News

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Dustin Aaronson, owner of Old Town Music, works on adjusting the intonation on an American made electric guitar Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, in Kenai, Alaska. Intonation affects sound quality throughout the entire instrument, and while the technique is generally formulaic, sometimes rules are broken to ensure individual instruments have been properly tuned, Aaronson said.

Photo: Sound check

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  • Dec 16, 2014
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Dustin Aaronson, owner of Old Town Music, works on adjusting the intonation on an American made electric guitar Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, in Kenai, Alaska. Intonation affects sound quality throughout the entire instrument, and while the technique is generally formulaic, sometimes rules are broken to ensure individual instruments have been properly tuned, Aaronson said.
In this photo taken Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, the Most Reverend Chad W. Zielinski is questioned during his Ordination and Installation as the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks, at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. (AP Photo/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Eric Engman) MAGS OUT, NO SALES

Military chaplain installed as Catholic bishop

FAIRBANKS (AP) — An active-duty military chaplain will be the spiritual leader of the nation’s northernmost Catholic diocese.The Most Rev. Chad Zielinksi was installed as… Continue reading

  • Dec 16, 2014
In this photo taken Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, the Most Reverend Chad W. Zielinski is questioned during his Ordination and Installation as the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks, at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. (AP Photo/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Eric Engman) MAGS OUT, NO SALES

Fort Greely to get $50 million under spending bill

FAIRBANKS (AP) — Congress has approved $50 million toward a ground-based missile defense system at Fort Greely.U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office, in a release, said… Continue reading

  • Dec 16, 2014
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Kenai police Sgt. Jay Sjogren talks with an 18-year old man Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 after a single-vehicle rollover at about 10:45 a.m. on the Kenai Spur Highway. The driver of the tan Saturn sedan was traveling toward Soldotna when he hit a patch of ice on a turn, rolled over once and came to a stop in the ditch. The driver was not injured and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Photo: Rollover

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  • Dec 16, 2014
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Kenai police Sgt. Jay Sjogren talks with an 18-year old man Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 after a single-vehicle rollover at about 10:45 a.m. on the Kenai Spur Highway. The driver of the tan Saturn sedan was traveling toward Soldotna when he hit a patch of ice on a turn, rolled over once and came to a stop in the ditch. The driver was not injured and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Soldotna planning team looks to future

Members of the public and private sectors have joined to address Soldotna’s potential for expansion.The Soldotna Planning Team consists of city officials, council members, Soldotna… Continue reading

  • Dec 16, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan

Broker enrolls about 1,000 Alaskans in latest signup

JUNEAU (AP) — A broker established to help individuals sign up for private health insurance has enrolled about 1,000 Alaskans in the first month of… Continue reading

  • Dec 16, 2014
Photo courtesy Christine Cunningham This photo of Christine Cunningham while hunting in the fall of 2014. Cunningham trains and hunts with English Setters and chocolate labradors for tracking waterfowl in Alaska.

Kenai woman wins national hunting award

Kenai resident Christine Cunningham was still unable to process the announcement that she was the 2014 winner of the Prois Award hours after receiving the… Continue reading

  • Dec 15, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Photo courtesy Christine Cunningham This photo of Christine Cunningham while hunting in the fall of 2014. Cunningham trains and hunts with English Setters and chocolate labradors for tracking waterfowl in Alaska.

Dog owner wants answers after pug electrocuted

After working a long day, Cheryl Buchanan decided to take her dog, a 3½-year-old pug named Siri, for a stroll downtown as she searched for… Continue reading

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.