News

A sockeye salmon makes its flight into the back of a truck on a set gillnet site on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

While other species increase, salmon, herring landing values drop

The total value of commercial fisheries landings in Alaska didn’t change much between 2014 and 2015, but by species, salmon have been the millstone around… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon makes its flight into the back of a truck on a set gillnet site on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Mariano Gonzales discusses his show “Swimming Upstream” on May 4, 2017 at Kenai Fine Art Center in Kenai. The show will hang until May 27. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

‘Swimming Upstream’ on display until May 27

Be careful with what you touch at the Kenai Fine Art Center this month— you may get shot by Mariano Gonzales’ piece “Don’t Touch My… Continue reading

Mariano Gonzales discusses his show “Swimming Upstream” on May 4, 2017 at Kenai Fine Art Center in Kenai. The show will hang until May 27. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Participants in a streambank rehabilitation workshop at the Donald E. Giman River Center unwrap bundles of felt willow to install as reinforcement along a damaged section of the Kenai River’s bank Wednesday, May 10, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The free two-day annual workshop, hosted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, teaches people how to properly repair damaged fish habitat along streams in Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion) Participants in a streambank rehabilitation workshop at the Donald E. Giman River Center unwrap bundles of felt willow to install as reinforcement along a damaged section of the Kenai River’s bank Wednesday in Soldotna. The free two-day annual workshop, hosted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, teaches people how to properly repair damaged fish habitat along streams in Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Peninsula residents get hands-on with streambank restoration

A sunny, warm Wednesday in Soldotna found about 40 people busily digging trenches and mounting willow boughs into the banks of the Kenai River, all… Continue reading

Participants in a streambank rehabilitation workshop at the Donald E. Giman River Center unwrap bundles of felt willow to install as reinforcement along a damaged section of the Kenai River’s bank Wednesday, May 10, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The free two-day annual workshop, hosted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, teaches people how to properly repair damaged fish habitat along streams in Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion) Participants in a streambank rehabilitation workshop at the Donald E. Giman River Center unwrap bundles of felt willow to install as reinforcement along a damaged section of the Kenai River’s bank Wednesday in Soldotna. The free two-day annual workshop, hosted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, teaches people how to properly repair damaged fish habitat along streams in Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Anchor Point, Kasilof to have field assessments this year

Borough assessors will be scoping out properties in the Anchor Point, Deep Creek, Ninilchik, Clam Gulch and Kasilof areas this year. The Kenai Peninsula Borough… Continue reading

Senate budget cuts holes in public health service

The state’s public health division has been whittled down significantly over the past several years and is facing more cuts this year. The Alaska Department… Continue reading

Brooke Kent, a Cook Inlet Academy graduate, plays and sings the song “Soar” by Meredith Andrews at the school’s graduation ceremony Sunday, May 7, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion) Brooke Kent, a Cook Inlet Academy graduate, plays and sings the song “Soar” by Meredith Andrews at the school’s graduation ceremony Sunday in Soldotna. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Cook Inlet Academy graduates take off

Cook Inlet Academy’s graduating class may be small, but the students have been busy. With years of soccer and community service under their belts, they’ll… Continue reading

Brooke Kent, a Cook Inlet Academy graduate, plays and sings the song “Soar” by Meredith Andrews at the school’s graduation ceremony Sunday, May 7, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion) Brooke Kent, a Cook Inlet Academy graduate, plays and sings the song “Soar” by Meredith Andrews at the school’s graduation ceremony Sunday in Soldotna. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly passes rules for attending meetings by phone

Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly members may be blocked from participating in meeting telephonically in the future if the other members decide it’s not merited. The… Continue reading

Assembly again denies K-Beach flooding land deal

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to show that the initial land trade proposed in 2014 would have traded a borough-owned parcel on the… Continue reading

Quilters work on quilts for charity at the Funny River Community Center on Thursday, April 27, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

State cuts ripple through borough budget

Quilts covered the walls at the Funny River Community Center, the result of hours of work by charity-minded community members. But on a Thursday afternoon,… Continue reading

Quilters work on quilts for charity at the Funny River Community Center on Thursday, April 27, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
This photo taken July 3, 2015 shows cars lined up on the Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm in after a fatal accident in which a trooper vehicle struck and killed a motorcyclist it was pursuing closed the highway for several hours. Troopers have reduced their coverage of a stretch from about mile 75 of that highway to south of McHugh Creek due to budget cuts. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Agencies struggle to fill Seward Highway gap left by trooper withdrawal

Drivers on the Seward Highway between McHugh Creek and the Turnagain Pass are facing a potential law enforcement coverage gap as Alaska State Troopers withdraw… Continue reading

This photo taken July 3, 2015 shows cars lined up on the Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm in after a fatal accident in which a trooper vehicle struck and killed a motorcyclist it was pursuing closed the highway for several hours. Troopers have reduced their coverage of a stretch from about mile 75 of that highway to south of McHugh Creek due to budget cuts. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough commits to school funding

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly committed to spending at least $48.3 million on education in fiscal year 2018, a slight increase from fiscal year 2017.… Continue reading

Homer man arrested after Seward Highway car chase

A Homer man is in custody after leading Alaska State Troopers on a long chase Sunday along the Seward Highway near the Hope Junction. Troopers… Continue reading

Borough’s health care costs decreased in 2016

After years of escalation, the Kenai Peninsula Borough saw a decrease in its employee health care costs in 2016. Across all departments, the borough is… Continue reading

Soldotna woman, 75, earns black belt

Soldotna woman, 75, earns black belt

The test began and ended with a moment of meditative silence, infused with intense focus and anticipation. Six Tang Soo Do practitioners stood at attention… Continue reading

Soldotna woman, 75, earns black belt

Murkowski, groups want to see Gulf of Alaska military exercise moved to fall

Environmental activists, coastal Alaskans and Sen. Lisa Murkowski are all asking the U.S. Navy to move a biennial training exercise in the Gulf of Alaska… Continue reading

Bobbie Larrivee, a special education teacher at West Homer High School, waits to receive a certificate honoring her as one of the 2017 BP Teachers of Excellence at an awards banquet Thursday, April 27, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. BP recognized five teachers from around the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District for excellence in teaching with certificates, $500 gift cards and $500 donations to their schools. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

BP honors Kenai Peninsula teachers

Five teachers from Kenai Peninsula Borough School District were honored Thursday at the annual BP Teachers of Excellence awards banquet. Stephanie Cronin of Seward High… Continue reading

Bobbie Larrivee, a special education teacher at West Homer High School, waits to receive a certificate honoring her as one of the 2017 BP Teachers of Excellence at an awards banquet Thursday, April 27, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. BP recognized five teachers from around the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District for excellence in teaching with certificates, $500 gift cards and $500 donations to their schools. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Maps of proposed culvert improvements on several Kasilof-area streams stand in a multipurpose room at Tustumena Elementary School during an Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities open house on a proposed safety improvement project on the Sterling Highway between Soldotna and Clam Gulch on Wednesday in Kasilof. The project, scheduled for summer 2018 and 2019, will include widened shoulders, improved signage, a safety edge and culvert replacements, among other improvements. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Sterling Highway shoulder widening to improve fish passage

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is working on a final set of plans to widen the shoulders of the Sterling Highway between… Continue reading

Maps of proposed culvert improvements on several Kasilof-area streams stand in a multipurpose room at Tustumena Elementary School during an Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities open house on a proposed safety improvement project on the Sterling Highway between Soldotna and Clam Gulch on Wednesday in Kasilof. The project, scheduled for summer 2018 and 2019, will include widened shoulders, improved signage, a safety edge and culvert replacements, among other improvements. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

2 lawsuits against borough moving through courts

Two entangled lawsuits against the Kenai Peninsula Borough are winding their way through the court system, one toward trial and another toward dismissal. The borough… Continue reading

Workers at Alaska Salmon Purchasers sort sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet in this July 2016 photo near Nikiski, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

2017 sockeye forecast weak for Cook Inlet

Upper Cook Inlet’s commercial salmon fishermen are predicted to have another slow season, if the forecast proves accurate. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s… Continue reading

Workers at Alaska Salmon Purchasers sort sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet in this July 2016 photo near Nikiski, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
In this December 2016 photo, the sun peeks through the trees on the Tsalteshi Trails system near Soldotna, Alaska. The Tsalteshi Trails Association has applied to the Kenai Peninsula Borough for a Community Trails Management Agreement to expand the popular trail system to the south, providing a space for non-skiers to enjoy the trails in the winter. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Tsalteshi applies to expand trail system

More trails may be coming soon to the Tsalteshi Trails system. The nonprofit Tsalteshi Trails Association, which maintains about 25 kilometers of trails in a… Continue reading

In this December 2016 photo, the sun peeks through the trees on the Tsalteshi Trails system near Soldotna, Alaska. The Tsalteshi Trails Association has applied to the Kenai Peninsula Borough for a Community Trails Management Agreement to expand the popular trail system to the south, providing a space for non-skiers to enjoy the trails in the winter. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)