COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

Large portion of unexpected Alaska deaths in 2020 and 2021 directly tied to COVID-19

Pandemic increased premature deaths among non-elderly adults, report says

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
Mary Peltola, a Democrat seeking the sole U.S. House seat in Alaska, speaks during a forum for candidates, Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Christopher Constant plans to withdraw as a candidate for the August primary for Alaska’s U.S. House seat and support Peltola. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Constant plans to withdraw as House candidate, back Peltola

Peltola currently sits in fourth place in last Saturday’s special primary, several thousand votes ahead of Republican Tara Sweeney

Mary Peltola, a Democrat seeking the sole U.S. House seat in Alaska, speaks during a forum for candidates, Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Christopher Constant plans to withdraw as a candidate for the August primary for Alaska’s U.S. House seat and support Peltola. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
The entrance to the Kenai Municipal Cemetery is seen on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai cemetery expansion complete; moratorium on plot sales lifted

Council members approved sweeping changes to city code about cemeteries on Wednesday

The entrance to the Kenai Municipal Cemetery is seen on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Artwork up for auction is displayed at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank as part of its Spring Festival celebration on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Solstice brings celebration to peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula Food Bank is hosting its Spring Festival fundraiser on Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Artwork up for auction is displayed at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank as part of its Spring Festival celebration on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
From left: Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel, Kenai City Manager Paul Ostrander and Kenai Vice Mayor Jim Glendening discuss legislation during an at-ease at a council meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai council OKs comprehensive inventory of city land

The “City of Kenai Land Management Inventory and Recommendations” is meant to be a “city-wide approach” to managing land owned by the city

From left: Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel, Kenai City Manager Paul Ostrander and Kenai Vice Mayor Jim Glendening discuss legislation during an at-ease at a council meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Salmon dries on a traditional rack on the beach in the Seward Peninsula village of Teller on Sept. 2, 2021. Salmon is a dietary staple for Indigenous residents of Western Alaska, and poor runs have created hardship. (Photo and caption by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Fishery managers call for deeper look at salmon bycatch, but decline to tighten rules

Incidental catches of salmon in nets harvesting pollock have skyrocketed, but scientists say that is not the driver of poor returns

Salmon dries on a traditional rack on the beach in the Seward Peninsula village of Teller on Sept. 2, 2021. Salmon is a dietary staple for Indigenous residents of Western Alaska, and poor runs have created hardship. (Photo and caption by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Tyson Cox, left, speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Tyson Cox, left, speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire
This photo shows Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx - Glacier Valley School on Tuesday evening. The school is one of three sites of the Juneau School District’s RALLY program. On Tuesday, children were served floor sealant instead of milk during breakfast at the school’s RALLY site.

Pouches of milk, chemicals delivered side-by-side

12 kids drink toxic fluid after supplies mistakenly delivered to school district on same pallet

Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire
This photo shows Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx - Glacier Valley School on Tuesday evening. The school is one of three sites of the Juneau School District’s RALLY program. On Tuesday, children were served floor sealant instead of milk during breakfast at the school’s RALLY site.
COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

New COVID cases down from last week

Nationally, the 14-day change rate of newly reported COVID cases has increased by 7%

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
People visit at the Loved & Lost Memorial Bench on Sunday, June 12, 2022, at the Homer Public Library in Homer, Alaska, for a memorial for Anesha “Duffy” Murnane and the dedication of the bench. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Memorial honors Murnane, other missing and murdered people

Event also included dedication of Loved Lost Memorial Bench

People visit at the Loved & Lost Memorial Bench on Sunday, June 12, 2022, at the Homer Public Library in Homer, Alaska, for a memorial for Anesha “Duffy” Murnane and the dedication of the bench. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
A health care professional prepares to administer a COVID-19 test outside Capstone Clinic in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. Capstone announced Wednesday it will end public COVID-19 testing at the end of the month. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Capstone to discontinue public COVID testing

The public COVID-19 testing program will end at the end of the month

A health care professional prepares to administer a COVID-19 test outside Capstone Clinic in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. Capstone announced Wednesday it will end public COVID-19 testing at the end of the month. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Former Alaska Governor and current Congressional hopeful Sarah Palin speaks with attendees at a meet and greet event outside of Ginger’s Restaurant on Saturday, May 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

AP: Palin, Begich and Gross to head to special election

The candidate order has not changed since Saturday, though Palin’s share of votes dropped slightly

Former Alaska Governor and current Congressional hopeful Sarah Palin speaks with attendees at a meet and greet event outside of Ginger’s Restaurant on Saturday, May 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Traffic passes through the “Y” intersection of the Kenai Spur and Sterling highways on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Kenaitze Indian Tribe this week announced plans for its fixed-route bus service, which would run between Nikiski and Sterling. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion file)

Kenaitze announces plans for public bus route

Kahtnu Area Transit will offer service between Nikiski and Sterling

Traffic passes through the “Y” intersection of the Kenai Spur and Sterling highways on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Kenaitze Indian Tribe this week announced plans for its fixed-route bus service, which would run between Nikiski and Sterling. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion file)
Hazy skies are seen as the sun sets on Cook Inlet, seen from South Kenai Beach, on Sunday, June 12, 2022. Wildfires in western Alaska pushed smoke to the Southcentral area over the weekend. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Lower Yukon River wildfire is among Alaska’s largest tundra fires on record

It is also part of a trend of increasingly frequent tundra fires in that region

  • Jun 14, 2022
  • By Yereth Rosen Alaska Beacon
  • State News
Hazy skies are seen as the sun sets on Cook Inlet, seen from South Kenai Beach, on Sunday, June 12, 2022. Wildfires in western Alaska pushed smoke to the Southcentral area over the weekend. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
A group spanning the length of five blocks marches in downtown Soldotna, Alaska, to celebrate Pride Month on Saturday, June 12, 2021. (Camille Botello / Peninsula Clarion)

Pride coming to Soldotna on Friday

The event will begin at 5:45 p.m. on Friday with a march from the Sports Complex to Soldotna Creek Park

A group spanning the length of five blocks marches in downtown Soldotna, Alaska, to celebrate Pride Month on Saturday, June 12, 2021. (Camille Botello / Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska State Troopers logo.

Troopers announce launch of online reporting tool

The new system aims to eliminate the need to file police reports by calling the non-emergency line or going to a trooper post

Alaska State Troopers logo.
A construction crew works near the entrance of the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna revisits field house project

City council members and administrators convened last week to talk about the project

A construction crew works near the entrance of the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
A female harbor seal pup is admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, after she was abandoned on a beach in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant, Alaska SeaLife Center)

Seal pups rescued in Kasilof

A passerby reported an abandoned female harbor seal pup on the beach

A female harbor seal pup is admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, after she was abandoned on a beach in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant, Alaska SeaLife Center)
A roll of “I voted” stickers await voters on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Juneau. (Ben Hohenstatt/Juneau Empire)

Hundreds of peninsula special primary ballots rejected

The peninsula’s roughly 2% rejection rate is on par with other regions in the state

A roll of “I voted” stickers await voters on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Juneau. (Ben Hohenstatt/Juneau Empire)
The Kasilof River can be seen in June 2019. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Sport Fish announced on Monday a new wave of fisheries closures affecting fisheries in Ninilchik, Kasilof and Cook Inlet beginning this week. (Clarion file)

New wave of peninsula fisheries closures announced

Division of Sport Fish said that king salmon runs are not showing signs of improvement

The Kasilof River can be seen in June 2019. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Sport Fish announced on Monday a new wave of fisheries closures affecting fisheries in Ninilchik, Kasilof and Cook Inlet beginning this week. (Clarion file)