News

In a press conference held Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Walker warned of a potential government shutdown if the state house and senate could not reach an agreement on the state budget and several tax bills by July 3. (Erin Granger | Juneau Empire)

Walker begs lawmakers to reach compromise

A day after the Alaska House Majority rejected his compromise bid to avert a statewide government shutdown, Gov. Bill Walker said he still hopes that… Continue reading

In a press conference held Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Walker warned of a potential government shutdown if the state house and senate could not reach an agreement on the state budget and several tax bills by July 3. (Erin Granger | Juneau Empire)

Board of Education tackles school lunches, worries about legislature

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is taking small steps to prepare for the upcoming school year while administrators continue the wait to find out… Continue reading

Wood turner Sterling Rasmussen demonstrates bowl turning at KVCC Summer Exhibit opening.

Art exhibit takes a turn

The 2017 Summer Exhibit at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce &Visitor Center (KVCC) opened May 26 and is a show not to be missed and… Continue reading

Wood turner Sterling Rasmussen demonstrates bowl turning at KVCC Summer Exhibit opening.
Veterans who came home remember those who didn’t on Memorial Day.

Peninsula pauses to remember

There were three Memorial Day ceremonies in Kenai and Soldotna this year, beginning with the Avenue of Flags at the Kenai Cemetery where Old Glory… Continue reading

Veterans who came home remember those who didn’t on Memorial Day.
Retired CES Fire Marshal Gary Hale properly fits a bike helmet at Redoubt Bike Rodeo.

Rounding up bike safety

It only happens every other year and this was the year for the Redoubt Elementary Bike Rodeo as school prepared to recess for the summer… Continue reading

Retired CES Fire Marshal Gary Hale properly fits a bike helmet at Redoubt Bike Rodeo.
FILE - This April 24, 2016, file photo taken above the Kahiltna Glacier near Denali, shows peaks in the Alaska Range, as seen through the open cargo bay doors of a Chinook helicopter. Rangers rescued two climbers in unrelated incidents from Kahiltna Glacier in Denali National Park on Monday, June 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Rescuers chip fallen climber from ice on Alaska mountain

ANCHORAGE — A man trying to climb North America’s highest mountain fell 40 feet (12.2 meters) into a glacier crevasse and got wedged into the… Continue reading

  • Jun 6, 2017
  • By Dan Joling
FILE - This April 24, 2016, file photo taken above the Kahiltna Glacier near Denali, shows peaks in the Alaska Range, as seen through the open cargo bay doors of a Chinook helicopter. Rangers rescued two climbers in unrelated incidents from Kahiltna Glacier in Denali National Park on Monday, June 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
Gov. Bill Walker walks into the Cabinet Room to present his compromise plan to the House Minority. (Courtesy photo/Office of the Governor)

House cool to Walker compromise

In a bid to avoid a state-spanning government shutdown, Gov. Bill Walker on Monday proposed a compromise to bring the Alaska Senate and Alaska House… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker walks into the Cabinet Room to present his compromise plan to the House Minority. (Courtesy photo/Office of the Governor)
Charles Woodcock of Woodcock’s Hydroseeding sprays a mix of water, fertilizer, paper pulp, and wildflower seeds across the soon-to-be Kenai Field of Flowers on Monday, June 5. Since 2014, Kenai’s municipal government has been turning the vacant city-owned lot into a summer attraction by seeding it with 15 varieties of wildflower, which Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Bob Frates said include lupin, poppies, cosmos, columbine, cornflower, baby’s breath, flax, and forget-me-not. After a drizzling Monday morning, Woodcock started spraying the field at noon — the ground’s dampness, he said, makes it better for seeding. In past years, the flowers have usually started to sprout in mid-July. Frates said that hydroseeding the approximately 55,000 square feet of the field costs about $5,400.

Sow with the flow

Charles Woodcock of Woodcock’s Hydroseeding sprays a mix of water, fertilizer, paper pulp, and wildflower seeds across the soon-to-be Kenai Field of Flowers on Monday,… Continue reading

Charles Woodcock of Woodcock’s Hydroseeding sprays a mix of water, fertilizer, paper pulp, and wildflower seeds across the soon-to-be Kenai Field of Flowers on Monday, June 5. Since 2014, Kenai’s municipal government has been turning the vacant city-owned lot into a summer attraction by seeding it with 15 varieties of wildflower, which Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Bob Frates said include lupin, poppies, cosmos, columbine, cornflower, baby’s breath, flax, and forget-me-not. After a drizzling Monday morning, Woodcock started spraying the field at noon — the ground’s dampness, he said, makes it better for seeding. In past years, the flowers have usually started to sprout in mid-July. Frates said that hydroseeding the approximately 55,000 square feet of the field costs about $5,400.

Veteran enrollment increases at KPC

Over the past decade, the veteran population at the Kenai Peninsula College has continually increased, and with it, the impact of those students on the… Continue reading

A mountain goat, one of a herd of nine grazing on grasses and lichens on the slope of Point Hope, stands guard atop a ridge on Saturday, June 3, near Hope.

Hoofing it in Hope

… Continue reading

A mountain goat, one of a herd of nine grazing on grasses and lichens on the slope of Point Hope, stands guard atop a ridge on Saturday, June 3, near Hope.
Juneau airport prepares for Uber’s arrival

Juneau airport prepares for Uber’s arrival

With Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft on the verge of returning to Alaska, Juneau organizations are beginning to prepare. At its… Continue reading

Juneau airport prepares for Uber’s arrival
Walkers circle the track during the six-hour Relay for Life fundraiser event for the American Cancer Society on Friday, June 2, 2017 at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska. Central peninsula Relay for Life organizer Johna Beech said that this year she began conducting various fundraising events for cancer research in January and will continue until November. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Relay for Life fundraises for American Cancer Society

This year’s annual Relay for Life walk — at which cancer survivors, their friends and family, and interested members of the community spent six hours… Continue reading

Walkers circle the track during the six-hour Relay for Life fundraiser event for the American Cancer Society on Friday, June 2, 2017 at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska. Central peninsula Relay for Life organizer Johna Beech said that this year she began conducting various fundraising events for cancer research in January and will continue until November. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Items to watch for in the borough budget discussions

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly has some decisions to make this week that boil down to a debate between raising the budget for education or… Continue reading

Jim Harpring, Funny River resident and co-chair of the Funny River Boat Launch Coalition, speaks to a crowd assembled Friday at the Funny River Community Center in Funny River to discuss the pros and cons of a boat launch on that road to increase public access to the Kenai River. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)

Funny River residents discuss pros, cons of a boat launch

A group of Funny River residents committed to seeing additional public access to the Kenai River along its south side is resurrecting the topic after… Continue reading

Jim Harpring, Funny River resident and co-chair of the Funny River Boat Launch Coalition, speaks to a crowd assembled Friday at the Funny River Community Center in Funny River to discuss the pros and cons of a boat launch on that road to increase public access to the Kenai River. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion)
Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion The entryway to the River Pavilion, the new wing of Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, was recently finished. Doctors will move in in February, and a public open house will follow.

Central Peninsula Hospital expands, looks to reform

Courtesy of Sunday’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake, there are cracks in the walls of Central Peninsula Hospital’s brand-new River Pavilion addition. Fortunately, it’s mostly cosmetic damage… Continue reading

Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion The entryway to the River Pavilion, the new wing of Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, was recently finished. Doctors will move in in February, and a public open house will follow.
Central Peninsula Hospital sees sharp drop in net income

Central Peninsula Hospital sees sharp drop in net income

Central Peninsula Hospital’s revenue dropped 91 percent the third quarter of fiscal year 2017 as compared to the year before. The Soldotna-based hospital’s board and… Continue reading

Central Peninsula Hospital sees sharp drop in net income
Photo by Greg Skinner/Peninsula Clarion The state recently denied a portion of Central Peninsula Hospital's plans to build an 89,000 square-foot specialty clinics expansion. The hospital is now waiting to hear if the state accepted its revised budget plan.

Central Peninsula Hospital updates EHR

Central Peninsula Hospital has received the green light from the assembly to purchase a $6.34 million electronic records system. The system, called Epic, is the… Continue reading

Photo by Greg Skinner/Peninsula Clarion The state recently denied a portion of Central Peninsula Hospital's plans to build an 89,000 square-foot specialty clinics expansion. The hospital is now waiting to hear if the state accepted its revised budget plan.

Assembly approves multi-million hospital expansion

Central Peninsula Hospital is moving forward with plans to update its obstetrics wing and to install the Kenai Peninsula’s first catheterization lab. The hospital, located… Continue reading

This Feb. 19, 2013, file photo shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. On Thursday, the Alaska Senate voted 17-1 to restrict the amount of opioid painkillers that may be prescribed with a single prescription. House Bill 159 now returns to the House for a procedural vote. (Associated Press file)

Senate approves overdose-fighting bill

The Alaska Senate voted Thursday to restrict the ability of doctors to prescribe opioid painkillers. House Bill 159, proposed by Gov. Bill Walker, is part… Continue reading

This Feb. 19, 2013, file photo shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. On Thursday, the Alaska Senate voted 17-1 to restrict the amount of opioid painkillers that may be prescribed with a single prescription. House Bill 159 now returns to the House for a procedural vote. (Associated Press file)

Soldotna keeps capital projects in mind during budget process

The Soldotna City Council discussed future planning for capital improvement projects within the city as part of this year’s budget process, even as the likelihood… Continue reading