Coronavirus

VA to host Tele-town hall for vets Thursday

VA to host Tele-town hall for vets Thursday

The event will discuss how the VA has changed its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

VA to host Tele-town hall for vets Thursday
This Sept. 7, 2007, file photo shows Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance of the Seas” docked in Seward. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz, File)

Cruise ship companies cancel, postpone Alaska sailings

Alaska’s shortened summer season made operating “simply not viable.”

This Sept. 7, 2007, file photo shows Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance of the Seas” docked in Seward. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz, File)
Pyper Dixon and Erik Johnson, both of Seward, sprint for the finish of the Mount Marathon Race on Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Mount Marathon Race postponed indefinitely

There won’t be a Mount Marathon Race on July 4 in Seward for the first time since 1942.

Pyper Dixon and Erik Johnson, both of Seward, sprint for the finish of the Mount Marathon Race on Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
A closed sign is posted at a retail store shuttered due to the new coronavirus, in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Dunleavy aims to get state “back to normal”

Governor announces several changes aimed at reopening the Alaska economy.

A closed sign is posted at a retail store shuttered due to the new coronavirus, in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Lifting health mandates could lead to virus ‘rebound’

A quick return to business as usual could cause a significant uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases if not done properly, modeling from the… Continue reading

Mike Tuhy, owner and operator of the Tower Rock Lodge in Kenai casts for trout in the Upper River Kenai on Oct. 11, 2017. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

State offers guidance to anglers

Sport and personal use fishing in Alaska will remain open consistent with health mandates.

Mike Tuhy, owner and operator of the Tower Rock Lodge in Kenai casts for trout in the Upper River Kenai on Oct. 11, 2017. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum speaks during a Tuesday, April 7, 2020 press conference in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)

New state mandate OKs quarantine shelters for emergency workers, homeless

The program will use “non-congregate shelter solutions,” including hotels and dorms, to house people.

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum speaks during a Tuesday, April 7, 2020 press conference in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Sen. Dan Sullivan chair a roundtable meeting on the Alaska-British Columbia Transboundary mining at the Federal Building in Juneau on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Senators reach out to Alaskans in audioconference meetings

The senators held conferences to share how Congress has responded to the pandemic.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Sen. Dan Sullivan chair a roundtable meeting on the Alaska-British Columbia Transboundary mining at the Federal Building in Juneau on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Dave Reaves (courtesy photo)

Alaska Voices: Skilled Alaskan workers deserve our thanks

No matter what we are doing, this pandemic has proven how heavily we rely on technology, utilities.

Dave Reaves (courtesy photo)
The sign in front of the Homer Electric Association building in Kenai, Alaska, as seen on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

HEA announces meeting; tells members not to attend

HEA’s bylaws require that a meeting of the members is held every year in the first week of May.

The sign in front of the Homer Electric Association building in Kenai, Alaska, as seen on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna High School English teacher Nicole Hewitt teaches her students remotely from her empty classroom at Soldotna High School on Monday, April 6, 2020 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

‘Everyone is learning a new way to learn’

Teachers, students adapt to online school during pandemic

Soldotna High School English teacher Nicole Hewitt teaches her students remotely from her empty classroom at Soldotna High School on Monday, April 6, 2020 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a Thursday, April 9, 2020 press conference in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)

8th Alaskan dies of COVID-19, Kenai reports its 3rd case

11 new cases reported Saturday, bringing state total to 257

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a Thursday, April 9, 2020 press conference in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)
A kit used to collect samples that are tested for COVID-19 is seen at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska, on April 7, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula receives federal aid to tackle COVID-19 pandemic

Several local organizations are receiving financial help and resources to boost area public health capabilities and increase testing capacities. The federal government recently sent the… Continue reading

A kit used to collect samples that are tested for COVID-19 is seen at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska, on April 7, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
A sign announcing the closure of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools at K-Beach Elementary can be seen on March 26, 2020, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Educators raise concerns about virtual school contract

The state entered into a half-million dollar contract with an online school.

A sign announcing the closure of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools at K-Beach Elementary can be seen on March 26, 2020, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Pastor Meredith Harber of Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna, Alaska, is seen here giving a sermon on Facebook live on March 29, 2020. (Screenshot by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

‘Scattered, but not shattered’

Churches find ways to celebrate Easter holiday amid lockdown

Pastor Meredith Harber of Christ Lutheran Church in Soldotna, Alaska, is seen here giving a sermon on Facebook live on March 29, 2020. (Screenshot by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum speaks during a Tuesday, April 7, 2020 press conference in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)

State extends school closure through academic year

9 new cases, but no new deaths or hospitalizations reported Thursday

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum speaks during a Tuesday, April 7, 2020 press conference in the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)
In this Monday, March 2, 2020, file photo, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum addresses the state’s coronavirus preparedness at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. The state of Alaska has placed surgical abortions on a list of procedures that could be postponed to help conserve personal protective equipment for health care workers amid the COVID-19 outbreak. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Dunleavy says abortion decision not political

“The decisions right now are broad, and they’re hard.”

In this Monday, March 2, 2020, file photo, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum addresses the state’s coronavirus preparedness at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. The state of Alaska has placed surgical abortions on a list of procedures that could be postponed to help conserve personal protective equipment for health care workers amid the COVID-19 outbreak. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
Commercial fishing boats are rafted together in May 2016 in the harbor in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Fishermen trying to salvage season amid COVID-19 pandemic

Facing an uncertain future as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, Alaska’s commercial fishing industry is looking ahead to the upcoming season with determination to salvage… Continue reading

Commercial fishing boats are rafted together in May 2016 in the harbor in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
A sign announcing the closure of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools at K-Beach Elementary can be seen on March 26, 2020, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

School board passes budget

It’s unclear how the global pandemic will impact the district’s bottom line.

A sign announcing the closure of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools at K-Beach Elementary can be seen on March 26, 2020, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Server Taleasha Shane of Soldotna swaps out growlers with a customer Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at Kenai River Brewing in Soldotna, Alaska. Shane has worked for the brewery for about four years and said business has been picking up in the last week. “The community is awesome. They’ve been tipping well. They know the servers are losing customers and money. It’s hard.” (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Crafty survival

Local craft brewers adjust to coronavirus restrictions

Server Taleasha Shane of Soldotna swaps out growlers with a customer Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at Kenai River Brewing in Soldotna, Alaska. Shane has worked for the brewery for about four years and said business has been picking up in the last week. “The community is awesome. They’ve been tipping well. They know the servers are losing customers and money. It’s hard.” (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)