News

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Peninsula Clarion Smoke plumes fill the sky along the Sterling Highway near Kasilof on Tuesday from a wildfire that started near Funny River Monday evening.

Wildfire has not jumped Funny River road

A wall of dense smoke engulfed portions of the Kenai Peninsula Tuesday as a fire that started near the Funny River Horse Trail late Monday… Continue reading

  • May 20, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney and Kelly Sullivan
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Peninsula Clarion Smoke plumes fill the sky along the Sterling Highway near Kasilof on Tuesday from a wildfire that started near Funny River Monday evening.

Funny River Horse Trail fire grows to 7,000 acres

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Funny River Horse Trail wildfire has spread to 7,000 acres and moved to the west and east along the shores… Continue reading

  • May 20, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Chris Casares and Tralessa Mahan helped to clean and organize classrooms for outgoing Skyview High School teachers on the last day of school Wednesday May 21, 2014 in Soldotna, Alaska.

End of the year

As smoke from the fire burning south of Soldotna filled the sky Wednesday, smiles and laughter from students ready for summer brightened the halls, classrooms… Continue reading

  • May 21, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney and Kelly Sullivan
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Chris Casares and Tralessa Mahan helped to clean and organize classrooms for outgoing Skyview High School teachers on the last day of school Wednesday May 21, 2014 in Soldotna, Alaska.

Pebble sues EPA over attempt to veto mine

The Pebble Limited Partnership took the Environmental Protection Agency to court May 21 and claimed the agency is illegally overstepping its bounds by attempting to… Continue reading

  • May 22, 2014
  • By ELWOOD BREHMER
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna High graduate Malyq McElroy shows pictures of his mother he put on the back of his cap at his graduation at the Regional Sports Complex Monday. His mother passed away when he was nine and his grandmother has raised him since.

Humor characterizes Sohi 2014 class

The Soldotna High School class of 2014 had one more good-natured prank for their Principal Todd Syverson at their graduation ceremony at the Regional Sports… Continue reading

  • May 21, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna High graduate Malyq McElroy shows pictures of his mother he put on the back of his cap at his graduation at the Regional Sports Complex Monday. His mother passed away when he was nine and his grandmother has raised him since.

Kenai council debates legislative process

An ordinance that would have changed how the Kenai City Council and city administration handle the legislative process failed at Tuesday’s meeting. With no public… Continue reading

  • May 21, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Kai Lamprecht tests reels at Trustworthy Hardware after breaking his own on a lake fishing trip Wednesday May 21, 2014 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lamprecht said he was fishing for trout on Kelly Lake in Soldotna when he hooked something larger, he thinks it was a pike, and managed to damage his reel.

King season starts slow

The season is starting off slow, but anglers targeting king salmon are making their way down the Kenai Peninsula for a Memorial Day weekend of… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Kai Lamprecht tests reels at Trustworthy Hardware after breaking his own on a lake fishing trip Wednesday May 21, 2014 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lamprecht said he was fishing for trout on Kelly Lake in Soldotna when he hooked something larger, he thinks it was a pike, and managed to damage his reel.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion The sky above many portions of Kasilof glowed orange Wednesday May 21, 2014 as the Funny River Fire continued to burn a more than 10 mile strip of land stretching from Funny River Road in Soldotna down to Tustumena Lake. Firefighters estimate that more than 20,000 acres have been burned in the blaze.

Funny River wildfire doubles to 44,000-acres

It has been three days since the first report of a five acre wildfire on a horse trail off of Funny River Road. The blaze… Continue reading

  • May 21, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER and RASHAH McCHESNEY
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion The sky above many portions of Kasilof glowed orange Wednesday May 21, 2014 as the Funny River Fire continued to burn a more than 10 mile strip of land stretching from Funny River Road in Soldotna down to Tustumena Lake. Firefighters estimate that more than 20,000 acres have been burned in the blaze.

Tyonek fire burns 3 structures

Firefighters have determined the 1,500-acre Tyonek fire had consumed, officials reported on Wednesday. The fire destroyed a cabin and two outbuildings, fire spokesman Pete Buist… Continue reading

  • May 21, 2014
  • By The Associated Press

Residents ask for action

A discussion about high groundwater issues flooded the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting Tuesday night.Public comment about non-agenda topics sparked a conversation about the affects… Continue reading

  • May 21, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI

Graduates take Wings

Salena Pena was not done with school just yet. Included in her graduation ceremony, was her final assignment for speech class. It was about a… Continue reading

  • May 20, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Kalee Brusven "just did it," graduated from Kenai Alternative High School in Kenai on Monday, as her mortarboard says. Photo by Kaylee Osowski/PeninsulaClarion

Graduating class is ‘family’

Forty-two students sat together with their family Monday evening in the Kenai Alternative High School gym in Kenai. Well, they sat with one of their… Continue reading

  • May 20, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI
Kalee Brusven "just did it," graduated from Kenai Alternative High School in Kenai on Monday, as her mortarboard says. Photo by Kaylee Osowski/PeninsulaClarion

Man arrested for shooting gun out of moving vehicle

An Anchorage man is in jail after Alaska State Troopers allege he fired gunshots from a moving vehicle in the direction of houses while intoxicated… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Emergency crews stage at the end of the runway in Tyonek Monday afternoon. The blaze grew to 80 acres by Monday evening.

Crews see progress as Tyonek fire moves west

Update: 12:20 p.m. The wildfire in Tyonek spread to 350 acres as of Tuesday morning but fire crews made progress in building a fire line… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Emergency crews stage at the end of the runway in Tyonek Monday afternoon. The blaze grew to 80 acres by Monday evening.

Temporary wiring sparks shop fire on K-Beach

An electrical problem triggered an early morning fire in a detached garage on Kalifornsky Beach Road Monday, said Central Emergency Services Health and Safety Officer… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo courtesy Alaska Division of Forestry This Division of Forestry photo shows smoke from the Funny River Horse Trail fire Monday evening.

Fire advances toward Tustumena Lake

Crews battled a wildland blaze near the Funny River Horse Trail, located at Mile 7 of Funny River Road, Monday evening.The fire had grown to… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By Clarion staff report
Photo courtesy Alaska Division of Forestry This Division of Forestry photo shows smoke from the Funny River Horse Trail fire Monday evening.
Photo courtesy of Tom Bearup. Adele Bearup stands next to a commercial-sized dumpster, which was pushed over by bears. The Bearups live on Mile 91 of the Sterling Highway.

Bears out, but reports fewer than previous years

The local office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has only received a handful of bear reports so far this spring.While reports number… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI
Photo courtesy of Tom Bearup. Adele Bearup stands next to a commercial-sized dumpster, which was pushed over by bears. The Bearups live on Mile 91 of the Sterling Highway.
Photo courtesy Pam Howard Emergency crews stage at the end of the runway in Tyonek Monday afternoon. The blaze grew to 80 acres by Monday evening.

WIldfire threatens village of Tyonek

A 5-acre wildfire near the village of Tyonek grew to 80 acres by 7:15 p.m. Monday.Just after 8:30 p.m., Sam Harrel, information officer with the… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo courtesy Pam Howard Emergency crews stage at the end of the runway in Tyonek Monday afternoon. The blaze grew to 80 acres by Monday evening.

Woman walks for help after bear attack

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON — Bloodied and dazed after being slashed by the claws of a brown bear, a woman struggled to walk 2 miles along… Continue reading

  • May 19, 2014
  • By Mark Thiessen

School briefs

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