News

HEA seeks to recoup costs for Bradley Lake power transmission

Homer Electric Association is requesting a temporary 3.25 percent rate increase, effective in February, to recover what it says is a significant loss from transmitting… Continue reading

Graphic by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion This map, taken from the Kenai Peninsula Borough Parcel Viewer and modified by the Peninsula Clarion with information from Homer Electric Association's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license application for the Grant Lake Hydroelectric project, shows the existing route of the Iditarod National Historic Trail in blue and HEA's proposed reroute of the trail in pink, as well as the powerhouse and water-diversion tunnel HEA plans to build.

Officials consider recreational impact of HEA’s Grant Lake hydroelectric project

In one possible future, a footbridge may cross Grant Creek about a half mile from Grant Lake, its source in the hills above Moose Pass.… Continue reading

Graphic by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion This map, taken from the Kenai Peninsula Borough Parcel Viewer and modified by the Peninsula Clarion with information from Homer Electric Association's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license application for the Grant Lake Hydroelectric project, shows the existing route of the Iditarod National Historic Trail in blue and HEA's proposed reroute of the trail in pink, as well as the powerhouse and water-diversion tunnel HEA plans to build.
A Pelton waterwheel, similar to those that spin Bradley Lake's two turbines, sits in a storage area on Friday, April 15 at the Bradley Lake power station. Created in the 1870s, Pelton wheels have an efficient paddle design that can extract almost all energy from a flow of water. This wheel was removed from the turbine due to stress at the base of the paddles.

Bradley Lake maintenence complete

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct an annual rate orginally described as a monthly rate. Since 1991 the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Plant… Continue reading

A Pelton waterwheel, similar to those that spin Bradley Lake's two turbines, sits in a storage area on Friday, April 15 at the Bradley Lake power station. Created in the 1870s, Pelton wheels have an efficient paddle design that can extract almost all energy from a flow of water. This wheel was removed from the turbine due to stress at the base of the paddles.

State prepares for Cook Inlet lease sale

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil and Gas will start taking bids in June for 9.95 million acres of oil and gas… Continue reading

Coalition backs mix of cuts, Permanent Fund restructure

Alaska needs a combination of unpopular actions to fix budget issues, according to Jim Jansen, Co-Chair of the KEEP Alaska Competitive Coalition. Jansen, who is… Continue reading

Troopers close down Seward Highway for reports of man firing shots

Update 4:30 p.m.: Alaska State Troopers have arrested a man who allegedly fired shots near the Seward Highway at Girdwood on Monday. At 8 a.m., troopers received a Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately report of an erratic driver in a pickup truck near… Continue reading

Kids race into the woods in search of Easter eggs during an Easter party hosted by the Kenai Elks Lodge

Photos: Going on an egg hunt

… Continue reading

Kids race into the woods in search of Easter eggs during an Easter party hosted by the Kenai Elks Lodge
Tehya Nichols performs on stage in the one-act play “HDYMTWBT,” written by Mike Druce, a former Soldotna High School teacher. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

One act at a time

The drama department at Soldotna High School presented their annual “One-Act Play Festival” this past weekend, which included four different plays at three different showings… Continue reading

Tehya Nichols performs on stage in the one-act play “HDYMTWBT,” written by Mike Druce, a former Soldotna High School teacher. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Members of the Yukon Fire Crew, highly trained hotshot wildland firefighters, perform mop up work on the Kenai Peninsula in 2015. The Type 2 Hand Crew is based on the peninsula for a large part of the year in trailers parked on land leased to the nonprofit Chugachmiut, Inc. by the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Chugachmiut is seeking a grant that would allow the organization to build a permanent camp on land it bought in 2011. (Photo courtesy Nathan Lojewski)

Nonprofit seeks grant to house fire crew

An Alaska Native nonprofit wants to improve living conditions for the highly-trained wildland firefighters it supports, who spend their days tucked away on call on… Continue reading

Members of the Yukon Fire Crew, highly trained hotshot wildland firefighters, perform mop up work on the Kenai Peninsula in 2015. The Type 2 Hand Crew is based on the peninsula for a large part of the year in trailers parked on land leased to the nonprofit Chugachmiut, Inc. by the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Chugachmiut is seeking a grant that would allow the organization to build a permanent camp on land it bought in 2011. (Photo courtesy Nathan Lojewski)

In email, BP Alaska president detail 2016 losses

BP Alaska President Janet Weiss has offered additional financial information about the company’s 2016 income after a reported $85 million profit became part of the… Continue reading

House approves income tax

It was tax day. On April 15, the Alaska House of Representatives voted 22-17 to impose Alaska’s first income tax in 37 years. Rep. Paul… Continue reading

Alaskan oil well leaking gas

ANCHORAGE (AP) — A federal official says crews in Alaska are trying to shut down an oil well that is leaking explosive natural gas on… Continue reading

  • Apr 15, 2017
In this March 15, 2017 photo, Bonnin Jarvill, who fishes with her husband and young daughter, shovels snow from the boat that doubles as home and workplace in Juneau, Alaska. Jarvill says health care costs are a constant concern for her. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

In Alaska, anxiety grows as debate over health care rages

JUNEAU — Going without health insurance is a risk. Going without it in Alaska can be a gamble of a much higher order, for this… Continue reading

In this March 15, 2017 photo, Bonnin Jarvill, who fishes with her husband and young daughter, shovels snow from the boat that doubles as home and workplace in Juneau, Alaska. Jarvill says health care costs are a constant concern for her. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Official: Call for fiscal plan stands amid new forecast

JUNEAU — A forecast calling for higher-than-expected revenue this year and next will help Alaska’s fiscal situation, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for a… Continue reading

  • Apr 15, 2017
  • By Becky Bohrer
  • State

Peninsula hungry for locally grown food

The time is ripe for central Kenai Peninsula farmers, according to a market study that found an overwhelming demand for locally grown food in the… Continue reading

Hilcorp gas leak found, oil source still being investigated

Last weekend contracted dive crews from Homer visited Hilcorp’s underwater fuel gas pipeline in Cook Inlet's Middle Ground Shoal area and located the source of the… Continue reading

Hilcorp to reduce flow in leaking gasline, halting production on two platforms

Editor's note: This story has been updated with an estimated future leak rate as a result of the pressure decrease. Hilcorp announced plans on Saturday… Continue reading

Hilcorp gas pipeline leaking into Cook Inlet

A damaged underwater pipeline is leaking between 210,000 and 310,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day into Cook Inlet, according to estimates by the… Continue reading

This April 2016 photo shows City of Soldotna crew cleaning along the Sterling Highway under ‘wet’ conditions. An ordinance passed last summer sets standards for clearing sand from streets and parking lots in order to reduce the amount of dust that gets into the air. (Photo courtesy Scott Sundberg, Soldotna Maintenance Department Manager)

New regulations in effect for dust control in Soldotna

With the snow gone and sand lining the peninsula’s streets and parking lots, new regulations in Soldotna seek to reduce how much of that sand… Continue reading

This April 2016 photo shows City of Soldotna crew cleaning along the Sterling Highway under ‘wet’ conditions. An ordinance passed last summer sets standards for clearing sand from streets and parking lots in order to reduce the amount of dust that gets into the air. (Photo courtesy Scott Sundberg, Soldotna Maintenance Department Manager)
Alaska Senate President Pete Kelly speaks to reporters during a Senate majority news conference on Thursday, April 13, 2017, in Juneau, Alaska. Senate leaders discussed their priorities for the rest of the legislative session. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Alaska Senate, House at odds with session poised to run long

JUNEAU — Leaders of the Republican-led Alaska Senate said Thursday they aren’t interested in instituting an income tax or raising oil industry taxes as a… Continue reading

  • Apr 13, 2017
  • By Becky Bohrer
Alaska Senate President Pete Kelly speaks to reporters during a Senate majority news conference on Thursday, April 13, 2017, in Juneau, Alaska. Senate leaders discussed their priorities for the rest of the legislative session. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)