News

Elliot Clark and family with a brown bear he shot after it charged a group of hunters near Hoonah. (Photo courtesy Sen. Shelly Hughes’ Facebook page)

Armed 11-year-old boy saves uncle from charging bear

Quick action from a Hoonah boy saved a fishing party from a charging brown bear on June 18, the Empire has learned through Alaska State… Continue reading

Elliot Clark and family with a brown bear he shot after it charged a group of hunters near Hoonah. (Photo courtesy Sen. Shelly Hughes’ Facebook page)

Hilcorp plans new pad and well near Ninilchik

Oil and gas company Hilcorp Alaska plans to lay a new gravel pad and drill a new well just north of Ninilchik this summer. The… Continue reading

Hilcorp plans new gas wells near Ninilchik

The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas has approved a Plan of Operations for Hilcorp Alaska to develop a new pad outside Ninilchik to support… Continue reading

The Bookworm Sez: ‘Woolly’ a mammoth-sized read

The Bookworm Sez: ‘Woolly’ a mammoth-sized read

Your closet is filled with yesterday’s fashions. You’re reluctant to donate a thread of it, though, because hey! They could bring back skinny ties, Hammer… Continue reading

The Bookworm Sez: ‘Woolly’ a mammoth-sized read

What’s Happening

First Thursday n Opening today, 5 - 7 p.m., will be an exhibition by Sonya Kelliher-Combs, at Kenai Fine Art Center, 816 Cook Avenue, Old… Continue reading

  • Jul 5, 2017

Poet’s Corner: Spirit Freedom

Spirit Freedom By Bonnie Marie Playle, Soldotna On July 4, 1776 we separated from Great Britain and became a sovereign nation. As a nation were… Continue reading

  • Jul 5, 2017
  • By Bonnie Marie Playle
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Ansel Elgort, right, and Jamie Foxx in a scene from “Baby Driver.” (Wilson Webb/Sony/TriStar Pictures via AP)

Reeling it in: ‘Baby Driver’ takes viewer on a wild ride

“Baby Driver” TriStar Pictures 1 hour, 52 minutes As I strode back to my car after leaving the theater showing “Baby Driver,” I could almost… Continue reading

  • Jul 5, 2017
  • By Chris Jenness
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Ansel Elgort, right, and Jamie Foxx in a scene from “Baby Driver.” (Wilson Webb/Sony/TriStar Pictures via AP)
This section of a property ownership map shows some of Cook Inlet Region Incorporated’s lands along the Kenai River near Soldotna, with surface ownership depicted in dark red. CIRI has erected signs this year letting the public know where its privately owned lands are and asking people not to use them to fish without a permit, which is available for free through the corporation. (Courtesy Cook Inlet Region Incorporated)

CIRI steps up enforcement on Kenai River lands

Kenai River anglers will have to keep an eye out for private property this year as Cook Inlet Region Incorporated steps up its efforts to… Continue reading

This section of a property ownership map shows some of Cook Inlet Region Incorporated’s lands along the Kenai River near Soldotna, with surface ownership depicted in dark red. CIRI has erected signs this year letting the public know where its privately owned lands are and asking people not to use them to fish without a permit, which is available for free through the corporation. (Courtesy Cook Inlet Region Incorporated)

Wasilla soldier killed in southern Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says that one U.S. Army soldier was killed and two others were injured in southern Afghanistan. The U.S. says… Continue reading

  • Jul 5, 2017

HEA warns members of phone scam

Homer Electric Association has received reports from area businesses regarding suspicious phone calls, according to a press release issued Wednesday. According to HEA, he fraudulent… Continue reading

  • Jul 5, 2017

Two Kenai Peninsula students study STEM in Anchorage

School may be out, but middle schoolers Olivia Reger of Cooper Landing and Blaine Hayes of Soldotna used some of their summer days in June… Continue reading

Commercial fishing season kicks off with higher prices, slow runs

Commercial fishermen in Upper Cook Inlet have been out since late June, kicking off what’s predicted to be a fairly slow sockeye salmon season. As… Continue reading

Man arrested after ramming car, damaging Anchor Point store

An Anchorage man is in jail for the 4th of July after using his car to ram another car and causing damage to the Anchor River… Continue reading

Connie Green, right, owner of Alaska C&C Horse Adventures in Soldotna, practices with Madelyn Barkman, left, on Monday in preparation for the Kenai Fourth of July Parade. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Stars, stripes and saddles

Connie Green, of Alaska C&C Horse Adventures in Soldotna, has brought a group of horseback riders together to walk in the Kenai Fourth of July… Continue reading

  • Jul 3, 2017
  • By KAT SORENSEN
Connie Green, right, owner of Alaska C&C Horse Adventures in Soldotna, practices with Madelyn Barkman, left, on Monday in preparation for the Kenai Fourth of July Parade. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai hunters required to complete moose orientation

Hunters aiming to take home some moose meat this year on the Kenai Peninsula will have to take an additional step before heading out —… Continue reading

In this July 2016, a fishing guide pilots a boat up the Kenai River near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Late king run starts off with bait in lower river

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct an error. On the Kenai River, bait is allowed between the mouth of the river and… Continue reading

In this July 2016, a fishing guide pilots a boat up the Kenai River near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Clouds drift above the peak of Slaughter Ridge and Kenai Lake on Saturday, July 1, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. Southcentral Alaska so far has had a cool, wet summer, and may see below-normal temperatures with above-normal precipitation over the next eight to 14 days, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center. Sunday was rainy on the central peninsula, with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s. However, the sun is predicted to make a steadier appearance for the Fourth of July week, with temperatures rising to the low 60s by Tuesday and some sunshine, according to a Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service. “The warm and mostly dry weather pattern looks like it will hold through at least the end of the week,” the announcement states. “There may still be some afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms forming on area mountains, but sunshine will be abundant for the valleys.” (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Warmer weather on the way

Clouds drift above the peak of Slaughter Ridge and Kenai Lake on Saturday near Cooper Landing. Southcentral Alaska so far has had a cool, wet… Continue reading

Clouds drift above the peak of Slaughter Ridge and Kenai Lake on Saturday, July 1, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. Southcentral Alaska so far has had a cool, wet summer, and may see below-normal temperatures with above-normal precipitation over the next eight to 14 days, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center. Sunday was rainy on the central peninsula, with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s. However, the sun is predicted to make a steadier appearance for the Fourth of July week, with temperatures rising to the low 60s by Tuesday and some sunshine, according to a Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service. “The warm and mostly dry weather pattern looks like it will hold through at least the end of the week,” the announcement states. “There may still be some afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms forming on area mountains, but sunshine will be abundant for the valleys.” (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Father Roger Bergkamp of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Soldotna reads a blessing during the Blessing of the Fleet on Friday, June 30, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Boats, fishermen blessed for the season

As the fishing season hits its stride, fishermen are joining with a local church to pray for the safety of all who travel out onto… Continue reading

  • Jul 1, 2017
  • By KAT SORENSEN
Father Roger Bergkamp of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Soldotna reads a blessing during the Blessing of the Fleet on Friday, June 30, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Ryanna Thurman, right, finishes listening to an oration of Kenai Central High School student Kassandra Renfrow’s poem, one of the winning entries to the Pathways of Poetry contest, Saturday, July 1, 2017 on the trail at Kenai Municipal Park in Kenai, Alaska. A panel of judges chose 12 winners out of 86 student participants, whose poems about nature are placed on signs along the trail. Scanning the codes on the signs brings up a recording of the authors reading their pieces. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)

Pathways of Poetry connects local talent with nature

Ever wish you had something to listen to while wandering in the woods? Now, there 12 voices hidden among the trees in Kenai, waiting to… Continue reading

Ryanna Thurman, right, finishes listening to an oration of Kenai Central High School student Kassandra Renfrow’s poem, one of the winning entries to the Pathways of Poetry contest, Saturday, July 1, 2017 on the trail at Kenai Municipal Park in Kenai, Alaska. A panel of judges chose 12 winners out of 86 student participants, whose poems about nature are placed on signs along the trail. Scanning the codes on the signs brings up a recording of the authors reading their pieces. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)
A group of local children react to a magic show held at the Kenai Community Library in Kenai, Alaska on Thursday, June 29, 2017. The magic show was held in conjunction with the library’s summer reading program. The library is hosting weekly events on Thursdays throughout the summer. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Alakazam!

A group of local children react to a magic show held at the Kenai Community Library in Kenaion Thursday, June 29. The magic show was… Continue reading

  • Jun 29, 2017
  • By KAT SORENSEN
A group of local children react to a magic show held at the Kenai Community Library in Kenai, Alaska on Thursday, June 29, 2017. The magic show was held in conjunction with the library’s summer reading program. The library is hosting weekly events on Thursdays throughout the summer. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)