News

With protest over, Shell prepares for Arctic Ocean drilling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Hours after a repaired Shell icebreaker eased past protesters in Oregon to join an Arctic drilling operation, the oil giant used other… Continue reading

  • Aug 1, 2015
  • By Dan Joling

Seward Highway closed for accident

Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news event. This post will be updated as new information develops.   Saturday, August 1, 11:45 The Seward Highway… Continue reading

  • Jul 31, 2015
  • By Staff reports
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A volunteer Alaska Moose Federation driver removes a dead moose from the Kenai Spur Highway Thursday Dec. 13, 2013 in Kenai, Alaska. The program lost state funding in 2012 but has since resumed on the Kenai Peninsula when the Kenaitze Indian Tribe chose to fund one of the trucks.

Bland Peninsula winter improves moose-car collision rate

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct an error. Drivers involved in a moose collision must report it to Alaska State Troopers or,… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A volunteer Alaska Moose Federation driver removes a dead moose from the Kenai Spur Highway Thursday Dec. 13, 2013 in Kenai, Alaska. The program lost state funding in 2012 but has since resumed on the Kenai Peninsula when the Kenaitze Indian Tribe chose to fund one of the trucks.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Dozens of people enjoyed the sun and fishing at Soldotna Creek Park on Thursday July 30, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska.

Photo: A walk in the park

… Continue reading

  • Jul 30, 2015
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Dozens of people enjoyed the sun and fishing at Soldotna Creek Park on Thursday July 30, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska.
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Eddie Escalera, Hope Community Resources' only Homer client, and Peggy Brown drove up from the South Kenai Peninsula to attend the opening of the new Kenai Community Center Thursday, July 30, 2015, in Soldotna, Alaska.

Hope continued to grow

HOPE Community Resource Inc.,’s Kenai Community Center opened Thursday, four weeks ahead of schedule. By early afternoon the new facility was already filled to the… Continue reading

  • Jul 30, 2015
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Eddie Escalera, Hope Community Resources' only Homer client, and Peggy Brown drove up from the South Kenai Peninsula to attend the opening of the new Kenai Community Center Thursday, July 30, 2015, in Soldotna, Alaska.
In this August 10, 2008 file photo two observers watch a young brown bear fishing for red salmon near the Russian River falls. Wildlife officials say a pair of adolescent bears have been causing a stir in the area.

Bear-human interactions increase at confluence of Russian, Kenai rivers

A duo of adolescent bears has been causing a stir at the confluence of the Kenai and Russian rivers. The pair has been spotted working… Continue reading

  • Jul 29, 2015
  • By Kelly Sullivan
In this August 10, 2008 file photo two observers watch a young brown bear fishing for red salmon near the Russian River falls. Wildlife officials say a pair of adolescent bears have been causing a stir in the area.

Judge finds Greenpeace USA in contempt, sets escalating fines for bridge protest

Greenpeace USA must immediately get its activists out of the way of a vessel contracted to work in the Arctic for Shell or face fines… Continue reading

  • Jul 30, 2015
  • By ELWOOD BREHMER

Lightning and other nuisances

Tuesday was an eventful day for Sterling resident Terry Smith. While dipnetting that morning he discovered a nest of bees in his boat, which swarmed… Continue reading

Shell, Greenpeace headed back to court

Shell, Greenpeace headed back to court ThursdayShell and Greenpeace USA will go back to court Thursday to determine if Greenpeace protesters are violating a court… Continue reading

  • Jul 29, 2015
  • By ELWOOD BREHMER
Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Linda Swarner, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, organizes bowls donated for the annual Soup Supper and Auction on Wednesday afternoon at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank in Soldtona. The Soup Supper and Auction is a fundraiser for the food bank that draws around 400 participants each year and sends ticket holder home with hand-crafted bowls. Tickets for the fundraiser will rise from $40 to $50 after August 1.

Prepping for Participation

… Continue reading

Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Linda Swarner, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, organizes bowls donated for the annual Soup Supper and Auction on Wednesday afternoon at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank in Soldtona. The Soup Supper and Auction is a fundraiser for the food bank that draws around 400 participants each year and sends ticket holder home with hand-crafted bowls. Tickets for the fundraiser will rise from $40 to $50 after August 1.

Soldotna man arrested for assault granted custodian

A Soldotna man arrested for assaulting a family member has been released with a third party custodian after health and mental issues spurred the Kenai… Continue reading

Assembly shoots down service area boundary changes

Medical service areas, and the implications of their boundaries, drew the most debate from Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly members during their Tuesday night meeting. The… Continue reading

Tongass exemption to Roadless Rule overturned

The Tongass will be roadless once more.The U.S. 9th Circuit Court today upheld a lower court ruling 6-5 that overturned the Tongass National Forest’s exemption… Continue reading

  • Jul 29, 2015
  • By CHARLES L. WESTMORELAND
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Audience members dance through a haze of bubbles during The Big Wu's show Friday, Aug. 2, 2013 at Salmonstock. The festival is back again this year, this time as Salmonfest.

Salmonfest casts a wider net

The first year of Salmonfest, the event formerly known as Salmonstock, promises the compelling combination of musical entertainment and salmon habitat conservation efforts that have… Continue reading

  • Jul 29, 2015
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Audience members dance through a haze of bubbles during The Big Wu's show Friday, Aug. 2, 2013 at Salmonstock. The festival is back again this year, this time as Salmonfest.
Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Dipnetter Travis Richards wets his net in the Kenai River under Warren Ames Bridge on Tuesday, July 28.

River access at Kenai bridge draws dipnetters, concern

Editor's note: This story has been changed to add information on the number of users at the Warren Ames bridge site and details about possible… Continue reading

Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion Dipnetter Travis Richards wets his net in the Kenai River under Warren Ames Bridge on Tuesday, July 28.

Kenai River dipnet hours expanded

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued an emergency order on Tuesday opening the Kenai River personal-use dipnet fishery 24 hours per day, through… Continue reading

  • Jul 28, 2015

Soldotna man arrested on assault charges

A Soldotna man was arrested on charges of domestic violence assault Monday night. Levi Smith, 19, was arrested Monday at approximately 11:54 p.m. after Alaska… Continue reading

6.2 quake rattles region

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that occurred Tuesday around 6:30 p.m had its epicenter on the west side of Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park,… Continue reading

  • Jul 28, 2015
Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Ethan Weeks, of West Virginia, applies a layer of paint to the trim of the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church on Tuesday morning in Old Town Kenai.

Painting for progress

Dark clouds and scattered rain were not enough to stop members of the Silver Springs Baptist Church from Princeton, West Virginia from giving Kenai’s historic… Continue reading

Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Ethan Weeks, of West Virginia, applies a layer of paint to the trim of the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church on Tuesday morning in Old Town Kenai.

Kenai gillnet plan denied; subsistence board rejects request to remove manager

The Kenai River subsistence gillnet won’t see the water this season, with the Federal Subsistence Board standing behind the federal in-season manager who has roused… Continue reading

  • Jul 28, 2015
  • By DJ SUMMERS