News

Kendra Stevenson, a Connections homeschool student, works at the front desk of the Blue Moose Bed and Biscuit this summer in Soldotna, Alaska. Stevenson was one of six students that participated in a summer work program through Peninsula Community Health Services for high school students with disabilities to gain work experience. (Photo courtesy Margaret Mercer)

Students pick up job skills with summer work program

Instead of sleeping in and relaxing over summer vacation, Seth Meyer got up at 4 a.m. to learn the art of making bagels. The Kenai… Continue reading

Kendra Stevenson, a Connections homeschool student, works at the front desk of the Blue Moose Bed and Biscuit this summer in Soldotna, Alaska. Stevenson was one of six students that participated in a summer work program through Peninsula Community Health Services for high school students with disabilities to gain work experience. (Photo courtesy Margaret Mercer)

Kenai Fire responds to fewer boat accidents this dipnet season

The Kenai Fire Department hasn’t had to rescue as many swamped boats in the Kenai River personal-use dipnet fishery this year as last year. So… Continue reading

In this photo submitted to Fish for the Future, a young angler holds up the king salmon he caught and released. Fish for the Future, a program begun by two central Kenai Peninsula guides, offers prizes for people who submit photographs of king salmon they caught and released on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in June and July as a way to encourage people to release fish and conserve the fishery over time. (Photo courtesy Fish for the Future)

‘Fish for the Future’ program seeks to encourage catch and release for kings

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Mark Wackler's name. Nearly every day this summer, someone has posted a photo… Continue reading

In this photo submitted to Fish for the Future, a young angler holds up the king salmon he caught and released. Fish for the Future, a program begun by two central Kenai Peninsula guides, offers prizes for people who submit photographs of king salmon they caught and released on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in June and July as a way to encourage people to release fish and conserve the fishery over time. (Photo courtesy Fish for the Future)

Kenai man drowns in Johnson Lake

A man drowned in Johnson Lake on Sunday after his boat drifted away from him. Nickolas Thornton, 24, of Kenai, was swimming near his paddleboat… Continue reading

Annie Cromwell of Anchorage brings in a sockeye salmon Sunday, June 23, while dipnetting on the north beach in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Word on the beach: Red run is slow but steady

No matter where they travel from, what their technique is or if they have fish in the cooler or not, one thing all the dipnetters… Continue reading

Annie Cromwell of Anchorage brings in a sockeye salmon Sunday, June 23, while dipnetting on the north beach in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial salmon fishery closures for Monday

Commercial salmon fishing will be closed on Monday to set gillnets in the Kenai, Kasilof and East Forelands sections of the Upper Cook Inlet and… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Ordinance would place bonds for borough building on ballot

Kenai Peninsula voters may get a chance to decide whether the Kenai Peninsula Borough should issue bonds to pay for renovations to the borough administration… Continue reading

This March 29, 2017 photo shows Central Peninsula Hospital’s River Tower, which houses specialty medical services, in Soldotna, Alaska. The tower was completed in January 2017 as part of a multi-year service and infrastructure expansion at the hospital. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Several issues stick in hospital operating agreement

As the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly goes through the process of renewing the agreement allowing a nonprofit to operate Central Peninsula Hospital, there are a… Continue reading

This March 29, 2017 photo shows Central Peninsula Hospital’s River Tower, which houses specialty medical services, in Soldotna, Alaska. The tower was completed in January 2017 as part of a multi-year service and infrastructure expansion at the hospital. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

FBI: Watch for signs of sex and labor trafficking

Although statistics and studies of Alaska’s sex and labor trafficking cases are often centralized around Anchorage, officials caution that it’s not just a city problem.… Continue reading

Central Kenai Peninsula sees more rain this summer than usual

Central Kenai Peninsula residents have gotten practice at being prepared for less than perfect weather this summer. Steady rain has led to canceled Peninsula Oilers… Continue reading

Man arrested for DUI after spilling screws on Seward Highway

Man arrested for DUI after spilling screws on Seward Highway A man was arrested near Seward last Saturday after he spilled a load of 3-inch… Continue reading

Casting their nets The sun peeks through cloud cover to light up the mouth of the Kenai River as personal-use dipnetters fish from the north Kenai beach Sunday. After several days of heavy rain across the central Kenai Peninsula, the weather began to clear Wednesday, with clouds expected to make way for some sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-60s, according to the National Weather Service. Find more fishing coverage on Page A10. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Casting their nets

The sun peeks through cloud cover to light up the mouth of the Kenai River as personal-use dipnetters fish from the northKenai beach Sunday. After… Continue reading

Casting their nets The sun peeks through cloud cover to light up the mouth of the Kenai River as personal-use dipnetters fish from the north Kenai beach Sunday. After several days of heavy rain across the central Kenai Peninsula, the weather began to clear Wednesday, with clouds expected to make way for some sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-60s, according to the National Weather Service. Find more fishing coverage on Page A10. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly introduced bed tax ordinance

Voters may get to decide whether Kenai Peninsula Borough hotels and bed-and-breakfasts should have to charge a bed tax in the fall election. The Kenai… Continue reading

Commercial fishermen to fish Thursday

Commercial fishermen in Upper Cook Inlet will head out as usual Thursday, but with restricted area for the drift fleet and restricted gear in the… Continue reading

Managers reining back Upper Cook Inlet commercial fishing

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to show that 2017's Kenai River inriver goal is 900,000–1.1 million sockeye salmon. Commercial fishing managers in Upper… Continue reading

Minor earthquake felt on Tuesday

At 3:47 p.m. on Tuesday, a 3.7 magnitude earthquake was felt throughout the Kenai Peninsula region. The minor earthquake’s epicenter was located at a depth… Continue reading

Setbacks complicate Kenai marijuana permitting

The question of how to measure the minimum distance Kenai code mandates between marijuana businesses and churches, schools, recreational facilities and substance abuse treatment centers… Continue reading

Construction season under way on the Kenai Peninsula

Kenai Peninsula residents and visitors should plan a little more time behind the wheel to account for some road construction projects this year. Drivers in… Continue reading

Karl Danielson (left), a senior at Kenai Central High School and a member of the KCHS Cross Country Ski Team, his mom Teresa Danielson (center) and coach Brad Nyquist (right) empty out their garbage bags into a bin at the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Members of the ski team helped clean up the beach Tuesday as a fundraiser for the team’s activities. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

KCHS ski team cleans up dipnet beach

One of the sorest points for Kenai residents about the personal-use dipnet fishery is the trash left on the beaches — cigarette butts, plastic cups,… Continue reading

Karl Danielson (left), a senior at Kenai Central High School and a member of the KCHS Cross Country Ski Team, his mom Teresa Danielson (center) and coach Brad Nyquist (right) empty out their garbage bags into a bin at the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Members of the ski team helped clean up the beach Tuesday as a fundraiser for the team’s activities. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Two people walk their dog across Bishop’s Beach on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Cook Inlet to have a noncommercial Tanner crab season this winter

Recreational and subsistence users will get a chance to fish for Tanner crab again in Cook Inlet this winter. Cook Inlet’s noncommercial season for Tanner… Continue reading

Two people walk their dog across Bishop’s Beach on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)