News

BlueCrest to drill at least one well in 2018

Oil producer BlueCrest Alaska Operating intends to drill at least one new well in 2018 from its onshore pad between Anchor Point and Ninilchik, according… Continue reading

Linda Hutchings (standing), a candidate for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, answers a question during a forum with fellow candidates Dale Bagley (center) and Charlie Pierce (right) at the Funny River Community Center on Aug. 16, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Absentee ballots counted; results unchanged

None of the Oct. 3 Kenai Peninsula Borough election results have changed after all the absentee ballots have been counted. Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral candidates… Continue reading

Linda Hutchings (standing), a candidate for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, answers a question during a forum with fellow candidates Dale Bagley (center) and Charlie Pierce (right) at the Funny River Community Center on Aug. 16, 2017 in Funny River, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Flu tops murder for cause of death in Alaska in 2016

Flu and pneumonia killed more Alaskans in 2016 than assault or homicide, according to new statistics from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.… Continue reading

Deacon Kevin Woodvine of Our Lady of Angels Church in Kenai blesses Max the Australian shepherd while Max’s owner Jon Wolhlers tries to keep the puppy still at St. Francis by the Sea in Kenai, Alaska on Sunday, October 8, 2017 during the Blessing of the Animals. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Bless this pet

Pets of all shapes and sizes were welcomed at St. Francis by the Sea in Kenai on Sunday. The church, along with Our Lady of… Continue reading

Deacon Kevin Woodvine of Our Lady of Angels Church in Kenai blesses Max the Australian shepherd while Max’s owner Jon Wolhlers tries to keep the puppy still at St. Francis by the Sea in Kenai, Alaska on Sunday, October 8, 2017 during the Blessing of the Animals. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

With defeat of Prop 1, cannabis industry breathes sigh of relief

Cannabis business owners and employees in the borough outside city limits have a weight off their shoulders on working and expanding their businesses with Kenai… Continue reading

Safari Club International volunteers work closely with participants throughout the day in Funny River, Alaska on Saturday, October 9, 2017 to ensure safety and an understanding of the basics of shooting and hunting. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

The hunt is on: Safari Club International hosts bird hunt

Staring into a sea of neon orange at the Tachick homestead on Saturday morning, it was clear that safety was paramount during the annual Safari… Continue reading

Safari Club International volunteers work closely with participants throughout the day in Funny River, Alaska on Saturday, October 9, 2017 to ensure safety and an understanding of the basics of shooting and hunting. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed a milk and electrolyte mix to a beluga calf, rescued on Sept. 30 after being stranded in Trading Bay, by holding a tube to its lips (a method they’ve found works better than bottle-feeding) on Friday, Oct. 6 in Seward, Alaska. The calf is the first Cook Inlet beluga under human care. Activities in this picture have been authorized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program under the Marine Mammal Protection Act/Endangered Species Act

Stranded beluga calf recovering in Seward

A male beluga calf, estimated between two and four weeks old, became the first member of Cook Inlet’s endangered beluga population under human care after… Continue reading

Volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center feed a milk and electrolyte mix to a beluga calf, rescued on Sept. 30 after being stranded in Trading Bay, by holding a tube to its lips (a method they’ve found works better than bottle-feeding) on Friday, Oct. 6 in Seward, Alaska. The calf is the first Cook Inlet beluga under human care. Activities in this picture have been authorized by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program under the Marine Mammal Protection Act/Endangered Species Act
Sen. Peter Micciche (left), R-Soldotna, speaks to constituents after a town hall meeting with Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, and Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The three addressed constituent concerns about crime reform and the potential for a statewide broad-based tax in preparation for the upcoming special session, the fourth special session the Legislature has entered this year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Crime, tax bill on docket for Legislative special session

Crime and taxes are very much on the minds of Kenai Peninsula residents as the Legislature gears up for its fourth special session this year.… Continue reading

Sen. Peter Micciche (left), R-Soldotna, speaks to constituents after a town hall meeting with Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, and Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The three addressed constituent concerns about crime reform and the potential for a statewide broad-based tax in preparation for the upcoming special session, the fourth special session the Legislature has entered this year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pallet fires banned on Kenai beaches

By the middle of next summer, pallet fires will be illegal on Kenai’s beaches. On Wednesday the Kenai city council unanimously approved a ban on… Continue reading

Dale Prechel of Minnesota poses for a picture with Ruth and Bob Knorr of Funny River in this undated photograph. The Knorrs helped Prechel when he showed up on their porch after falling off the bluff in the middle of the night in July 2014. (Photo courtesy Jackie Prechel)

Funny River couple rescued man after harrowing tumble off bluff in 2014

A fishing trip to Soldotna in July 2014 turned to a long nightmare for a Minnesota man, ending only with kindness from a Soldotna couple.… Continue reading

Dale Prechel of Minnesota poses for a picture with Ruth and Bob Knorr of Funny River in this undated photograph. The Knorrs helped Prechel when he showed up on their porch after falling off the bluff in the middle of the night in July 2014. (Photo courtesy Jackie Prechel)
The stands of birch trees alight with fall colors line the Seward Highway near Tern Lake on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The fall colors have hung onto the trees on the Kenai Peninsula this year, leading many out into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest to enjoy the sunshine between rain showers. Clouds dropped rain on the western Kenai Peninsula Wednesday and Thursday, but the National Weather Service predicts that sunshine will grace the area on Friday and Saturday, with highs in the low 50s. However, the forecast is for the rain to return Saturday night and continue through Sunday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Flaming colors

The stands of birch trees alight with fall colors line the Seward Highway near Tern Lake on Saturday near Cooper Landing. The fall colors have… Continue reading

The stands of birch trees alight with fall colors line the Seward Highway near Tern Lake on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The fall colors have hung onto the trees on the Kenai Peninsula this year, leading many out into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest to enjoy the sunshine between rain showers. Clouds dropped rain on the western Kenai Peninsula Wednesday and Thursday, but the National Weather Service predicts that sunshine will grace the area on Friday and Saturday, with highs in the low 50s. However, the forecast is for the rain to return Saturday night and continue through Sunday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Commercial fishing vessels wait at anchor in the mouth of the Kenai River before a Saturday fishing period Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Smallest sockeye harvest in last 10 years; late runs made openings complex

Sockeye salmon were scarcer in Upper Cook Inlet this year, but coho, chum and pink salmon were more plentiful than expected. Commercial fishermen in Upper… Continue reading

Commercial fishing vessels wait at anchor in the mouth of the Kenai River before a Saturday fishing period Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Troopers ID officer in Seward shooting

Troopers ID officer in Seward shooting Alaska State Troopers have identified a Seward Police Department officer involved in a shooting that left a man dead… Continue reading

Soldotna looks to apply for loan for wastewater treatment plant

The Soldotna City Council has authorized the City Manager Mark Dixson to apply for a loan for $3,000,000 to finance construction of the 2017 wastewater… Continue reading

Ann Fraser (left) and Steve Waldron (right), both of Kasilof) wave signs opposing Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition 1 on the corner of Pollard Loop and the Sterling Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Voters in Kasilof and the other unincorporated communities of the borough voted Tuesday on Proposition 1, which asked whether commercial cannabis operations should be legal in the borough ouside the city limits. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough ballot props fail

Cannabis businesses in the borough outside the cities can continue operations as usual with the failure of Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition 1, according to Tuesday’s… Continue reading

Ann Fraser (left) and Steve Waldron (right), both of Kasilof) wave signs opposing Kenai Peninsula Borough Proposition 1 on the corner of Pollard Loop and the Sterling Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Voters in Kasilof and the other unincorporated communities of the borough voted Tuesday on Proposition 1, which asked whether commercial cannabis operations should be legal in the borough ouside the city limits. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Knackstedt, Navarre retain council seats

Kenai city council incumbents Henry Knackstedt and Tim Navarre will retain their seats for a further three year term, while challenger Bob McIntosh said he… Continue reading

Tauriainen beats Arness for Nikiski school board seat

A new face will be representing Nikiski and Tyonek on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education. Jason Tauriainen has beat long-time board… Continue reading

Anderson, Cox, Baxter elected in Soldotna

There were no surprises in Soldotna on Tuesday night, with three candidates running unopposed for three open seats on the city council ballot. Nels Anderson… Continue reading

Hibbert, Smalley, Blakeley poised to join assembly

Hibbert, Smalley, Blakeley poised to join assembly

Norm Blakeley, Brent Hibbert, Hal Smalley, Kelly Cooper and Kenn Carpenter will fill five of the nine seats on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, according… Continue reading

Hibbert, Smalley, Blakeley poised to join assembly
Charlie Pierce speaks during a forum for borough mayoral candidates last month. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)

Pierce, Hutchings headed to runoff

Charlie Pierce and Linda Hutchings are headed to a runoff election in the race for Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s… Continue reading

Charlie Pierce speaks during a forum for borough mayoral candidates last month. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)