News

Photo courtesy Shannon Bird Shannon and her brother Les Rappe at her wedding ceremony.

More than a 5k Scholarship honors beloved brother and son, promotes community education

Shannon Bird’s brother Les Rappe died in a car accident in Nikiksi in 2008. His seatbelt wasn’t buckled, a detail Bird was unaware of until… Continue reading

  • Oct 22, 2015
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Photo courtesy Shannon Bird Shannon and her brother Les Rappe at her wedding ceremony.
(Clarion file photo)Members and staff of the Alaska Board of Fisheries meet in Soldotna Feb. 16, 1999. The 1999 meeting was the last time the full board met on the central Kenai Peninsula to address upper Cook Inlet fisheries.

Board of Fisheries debates Kenai meeting

Despite several hours of discussion, the Alaska’s Board of Fisheries members did not come to a decision whether to move its 2017 Upper Cook Inlet… Continue reading

(Clarion file photo)Members and staff of the Alaska Board of Fisheries meet in Soldotna Feb. 16, 1999. The 1999 meeting was the last time the full board met on the central Kenai Peninsula to address upper Cook Inlet fisheries.

Marine debris waiting on permit in Seattle

KODIAK, Alaska — Organizers of a cleanup along coastlines in Alaska and British Columbia are waiting for authorization to be able to sort through a… Continue reading

  • Oct 22, 2015
Jackson (front) and Tad Covault pose with the moose Jackson shot down in September north of the Yukon River.

K-Beach Elementary student takes monster moose

A towering bull moose stepped into the clearing in front of them. They had seen a number of smaller moose, some wolves, swans and cow… Continue reading

Jackson (front) and Tad Covault pose with the moose Jackson shot down in September north of the Yukon River.
In this July 7, 2013 file photo investigators look at the remains of a fixed-wing aircraft that was engulfed in flames at the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna, Alaska. No survivors were located. Ten people died in the the crash.

Cargo weight cited in 2013 Soldotna plane crash that killed 10

ANCHORAGE — The pilot of an air taxi that crashed in Soldotna in 2013, killing all 10 people on board, underestimated the weight of the… Continue reading

  • Oct 21, 2015
  • By Mark Thiessen
In this July 7, 2013 file photo investigators look at the remains of a fixed-wing aircraft that was engulfed in flames at the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna, Alaska. No survivors were located. Ten people died in the the crash.
Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Alaska Refuge Information Technician Program Coordinator Kevin Painter explains the goals behind the design of an exhibit in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center during a workshop for the program on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015 at the center in Soldotna, Alaska.

Refuge Information Techs bring workshop to Kenai Peninsula

When members of Alaska’s remote Native villages need to share their concerns about environmental conservation, they can turn a handful of Refuge Information Technicians tasked… Continue reading

Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Alaska Refuge Information Technician Program Coordinator Kevin Painter explains the goals behind the design of an exhibit in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center during a workshop for the program on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015 at the center in Soldotna, Alaska.

Girdwood trooper post to remain open through June

The Girdwood post of the Alaska State Troopers, originally slated to be closed Jan. 1, will remain open at least through June 30, troopers say.… Continue reading

Low gas prices boost Alaska tourism

Winter, spring, summer and fall, lots of people are coming to Alaska.Visitor numbers were steady or increased nearly everywhere across the state during the latest… Continue reading

  • Oct 21, 2015
  • By ELWOOD BREHMER
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Two moose cows graze in a field along Murwood Avenue on Wednesday Oct. 21, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. The cows were part of a larger group travelling with a bull moose.

Photo: Out for a morning stroll

… Continue reading

  • Oct 21, 2015
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Two moose cows graze in a field along Murwood Avenue on Wednesday Oct. 21, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. The cows were part of a larger group travelling with a bull moose.

BlueCrest gas production paused

Though BlueCrest Energy is on schedule to begin drilling for oil, the gas production is on hold.BlueCrest Energy’s shore-based drill and pad, located about six… Continue reading

Sides tussle over logistics before special session starts

JUNEAU — Three days before the start of the special session, legislators and Gov. Bill Walker tussled Wednesday over logistics while the session’s agenda remained… Continue reading

  • Oct 21, 2015
  • By Becky Bohrer
Nikiski residents gathered at the Nikiski Recreational Center Monday to examine the options for the relocation of the Kenai Spur Highway around the proposed Alaska LNG facility.

Neighbors examine Spur relocation options

More than 275 Nikiski residents turned out Monday night to hear about the options for relocating the Kenai Spur Highway. The Alaska LNG facility, a… Continue reading

Nikiski residents gathered at the Nikiski Recreational Center Monday to examine the options for the relocation of the Kenai Spur Highway around the proposed Alaska LNG facility.

Fred Meyer delayed on grocery tax repeal

Although the ordinance allowing a sales tax to be collected in Soldotna on non-prepared food items was repealed in the Oct. 6 regular election, customers… Continue reading

Scott Kelley appointed commercial fisheries director

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has selected Scott Kelley as the new director for the Division of Commercial Fisheries.The position has been vacant… Continue reading

In this frame from video provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, a Frenchman with his cat tucked inside his clothing, at right, stands on his saildboat before making a leap Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, jumping to a waiting rescue ship, left, south of Alaska. The video shows the Frenchman on the rigging pole near the bow of his sailboat, riding wave after wave until making a dramatic leap over the railing of the Tor Viking. (Coast Guard via AP)

Frenchman makes daring leap from sailboat to ship

ANCHORAGE — A Frenchman with his cat tucked inside his clothing made a daring leap of faith Tuesday when he jumped to a waiting rescue… Continue reading

  • Oct 20, 2015
  • By Mark Thiessen
In this frame from video provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, a Frenchman with his cat tucked inside his clothing, at right, stands on his saildboat before making a leap Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, jumping to a waiting rescue ship, left, south of Alaska. The video shows the Frenchman on the rigging pole near the bow of his sailboat, riding wave after wave until making a dramatic leap over the railing of the Tor Viking. (Coast Guard via AP)

Feds side with Alaska Native group in artifacts probe

ANCHORAGE — A Massachusetts college was found in violation of a federal law regulating the possession and sale of potentially sacred artifacts following a complaint… Continue reading

  • Oct 20, 2015
  • By Rachel D'oro
Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Engineer Shawn Killian, right, helps train Firefighter Spencer McLean, left, how to operate the 75-foot ladder truck owned by Central Emergency Services on Monday, Oct. 19. 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. Firefighters at CES are training in preparation for an engineering test coming up in November that will test their ability to operate the department's machinery.

Photo: Going Up

… Continue reading

  • Oct 19, 2015
Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Engineer Shawn Killian, right, helps train Firefighter Spencer McLean, left, how to operate the 75-foot ladder truck owned by Central Emergency Services on Monday, Oct. 19. 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. Firefighters at CES are training in preparation for an engineering test coming up in November that will test their ability to operate the department's machinery.

School district hosts first budget meetings with the public

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is crowdsourcing for a second year to assist with budget development. Superintendent Sean Dusek and Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones… Continue reading

  • Oct 19, 2015
  • By Kelly Sullivan

Alaska’s fishing fatalities dropping

The deadliest catch is getting a lot less deadly.Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard reported to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council that for the… Continue reading

Heli, a rescued seal pup, emerges through an animal carrier as she's released back into the wild on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Juneau, Alaska. Heli had been found abandoned and in poor condition in July. She received care at the Alaska SeaLife Center, where staff this month determined she had made sufficient strides to be released. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Abandoned seal pup, now healthy, released back to wild

JUNEAU (AP) — A seal pup found abandoned and sickly on a Juneau-area beach this summer has been released back to the wild after undergoing… Continue reading

  • Oct 19, 2015
Heli, a rescued seal pup, emerges through an animal carrier as she's released back into the wild on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Juneau, Alaska. Heli had been found abandoned and in poor condition in July. She received care at the Alaska SeaLife Center, where staff this month determined she had made sufficient strides to be released. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)