News

Senators gather in the hallway of the Capitol on Thursday, June 22, 2017, after passing a budget that will keep that the State of Alaska from shutting down on July 1. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Alaska Legislature averts shutdown with nine days to spare

With nine days to spare, the Alaska Legislature has averted a statewide government shutdown. At 1:04 p.m. Thursday afternoon, a joint House-Senate conference committee approved… Continue reading

Senators gather in the hallway of the Capitol on Thursday, June 22, 2017, after passing a budget that will keep that the State of Alaska from shutting down on July 1. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Alaska lawmakers reach deal to avert deficit, but final vote awaits

Alaska lawmakers have agreed upon a plan to avert a statewide government shutdown, but at press time Thursday, the Alaska Legislature’s various factions were struggling… Continue reading

In this November 2016 photo, the Seward Highway stretches southward toward the town of Seward near Moose Pass, Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly recently approved an ordinance forming an emergency medical service area corridor along the highway system on the eastern Kenai Peninsula to provide more thorough emergency response coverage for the thousands of travelers that cross the highway every year. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Assembly confirms Eastern Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area board members

The five seats on the newly formed East Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area’s board of directors have been filled. The board’s first job is to… Continue reading

In this November 2016 photo, the Seward Highway stretches southward toward the town of Seward near Moose Pass, Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly recently approved an ordinance forming an emergency medical service area corridor along the highway system on the eastern Kenai Peninsula to provide more thorough emergency response coverage for the thousands of travelers that cross the highway every year. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Geri Litzen laughs as her horse, Silke, hastily snatches a snack of dandelions out of her hand Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at her home in Nikiski, Alaska. Silke is one of five horses Litzen utilizes in her new business, Milestones Equine Therapy. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski woman offers equine therapy to young, old

Nikiski resident Geri Litzen has long had a heart for helping kids with special needs, and has long known the power of animals when it… Continue reading

Geri Litzen laughs as her horse, Silke, hastily snatches a snack of dandelions out of her hand Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at her home in Nikiski, Alaska. Silke is one of five horses Litzen utilizes in her new business, Milestones Equine Therapy. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)
This computer-generated graphic, included in a U.S Army Corps of Engineers report on the Kenai bluff erosion mitigation project, illustrates the Army Corps’ preferred plan to create a rock berm at the base of the bluff, allowing it naturally shift to a stable slope in the next 3 to 15 years, according to the Corps’ projection.

Army Corps finds negative cost-benefit of Kenai bluff erosion project

In a new report on a collaboration with the city of Kenai to halt erosion on the nearly mile-long bluff below Old Town Kenai, the… Continue reading

This computer-generated graphic, included in a U.S Army Corps of Engineers report on the Kenai bluff erosion mitigation project, illustrates the Army Corps’ preferred plan to create a rock berm at the base of the bluff, allowing it naturally shift to a stable slope in the next 3 to 15 years, according to the Corps’ projection.
The East Fork wildfire burns in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as seen from the air Thursday, June 15, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry)

Work continues on East Fork fire break

The East Fork wildland fire burning near Sterling in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is shrinking in size as fire managers prepare to clear fuels… Continue reading

The East Fork wildfire burns in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as seen from the air Thursday, June 15, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry)
Tsalteshi Trails Maintenance Manager Bill Holt explores the newest edition to the organization’s trail system, a parcel of land to the west of the Sterling Highway on Monday, June 19, 2017 outside Soldotna, Alaska. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Tsalteshi 2.0: Work starts on new trails

Through the fluorescent green of ferns and birch trees across from the Central Peninsula Landfill, Tsalteshi Trails Association Maintenance Manager Bill Holt has started work… Continue reading

Tsalteshi Trails Maintenance Manager Bill Holt explores the newest edition to the organization’s trail system, a parcel of land to the west of the Sterling Highway on Monday, June 19, 2017 outside Soldotna, Alaska. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
This March 29, 2017 photo shows Central Peninsula Hospital’s River Tower, which houses specialty medical services, in Soldotna, Alaska. The tower was completed in January 2017 as part of a multi-year service and infrastructure expansion at the hospital. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly introduces new hospital operating agreement

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is wading into the legal thicket of renewing Central Peninsula Hospital’s lease and operating agreement. The Kenai Peninsula Borough owns… Continue reading

This March 29, 2017 photo shows Central Peninsula Hospital’s River Tower, which houses specialty medical services, in Soldotna, Alaska. The tower was completed in January 2017 as part of a multi-year service and infrastructure expansion at the hospital. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

What’s Happening

Best Bets n The Summertime in Soldotna – Music in the Park Concert Series will feature the Robb Justice Band and 907 from 6-9 p.m.… Continue reading

  • Jun 21, 2017
Smoke rises from the burn area of the East Fork Fire on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on June 16, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska.  (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Plan for East Fork fire includes clearing black spruce stand

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct inaccurate statements of the width of the 30-foot cleared area above the Enstar pipeline and of the amount… Continue reading

Smoke rises from the burn area of the East Fork Fire on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on June 16, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska.  (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Bait authorized for lower Kenai kings

Bait is now legal for king salmon on the Kenai River below Slikok Creek. Effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, anglers can use bait to target kings… Continue reading

New evaluation system for district principals

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education approved a new building administrator evaluation system and handbook which, pending approval from the Alaska Department… Continue reading

Commercial fishing buoys float in the Kasilof River near the Kasilof River Lodge and Cabins on Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

State’s delay on Kasilof boat launch causes headaches for guides

At the end of a fishing day on the Kasilof River, the Russell Fishing Company guides often rope their boats together to make getting down… Continue reading

Commercial fishing buoys float in the Kasilof River near the Kasilof River Lodge and Cabins on Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Dr. Russell, Joan Corr and Ed Krohn congratulate Dr. Isaak Scholars Jonathan Standerfer and Sophia Sorensen.

Evening by the River at the River Tower

It started in 2006 as a unique fund raiser and occasion to don formal attire and enjoy an elegant evening by the mighty Kenai River.… Continue reading

Dr. Russell, Joan Corr and Ed Krohn congratulate Dr. Isaak Scholars Jonathan Standerfer and Sophia Sorensen.
Kids got to sit in the cockpit of a WWII RCAF fighter.

War birds of the past, present thrill Peninsula Air Fair

The 17th Kenai Peninsula Air Fair was a thrilling experience for aviators of all ages and those aspiring to someday get the wind beneath their… Continue reading

Kids got to sit in the cockpit of a WWII RCAF fighter.
Baby goats lure kids to Matti’s Farm booth at River Festival.

Kenai River Festival offers something for everyone

The Kenai River Festival that started 27 years ago as an event to increase awareness of what we can do to preserve the greatest renewable… Continue reading

Baby goats lure kids to Matti’s Farm booth at River Festival.

Suspects of Kenai kidnapping and robbery at large

Kenai police are seeking the suspects of a Saturday kidnapping and robbery, in which a man walking along Kenai’s Overland Avenue claims to have been… Continue reading

Rick Koch campaigns in his unsucessful 2016 run for the Alaska House of Representatives during Soldotna’s Progress Days Parade on July 23, 2016. Koch, who served as Kenai’s city manager from 2006 to 2016, was killed on Sunday in a motorcycle accident on the Dalton Highway.

Former Kenai city manager Rick Koch dies in motorcycle accident

Former Kenai city manager Rick Koch was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Dalton Highway on Sunday. According to Alaska State Troopers, Koch, 60,… Continue reading

Rick Koch campaigns in his unsucessful 2016 run for the Alaska House of Representatives during Soldotna’s Progress Days Parade on July 23, 2016. Koch, who served as Kenai’s city manager from 2006 to 2016, was killed on Sunday in a motorcycle accident on the Dalton Highway.
A young cow moose makes her way across the Kasilof River amid a crowd of guided anglers Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Monday can be a busy day on the Kasilof for guides, as the Kenai River is closed to motor boat use and many head to the Kasilof. Though sockeye are starting to enter the river, most of the anglers are still targeting king salmon. Though Kasilof River has king salmon runs of both wild and hatchery king salmon, and anglers can only retain wild king salmon on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Moose crossing

A young cow moose makes her way across the Kasilof River amid a crowd of guided anglers Monday in Kasilof. Monday can be a busy… Continue reading

A young cow moose makes her way across the Kasilof River amid a crowd of guided anglers Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Monday can be a busy day on the Kasilof for guides, as the Kenai River is closed to motor boat use and many head to the Kasilof. Though sockeye are starting to enter the river, most of the anglers are still targeting king salmon. Though Kasilof River has king salmon runs of both wild and hatchery king salmon, and anglers can only retain wild king salmon on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A sign warns people that the trail head is closed on Monday after a fatal bear mauling at Bird Ridge Trail in Anchorage. Authorities say a black bear killed a 16-year-old runner while he was competing in a race on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

2 killed in black bear attacks

ANCHORAGE — Patrick Cooper had already turned around after reaching the halfway point in a popular mountain race in Alaska when he somehow veered off… Continue reading

  • Jun 19, 2017
  • By RACHEL D’ORO
A sign warns people that the trail head is closed on Monday after a fatal bear mauling at Bird Ridge Trail in Anchorage. Authorities say a black bear killed a 16-year-old runner while he was competing in a race on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)