Mountain View Elementary School students use their hands to build works using methodology from the University of Florida Literacy Institute during a board of education meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

New reading curriculum to cover Alaska history, culture instead of religion

The change comes after some teachers and community members questioned whether some of the proposed topics, specifically Judaism, Christianity and Islam, were age-appropriate

Mountain View Elementary School students use their hands to build works using methodology from the University of Florida Literacy Institute during a board of education meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska State Troopers logo.

Troopers investigating Soldotna shooting death

An investigation into the incident by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Soldotna Major Crimes Unit is active and ongoing

Alaska State Troopers logo.
A Kenai Peninsula Food Bank truck in the Food Bank parking lot on Aug. 4, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Food bank to host spring fest Friday

This year’s Spring Festival will be the largest the organization has put on — with 15 booths set to offer services

A Kenai Peninsula Food Bank truck in the Food Bank parking lot on Aug. 4, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
The Russian River Sanctuary Area is seen in the area labeled B in this map provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Sport fishing at Russian River Sanctuary opens early

Predictions for sockeye run ‘good-sized’, triggers month-early opening

The Russian River Sanctuary Area is seen in the area labeled B in this map provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
A sign opposing the participation of trans girls in girls sports is propped against a fire hydrant outside of the George A. Navarre Admin Building on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Alaska Board of Education met in the building to discuss a resolution that would ban trans girls from girls high school sports. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula residents protest trans girls in sports at state school board meeting

The Alaska Board of Education last week met at the George A. Navarre Kenai Peninsula Borough Administration Building in Soldotna

A sign opposing the participation of trans girls in girls sports is propped against a fire hydrant outside of the George A. Navarre Admin Building on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. The Alaska Board of Education met in the building to discuss a resolution that would ban trans girls from girls high school sports. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Robert Summer sits at a desk in his classroom at Kenai Middle School in Kenai, Alaska, in April 1997. (M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clarion)
Robert Summer sits at a desk in his classroom at Kenai Middle School in Kenai, Alaska, in April 1997. (M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clarion)
Protest signs hang on the entryway wall at the Kenai Peninsula Education Association office on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Voting underway to determine next head of teachers union

The election follows the firing of former president Nathan Erfurth, who was arrested in May on charges of sexual abuse of a minor

Protest signs hang on the entryway wall at the Kenai Peninsula Education Association office on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Ellie and Elias Ritter run Squeeze the Day in front of Odie’s Deli in Soldotna, Alaska, on Lemonade Day, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kids serve up lemonade in annual entrepreneurial event

The event was organized by the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce

Ellie and Elias Ritter run Squeeze the Day in front of Odie’s Deli in Soldotna, Alaska, on Lemonade Day, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A plane operated by LifeMed Alaska is displayed at the Kenai Peninsula Air Fair on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

In the pilot’s seat

Air fair offers public opportunity to tour planes, helicopters

A plane operated by LifeMed Alaska is displayed at the Kenai Peninsula Air Fair on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank (left) and Kenai Controller Lana Metcalf (right) present budget information during a city council work session on Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai adopts budget, staff recruitment strategies

The city expects there to be a general fund surplus of about $436,000 in fiscal year 2025

Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank (left) and Kenai Controller Lana Metcalf (right) present budget information during a city council work session on Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Children receive free face-painting during the Kenai River Festival on Friday, June 9, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River Festival fills park with education, music, vendors

The Kenai River Festival is the biggest event the Kenai Watershed Forum puts on each year

Children receive free face-painting during the Kenai River Festival on Friday, June 9, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A freshly stocked rainbow trout swims in Johnson Lake during Salmon Celebration on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Johnson Lake in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Lake fishing still ‘excellent’

Northern Kenai Fishing report

A freshly stocked rainbow trout swims in Johnson Lake during Salmon Celebration on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Johnson Lake in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A special weather statement has been issued for the Kenai Peninsula and surrounding areas. (Screenshot via National Weather Service)

‘Unseasonably strong storm’ forecast for this weekend

Saturday is set to be busy around the central peninsula, with a variety of events scheduled

A special weather statement has been issued for the Kenai Peninsula and surrounding areas. (Screenshot via National Weather Service)
Photo provided by United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development
Chugachmiut Board Vice Chair Larry Evanoff from Chenega, Chair Fran Norman from Port Graham, and Director Arne Hatch from Qutekcak break ground for the Chugachmiut Regional Health Center in Seward, June 3. The occasion marked the start of construction of the $20 million facility. The 15,475-square-foot tribally owned and operated health clinic will serve as a regional hub providing medical, dental and behavioral health services for Alaskans in seven tribal communities.

Ground broken for new regional health center in Seward

The tribally owned and operated facility will serve as a regional hub providing medical, dental and behavioral health care

Photo provided by United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development
Chugachmiut Board Vice Chair Larry Evanoff from Chenega, Chair Fran Norman from Port Graham, and Director Arne Hatch from Qutekcak break ground for the Chugachmiut Regional Health Center in Seward, June 3. The occasion marked the start of construction of the $20 million facility. The 15,475-square-foot tribally owned and operated health clinic will serve as a regional hub providing medical, dental and behavioral health services for Alaskans in seven tribal communities.
The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Kasilof River personal use gillnet fishery closed

It’s the Kenai River optimal escapement goal, not a Kasilof River escapement goal, that is cited by the announcement as triggering the close

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
The Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is seen on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai cuts ties with out-of-state marketing firm

Council members expressed skepticism about the firm’s performance

The Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is seen on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Hundreds gather for the first week of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna music series kicks off with crowds, colors and sunshine

A color run took off ahead of performances by Blackwater Railroad Company and BenJammin The Jammin Band

Hundreds gather for the first week of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Finance Director Liz Hayes, left, testifies before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during a budget work session on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly passes borough budget

The document fully funds borough schools and includes a decrease in property taxes

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Finance Director Liz Hayes, left, testifies before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during a budget work session on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
The George A. Navarre Kenai Peninsula Borough building. (Peninsula Clarion file photo)

Assembly shrinks borough planning commission

The planning commission is responsible for planning the “systemic development and betterment” of the borough

The George A. Navarre Kenai Peninsula Borough building. (Peninsula Clarion file photo)
The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)