News

Marijuana activists prepare for KPB vote

Three months ahead of a vote on whether cannabis businesses can continue operating in the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s outside incorporated cities, the nascent industry and… Continue reading

Kathy Heindle (right), a Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch volunteer, speaks to a man on one of the fishing access stairs during one of her Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch walks in Centennial Park on Thursdayin Soldotna. Heindle, who has been volunteering with Stream Watch since 2011, received a “Kingmaker” award from the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust for her work protecting the Kenai River watershed. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Stream Watch volunteer recognized for long service

Very little escapes Kathy Heindle’s notice when she walks her route along the Kenai River in Soldotna’s Centennial Park. Armed with a grabbing claw, trash… Continue reading

Kathy Heindle (right), a Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch volunteer, speaks to a man on one of the fishing access stairs during one of her Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch walks in Centennial Park on Thursdayin Soldotna. Heindle, who has been volunteering with Stream Watch since 2011, received a “Kingmaker” award from the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust for her work protecting the Kenai River watershed. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Supplies sit on the desk in the newly finished book sale room in the basement of the Soldotna Public Library on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna library basement reopens

After a year and a half, the nonprofit Soldotna Library Friends are gearing up to reopen their book sale space in the Joyce K. Carver… Continue reading

Supplies sit on the desk in the newly finished book sale room in the basement of the Soldotna Public Library on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Kiska the Akita, owned by Melanie Scritchfield of Soldotna, attends the Kenai Kennel Club dog show on Saturday, July 15, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Best in Show

Among the barks and fur at the Kenai Kennel Club dog show this weekend were a wide selection of champions. The fields behind Skyview Middle… Continue reading

Kiska the Akita, owned by Melanie Scritchfield of Soldotna, attends the Kenai Kennel Club dog show on Saturday, July 15, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
On Friday, July 14, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board voted to approve a proposal for public comment that would allow on-site consumption of cannabis at retail establishments. The public will be able to weigh in for 60 days before the board takes it up for amendment or final action at its next meeting in September. (Photo/File/AJOC)

Board makes call about on-site cannabis consumption

A proposal that would allow on-site consumption of marijuana will go out for public comment after the Alaska Marijuana Control Board endorsed a measure opening… Continue reading

On Friday, July 14, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board voted to approve a proposal for public comment that would allow on-site consumption of cannabis at retail establishments. The public will be able to weigh in for 60 days before the board takes it up for amendment or final action at its next meeting in September. (Photo/File/AJOC)

Rotary Park reopens after black bear sighting

The 52-acre Rotary Park on Funny River Road in Soldotna is open again. The park reopened Thursday after being temporarily closed due to bear activity.… Continue reading

Poet’s Corner: Bender’s Mother

Bender’s Mother By Carolyn Ostrander A bent and dusty woman Secret is her route Peeping out the windows. Hardly ventures out. This seeming musty woman… Continue reading

  • Jul 14, 2017
Dana Woodard holds up a selection of her newly designed fabric collection in front of a quilted pattern on display, and for sale, at Kenai Fabric Center. (Photo courtesy Gwen Woodard)

Quilted Creations

Dana Michelle Woodard has been surrounded by fabric her entire life, so it was only a matter of time before she started making her own… Continue reading

Dana Woodard holds up a selection of her newly designed fabric collection in front of a quilted pattern on display, and for sale, at Kenai Fabric Center. (Photo courtesy Gwen Woodard)
Two Kenai firefighters clean up a 1987 Volkswagen Westfallia camper van that caught fire Thursday, July 13, 2017 on the south beach in Kenai, Alaska. No one was in the van when it burnt, and there were no injuries. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Fire extinguishes vehicle blaze on beach

Members of the Kenai Fire Department made a trip to the beach Thursday night to extinguish a camper that had caught fire. A crew was… Continue reading

Two Kenai firefighters clean up a 1987 Volkswagen Westfallia camper van that caught fire Thursday, July 13, 2017 on the south beach in Kenai, Alaska. No one was in the van when it burnt, and there were no injuries. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
The white clover is considered a weed, but has a variety of uses and can be used in teas and salads. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Herbal Solutions)

Natural remedies: Alaska’s flora does a body good

That weed in the garden or the pretty flower along a strenuous hike may be more useful than meets the eye. During her workshop at… Continue reading

The white clover is considered a weed, but has a variety of uses and can be used in teas and salads. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Herbal Solutions)
Open since 1991, the Bradley Lake hydropower plant 30 miles east of Homer supplies the cheapest energy on the Railbelt at about 4 cents per kilowatt hour. Utilities are in favor of an expansion, but the board of directors for the Alaska Energy Authority are a bit skeptical. (Photo/Alaska Energy Authority)

Utilities pitch expansion at Bradley Lake hydroplant

Railbelt utility leaders want the Alaska Energy Authority to approve a $46.4 million expansion of the Bradley Lake hydroelectric plant. AEA management is on board… Continue reading

  • Jul 13, 2017
  • By ELWOOD BREHMER
Open since 1991, the Bradley Lake hydropower plant 30 miles east of Homer supplies the cheapest energy on the Railbelt at about 4 cents per kilowatt hour. Utilities are in favor of an expansion, but the board of directors for the Alaska Energy Authority are a bit skeptical. (Photo/Alaska Energy Authority)

Black bears prompt Rotary Park closing

Soldotna’s 52-acre Rotary Park located along Funny River Road is temporarily closed due to black bear activity. Soldotna Parks and Recreation Director Andrew Carmichael said… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial fishing season slow so far, big chum harvest for drift fleet

Upper Cook Inlet’s commercial fishing season has been relatively slow so far, but it will likely pick up speed soon. The earliest commercial fishing in… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
A retired U.S Airforce Lockheed T-33 fighter jet stands on a pedestal in front of the Kenai Municipal Airport on July 7, 2017 in Kenai. The Kenai Airport Commission is discussing giving the plane a fresh coat of paint this summer. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Airport T-33 may get new paint

The aircraft mounted in the grassy lot in front of the Kenai Municipal Airport — a retired U.S Air Force Lockheed T-33 “Thunderbird”— may be… Continue reading

A retired U.S Airforce Lockheed T-33 fighter jet stands on a pedestal in front of the Kenai Municipal Airport on July 7, 2017 in Kenai. The Kenai Airport Commission is discussing giving the plane a fresh coat of paint this summer. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
This Feb. 2, 2008 file photo shows the ConocoPhillips LNG facility in Nikiski. (Clarion file photo)

ConocoPhillips to mothball LNG facility

JUNEAU — In 2016, ConocoPhillips announced that it was putting its liquefied natural gas plant in Kenai on the market. But, the company hasn’t yet… Continue reading

  • Jul 12, 2017
  • By Rashah McChesney
This Feb. 2, 2008 file photo shows the ConocoPhillips LNG facility in Nikiski. (Clarion file photo)
Tom Lyman of Michigan holds up a sockeye salmon he caught in the Kenai River on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lyman, who is visiting Alaska with his son, said he hadn’t been casting for long when he hooked into the fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing report: Some sockeye showing on Kenai, big pulse yet to come

Kenai River sockeye salmon are making their way up the river in growing numbers, though it’s still a little slow. Tom Lyman, a Michigan resident… Continue reading

Tom Lyman of Michigan holds up a sockeye salmon he caught in the Kenai River on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lyman, who is visiting Alaska with his son, said he hadn’t been casting for long when he hooked into the fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Clarion reporter Kat Sorensen demonstrates how to tie an angler’s loop knot to create a stringer so sportfishermen can hang onto their catches on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. For a full video demonstration, check out the Peninsula Clarion’s Facebook page. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Learn to tie an angler’s loop knot

By Elizabeth Earl Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

Clarion reporter Kat Sorensen demonstrates how to tie an angler’s loop knot to create a stringer so sportfishermen can hang onto their catches on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. For a full video demonstration, check out the Peninsula Clarion’s Facebook page. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

District recommends changes to hospital contract

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education wants a different billing arrangement with the Central Peninsula Hospital, according to a letter from the… Continue reading

Kenai Peninsula still has high per-capita opioid prescription rate

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is among the counties leading the nation in per-capita opioid prescriptions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A… Continue reading

Dog rolls truck into Kenai River

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include that the dog had died after the vehicle was submerged in the river.  The “Dipnet Kenai”… Continue reading

  • Jul 10, 2017
  • By KAT SORENSEN