News

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)
In this July 2016 photo, the Russian River rushes under a bridge along the Russian River Trail near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

HB 199 gets hearing, won’t pass this year

The push a group of fisheries activists made to get a section of Alaska law overhauled is making its way through the Legislature, but won’t… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, the Russian River rushes under a bridge along the Russian River Trail near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Three agencies work together to spread fluridone pellets to eradicate elodea. Scott Schuler, SePRO, works the hose, John Morton, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, drives and Matt Steffy, Homer Soil and Water Conservation District, fills the hopper for pellet spreader. Photo courtesy of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Elodea eradication begins

Crews began eradicating elodea — an invasive aquatic plant — in two Nikiski-area lakes this week. Staff from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, a representative… Continue reading

  • Jun 5, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI
  • Elodea
Three agencies work together to spread fluridone pellets to eradicate elodea. Scott Schuler, SePRO, works the hose, John Morton, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, drives and Matt Steffy, Homer Soil and Water Conservation District, fills the hopper for pellet spreader. Photo courtesy of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Photo courtesy/Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Invasive plant elodea in one of the many ways it is transported from lake to lake.

Kenai Peninsula leads fight against elodea

A bill to help control Alaska’s elodea infestation was pulled out of the legislature on Monday after the Alaska Division of Agriculture quarantined the invasive… Continue reading

  • Mar 16, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI
  • Elodea
Photo courtesy/Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Invasive plant elodea in one of the many ways it is transported from lake to lake.

Kenai Peninsula leads statewide elodea fight

Although elodea wasn’t discovered on the Kenai Peninsula until 2012, the peninsula is at the forefront of eradicating it. The invasive aquatic plant was discovered… Continue reading

John Morton/Kenai Wildlife Refuge Andrew Skibo (left) of chemical manufacturer SePRO oversees application of the herbicide Diquat at Daniels Lake, in a boat piloted by Kenai Wildlife Refuge Biologist Todd Eskelin (right) on Tuesday, June 3 2014. After being mixed with lake water, liquid Diquat enters the lake from a spray-hose on the rear of the boat.

Group declares partial victory over elodea

In a public presentation on Thursday, Kenai Wildlife Refuge Supervising Biologist John Morton said that herbicide treatments have eliminated elodea from two of the three… Continue reading

John Morton/Kenai Wildlife Refuge Andrew Skibo (left) of chemical manufacturer SePRO oversees application of the herbicide Diquat at Daniels Lake, in a boat piloted by Kenai Wildlife Refuge Biologist Todd Eskelin (right) on Tuesday, June 3 2014. After being mixed with lake water, liquid Diquat enters the lake from a spray-hose on the rear of the boat.
Fragments of the invasive water weed elodea lay in the snow beside an auger hole drilled on Sport Lake in February 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists found a small amount of elodea when drilling auger holes in preparation for an ice fishing event for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. (Photo courtesy Rob Massengill/Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

Invasive elodea found in Sport Lake

The invasive water weed elodea has been identified in Soldotna’s Sport Lake. The lake is one of the most popular on the central Kenai Peninsula… Continue reading

Fragments of the invasive water weed elodea lay in the snow beside an auger hole drilled on Sport Lake in February 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists found a small amount of elodea when drilling auger holes in preparation for an ice fishing event for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. (Photo courtesy Rob Massengill/Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

Lake Hood Elodea may threaten Kenai Peninsula

This summer the invasive waterweed elodea was eliminated from two of the three infected lakes on the Kenai Peninsula. However, recently discovered elodea in Anchorage’s… Continue reading

Tobias Schwörer, a researcher at the University of Alaska's Institute for Social and Economic Research, produced this map of floatplane bases and destinations for his study of how elodea, an invasive waterweed, could spread through the state. Floatplanes are a significant spreader of the weed, fragments of which can lodge in their rudders and floats.

Controlling elodea with data

Although the invasive water-weed elodea was officially eradicated from the Kenai Peninsula this summer, the statewide threat remains. Floatplanes, which can inadvertently carry colonies of… Continue reading

Tobias Schwörer, a researcher at the University of Alaska's Institute for Social and Economic Research, produced this map of floatplane bases and destinations for his study of how elodea, an invasive waterweed, could spread through the state. Floatplanes are a significant spreader of the weed, fragments of which can lodge in their rudders and floats.
Soldotna council directs administration to draft pot ban legislation

Soldotna council directs administration to draft pot ban legislation

After taking about two years to think it over, the Soldotna City Council has decided commercial marijuana still isn’t right for the city. The council… Continue reading

Soldotna council directs administration to draft pot ban legislation
In this November 2016 photo, the Seward Highway stretches southward toward the town of Seward near Moose Pass. The Kenai Peninsula Borough administration is working on establishing 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 to consider forming highway EMS service area

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is taking a swing at a long-standing challenge on the eastern Kenai Peninsula: how to get emergency services to people on… Continue reading

In this November 2016 photo, the Seward Highway stretches southward toward the town of Seward near Moose Pass. The Kenai Peninsula Borough administration is working on establishing 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)
Gov. Bill Walker leaves the gallery of the Alaska House of Representatives with his legislative liaison Darwin Peterson, center, and Communication Director Grace Jang after watching the House passed its version of Senate Bill 26 on Wednesday. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)

Alaska House approves Permanent Fund plan — with strings attached

For the first time in state history, the Alaska Legislature has chosen to spend the Alaska Permanent Fund on something other than dividends. On Wednesday,… Continue reading

Gov. Bill Walker leaves the gallery of the Alaska House of Representatives with his legislative liaison Darwin Peterson, center, and Communication Director Grace Jang after watching the House passed its version of Senate Bill 26 on Wednesday. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)

Cook Inlet Energy unsuccessfully contests fine

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s final decision to put a $446,000 penalty on Cook Inlet Energy remains final. In an order Tuesday, the… Continue reading

Agencies: Alaska laws may limit health care competition

JUNEAU — Two federal agencies have recommended that Alaska repeal laws that the agencies say may limit competition in the health care market. The U.S.… Continue reading

Jeremy Anderson, a former Nikiski Middle-High School music teacher accused of sexually abusing one of his students, walks out of a Kenai courtroom Nov. 25, 2014 in Kenai. (Clarion file photo)

No trial yet for former teacher accused of sexual abuse

The trial for a former Nikiski teacher accused of sexual abuse involving a student is waiting to move forward pending a decision by the Alaska… Continue reading

Jeremy Anderson, a former Nikiski Middle-High School music teacher accused of sexually abusing one of his students, walks out of a Kenai courtroom Nov. 25, 2014 in Kenai. (Clarion file photo)