News

Nikiski High School junior Diana Narimanidze gives a look of approval Friday at Soldotna Prep School while trying on shoes to match a dress she found at Cinderella’s Closet, a program that provides free prom dresses and accessories to girls throughout the school district. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Cinderella’s Closet opens its doors

The floral printed dress with an empire waist and halter top looked great on Nikiski junior Diana Narimanidze, eliciting a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs”… Continue reading

Nikiski High School junior Diana Narimanidze gives a look of approval Friday at Soldotna Prep School while trying on shoes to match a dress she found at Cinderella’s Closet, a program that provides free prom dresses and accessories to girls throughout the school district. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Premera to invest $50 million in health initiatives in Alaska

Health insurer Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska is planning a multimillion-dollar investment into Alaska’s mental health and rural health care service. Premera is… Continue reading

Ninilchik launches Homer-Kenai bus service

Western Kenai Peninsula residents can now get to Homer, Kenai or Ninilchik by shuttle, courtesy of the Ninilchik Traditional Council. The tribal government, based in… Continue reading

Matt Quiner of the Nikiski Fire Department checks his gear before dropping through a hole in the ice covering Island Lake as part of a training drill Friday, March 9, 2018 in Nikiski, Alaska. The Nikiski Fire Department is working on bringing all the members of its ice diving team up to proper certifications. To attain full certifications, divers have to clock a number of hours in the water, including practicing beneath the ice. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski Fire trains up on ice diving

The old saying goes that there’s no bad conditions, only bad gear. The Nikiski Fire Department is testing exactly how far that goes with some… Continue reading

Matt Quiner of the Nikiski Fire Department checks his gear before dropping through a hole in the ice covering Island Lake as part of a training drill Friday, March 9, 2018 in Nikiski, Alaska. The Nikiski Fire Department is working on bringing all the members of its ice diving team up to proper certifications. To attain full certifications, divers have to clock a number of hours in the water, including practicing beneath the ice. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A herd of Dall sheep graze on the side of one of the peaks in the Mystery Hills above the Skyline Trail in September 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

State Parks seeks information in sheep poaching case

Alaska park rangers are looking for tips on who might have poached a Dall sheep in the Cooper Landing area. Alaska State Parks rangers found… Continue reading

A herd of Dall sheep graze on the side of one of the peaks in the Mystery Hills above the Skyline Trail in September 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident Maggie Winston (center) and Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education Executive Director Patrick Reinhart (right) testify in favor of Senate Bill 174 to the Senate Health and Social Services Committe in Juneau, Alaska. Senate Bill 174 would add language to state administrative code giving people with disabilities a more active role in determining their services and care. (Photo courtesy Maggie Winston)

Bill would add flexibility for disability services

Advocates are pushing for a bill that would give people with disabilities more say in state services. Senate Bill 174, sponsored by Sen. Peter Micciche… Continue reading

Kenai resident Maggie Winston (center) and Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education Executive Director Patrick Reinhart (right) testify in favor of Senate Bill 174 to the Senate Health and Social Services Committe in Juneau, Alaska. Senate Bill 174 would add language to state administrative code giving people with disabilities a more active role in determining their services and care. (Photo courtesy Maggie Winston)
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Mark Luiken (front left) signs the final Environmental Impact Statement for the long-awaited Cooper Landing Bypass project as Federal Highway Administration Division Administrator Sandra Garcia-Aline (front right) and (back row, from left) Rep. Gary Knopp (R-Kenai), Gov. Bill Walker and Sen. Peter Micciche (R-Soldotna) look on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 in Juneau, Alaska. The Cooper Landing bypass, officially known as the Sterling Highway Milepost 45&

Juneau Creek route ID’d as preferred in Cooper Landing road EIS

The final environmental permitting document for the long-planned Cooper Landing bypass ditches a controversial decision to relocate the Sterling Highway around Cooper Landing via a… Continue reading

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Mark Luiken (front left) signs the final Environmental Impact Statement for the long-awaited Cooper Landing Bypass project as Federal Highway Administration Division Administrator Sandra Garcia-Aline (front right) and (back row, from left) Rep. Gary Knopp (R-Kenai), Gov. Bill Walker and Sen. Peter Micciche (R-Soldotna) look on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 in Juneau, Alaska. The Cooper Landing bypass, officially known as the Sterling Highway Milepost 45&
D.A.R.E. grads receive goodie bags and congratulations from community leaders.

D.A.R.E., not scare

In the 1980s political leaders attempted to address the drug crisis among youth with a simple answer to a complex problem: “Just say No!” Programs… Continue reading

D.A.R.E. grads receive goodie bags and congratulations from community leaders.
Kristeena Negus and Pamela Parker show Molly Nusbaum the art of making New York style bagels.

Broadening horizons: Kenai students get hands-on look at careers

While efforts continue to broaden Alaska’s economic base and create more job opportunities for Alaskans, the Kenai Chamber of Commerce Job Shadow program is an… Continue reading

Kristeena Negus and Pamela Parker show Molly Nusbaum the art of making New York style bagels.
Callie Giordano, a teacher at Mountain View Elementary, participated in a rally on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at the corner of Swires Road and the Kenai Spur Highway to support fully funding education. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

District facing budget, asks borough to fund to cap

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is facing a deficit for fiscal year 2019, and while state and borough funding has not yet been decided,… Continue reading

Callie Giordano, a teacher at Mountain View Elementary, participated in a rally on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at the corner of Swires Road and the Kenai Spur Highway to support fully funding education. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Fish board approves rotenone use in Tote Road lakes

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has the first stamp of approval for its project to eliminate the last known populations of northern pike… Continue reading

This June 2016 photo shows a king salmon caught in a personal-use set gillnet on the beach north of the mouth of the Kasilof River near Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion) In this July 24, 2016 file photo, a guide boat motors upstream on the Kenai River near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Rashah McChesney, file)

Forecast shows both Kenai king runs within escapement goals

The early and late runs of Kenai River king salmon are projected to be within the escapement goals for 2018, according to the Alaska Department… Continue reading

This June 2016 photo shows a king salmon caught in a personal-use set gillnet on the beach north of the mouth of the Kasilof River near Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion) In this July 24, 2016 file photo, a guide boat motors upstream on the Kenai River near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Rashah McChesney, file)
Man arrested after crashing vehicle discovered to be stolen

School bus collides with moose, no one hurt

A collision with a moose on the way to school Thursday morning left a school bus driver and 24 students unhurt. Kasilof resident Elizabeth Chase… Continue reading

Man arrested after crashing vehicle discovered to be stolen
Police warn of phone scam

Kenai woman arrested for shoplifting $1,200 in goods

Soldotna police have arrested a Kenai woman in connection with stealing $1,200 in goods from Fred Meyer. Samantha Hayes, 28, was arrested Thursday and charged… Continue reading

Police warn of phone scam
This zoning map from the City of Homer website shows the districts in town where commercial marijuana is allowed and where it is not allowed currently. (Image courtesty City of Homer)

Council introduces ordinance that would allow marijuana sales on Homer Spit

Retail marijuana stores making their way to the Homer Spit is once again on the table at City Hall. In a tie vote broken by… Continue reading

This zoning map from the City of Homer website shows the districts in town where commercial marijuana is allowed and where it is not allowed currently. (Image courtesty City of Homer)
Tony Kaser helps a customer at the Hearth Eathery and Catering’s stand during a craft fair fundraiser for the Central Peninsula Special Olympics at Kenai Central High School on Saturday, March 3, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The fair featured a number of artists and craftsmen selling work ranging from paintings to wooden toys to essential oils, with proceeds from the fair going to assist the Special Olympics in purchasing jerseys, equipment, transportation and training costs. The Central Peninsula Special Olympics coordinates sports programs for people with intellectual disabilities as a subprogram of the statewide Special Olympics. Kaser participates in swimming in the Special Olympics. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Arts, crafts and sports

Vendors lined the halls of Kenai Central High School on Saturday for a fundraiser to benefit Central Peninsula Special Olympics. The fair featured a number… Continue reading

Tony Kaser helps a customer at the Hearth Eathery and Catering’s stand during a craft fair fundraiser for the Central Peninsula Special Olympics at Kenai Central High School on Saturday, March 3, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The fair featured a number of artists and craftsmen selling work ranging from paintings to wooden toys to essential oils, with proceeds from the fair going to assist the Special Olympics in purchasing jerseys, equipment, transportation and training costs. The Central Peninsula Special Olympics coordinates sports programs for people with intellectual disabilities as a subprogram of the statewide Special Olympics. Kaser participates in swimming in the Special Olympics. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Gravel pit group digs into noise, buffer issues

Three meetings in, the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s working group on gravel pit issues is already finding the sore spots between neighbors and operators. The Kenai… Continue reading

Dunleavy makes rounds on peninsula in bid for governor

Former state Senator Mike Dunleavy is out touring the state, rounding up support for his gubernatorial bid. Dunleavy, who represented the Matanuska-Susitna Valley in the… Continue reading

The F/V Kupreanof and F/V Leading Lady are moored at the Homer Harbor in 2013. The smell of rotting fish came from the boats and a light oil sheen surrounded them. (Michael Armstrong/Homer News, file)

Legislature considering bill to crack down on derelict vessels

Harbormasters and state officials are looking for a little more authority to regulate junk boats around Alaska. Junk boats, or derelict vessels, haunt harbors and… Continue reading

The F/V Kupreanof and F/V Leading Lady are moored at the Homer Harbor in 2013. The smell of rotting fish came from the boats and a light oil sheen surrounded them. (Michael Armstrong/Homer News, file)
Clayton Koroll, left, and Peter Anderson, juniors at Kenai Central High School, shadow Luke Thibodeau, owner of The Flats Bistro in Kenai, on Wednesday as part of the job shadow program through the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Job Center in Kenai. Koroll and Anderson both want to open small restaraunts and be their own bosses, just like Thibodeau. (Photo by Delbrian Parfitt/For the Clarion)

Annual KCHS job shadow shows students local industries

On Wednesday, Kenai Central high School Juniors got to answer the question they’ve been asked since they were children during their job shadow program, “What… Continue reading

Clayton Koroll, left, and Peter Anderson, juniors at Kenai Central High School, shadow Luke Thibodeau, owner of The Flats Bistro in Kenai, on Wednesday as part of the job shadow program through the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Job Center in Kenai. Koroll and Anderson both want to open small restaraunts and be their own bosses, just like Thibodeau. (Photo by Delbrian Parfitt/For the Clarion)