Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion From left to right: Brandi Kerley, Gail Knobf and Lois Pillifant discuss the barriers to getting young people to register to vote on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 at a table set up by the Central Peninsula League of Women Voters at the Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska.

League of Women Voters reaches out to students

With local elections around the corner, members of the Central Peninsula League of Women Voters took to the halls of Kenai Peninsula College’s campus to… Continue reading

Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion From left to right: Brandi Kerley, Gail Knobf and Lois Pillifant discuss the barriers to getting young people to register to vote on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 at a table set up by the Central Peninsula League of Women Voters at the Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska.

Alaskans eager to learn amount of upcoming payout

ANCHORAGE — Oil prices are so low, they’re hovering at benchmarks not seen in years, plunging oil-dependent Alaska into a crippling budget deficit. But the… Continue reading

  • Sep 20, 2015
  • By Rachel D'oro
Kenaitze tribe member Jon Harris (left) and Tribal Doctor Estelle Thomson stand in front of the fire pit at the Dena'ina Wellness Center's new ceremonial area Ggugguyni T'uh during a dedication ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Kenai.

Raven Plaza, traditional healing dedicated at Dena’ina Wellness Center

Ggugguyni T’uh is the name of the new outdoor ceremonial space dedicated on Saturday by the Kenaitze Indian Tribe at their Dena’ina Wellness Center in… Continue reading

Kenaitze tribe member Jon Harris (left) and Tribal Doctor Estelle Thomson stand in front of the fire pit at the Dena'ina Wellness Center's new ceremonial area Ggugguyni T'uh during a dedication ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Kenai.

With cuts on horizon, UA needs budget hike just to stay level

The University of Alaska expects to need $27 million more next year from the Alaska Legislature to fund operations. The state’s Office of Management and… Continue reading

Task force addresses transit challenges

Getting around the peninsula without a car or license is a struggle — one that Trisha Lansing knows firsthand.After losing her license in March, Lansing… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  Heidi Hatch, of Nikiski, talks about the affect of the Alaska LNG project on people who live in the Nikiski community where the project has been acquiring hundreds of acres of property in anticipation of building a liquefaction facility. During the Thursday Sept. 17 community meeting, Hatch and several others questioned representatives from the project about the footprint of the facility, the relocation of the Kenai Spur Highway and other rumors that have been made their way through the community as the project progresses.

Neighbors grill Alaska LNG project members during community meeting

It was a friendly gathering, but Alaska LNG project representatives found themselves in the hot seat on Thursday during the first of two informal community… Continue reading

  • Sep 17, 2015
  • By Rashah McChesney
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  Heidi Hatch, of Nikiski, talks about the affect of the Alaska LNG project on people who live in the Nikiski community where the project has been acquiring hundreds of acres of property in anticipation of building a liquefaction facility. During the Thursday Sept. 17 community meeting, Hatch and several others questioned representatives from the project about the footprint of the facility, the relocation of the Kenai Spur Highway and other rumors that have been made their way through the community as the project progresses.

Renowned agrarian comes to Kenai

A nationally renowned agrarian, Severine Von Tscharner Fleming, is entering the conversation on food security in Alaska.Fleming is making two stops on the Kenai Peninsula… Continue reading

  • Sep 17, 2015
  • By Kelly Sullivan

Healthcare Task Force debates direction

The borough’s newly formed Healthcare Task Force attempted to more clearly define its direction Wednesday night to help catch the Kenai Peninsula’s health care system… Continue reading

UA regents say they failed to hear of HAARP restart

University of Alaska regents reacted with disappointment Thursday as president Jim Johnsen announced that the UA system will loan $2 million to the University of… Continue reading

Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Two of the recently knocked-over gazebo posts stand upright again on Wednesday, Sept. 16 in in Kenai's Field of Flowers.

Partially-constructed Field of Flowers gazebo knocked over

Construction of the gazebo at Kenai’s Field of Flowers on Lawton Street was disrupted by what Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Bob Frates called “kind… Continue reading

Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Two of the recently knocked-over gazebo posts stand upright again on Wednesday, Sept. 16 in in Kenai's Field of Flowers.

Soldotna police get body cams

The Soldotna Police Department will soon have extra eyes on the ground with the introduction of body cameras for its officers. In what he describes… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  Shery Mettler, executive director of the Riverside Assisted Living facility, talks to a group from Alaska's Commission on Aging during a tour of her facility on Wednesday Sept. 16, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. The commission is touring several facilities on the Kenai Peninsula as part of its rural outreach meeting.

Seniors in spotlight

Despite the heavy, dark clouds and rain casting a shadow over the Kenai River, the sweeping view from the massive windows in the atrium of… Continue reading

  • Sep 16, 2015
  • By Rashah McChesney
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  Shery Mettler, executive director of the Riverside Assisted Living facility, talks to a group from Alaska's Commission on Aging during a tour of her facility on Wednesday Sept. 16, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. The commission is touring several facilities on the Kenai Peninsula as part of its rural outreach meeting.

Ninilchik man treated for hypothermia after night outside

NINILCHIK, Alaska (AP) — An 81-year-old Ninilchik man was rescued after apparently spending a night in frigid temperatures near his home.Alaska State Troopers say Richard… Continue reading

  • Sep 16, 2015
This Sept. 15, 2015 photo provided by Alaska State Troopers shows an aerial view of a small plane that crashed near a lake in rural southwest Alaska, killing three travelers from California and Pennsylvania and injuring seven others aboard, some critically. The De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter was taking off for a fishing trip when it went down outside the tiny town of Iliamna, 175 miles southwest of Anchorage, National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Clint Johnson said. (Alaska State Troopers via AP)

Men aboard ill-flated floatplane came from across US to fish

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The 10 men came from across the United States for what should have been a thrilling Alaska adventure. Instead, their plans were… Continue reading

  • Sep 16, 2015
  • By Rachel D'oro
This Sept. 15, 2015 photo provided by Alaska State Troopers shows an aerial view of a small plane that crashed near a lake in rural southwest Alaska, killing three travelers from California and Pennsylvania and injuring seven others aboard, some critically. The De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter was taking off for a fishing trip when it went down outside the tiny town of Iliamna, 175 miles southwest of Anchorage, National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Clint Johnson said. (Alaska State Troopers via AP)
In this photo taken Sept. 15, 2015, a black bear wanders downtown with a plastic, opaque jug stuck on its head in Juneau, Alaska. The bear was freed from its faux helmet and relocated outside of Juneau. A biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, confirmed she tranquilized the male bear before removing the jug. (Steve Bean/The Juneau Empire via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Alaska wildlife officials remove container from bear’s head

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska wildlife officials stepped in Tuesday to remove a plastic container covering the head of a Juneau black bear.Department of Fish… Continue reading

  • Sep 16, 2015
In this photo taken Sept. 15, 2015, a black bear wanders downtown with a plastic, opaque jug stuck on its head in Juneau, Alaska. The bear was freed from its faux helmet and relocated outside of Juneau. A biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, confirmed she tranquilized the male bear before removing the jug. (Steve Bean/The Juneau Empire via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

PFD amount to be announced Monday

Gov. Bill Walker will announce the amount of the 2015 Permanent Fund Dividend at 10 a.m. Monday in Anchorage.The dividend, which last year was $1,884,… Continue reading

  • Sep 16, 2015

HRSA awards funds to Seward, Seldovia, PCHS

The Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will award $7.8 million to health centers across… Continue reading

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki,  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, businessman Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take the stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

GOP candidates debate Russia, immigration – and Trump

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Along with the back-and-forth bickering over Donald Trump, the Republican presidential contest took a substantive and serious turn in Wednesday’s prime-time… Continue reading

  • Sep 16, 2015
  • By JULIE PACE and STEVE PEOPLES
Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki,  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, businessman Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take the stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Public urges city to sell airport land

Potential buyers and frustrated lessees urged Kenai City Council members to allow the sale of airport land at a work session Monday night. The council… Continue reading