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A bald eagle fends off a speculating magpie from his meal of salmon on the Anchor River on Sunday, June 25, 2017 near Anchor Point, Alaska. Though the Anchor River is closed to sportfishing for king salmon now, the salmon are still returning to the river, with about 4,064 kings past the weirs on the north and south forks of the river, within the escapement goal of 3,800&

Dinner on the water

A bald eagle fends off a speculating magpie from his meal of salmon on the Anchor River on Sunday near Anchor Point. Though the Anchor… Continue reading

A bald eagle fends off a speculating magpie from his meal of salmon on the Anchor River on Sunday, June 25, 2017 near Anchor Point, Alaska. Though the Anchor River is closed to sportfishing for king salmon now, the salmon are still returning to the river, with about 4,064 kings past the weirs on the north and south forks of the river, within the escapement goal of 3,800&
This undated photo provided by the Alutiiq Museum shows petroglyphs carved into a shoreline boulder adjacent to the remains of a prehistoric intertidal fish trap on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Archaeologists based on the island at the museum made the discovery during a survey of Afognak Native Corporation land. (Patrick Saltonstall/Alutiiq Museum via AP)

Prehistoric stone fish trap discovered on Kodiak

KODIAK (AP) — Archaeologists have discovered a prehistoric fish trap constructed of rock walls near the mouth of a salmon stream on Kodiak Island. The… Continue reading

  • Jun 28, 2017
This undated photo provided by the Alutiiq Museum shows petroglyphs carved into a shoreline boulder adjacent to the remains of a prehistoric intertidal fish trap on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Archaeologists based on the island at the museum made the discovery during a survey of Afognak Native Corporation land. (Patrick Saltonstall/Alutiiq Museum via AP)
Halibut hang from the display rack at North Country Charters on the Homer Spit on Sunday, June 25, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Study shows Homer halibut charters stay closer to town

A pair of University of Alaska researchers want to know more about how halibut charter fishermen in the state carry out their trips. Halibut have… Continue reading

Halibut hang from the display rack at North Country Charters on the Homer Spit on Sunday, June 25, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
The Swan Lake wildfire burns in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as seen from the air June 15, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska. The 1,016-acre fire started by lightning will continue to be monitored, though it is not threatening any residents and has been downgraded in intensity. (Photo courtesy Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry)

East Fork fire intensity downgraded, firefighters still monitoring

Firefighters are scaling back their work on the East Fork wildland fire burning in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as it is not posing any… Continue reading

The Swan Lake wildfire burns in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as seen from the air June 15, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska. The 1,016-acre fire started by lightning will continue to be monitored, though it is not threatening any residents and has been downgraded in intensity. (Photo courtesy Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry)
Both supply and demand are growing for local produce

Both supply and demand are growing for local produce

Amongst the humid air and the rows and rows of greens, Don Thompson stood over a garlic plant, holding it’s scape, or flower bud, in… Continue reading

Both supply and demand are growing for local produce
Silene acauilis, commonly known as cushion pink or moss campion, is seen along the Mount Marathon hiking trail in Seward, Alaska Thursday, June 22. 2017. The mountain-dwelling flower grows above the treelines, and flourishes in dry, gravelly terrains, like the shale slopes of Mount Marathon. The cushion pink is also a compass plant, able to help a wandering hiker since the wildflowers pop up on the south side of the plant’s mossy, green cushion. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion) Silene acauilis, commonly known as moss campion or cushion pink, is seen along the Mount Marathon hiking trail in Seward Thursday, June 22. The mountain-dwelling flower grows above the treelines, and flourishes in dry, gravelly terrains, like the shale slopes of Mount Marathon. The moss campion is also a compass plant, able to help a wandering hiker since the wildflowers pop up on the south side of the plant’s mossy green cushion. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

A hiker’s dream: finding a cushion at the top

Silene acauilis, commonly known as moss campion or cushion pink, is seen along the Mount Marathon hiking trail in Seward Thursday. The mountain-dwelling flower grows… Continue reading

  • Jun 26, 2017
Silene acauilis, commonly known as cushion pink or moss campion, is seen along the Mount Marathon hiking trail in Seward, Alaska Thursday, June 22. 2017. The mountain-dwelling flower grows above the treelines, and flourishes in dry, gravelly terrains, like the shale slopes of Mount Marathon. The cushion pink is also a compass plant, able to help a wandering hiker since the wildflowers pop up on the south side of the plant’s mossy, green cushion. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion) Silene acauilis, commonly known as moss campion or cushion pink, is seen along the Mount Marathon hiking trail in Seward Thursday, June 22. The mountain-dwelling flower grows above the treelines, and flourishes in dry, gravelly terrains, like the shale slopes of Mount Marathon. The moss campion is also a compass plant, able to help a wandering hiker since the wildflowers pop up on the south side of the plant’s mossy green cushion. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Increased bear maulings puzzle wildlife officials

ANCHORAGE — Two more Alaskans were mauled by bears over the weekend, bringing the number of bear attacks in the state to four in less… Continue reading

  • Jun 26, 2017
  • By RACHEL D’ORO

School district gets budget answers

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s looming question has been answered — they will receive status quo funding from the state for the 2017 -… Continue reading

Interior Department OKs survey for Izembek road

ANCHORAGE — A proposed road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska, rejected by President Barack Obama, is getting new life in the Donald Trump… Continue reading

  • Jun 26, 2017
  • By Dan Joling
Derek Lewis, a Soldotna High School student, poses for a photo with Mike Rowe at a luncheon hosted by mikeroweWORKS, before the national SkillsUSA competition. Photo &

Soldotna student receives scholarship

A dirty job may not be in his future, but Soldotna High School student Derek Lewis was able to travel to Louisville, Kentucky thanks to… Continue reading

Derek Lewis, a Soldotna High School student, poses for a photo with Mike Rowe at a luncheon hosted by mikeroweWORKS, before the national SkillsUSA competition. Photo &
An otter swims while eating a clam in Homer Harbor Tuesday, June 20, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Harborside dining

An otter swims while eating a clam in Homer Harbor Tuesday, June 20, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)… Continue reading

  • Jun 25, 2017
  • By KAT SORENSEN
An otter swims while eating a clam in Homer Harbor Tuesday, June 20, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough finalizing plans for North Road extension

About two decades after the Kenai Peninsula Borough first got federal funding to extend the Kenai Spur Highway northward, the borough is working on finalizing… Continue reading

This map included in a geographic names report by the Alaska Historical Commission shows the proposed names for three peaks and a ridge near Moose Pass, Alaska. (Courtesy the Alaska Historical Commission)

Assembly denies support for naming Moose Pass mountains

What’s in a mountain’s name? Sometimes it’s the history of a mountain, like Mount Marathon, named for the annual race run there since 1915. Sometimes… Continue reading

This map included in a geographic names report by the Alaska Historical Commission shows the proposed names for three peaks and a ridge near Moose Pass, Alaska. (Courtesy the Alaska Historical Commission)
Kimberly Sweet, chief judge for the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, applauds a participant of the Henu’ Community Wellness Court during a court hearing for the program’s seven participants Friday, June 23, 2017 at the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska. Though the joint therapeutic court between the state and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe has been running since January, it had a grand opening Friday on the tribe’s campus in Old Town Kenai. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)

Joint therapeutic court between tribe, state holds grand opening

Plenty of rain, and a few tears, fell in Old Town Kenai on Friday as creators of the Henu’ Community Wellness Court unveiled the therapeutic… Continue reading

Kimberly Sweet, chief judge for the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, applauds a participant of the Henu’ Community Wellness Court during a court hearing for the program’s seven participants Friday, June 23, 2017 at the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska. Though the joint therapeutic court between the state and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe has been running since January, it had a grand opening Friday on the tribe’s campus in Old Town Kenai. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)
A janitor vacuums at the Capitol just before midnight Thursday, June 23, 2017, after both the House and Senate voted to approve a budget and keep the State of Alaska from shutting down on July 1. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Legislature averts shutdown, but more work remains

The morning after the Alaska Legislature averted a statewide shutdown, you could find more tourists than legislators in the Capitol. Though the Legislature’s second special… Continue reading

A janitor vacuums at the Capitol just before midnight Thursday, June 23, 2017, after both the House and Senate voted to approve a budget and keep the State of Alaska from shutting down on July 1. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Star photo by Matt Tunseth Glen Trombley stands aboard his pontoon boat “The Dip Ship” outside his home in Peters Creek, Alaska on Monday, June 19, 2017. Trombley and his son, Kody, will operate the boat this summer in the Kenai River personal use salmon fishery.

Peters Creek father, son start Kenai River dipnet guide service

Glen Trombley knows his boat will get some attention this summer on the Kenai River, so he gave it a name to remember. “It’ll be… Continue reading

  • Jun 24, 2017
  • By Matt Tunseth
Star photo by Matt Tunseth Glen Trombley stands aboard his pontoon boat “The Dip Ship” outside his home in Peters Creek, Alaska on Monday, June 19, 2017. Trombley and his son, Kody, will operate the boat this summer in the Kenai River personal use salmon fishery.

Lawton Acres to have appraisal by July 5

In an ongoing debate about a city of Kenai-owned property contested for its value as either commercial land or a wooded residential buffer, the Kenai… Continue reading

An angler fillets his sockeye salmon caught on the Kenai River near the confluence with the Russian River on Sunday, June 11, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Russian River Sanctuary opens, bag limit doubles

Starting Saturday, anglers at the Russian River confluence can head up into the heart of the fishery to target sockeye salmon and can retain more… Continue reading

An angler fillets his sockeye salmon caught on the Kenai River near the confluence with the Russian River on Sunday, June 11, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
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