News

Homer neighbors look to stop beach abuse

HOMER (AP) — Illegal camping, late-night partying, reckless driving, drug dealing and trash on Bishop’s Beach: It all adds up to a trend that worries… Continue reading

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Members of the Fireweek Academy's Mind Amazes team, the District 12 los locos, react with excitement as Quinn Stoops, a substitue teacher in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, successfully tests the strength of the team's "rope" in the "spontaneous problem" portion of the competition Saturday, October 11, 2014, at Soldotna Prep School in Soldotna, Alaska.

Teams amaze at competition

From Seward, to Hope, Nikiski and Homer, 48 teams from across the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District convened in the auditorium at Soldotna Prep School… Continue reading

  • Oct 12, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Members of the Fireweek Academy's Mind Amazes team, the District 12 los locos, react with excitement as Quinn Stoops, a substitue teacher in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, successfully tests the strength of the team's "rope" in the "spontaneous problem" portion of the competition Saturday, October 11, 2014, at Soldotna Prep School in Soldotna, Alaska.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A group works to obtain a soil sample near Autumn Road in October 9, 2014 in Nikiski, Alaska. Teams have been doing geotechnical work in the Nikiski were the Alaska LNG project has proposed locating an LNG facility to cool natural gas into a liquid form for export.

Despite lingering questions, Alaska LNG project progresses

Several reporters, industry representatives from ExxonMobil and the Alaska LNG project visited the Kenai Peninsula last week during a showcase of the research projects currently… Continue reading

  • Oct 13, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A group works to obtain a soil sample near Autumn Road in October 9, 2014 in Nikiski, Alaska. Teams have been doing geotechnical work in the Nikiski were the Alaska LNG project has proposed locating an LNG facility to cool natural gas into a liquid form for export.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A flower lies in a muddy rut in the City of Kenai's wild flower meadow Monday October 13, 2014 in Kenai, Alaska. The grounds of the meadow were damaged extensively after a pickup truck was driven through the area, city police arrested a Kasilof teen in connection to the case.

Kenai’s flower meadow heavily damaged

At the height of its bloom in August, the wildflower field between the Kenai Spur Highway and Lawton Drive in Kenai was covered in hundreds… Continue reading

  • Oct 13, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A flower lies in a muddy rut in the City of Kenai's wild flower meadow Monday October 13, 2014 in Kenai, Alaska. The grounds of the meadow were damaged extensively after a pickup truck was driven through the area, city police arrested a Kasilof teen in connection to the case.

Gay couples apply for marriage licenses

ANCHORAGE — Gay couples began applying for marriage licenses in Anchorage on Monday, 15 years after Alaska helped touch off a national debate with a… Continue reading

  • Oct 13, 2014
  • By Mark Thiessen

Majority of absentee ballots go to Navarre

With all of the absentee and questioned ballots counted, Mike Navarre has emerged as the winner of the race for Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor, according… Continue reading

  • Oct 13, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney

Around the District

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. in the borough building at 148 N. Binkley Street in Soldotna (unless… Continue reading

  • Oct 13, 2014
Photo by Dan Balmer/ Peninsula Clarion Kenai Mayor Pat Porter watches as Kaleidoscope students Issac Erwin, Caden Fields and Cloey Followell from Julie Stephen's fifth and sixth grade class participate in a mock city council meeting Monday, Oct. 6, 2014 at Kenai City Hall.

Students take over city business for a day

Future police officers, city council members and judges spent a day learning how Kenai city government works. Three classes from Kaleidoscope School of Arts and… Continue reading

Photo by Dan Balmer/ Peninsula Clarion Kenai Mayor Pat Porter watches as Kaleidoscope students Issac Erwin, Caden Fields and Cloey Followell from Julie Stephen's fifth and sixth grade class participate in a mock city council meeting Monday, Oct. 6, 2014 at Kenai City Hall.

Around Campus: UA Board of Regents members’ terms expiring

The 11-member University of Alaska Board of Regents manages the university’s property, land, and financial assets; sets tuition rates; appoints the university president; and governs… Continue reading

  • Oct 12, 2014
  • By Suzie Kendrick
  • Schools
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Several agencies teamed up with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as it treated four lakes in the Soldotna Creek drainage during the second week of October. Here, researchers mix the fish-killing rotenone before it is pumped into East Mackey Lake on Wednesday October 8, 2014 in Soldotna, Alaska.

Pike poisoning underway in Soldotna

They couldn’t have timed it better. As the last of the interagency team of invasive northern pike killers stepped off of the Derks Lake on… Continue reading

  • Oct 12, 2014
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Several agencies teamed up with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as it treated four lakes in the Soldotna Creek drainage during the second week of October. Here, researchers mix the fish-killing rotenone before it is pumped into East Mackey Lake on Wednesday October 8, 2014 in Soldotna, Alaska.

Federal judge strikes down Alaska gay marriage ban

ANCHORAGE — A federal judge on Sunday struck down Alaska’s first-in-the-nation ban on gay marriages, the latest court decision in a busy week for the… Continue reading

  • Oct 12, 2014
  • By Mark Thiessen

North Slope crude prices down since July

Bogged down in multiple-year, multi-billion dollar state budget deficits, Alaskans have been nervously watching North Slope oil production and hoping for an uptick.They’ve largely forgotten… Continue reading

  • Oct 12, 2014
  • By Tim Bradner

Judge strikes down same-sex marriage ban

ANCHORAGE — A federal judge on Sunday struck down Alaska’s first-in-the-nation ban on gay marriages, the latest court decision in a busy week for the… Continue reading

  • Oct 12, 2014
  • By Mark Theissen
Maps by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area one, or the western branch of the Soldotna Creek drainage will be treated with the poison rotenone, in order to eradicate invasive northern pike in the region. Fish and Game plans to begin treatment on the four lakes in October. Once complete the project will be the largest rotentone treatment project carried out to date by Fish and Game.

Pike killing project approved for the Soldotna Creek drainage

It’ll take four years and more than $1 million in state and grant funds, but if the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s recently approved… Continue reading

  • Sep 20, 2014
  • By Rashah McChesney
Maps by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area one, or the western branch of the Soldotna Creek drainage will be treated with the poison rotenone, in order to eradicate invasive northern pike in the region. Fish and Game plans to begin treatment on the four lakes in October. Once complete the project will be the largest rotentone treatment project carried out to date by Fish and Game.

Soldotna man gets 3 years for ‘violent’ domestic assault

A Soldotna man, who plead guilty to a domestic violence felony assault charge, was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for assaulting his girlfriend… Continue reading

  • Oct 11, 2014
  • By DAN BALMER
Photo by Rashah Mcchesney/Peninsula Clarion Forrest Henry walks through gives a tour of a supply room at Thursday October 9, 2014, where he works as an intern through the Project SEARCH program at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska.

Project SEARCH sees success

Christopher Petrovich can’t help but smile at his co-workers when they giggle at him as the three fold blankets, sheets and rags piled high in… Continue reading

  • Oct 11, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI and RASHAH MCCHESNEY
Photo by Rashah Mcchesney/Peninsula Clarion Forrest Henry walks through gives a tour of a supply room at Thursday October 9, 2014, where he works as an intern through the Project SEARCH program at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska.

KPBSD begins ‘challenging’ budget planning process

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District faces some tough choices as the process of planning next year’s budget begins. KPBSD Superintendent Steve Atwater started a… Continue reading

  • Oct 11, 2014
  • By Kelly Sullivan
Lin Davis, of Juneau, Alaska, shown wearing an orange rain coat, holds signs supporting gay marriage during a news conference Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, outside the federal courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska. A federal judge on Friday heard arguments from five gay couples seeking to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Judge considers fate of Alaska gay marriage ban

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A federal judge in Alaska promised a quick decision after hearing arguments Friday to overturn the first-in-the-nation ban on gay marriages.Five gay… Continue reading

  • Oct 11, 2014
  • By Mark Thiessen
Lin Davis, of Juneau, Alaska, shown wearing an orange rain coat, holds signs supporting gay marriage during a news conference Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, outside the federal courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska. A federal judge on Friday heard arguments from five gay couples seeking to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Clarion file photo

Soldotna Dairy Queen hacked

Soldotna-based fast food and ice cream retailer Dairy Queen was hacked in part of a large data breach that reached nearly 400 stores nationwide, according… Continue reading

  • Oct 11, 2014
  • By Clarion staff report
Clarion file photo

Absentee votes could sway election

Nearly 2,000 ballots remain to be counted from Tuesday’s election. The official count of absentee, questioned and special needs ballots totaled 1,964 Thursday, according to… Continue reading

  • Oct 9, 2014
  • By KAYLEE OSOWSKI and DAN BALMER