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The intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kalifornsky Beach Road is covered with blowing snow on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. A winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow to some areas of the peninsula made for hazardous driving conditions over the weekend. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Blizzard conditions expected for western Kenai Peninsula

A blizzard warning is in effect for the western Kenai Peninsula from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Blizzard conditions… Continue reading

The intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kalifornsky Beach Road is covered with blowing snow on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. A winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow to some areas of the peninsula made for hazardous driving conditions over the weekend. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty

Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty

As another year draws to a close, the seafood industry seems to be facing even more uncertainty than usual, with some groundfish stocks cratering, salmon… Continue reading

Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty
A sign is posted outside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center that lets residents know that due to the partial government shutdown, refuge employees and visitor services are unavailable and that visitors should enter the refuge at their own risk, on Thursday, in Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Shutdown continues; some local agencies affected

A partial government shutdown that could extend into next year has shuttered several federal operations on the peninsula, and left other government employees working without… Continue reading

A sign is posted outside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center that lets residents know that due to the partial government shutdown, refuge employees and visitor services are unavailable and that visitors should enter the refuge at their own risk, on Thursday, in Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Tyle Owens rides to victory Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, in Freezer Food Series Race 5, a six-mile fat bike race at the Slikok Trails outside of Soldotna. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Group looks to make Beaver Loop Road bike friendly

A local biking group is working to make Beaver Loop Road in Kenai bike-friendly. The Bike Kenai and Soldotna (BIK&S) group is seeking a grant… Continue reading

  • Dec 26, 2018
  • By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Tyle Owens rides to victory Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, in Freezer Food Series Race 5, a six-mile fat bike race at the Slikok Trails outside of Soldotna. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Clamming on eastside beaches to remain closed

Clamming on eastside beaches to remain closed

There won’t be any clamming, whether sport or personal, on the Cook Inlet side of the Kenai Peninsula in 2019. The Alaska Department of Fish… Continue reading

  • Dec 26, 2018
  • By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Clamming on eastside beaches to remain closed
From left, Alaska state Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, and Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, sit in the House chamber to hear Gov. Bill Walker deliver his annual State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2017. After several years of budgets passing late and forcing education pink slip notices, Stevens, the Senate Education Committee chair, is introducing a bill to mandate an education budget by April 1. (Photo/Mark Thiessen/AP)

Big issues in Legislature will be PFD, budget cuts, Stevens says

Heading into his 19th year as a state senator, Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, has some advice for Homer’s newest legislator, Rep.-elect Sarah Vance. She’s the… Continue reading

From left, Alaska state Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, and Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, sit in the House chamber to hear Gov. Bill Walker deliver his annual State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2017. After several years of budgets passing late and forcing education pink slip notices, Stevens, the Senate Education Committee chair, is introducing a bill to mandate an education budget by April 1. (Photo/Mark Thiessen/AP)
Poor runs prompt southeast salmon fleet buyback

Poor runs prompt southeast salmon fleet buyback

The Southeast Alaska Seiners Association is spearheading another effort to reduce the size of the salmon fleet with another buyback, similar to the one in… Continue reading

Poor runs prompt southeast salmon fleet buyback
An aerial photo taken in 2014 shows the current South Peninsula Hospital campus. (Homer News file photo)

After complaints, state board finds Homer physical therapist didn’t violate regulations

Two complaints made against a physical therapist at South Peninsula Hospital to the state’s licensing board for therapists have been reviewed and closed. An unidentified… Continue reading

An aerial photo taken in 2014 shows the current South Peninsula Hospital campus. (Homer News file photo)

School board to offer remote testimony in 2019

The new year is bringing a new feature to Kenai Peninsula Borough School District meetings. Starting at the Jan. 14, 2019 6 p.m. Board of… Continue reading

In this October 2017 file photo, volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed beluga calf Tyonek, who was rescued on Sept. 30, 2017, after he was stranded in Trading Bay. (Photo courtesy of Alaska SeaLife Center).

Tyonek being treated around the clock

Tyonek, the stranded baby beluga whale rescued in 2017, is under constant care at SeaWorld San Antonio. “Tyonek, the endangered beluga calf found abandoned in… Continue reading

In this October 2017 file photo, volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed beluga calf Tyonek, who was rescued on Sept. 30, 2017, after he was stranded in Trading Bay. (Photo courtesy of Alaska SeaLife Center).
University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, left, listens to Dr. Steve Atwater, Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education, during an interview at the University of Alaska Southeast on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Alaska’s teachers are leaving at much higher than the national average. Here’s what’s being done about it.

Alaska has a teacher problem.

University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, left, listens to Dr. Steve Atwater, Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education, during an interview at the University of Alaska Southeast on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Teachers, support staff and community members, many of them wearing red, prepare to listen to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education’s Sept. 10 meeting at Homer High School in Homer. The board holds one meeting each year in Homer, and another in Seward. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Kenai Peninsula teachers still without a contract

As the Anchorage and Ketchikan school districts finalize employee contracts, it is unknown when teachers in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will see their… Continue reading

Teachers, support staff and community members, many of them wearing red, prepare to listen to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education’s Sept. 10 meeting at Homer High School in Homer. The board holds one meeting each year in Homer, and another in Seward. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
The Peninsula Community Health Services Dental team accepts their award at the National Network for Oral Health Access Conference, held last month in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo courtesy of PCHS)

PCHS Dental receives national award of excellence

Peninsula Community Health Services of Alaska Dental received a national award of excellence in November. The award to PCHS Dental was presented at the National… Continue reading

The Peninsula Community Health Services Dental team accepts their award at the National Network for Oral Health Access Conference, held last month in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo courtesy of PCHS)
Schools briefs for the week of Dec. 24-30

Schools briefs for the week of Dec. 24-30

Soldotna High School The after-school tutoring buses will start running on 12/28. There are two buses that leave at 4:15. You must be on the… Continue reading

Schools briefs for the week of Dec. 24-30
The open sign for Uncle Herb’s, Homer’s first marijuana retail store, lights up on opening day, Thursday, May 24, 2018 on Ocean Drive in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Control board approves rules for onsite marijuana use

JUNEAU — Alaska regulators on Thursday approved rules for onsite consumption of marijuana at specially designated shops, a significant step for the cannabis industry in… Continue reading

  • Dec 23, 2018
  • By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
The open sign for Uncle Herb’s, Homer’s first marijuana retail store, lights up on opening day, Thursday, May 24, 2018 on Ocean Drive in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Cruise ship visitors gather for their tours on the Seawalk in Juneau on Sept. 13, 2017. (File photo)

Court ruling could impact peninsula cruise ports

A decision in a long-fought court case between the cruise industry and Juneau could have local ramifications for Seward, Homer and other cruise ports in… Continue reading

Cruise ship visitors gather for their tours on the Seawalk in Juneau on Sept. 13, 2017. (File photo)
This satellite image from the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s parcel viewer shows an area of Old Town Kenai, on the blufftop overlooking the Kenai River mouth, where erosion has eaten away previously-existing land. (File photo)

Kenai looks into accelerated funding for bluff project

Kenai is looking to set a path to move forward with the long-awaited bluff erosion project. City Manager Paul Ostrander told the city council Wednesday… Continue reading

This satellite image from the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s parcel viewer shows an area of Old Town Kenai, on the blufftop overlooking the Kenai River mouth, where erosion has eaten away previously-existing land. (File photo)
John Loranger, Ruby Glaser, Linda Loranger and Alice Main snowshoe on Headquarters Lake during a winter solstice event at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

‘There’s something about snow’

The first few steps in snowshoes for Theo Carroll, 75, of Soldotna did not go well. Carroll was just steps out of the parking lot… Continue reading

John Loranger, Ruby Glaser, Linda Loranger and Alice Main snowshoe on Headquarters Lake during a winter solstice event at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Rows of toys ready to be claimed by needy families sit on the backroom shelves of the Kenai Salvation Army Family Services store. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Holidays bring out giving spirit

Three years ago a fresh start and a new mental outlook led Soldotna’s Matt Brown to realize what was most important in life — helping… Continue reading

Rows of toys ready to be claimed by needy families sit on the backroom shelves of the Kenai Salvation Army Family Services store. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
This May 4, 2018 photo shows the “Art Shack,” an art studio space owned by Sue Mann, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Clarion file photo) This Friday, May 4, 2018 photo shows the “Art Shack,” an art studio space owned by Sue Mann, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Clarion file photo)

Giving the gift of experience

Still trying to find the perfect gift for friends and family on your shopping list? Consider gifting them an experience. In 2010, researchers from Cornell… Continue reading

This May 4, 2018 photo shows the “Art Shack,” an art studio space owned by Sue Mann, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Clarion file photo) This Friday, May 4, 2018 photo shows the “Art Shack,” an art studio space owned by Sue Mann, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Clarion file photo)