANCHORAGE — A domestic dispute aboard a cruise ship led to the death of a 39-year-old Utah woman, and the FBI was investigating what happened… Continue reading

  • Jul 26, 2017
  • By RACHEL D’ORO and BECKY BOHRER
The Emerald Princess cruise ship is docked in Juneau Wednesday. The FBI is investigating the domestic dispute death of a Utah woman on board the ship, which was traveling in U.S. waters outside Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Recent high school graduates from throughout Alaska are working closely with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski through the summer internship program, which lasts until August 4 and exposes the interns to the day-to-day life in a senator’s office. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office)

Young Alaskans shadow Murkowski on Capitol Hill

From the outside, Capitol Hill seems like a hectic place this summer, but a group of ten recent Alaska high school graduates are experiencing it… Continue reading

Recent high school graduates from throughout Alaska are working closely with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski through the summer internship program, which lasts until August 4 and exposes the interns to the day-to-day life in a senator’s office. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office)

Familiar face to take Kenai Senior Center reins

Regular visitors going to the Kenai Senior Center for lunch, games, Thursday evening bluegrass jam sessions, and other activities will be seeing a new face… Continue reading

East side setnets, drifters closed again Thursday

Commercial fishermen in Upper Cook Inlet’s central district will stay on the beaches again Thursday to allow more sockeye to enter the Kenai River. The… Continue reading

Tayla Cole plays with a program called “Banana Piano,” running on a Raspberry Pi computer, as Taylor Crista (right) and Amy Sevast look on during a Raspberry Pi demonstration on Monday, July 24, 2017 at the Kenai Public Library in Kenai, Alaska. The program uses the fruit’s electrical conductivity, and the conductivity of human skin, to make bannas — wired through an input device called Makey Makey — produce digital tones when touched. Kenai Library intern Kianna Steadman used the Bannana Piano and other inventions to introduce the Kenai Library’s twelve Raspberry Pi computers, which will be the subject of three workshops at the library next week, and a club that will meet weekly thereafter. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai library starts do-it-yourself computer club

In the world of consumer electronics, the Raspberry Pi is meant to be a project more than a product: a computer consisting of single programmable… Continue reading

Tayla Cole plays with a program called “Banana Piano,” running on a Raspberry Pi computer, as Taylor Crista (right) and Amy Sevast look on during a Raspberry Pi demonstration on Monday, July 24, 2017 at the Kenai Public Library in Kenai, Alaska. The program uses the fruit’s electrical conductivity, and the conductivity of human skin, to make bannas — wired through an input device called Makey Makey — produce digital tones when touched. Kenai Library intern Kianna Steadman used the Bannana Piano and other inventions to introduce the Kenai Library’s twelve Raspberry Pi computers, which will be the subject of three workshops at the library next week, and a club that will meet weekly thereafter. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

AirBNB hosted over 15,000 on peninsula last year

When the river is crowded, Fred Meyer is packed and traffic is backed up, it’s a sure sign that tourist season on the Kenai Peninsula… Continue reading

US Senate looks to renew ‘Frankenfish’ import ban

With support from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Congress is preparing to renew a ban on the importation of genetically engineered salmon. On Friday, the U.S. Senate… Continue reading