Kenai Peninsula Borough

In this November 2016 file photo, a peak in the Chugach Mountains looms above a spruce forest near Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Public lands open for Christmas tree cutting

With Thanksgiving over and the floodgates officially open for Christmas décor, many people will be looking for that perfect spruce tree for their living rooms.… Continue reading

In this November 2016 file photo, a peak in the Chugach Mountains looms above a spruce forest near Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
This March 29, 2017 photo shows Central Peninsula Hospital’s River Tower, which houses specialty medical services, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

CPH moves forward with expansion project

Central Peninsula Hospital is moving forward with the plans for an expansion of its obstetrics wing and the construction of a new catheterization lab. The… Continue reading

This March 29, 2017 photo shows Central Peninsula Hospital’s River Tower, which houses specialty medical services, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Bed tax decision delayed until March

The proposed bed tax before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly won’t go anywhere until at least March. The assembly approved an amendment at its Tuesday… Continue reading

Attendees at the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s drone technical conference check out drones on a side table at the Challenger Learning Center on Tuesday in Kenai (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula professionals talk drones

Kenai Peninsula professionals are starting to look at using unmanned aerial vehicles for industries ranging from real estate to ecosystem management. A crowd of about… Continue reading

Attendees at the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s drone technical conference check out drones on a side table at the Challenger Learning Center on Tuesday in Kenai (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
The Kenai River flows by the newly restored riverbank of Dow Island on Saturday, May 27, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. A group of four property owners banded together this spring to install the extensive project to protect the bank of the island in the Kenai River from rapid erosion. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Hearings on Dow Island habitat violation case pushed back

A court case against three men who are accused of illegally dumping gravel in the Kenai River this summer is stretching out into the fall… Continue reading

The Kenai River flows by the newly restored riverbank of Dow Island on Saturday, May 27, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. A group of four property owners banded together this spring to install the extensive project to protect the bank of the island in the Kenai River from rapid erosion. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Borough Clerk Johni Blankenship (left) administers the oath of office to Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce during a swearing-in ceremony at the George A. Navarre Borough Administration Building on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Pierce won the mayor’s seat in a runoff election held Oct. 24, narrowly defeating opponent Linda Hutchings with a margin of 45 votes. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pierce takes helm at borough

Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce’s administration kicked off Monday with a packed room, enough cake to go around and a note of hopeful positivity. Pierce took… Continue reading

Borough Clerk Johni Blankenship (left) administers the oath of office to Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce during a swearing-in ceremony at the George A. Navarre Borough Administration Building on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Pierce won the mayor’s seat in a runoff election held Oct. 24, narrowly defeating opponent Linda Hutchings with a margin of 45 votes. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Review puts 11 peninsula businesses’ alcohol licenses up in the air

A review of a 32-year-old alcohol license statute has left 11 Kenai Peninsula businesses with their alcohol licenses up in the air. The Alcohol and… Continue reading

Auditor’s report identifies issues in borough assessment department

More than six months after controversy erupted in Homer over property appraisals, the Kenai Peninsula Borough assessing department is looking to make a few changes… Continue reading

Ordinance would allow service area board members to also be volunteers

An ordinance before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly would allow service area board members to also serve as volunteers at that department. Many of the… Continue reading

Bed tax back on assembly agenda

The much-debated bed tax proposal may get second life, if the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly chooses to introduce an ordinance reviving it. Assembly member Dale… Continue reading

A car passes supporters waving signs for borough mayoral candidate Charlie Pierce at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Kenai Peninsula voters chose between Pierce and candidate Linda Hutchings for the office of borough mayor on Tuesday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Absentee ballots narrow gap in mayor’s race; some ballots yet to be counted

The first batch of absentee and questioned ballots brought the runoff race for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor much closer — candidate Charlie Pierce’s lead over… Continue reading

A car passes supporters waving signs for borough mayoral candidate Charlie Pierce at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Kenai Peninsula voters chose between Pierce and candidate Linda Hutchings for the office of borough mayor on Tuesday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A car passes supporters waving signs for borough mayoral candidate Charlie Pierce at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Kenai Peninsula voters chose between Pierce and candidate Linda Hutchings for the office of borough mayor on Tuesday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pierce leads in mayoral runoff

Charlie Pierce is poised take the helm at the Kenai Peninsula Borough for the next three years, according to unofficial mayoral runoff election results. Pierce… Continue reading

A car passes supporters waving signs for borough mayoral candidate Charlie Pierce at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Kenai Peninsula voters chose between Pierce and candidate Linda Hutchings for the office of borough mayor on Tuesday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
The road to Gray Cliff and Moose Point is a narrow, muddy path, shown on Monday, April 11, 2016 near Nikiski, Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula Borough is working on plans to extend a gravel road toward the subdivisions north of Nikiski. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

North Road extension project hits delay

A regulatory hangup will delay the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Kenai Spur Highway extension project for a few months. The project, known commonly as the North… Continue reading

The road to Gray Cliff and Moose Point is a narrow, muddy path, shown on Monday, April 11, 2016 near Nikiski, Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula Borough is working on plans to extend a gravel road toward the subdivisions north of Nikiski. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Mike Navarre to take commissioner role

Mike Navarre has been tapped for the lead role at the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Navarre has served as the Kenai… Continue reading

Assembly, councils ask fish board to meet on peninsula

Local government bodies on the central Kenai Peninsula really want the state Board of Fisheries to hold a meeting here. The board, which meets to… Continue reading

Navarre gives overview of tenure

Borough Mayor Mike Navarre thought he would be done being mayor by now, after the Oct. 3 election. Instead, he’s got a few more weeks… Continue reading

This November 21, 2015 shows the sign designating the unofficial border of Nikiski, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Assembly declines support for Nikiski incorporation

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that the borough assembly opposed the incorporation of a Nikiski Borough in 1973. The citizens of… Continue reading

This November 21, 2015 shows the sign designating the unofficial border of Nikiski, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Linda Hutchings (standing), a candidate for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, answers a question during a forum with fellow candidates Dale Bagley (center) and Charlie Pierce (right) at the Funny River Community Center on Aug. 16, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Absentee ballots counted; results unchanged

None of the Oct. 3 Kenai Peninsula Borough election results have changed after all the absentee ballots have been counted. Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral candidates… Continue reading

Linda Hutchings (standing), a candidate for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, answers a question during a forum with fellow candidates Dale Bagley (center) and Charlie Pierce (right) at the Funny River Community Center on Aug. 16, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

With defeat of Prop 1, cannabis industry breathes sigh of relief

Cannabis business owners and employees in the borough outside city limits have a weight off their shoulders on working and expanding their businesses with Kenai… Continue reading

Ann Fraser (left) and Steve Waldron (right), both of Kasilof) wave signs opposing Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition 1 on the corner of Pollard Loop and the Sterling Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Voters in Kasilof and the other unincorporated communities of the borough voted Tuesday on Proposition 1, which asked whether commercial cannabis operations should be legal in the borough ouside the city limits. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough ballot props fail

Cannabis businesses in the borough outside the cities can continue operations as usual with the failure of Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition 1, according to Tuesday’s… Continue reading

Ann Fraser (left) and Steve Waldron (right), both of Kasilof) wave signs opposing Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition 1 on the corner of Pollard Loop and the Sterling Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Voters in Kasilof and the other unincorporated communities of the borough voted Tuesday on Proposition 1, which asked whether commercial cannabis operations should be legal in the borough ouside the city limits. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)