Frozen tree branches reach down over a purple sky in a field down Murwood Avenue in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Christmas weekend to be cold and windy

Sunday night there will be a chance of snow

Frozen tree branches reach down over a purple sky in a field down Murwood Avenue in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska State Troopers logo.

2 dead after head-on collision near Clam Gulch

The two drivers, the sole-occupants of their vehicles, were declared dead on the scene

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Chelsea Berg, a nurse at Peninsula Community Health Services, administers a flu shot during a free drive-thru flu shot event at Kenai Central High School on Oct. 24, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion file)

Flu and RSV reaching peaks in Alaska, officials report

Cases of influenza in the state have been reported in much greater quantities much earlier in the season than recent years

Chelsea Berg, a nurse at Peninsula Community Health Services, administers a flu shot during a free drive-thru flu shot event at Kenai Central High School on Oct. 24, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion file)
Lucas Wilcox at the Homer Public Library, Homer, Alaska, Dec. 7, 2022. (Photo by Christina Whiting/Homer News)

Homer man on a mission to share hot meals

Altruist Relief Kitchen serves free hot food to nearby residents and refugees

Lucas Wilcox at the Homer Public Library, Homer, Alaska, Dec. 7, 2022. (Photo by Christina Whiting/Homer News)
Commercial drift boat in Cook Inlet. Photo from Upper Cook Inlet Drift Association.

Council takes no action on finalizing EEZ plan

No action was taken on North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) Cook Inlet Salmon Fishery Management Plan.

Commercial drift boat in Cook Inlet. Photo from Upper Cook Inlet Drift Association.
A tree decorated by the Kenai Peninsula Outdoor Club is seen on the Moose Loop at Tsalteshi Trails on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Deck the ski trails

Festive skiers have a little longer to bring holiday spirit to Tsalteshi Trails

A tree decorated by the Kenai Peninsula Outdoor Club is seen on the Moose Loop at Tsalteshi Trails on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Skis poke out of the snow minutes before the start of StarLight StarBright: A Winter Solstice Ski Event on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 at the Kenai Golf Course in Kenai, Alaska.

Bringing light to darkness

Skiers brave the cold to ski for charity during solstice event

Skis poke out of the snow minutes before the start of StarLight StarBright: A Winter Solstice Ski Event on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 at the Kenai Golf Course in Kenai, Alaska.
The Alaska Department of Health logo and other information about the author organization behind the Alaska Vital Statistics 2021 Annual Report are seen in this screenshot of the front cover of the report. (Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Health)

DOH: Fewer births, more deaths in 2021 than in 2020

Average life expectancy has fallen in Alaska as more people are dying and fewer are being born, according to the state Department of Health. Marriages… Continue reading

The Alaska Department of Health logo and other information about the author organization behind the Alaska Vital Statistics 2021 Annual Report are seen in this screenshot of the front cover of the report. (Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Health)
Raymond Bradbury preserves his salmon while dipnetting in the mouth of the Kenai River on Saturday, July 10, 2021. (Camille Botello / Peninsula Clarion)

Fish retention prohibited in Mackey and Derks lakes

Retention of all fish from three Soldotna lakes will remain prohibited in 2023, the State Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Sport Fish announced… Continue reading

Raymond Bradbury preserves his salmon while dipnetting in the mouth of the Kenai River on Saturday, July 10, 2021. (Camille Botello / Peninsula Clarion)
Raymond Bradbury preserves his salmon while dipnetting in the mouth of the Kenai River on Saturday, July 10, 2021. (Camille Botello / Peninsula Clarion)

Bag limit imposed on arctic char and Dolly Varden in Stormy Lake

A bag and possession limit will be imposed on arctic char and Dolly Varden in Stormy Lake throughout 2023, the State Department of Fish and… Continue reading

Raymond Bradbury preserves his salmon while dipnetting in the mouth of the Kenai River on Saturday, July 10, 2021. (Camille Botello / Peninsula Clarion)
The Christ Lutheran Church is seen on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Christmas services scheduled for Saturday, Sunday

Local churches and religious organizations will be hosting special holiday services

The Christ Lutheran Church is seen on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Razor clams are seen in this undated photo. (Photo courtesy Fish and Wildlife)

East Cook Inlet sport and personal use razor clam fisheries closed for 2023

An emergency order has been issued each year from 2015 to 2022 closing the fisheries

Razor clams are seen in this undated photo. (Photo courtesy Fish and Wildlife)
One of the two buildings used to teach elementary school children in Kachemak Selo sits on the outer edge of the village Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

School board turns its eyes to ‘small’ schools

The board of education is building a committee to address issues for small schools

One of the two buildings used to teach elementary school children in Kachemak Selo sits on the outer edge of the village Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
This Monday, June 17, 2019, file photo shows 5-mg pills of Oxycodone. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

State of Alaska accepts $21.5 million opioid settlement

These settlements come less than a year after a settlement agreement with opioid manufacturers that awarded the state $58 million

This Monday, June 17, 2019, file photo shows 5-mg pills of Oxycodone. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)
An ice jam in the Kenai River can be seen here from the Soldotna Bridge in this January 2020 photo. (Courtesy Dan Nelson/Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management)

Weather service warns of potential ice jams on Kenai River

Communities previously affected by flooding because of ice jams and buildup include Big Eddy and the Riverside Drive/Eddy Lane subdivision

An ice jam in the Kenai River can be seen here from the Soldotna Bridge in this January 2020 photo. (Courtesy Dan Nelson/Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management)
Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen speaks at a meeting of the Sodotna City Council on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. Queen announced in November that she will not be renewing her contract with the city, which expires on Feb. 28, 2023. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna moves forward with city manager recruitment

The city will advertise the vacancy “as soon as practical”

Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen speaks at a meeting of the Sodotna City Council on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. Queen announced in November that she will not be renewing her contract with the city, which expires on Feb. 28, 2023. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Santa, played by Ken Aaron, and Mrs. Claus, played by Kit Hill, wait for children to arrive during Breakfast with Santa at the Kenai Senior Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai celebrates Christmas with pancakes, stories and playime

“A Day with the Clauses” was a multiple-event seasonal celebration

Santa, played by Ken Aaron, and Mrs. Claus, played by Kit Hill, wait for children to arrive during Breakfast with Santa at the Kenai Senior Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
The front facade of Outlaw Body & Paint on Kalifornsky Beach Road undergoes repairs in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. The building was hit by a car on Saturday night. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Car crashes into local shop; Nikiski man arrested

Troopers were notified around 6:30 p.m. Saturday that a car had collided into the front of the business

The front facade of Outlaw Body & Paint on Kalifornsky Beach Road undergoes repairs in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. The building was hit by a car on Saturday night. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough River Center Manager Samantha Lopez presents information at a meeting discussing the potential boundaries of a Nikiski Advisory Planning Commission at the Nikiski Community Recreation Center on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly considers making Nikiski planning group area smaller

Organizers pushed for the boundaries of Nikiski’s advisory planning commission to match other Nikiski area designations

Kenai Peninsula Borough River Center Manager Samantha Lopez presents information at a meeting discussing the potential boundaries of a Nikiski Advisory Planning Commission at the Nikiski Community Recreation Center on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)