News

Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Alaska State Trooper John King talks to a motorist after a truck trailer lost control and overturned on the ice at Mile 80 of the Sterling Highway Monday. The crane tow truck blocked traffic for 45-minutes before one lane opened up. The scene was cleared by 11 a.m.

Ice roads create slippery morning commute

Overnight rain made for icy road conditions across the Kenai Peninsula Monday and similar weather is expected for Tuesday morning commuters.Icy roads caused a truck… Continue reading

  • Dec 15, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Alaska State Trooper John King talks to a motorist after a truck trailer lost control and overturned on the ice at Mile 80 of the Sterling Highway Monday. The crane tow truck blocked traffic for 45-minutes before one lane opened up. The scene was cleared by 11 a.m.

Murkowski, Sullivan receive committee assignments

JUNEAU (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has retained her spot on the Senate Appropriations Committee, while incoming senator Dan Sullivan was assigned to several… Continue reading

  • Dec 15, 2014

Walker submits pared down capital budget

JUNEAU — Gov. Bill Walker on Monday submitted a stripped-down capital budget as a starting point for spending discussions amid a bleak revenue forecast.He also… Continue reading

  • Dec 15, 2014
  • By Becky Bohrer

Group seeks community views on marijuana

In response to November’s vote to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Alaska, a group of Kenai Peninsula residents have formed a coalition and will… Continue reading

  • Dec 14, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER

Around the District

School board to meet The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. in the borough building at 148 N. Binkley… Continue reading

Website renewal project centers on students’ needs

KPC has always striven to keep pace with technology. In recent years, the advent of electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets has necessitated… Continue reading

  • Dec 14, 2014
  • By Suzie Kendrick
  • Schools

Student options increasing at SoHi

Soldotna High School students have had greater access to a variety of academic and extracurricular services since the start of the 2014-2015 school year. The… Continue reading

  • Dec 14, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan
  • Schools

Drilling mud spill slows traffic on Spur Highway in Nikiski

Traffic near mile 26 of the  Kenai Spur Highway is moving slowly as workers with the Department of Transportation work to scrape spilled drilling mud… Continue reading

  • Dec 9, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney
Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Jill Erickson maneuvers her Action Trackchair through her wooded property on Friday, Dec. 12.

Back in action: All-terrain wheelchair gets people outdoors

On her wooded property outside of Soldotna, Jill Erickson had a hill which, until recently, she had never been to the top of. Erickson, a… Continue reading

Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Jill Erickson maneuvers her Action Trackchair through her wooded property on Friday, Dec. 12.
In this Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 photo, Alaska state health commissioner Valerie Davidson, left, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, center, and Gov. Bill Walker attend a news conference to announce Davidson's appointment in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Medicaid expansion could be months away

JUNEAU — State health commissioner Valerie Davidson said it could be July before the state is in a position to begin enrolling Alaskans under expanded… Continue reading

  • Dec 14, 2014
  • By Becky Bohrer
In this Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 photo, Alaska state health commissioner Valerie Davidson, left, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, center, and Gov. Bill Walker attend a news conference to announce Davidson's appointment in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Walker faced with widening deficit scenario

Gov. Bill Walker faces a grim budget scenario that may distract the new governor from other priorities, like a natural gas pipeline and an expansion… Continue reading

  • Dec 14, 2014
  • By TIM BRADNER,
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion At the end of a class, English as a Second Language students worked on a crossword puzzle on Thursday Dec. 11, 2014 at Kenai Peninsula College Kenai River Campus in Soldotna, Alaska.

20-year-old KPC program provides free language help to ESL students

At a large table in the corner of the Kenai Peninsula College’s Learning Center, nearly a dozen people sit and discuss what they did over… Continue reading

  • Dec 13, 2014
  • By IAN FOLEY
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion At the end of a class, English as a Second Language students worked on a crossword puzzle on Thursday Dec. 11, 2014 at Kenai Peninsula College Kenai River Campus in Soldotna, Alaska.

Kenai man arrested in snowmachine theft

While responding to a disturbance at Soldotna High School Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers located a Kenai man with a snowmachine that was reported stolen from… Continue reading

  • Dec 13, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 12, 2014, as the Senate considers a spending bill. The House has passed an additional stopgap spending to make certain the government doesn't shut down at midnight Saturday when current funding authority runs out. The move would give the Senate additional time to process a $1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

Congress sends Obama $1.1 trillion spending bill

WASHINGTON — Congress cleared a $1.1 trillion spending bill for President Barack Obama’s signature late Saturday night after a day of Senate intrigue capped by… Continue reading

  • Dec 13, 2014
  • By DAVID ESPO and DONNA CASSATA
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 12, 2014, as the Senate considers a spending bill. The House has passed an additional stopgap spending to make certain the government doesn't shut down at midnight Saturday when current funding authority runs out. The move would give the Senate additional time to process a $1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

Lockheed Martin wins Alaska spaceport bid

ANCHORAGE — The state-owned space agency on Friday named Lockheed Martin the winner of a bidding process to reconfigure a launch pad to accommodate larger… Continue reading

  • Dec 13, 2014
  • By Mark Thiessen

Program offers transportation to cancer patients

Cancer patients lacking means of transportation in communities around the Kenai Peninsula will soon be able to attend their treatments more easily, thanks to the… Continue reading

  • Dec 11, 2014
  • By IAN FOLEY

KPBSD meetings to increase transparency have been poorly attended

Early in 2014 school principals nominated community members to serve as intermediaries between the district and local schools dubbing them Key Communicators. Leaders from the… Continue reading

  • Dec 11, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan

Roach trial pushed back to February

A trial date in the case against the president of the Alaska Veterans Outreach Boxes for Heroes organization has been delayed another three months while… Continue reading

  • Dec 11, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
A group of people play pickleball at the Sterling Community Center.

Having a ball: Pickleball grows in popularity on peninsula

Despite its funny name, pickleball is getting serious attention around the Kenai Peninsula.In Sterling, Nikiski and Kenai, more and more people are participating in what… Continue reading

  • Dec 11, 2014
  • By IAN FOLEY
A group of people play pickleball at the Sterling Community Center.
Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Fire Department Capt. James Dye talks to Kenai Firefighter Zach Pettit on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 outside of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's administration building on Willow Street in Kenai. Firefighters responded to reports of smoke at about noon and worked to discover an ignition point in a portion of the building.

Small fire closes Kenaitze Tribal building Wednesday

An electrical shortage sparked a small fire inside the walls of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s headquarters at 110 North Willow Street in Kenai on Wednesday.… Continue reading

  • Dec 10, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Fire Department Capt. James Dye talks to Kenai Firefighter Zach Pettit on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 outside of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's administration building on Willow Street in Kenai. Firefighters responded to reports of smoke at about noon and worked to discover an ignition point in a portion of the building.