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A participant in the Kenai River Junior Classic holds up a silver salmon she caught Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. The event, organized by Soldotna-based sportfishing organization the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, brings kids from all over Southcentral Alaska to learn about fishing and boating safety followed by a fishing trip with professional guides on the Kenai River. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

UAF launches center focusing on salmon, society

The University of Alaska is diving into broad social issues tied to salmon, with the hope of finding solutions to longstanding conflicts and future challenges.… Continue reading

A participant in the Kenai River Junior Classic holds up a silver salmon she caught Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. The event, organized by Soldotna-based sportfishing organization the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, brings kids from all over Southcentral Alaska to learn about fishing and boating safety followed by a fishing trip with professional guides on the Kenai River. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

3 seats on HEA ballot

The nearly 24,000 members of Homer Electric Association will soon have their chance to extend their involvement in the utility beyond flicking their light switches… Continue reading

Nature in music and feeling

Nature in music and feeling

Frozen Portage Lake beneath me cracks and groans ominously. A bitter cold infects the skin between my wrist and glove where cloth edges don’t meet.… Continue reading

Nature in music and feeling
High school students from across the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District wrap up a day of training at Nikiski Fire Station. The group is part of the pilot program, basic firefighter academy, which included a week of training and culminates in the students becoming licensed by the state. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Pilot program sparks passion

Joshua Diaz was thrown out of a window and excited about it. The Kenai Central High School senior is the smallest of 10 district students… Continue reading

High school students from across the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District wrap up a day of training at Nikiski Fire Station. The group is part of the pilot program, basic firefighter academy, which included a week of training and culminates in the students becoming licensed by the state. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Dave Atcheson ties a fly for fly fishing at Kenai Peninsula College’s student service Thursday March 8 in Soldotna. Atcheson teaches a beginning fly fishing course at the college that is open to the public. Deadline for registration is March 19. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Spring into the fishing season

On a lake somewhere in Alaska sometime before he became the avid fly tier he is today, Dave Atcheson had big excitement for catching a… Continue reading

Dave Atcheson ties a fly for fly fishing at Kenai Peninsula College’s student service Thursday March 8 in Soldotna. Atcheson teaches a beginning fly fishing course at the college that is open to the public. Deadline for registration is March 19. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna City Hall sees changes

Two prominent faces in Soldotna City Hall have to order some new business cards. Stephanie Queen, former director of economic development and planning, has stepped… Continue reading

Assembly spikes bed tax, wrangles with budget

Kenai Peninsula voters won’t have to consider a bed tax in the election this fall. In a narrow 5-4 vote, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly… Continue reading

Man dies after car wreck in Soldotna

Man dies after car wreck in Soldotna

A Soldotna man has died after a car wreck on the Sterling Highway near Fred Meyer on Tuesday morning. Jeffery Moore, 20, was pronounced dead at… Continue reading

Man dies after car wreck in Soldotna
The icing on the Ice Fishing Derby

The icing on the Ice Fishing Derby

The shortest month of the year proved to be a great month for those who entered the 21st Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware &Fishing Annual Ice Fishing… Continue reading

The icing on the Ice Fishing Derby

Poor northern Cook Inlet king returns lead to closures

King salmon runs to the Susitna River aren’t looking good for 2018, leading to closures in both the commercial fisheries and sportfisheries of Upper Cook… Continue reading

A young dall sheep scales the rockface along the Seward Highway near Girdwood in March. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Bacteria found in wild sheep, goats

A strain of bacteria known to cause respiratory issues in Lower 48 bighorn sheep has been detected in Alaska, and on the Kenai Peninsula, for… Continue reading

A young dall sheep scales the rockface along the Seward Highway near Girdwood in March. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
In this September 2016 photo, sea otters float in Kachemak Bay near Hesketh Island near Homer. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

State seeks federal exemption to manage sea otters

The state is targeting sea otters because of concerns about their growing population. The Legislature is considering two resolutions, one in the House and one… Continue reading

In this September 2016 photo, sea otters float in Kachemak Bay near Hesketh Island near Homer. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
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.