COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

DHSS: 178 new COVID-19 cases

The state also reported 11 new hospitalizations and two new deaths among Alaska residents.

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
A vial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is seen at Central Emergency Services Station 1 on Friday, Dec. 18 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

1 in 4 eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated

In the Kenai Peninsula Borough, just over one in five residents over the age of 16 — 21.2% — are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and… Continue reading

A vial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is seen at Central Emergency Services Station 1 on Friday, Dec. 18 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
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First, dial 9-0-7

Alaskans will need to start dialing 907 when placing local phone calls

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Volunteers with the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network perform a necropsy on a beached humpback whale on Kuzof Island on Thursday, March 18, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network)

Beached humpback provides rare opportunity for scientists

Volunteers led by UAS researchers dissect whale near Sitka.

Volunteers with the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network perform a necropsy on a beached humpback whale on Kuzof Island on Thursday, March 18, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network)
In this June 9, 2016, file photo shows then-Alaska Marijuana Control Board member Brandon Emmett at the board’s meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved the first cannabis lounges in Alaska. It was a milestone for the state’s legal marijuana industry. Then the pandemic hit. An owner of one of the shops hopes to open later this year. An owner of the other said his shop opened briefly last fall before having to hit pause amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state. Emmett, a former member of the Marijuana Control Board who strongly advocated for rules to allow onsite use, said he thinks the number of cannabis lounges or cafes in the state will be limited “for at least a couple years.” (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Pandemic puts pause on on-site use for pot shops

Records show a small number of other shop owners have filed paperwork signaling plans to seek approval for consumption hangouts.

  • Mar 22, 2021
  • By Becky Bohrer Associated Press
  • Coronavirus
In this June 9, 2016, file photo shows then-Alaska Marijuana Control Board member Brandon Emmett at the board’s meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved the first cannabis lounges in Alaska. It was a milestone for the state’s legal marijuana industry. Then the pandemic hit. An owner of one of the shops hopes to open later this year. An owner of the other said his shop opened briefly last fall before having to hit pause amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state. Emmett, a former member of the Marijuana Control Board who strongly advocated for rules to allow onsite use, said he thinks the number of cannabis lounges or cafes in the state will be limited “for at least a couple years.” (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
Kaitlin Vadla, Kenai regional director of Cook Inletkeeper, facilitates the final community Drawdown: Climate Series event, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

DIY save the planet: Cook Inletkeeper unveils ‘Climate ActionKit’

The kit is an all-in-one guide to saving the planet through community action

Kaitlin Vadla, Kenai regional director of Cook Inletkeeper, facilitates the final community Drawdown: Climate Series event, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

DHSS: 52 new cases

The borough is considered to be at intermediate risk level.

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
Rep. Chris Kurka, R-Wasilla, leaves the chambers of the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, March 19, 2021, after an hour of delays concerning the wording on his mask. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Rep. Chris Kurka, R-Wasilla, leaves the chambers of the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday, March 19, 2021, after an hour of delays concerning the wording on his mask. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
(image via U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Soldotna company settles with EPA for $130,000

The company was accused of violating the Safe Drinking Water Act

(image via U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Kenai City Hall on Feb. 20, 2020, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai departments aim to save time, money

The city’s “Efficiencies Report” details specific plans from each department on how they saved either time or money.

Kenai City Hall on Feb. 20, 2020, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
A vial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is seen at Central Emergency Services Station 1 on Friday, Dec. 18 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

COVID update: Senior vacciation rate nears 70% statewide

Nearly one in four eligible Alaska residents — 24.8% — were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday. That milestone comes the week after Alaska… Continue reading

A vial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is seen at Central Emergency Services Station 1 on Friday, Dec. 18 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
RN Rachel Verba (right) administers a dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to Dr. Chris Michelson on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Bruce Richards/CPH)

Vaccine hesitancy among local health care workers mirrors national trends

CPH will continue to follow up with employees to see if they are interested in being vaccinated.

RN Rachel Verba (right) administers a dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to Dr. Chris Michelson on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Bruce Richards/CPH)
The entrance to the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, AK as seen on February 26, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
The entrance to the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, AK as seen on February 26, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
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Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Commercial fishing vessels are moored near the mouth of the Kenai River on July 10, 2020.

Trends: Peninsula fishermen to enter a defining year

The peninsula’s commercial fishers are entering a time of unknowns.

Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Commercial fishing vessels are moored near the mouth of the Kenai River on July 10, 2020.
Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion
Benjamin Jackinsky (left) and Sarah O’Brien work at Already Read on Feb. 19, in Kenai.

Trends: Shop local programs a hit with businesses, consumers

Soldotna was the first city on the peninsula to offer a shop local program, which went live at the end of 2020.

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion
Benjamin Jackinsky (left) and Sarah O’Brien work at Already Read on Feb. 19, in Kenai.
Kenai Peninsula Tourism and Marketing Council Executive Director Debbie Speakman presents to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday, March 2 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Trends 2021: Peninsula tourism targeted Alaskans in 2020

It was the year that almost wasn’t for peninsula tourism.

Kenai Peninsula Tourism and Marketing Council Executive Director Debbie Speakman presents to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Tuesday, March 2 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough Administration building in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Trends: Grants on tap for local businesses

Across the peninsula, CARES dollars funded grant programs offering financial relief to residents, workers and businesses.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Administration building in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Resurrection Bay is photographed from Seward, Alaska, in March, 2018. (Staff/Peninsula Clarion)

Trends: Seward trends toward sustainable infrastructure

“Solarize is a win, win, win”

  • Mar 20, 2021
  • By Kat Sorensen For the Peninsula Clarion
Resurrection Bay is photographed from Seward, Alaska, in March, 2018. (Staff/Peninsula Clarion)
Tim Dillon, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, helps Doug Weaver, owner of Northern Superior Construction, apply for an AK CARES grant through Credit Union 1 at the KPEDD office in Kenai, Alaska on July 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Trends: CARES Act a source of relief for borough, city residents

One element of the CARES Act was the Coronavirus Relief Fund, through which the State of Alaska received $1.25 billion.

Tim Dillon, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, helps Doug Weaver, owner of Northern Superior Construction, apply for an AK CARES grant through Credit Union 1 at the KPEDD office in Kenai, Alaska on July 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)