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Christa Kennedy, a seasonal trail maintenance crew member at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, pulls in a motor boat to the south shore of Skilak Lake after a volunteer trail cleanup crew disembarked near the Cottonwood Creek Trail on Saturday, June 2, 2018 on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

A hint of wilderness

The trails crew leaders call part of the Cottonwood Creek Trail “the Enchanted Forest.” I could immediately see why. As soon as I climbed the… Continue reading

Christa Kennedy, a seasonal trail maintenance crew member at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, pulls in a motor boat to the south shore of Skilak Lake after a volunteer trail cleanup crew disembarked near the Cottonwood Creek Trail on Saturday, June 2, 2018 on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Grayson Besse, 5, gives Bensen Besse, 2, a twirl while dancing during the 2017 Kenai River Festival on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Clarion file photo)

Kenai River Festival to open Friday

In its 28th year, the Kenai River Festival will be celebrating all things peninsula this weekend. Beginning Friday at the Soldotna Creek Park, visitors can… Continue reading

Grayson Besse, 5, gives Bensen Besse, 2, a twirl while dancing during the 2017 Kenai River Festival on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Clarion file photo)

Assembly approves budget with more school funding, mill rate increase

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly passed its fiscal year 2019 budget with a slight increase to school funding and a property tax rate increase. At… Continue reading

Here are all the taxes the assembly is talking about

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly shot down one revenue option Tuesday night but has a number of others waiting for upcoming meetings. The assembly has… Continue reading

Jesse Rogde holds the 34-inch Kenai River king salmon he caught on Memorial Day on the lower Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

Salmon fishing opportunities limited on peninsula, Russian River to open

Anglers on the Kenai Peninsula are a little limited on options right now, particularly for salmon. With king salmon failing to show up in lower… Continue reading

Jesse Rogde holds the 34-inch Kenai River king salmon he caught on Memorial Day on the lower Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

About being afraid of big bodies of water and boats

Year: 1969, North Kenai, Alaska, now Nikiski, Alaska Growing up in Northern Colorado and coming to Alaska in my 29th year, with 3 kids, 3… Continue reading

Assembly passes budget, raises mill rate

Editor's note: This story will be updated with more detail. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly passed its fiscal year 2019 budget at its Tuesday meeting, with… Continue reading

Kyle Downum hands his son a graham cracker sandwich at the Kenai Community Library on Monday. The family took a break from the library’s many activists to enjoy a free afternoon lunch. The Kenai and Soldotna libraries are offering free lunches to children 18 and under as part of its Summer Food Program. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Kids eat free at summer meal programs

The Kenai Community Library is expanding its summer meals program, with free lunches available to children twice weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays. The library launched… Continue reading

Kyle Downum hands his son a graham cracker sandwich at the Kenai Community Library on Monday. The family took a break from the library’s many activists to enjoy a free afternoon lunch. The Kenai and Soldotna libraries are offering free lunches to children 18 and under as part of its Summer Food Program. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

How to tax a tourist: Revenue debate at borough assembly seeks to target visitors

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is trying to figure out the best way to use tourists’ money to pay for its government. In the past year,… Continue reading

Blooming baskets hang from the ceiling of the Rusty Ravin greenhouse on Friday in Kenai. The Rusty Ravin’s greenhouse has been full of pre-ordered flower baskets this spring waiting to be picked up because it’s been too chilly for customers to put them outside yet without risking their flowers dying. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Warm weather kickstarts growing season on peninsula

It’s been a long, chilly spring for gardeners in the central Kenai Peninsula, but growing season is finally opening up. The warm, sunny weekend marked… Continue reading

Blooming baskets hang from the ceiling of the Rusty Ravin greenhouse on Friday in Kenai. The Rusty Ravin’s greenhouse has been full of pre-ordered flower baskets this spring waiting to be picked up because it’s been too chilly for customers to put them outside yet without risking their flowers dying. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
The mountains loom over a grocery store on the Sterling Highway on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 in Cooper Landing, Alaska. The Sterling Highway, the main corridor to and from the Kenai Peninsula, winds through the little community of Cooper Landing, often bringing dense traffic and car accidents with it, particularly in the summer. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Design to start on Cooper Landing bypass

Design is set to start on a new stretch of the Sterling Highway around Cooper Landing after the state and federal agencies in charge of… Continue reading

The mountains loom over a grocery store on the Sterling Highway on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 in Cooper Landing, Alaska. The Sterling Highway, the main corridor to and from the Kenai Peninsula, winds through the little community of Cooper Landing, often bringing dense traffic and car accidents with it, particularly in the summer. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
An Anchor River king salmon landed by Anchorage resident Terry Umatum lies on the bank Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Salmon runs lackluster so far across Gulf of Alaska

It’s not a great summer to be a salmon fisherman in Southcentral Alaska so far. Several major river systems are seeing paltry salmon returns. The… Continue reading

An Anchor River king salmon landed by Anchorage resident Terry Umatum lies on the bank Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

The northern horde descends

My wife and I never travel on Memorial Day weekend for three reasons. The first being that we would be heading into a mass of… Continue reading

Man allegedly starts fire in Soldotna park bathroom

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that the Soldotna Police Department responded to the incident. A man accused of setting the women’s… Continue reading

Keeping an eye on sea lions: SeaLife Center crowdfunds for research funding

Keeping an eye on sea lions: SeaLife Center crowdfunds for research funding

The video equipment used to monitor sea lions at a rookery just south of Resurrection Bay is at the end of its life, and researchers… Continue reading

Keeping an eye on sea lions: SeaLife Center crowdfunds for research funding
This Friday photo shows the F/V Bering Sea docked at Snug Harbor Seafoods in Kenai. A former crab fishing vessel, the Bering Sea now serves as a tender for the processing company. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Snug Harbor’s fishing tender has a long history in crabbing

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Coastal Villages Region Fund is a federal Community Development Quota organization. Commercial fishermen delivering to… Continue reading

This Friday photo shows the F/V Bering Sea docked at Snug Harbor Seafoods in Kenai. A former crab fishing vessel, the Bering Sea now serves as a tender for the processing company. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Firefighters save East End Road homes from wildfire

Firefighters save East End Road homes from wildfire

An alert neighbor and a quick response from firefighters at about 6 p.m. Sunday saved two East End Road houses from being destroyed by a… Continue reading

Firefighters save East End Road homes from wildfire
A car passes over the Deep Creek bridge as an angler tosses a line in the water on Sunday, May 28, 2018 in Ninilchik, Alaska. Despite the perfect weather and holiday weekend, few anglers dotted the banks of the Ninlichik River and Deep Creek on Sunday, in part because the number of salmon in the rivers so far is still fairly paltry. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game classified the fishing over Memorial Day weekend as poor, in part because the water temperatures are still chilly for this time of year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Few kings to be seen in peninsula rivers, sockeye start surfacing

The weather on the lower Kenai Peninsula streams couldn’t have been more perfect this weekend, but many visitors hung closer to the grills and RVs… Continue reading

A car passes over the Deep Creek bridge as an angler tosses a line in the water on Sunday, May 28, 2018 in Ninilchik, Alaska. Despite the perfect weather and holiday weekend, few anglers dotted the banks of the Ninlichik River and Deep Creek on Sunday, in part because the number of salmon in the rivers so far is still fairly paltry. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game classified the fishing over Memorial Day weekend as poor, in part because the water temperatures are still chilly for this time of year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pioneer Potluck: About bears and people

Driving from Anchorage to Nikiski I was “bombing” along in my old green L.T.D., radio blaring, arm out the open window so I could feel… Continue reading

A cow moose feeds her newborn calves in the backyard of a home Tuesday in Soldotna Female moose are giving birth to calves all over Southcentral Alaska, usually twins, and will be temperamental and aggressive as they protect their young. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises everyone to stay clear of moose in backyards, trails and parks, even if the young appear to be orphaned. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Welcome to the world

Female moose are giving birth to calves all over Southcentral Alaska, usually twins, and will be temperamental and aggressive as they protect their young. The… Continue reading

A cow moose feeds her newborn calves in the backyard of a home Tuesday in Soldotna Female moose are giving birth to calves all over Southcentral Alaska, usually twins, and will be temperamental and aggressive as they protect their young. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises everyone to stay clear of moose in backyards, trails and parks, even if the young appear to be orphaned. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)