Elizabeth Earl

By the numbers: KPEDD delves into economic data

Although most of the Kenai Peninsula’s demographic metrics stayed level in 2016 — population grew slightly and schools performed well — overall business activity fell… Continue reading

Texas man missing in Anchor Point

A Texas man has been reported missing after he failed to show up for work in Anchor Point on Saturday. John Griffith, 40, was reported… Continue reading

First-year PEAKS results show peninsula students ahead of state

The first year’s results of the state’s new standardized public school assessments show that students in general aren’t doing as well as they could, but… Continue reading

This August 2016 photo shows Skilak Lake with Mt. Redoubt in the background on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The state of Alaska is engaged in two lawsuits at the federal level with national implications, one of which involves a set of rules for hunting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, finalized in March 2016. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Two state lawsuits hold national implications

The state of Alaska is caught up in two fish and wildlife-related lawsuits in federal courts that could set precedents around the nation for years… Continue reading

This August 2016 photo shows Skilak Lake with Mt. Redoubt in the background on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The state of Alaska is engaged in two lawsuits at the federal level with national implications, one of which involves a set of rules for hunting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, finalized in March 2016. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

4.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Nikiski

A brief earthquake rattled Nikiski on Labor Day, though not everyone felt the shaking. The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude… Continue reading

This October 2015 photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a protest staged in front of Tobacco Distress, a Soldotna-area store then allegedly selling the synthetic cannabis drug Spice near Soldotna, Alaska. Tobacco Distress owner Phillip Kneeland was sentenced to 70 months in prison Friday for selling the drug, which caused a number of people on the Kenai Peninsula to be taken to the hospital after taking it. (Photo courtesy the U.S. Department of Justice)

Soldotna man sentenced to 70 months of prison for selling Spice

A Soldotna man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison after being convicted of charged related to selling the illegal drug Spice through his… Continue reading

This October 2015 photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a protest staged in front of Tobacco Distress, a Soldotna-area store then allegedly selling the synthetic cannabis drug Spice near Soldotna, Alaska. Tobacco Distress owner Phillip Kneeland was sentenced to 70 months in prison Friday for selling the drug, which caused a number of people on the Kenai Peninsula to be taken to the hospital after taking it. (Photo courtesy the U.S. Department of Justice)

Kenai River silver salmon derby a go

The Kenai River silver salmon derby is set to go in two weeks after a long back-and-forth between the state and the two groups hosting… Continue reading

This Aug. 31, 2017 photograph shows the reception area in the Care Transitions medical detox facility, operated by Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska. The hospital obtained a state grant to purchase and renovate the facility, which provides medically supported withdrawal services for people detoxing from addictive substances including alcohol, opiates and heroin. (Photo courtesy Shari Conner/Central Peninsula Hospital Behavioral Health)

Hospital’s substance abuse detox center opens

There is a new bridge in Soldotna between the emergency room and residential rehab for those seeking to kick their substance addictions. One of the… Continue reading

This Aug. 31, 2017 photograph shows the reception area in the Care Transitions medical detox facility, operated by Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska. The hospital obtained a state grant to purchase and renovate the facility, which provides medically supported withdrawal services for people detoxing from addictive substances including alcohol, opiates and heroin. (Photo courtesy Shari Conner/Central Peninsula Hospital Behavioral Health)
(From left) Lisa Pimentel, Joanie Pimentel and Nicola Berlinsky, the three members of Los Angeles-based rock outfit No Small Children, pose for a photo near the Burger Bus restaurant on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The three will perform at an assembly at Nikiski Middle-High School on Friday afternoon, followd by a show at 7 p.m. at the Triumvirate Theatre in North Kenai and another show at Alice’s Champagne Palace in Homer on Saturday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

LA band No Small Children to peform 3 peninsula shows

Although the band playing Triumvirate Theatre on Friday night is called No Small Children, the members want to be very clear that children are allowed.… Continue reading

(From left) Lisa Pimentel, Joanie Pimentel and Nicola Berlinsky, the three members of Los Angeles-based rock outfit No Small Children, pose for a photo near the Burger Bus restaurant on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The three will perform at an assembly at Nikiski Middle-High School on Friday afternoon, followd by a show at 7 p.m. at the Triumvirate Theatre in North Kenai and another show at Alice’s Champagne Palace in Homer on Saturday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this September 2016 photo, mountains loom over Skilak Lake and its surrounding hills near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The U.S. Forest Service noted a sharp increase in spruce bark beetle activity in summer 2017 around Southcentral Alaska, including on the Kenai Peninsula, which lost millions of trees to an outbreak of the beetle infestations in the 1990s. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Spruce bark beetle activity spikes in Southcentral

Spruce bark beetle activity in Southcentral Alaska has jumped this summer, though it’s not as widespread as it was in the 1990s. The U.S. Forest… Continue reading

In this September 2016 photo, mountains loom over Skilak Lake and its surrounding hills near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The U.S. Forest Service noted a sharp increase in spruce bark beetle activity in summer 2017 around Southcentral Alaska, including on the Kenai Peninsula, which lost millions of trees to an outbreak of the beetle infestations in the 1990s. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Two anglers work together to land a silver salmon from the steps on the fishing platform near the Soldotna Visitors Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The silver salmon fishing has been reportedly good throughout the Kenai River since early August, and silver salmon continue to enter the river throughout the fall. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing report: Silver fishing keeps up quality on Kenai River

A draft morning schedule for a silver salmon angler: 4 a.m.: Alarm goes off. Pat self on back for packing tackle the evening before. 4:30… Continue reading

Two anglers work together to land a silver salmon from the steps on the fishing platform near the Soldotna Visitors Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The silver salmon fishing has been reportedly good throughout the Kenai River since early August, and silver salmon continue to enter the river throughout the fall. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Mayor advocates for ballot props to increase revenue

Kenai Peninsula voters will get to reconsider a tax measure that failed at the ballot box last year in the upcoming Oct. 3 election. The… Continue reading

Paul Montenieri, the founder of the Soldotna senior softball league, releases a wreath in honor of Kurt Keltner on the Kenai River on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Keltner, who lived in Sterling during the summers and Colorado in the winters, has been missing since Aug. 4, when he was thrown from a fishing boat due to a mechanical error near Centennial Park and was not able to swim to shore. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

With no sign of missing man, community members say goodbye

Blustering winds and rain may have stopped the Soldotna senior softball league from playing their final game of the season Tuesday, but it wouldn’t stop… Continue reading

Paul Montenieri, the founder of the Soldotna senior softball league, releases a wreath in honor of Kurt Keltner on the Kenai River on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Keltner, who lived in Sterling during the summers and Colorado in the winters, has been missing since Aug. 4, when he was thrown from a fishing boat due to a mechanical error near Centennial Park and was not able to swim to shore. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

A lack of candidates plagues service area board elections

After October, only two of the five members of the Seldovia Recreational Service Area Board will be elected. The other three will be appointed by… Continue reading

Nikiski man arrested on charges of threatening family member with gun

A Nikiski man has been arrested after allegedly attacking and threatening a family member with a gun. Alaska State Troopers arrested Dakoda Neely, 22, on… Continue reading

Central Peninsula Hospital ends fiscal year with approximately 93% decline in net income

Central Peninsula Hospital saw a sharp decrease in its net income in the last year, but the hospital administration says the trend is already turning… Continue reading

Fish and Game asks fishermen to report Atlantic salmon catches

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is asking that fishermen around the state report any Atlantic salmon they catch. Damage to a salmon farm… Continue reading

In this April 2017 photo, the Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River and runs through the community of Cooper Landing, Alaska. The federal and state departments of transportation have been looking at rerouting the highway since the 1970s to avoid the town of Cooper Landing, where traffic must slow down to 35 miles per hour and run through an area that becomes congested in the summer. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Decision to reevaluate Cooper Landing bypass route met with relief

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that the land swap between Cook Inlet Region, Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service… Continue reading

In this April 2017 photo, the Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River and runs through the community of Cooper Landing, Alaska. The federal and state departments of transportation have been looking at rerouting the highway since the 1970s to avoid the town of Cooper Landing, where traffic must slow down to 35 miles per hour and run through an area that becomes congested in the summer. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Sam Cotten (left) and Board of Fisheries member Reed Morisky (right) testify during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation field hearing on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, hosted by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Sullivan hosts field hearing on Magnuson-Stevens in Soldotna

Sportfishing groups and advocates want to see the federal government separate the management of sport and commercial fishing in the upcoming renewal of the Magnuson-Stevens… Continue reading

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Sam Cotten (left) and Board of Fisheries member Reed Morisky (right) testify during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation field hearing on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, hosted by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Slower glacier melt contributes to lower Kenai River level

Lower high-altitude snowpack, a cooler summer and more cloud cover may have contributed to a lower water level on the Kenai River. Kenai Peninsula residents,… Continue reading