The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly commended the Homer High School boys and girls cross country teams on Tuesday for winning the state title in October. A resolution sponsored by borough Mayor Peter Micciche and assembly member Kelly Cooper, who represents Homer, congratulated both teams for their excellent season and for winning the Division II state […]
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Community meeting in Homer to focus on proposed state forest
The Department of Natural Resources will hold a meeting at the Kenai Peninsula College Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer this Tuesday at 6 p.m. to continue gathering public input on the potential creation of a Kenai Peninsula State Forest. The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection has already hosted several meetings around the Kenai Peninsula […]
Read MoreSchool district projects $7.5 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is projected a $7.5 million budget deficit during the 2027 fiscal year, which begins in October 2026. The district’s finance director said during a KPBSD finance committee meeting on Dec. 1 that a projected decrease in student enrollment combined with a rise in the taxable value of borough property […]
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Peninsula organizations awarded mental health trust grants
The Nikiski Senior Center and the Kenai Peninsula Homeless Coalition both recently received grants from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. According to a Dec. 10 press release, the trust awarded over $7.2 million in grants to organizations throughout the state during the second quarter of fiscal year 2026. According to the release, the Trust […]
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Homer Drawdown selects 4th local climate solution
Homer Drawdown, the grassroots program built around community-driven efforts to mitigate the climate crisis at the local level, recently voted to tackle waste streams for their next project. Largely headed up by the nonprofit environmental protection organization Cook Inletkeeper and based on the book, “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming,” […]
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Assembly accepts state funding for community assistance program
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved an ordinance at their last regular meeting on Dec. 2, accepting and appropriating state funding received for projects to be completed under the 2025/2026 Community Assistance Program. Each year, the Alaska State Legislature provides funding to municipalities and unincorporated communities through the state Community Assistance Program. Ordinance 2025-19-19 accepts […]
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Seward shore power project moves into preliminary design phase
Seward City Manager Kat Sorenson said during an assembly meeting last Tuesday, Dec. 2, that the Port of Seward Vessel Shore Power Implementation Project is moving into its preliminary design phase. The project is expected to be fully operational in 2027. Dock renovations to support the project are already underway. The Alaska Railroad, which owns […]
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Department of Natural Resources seeks public input on proposed Kenai Peninsula State Forest
The Department of Natural Resources is gathering community perspectives on the potential establishment of a Kenai Peninsula State Forest during several meetings this week. Meetings are scheduled for 2-3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, at the Ninilchik Community Center; Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Soldotna Public Library; Wednesday, Dec. 10, […]
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Christmas Comes to Kenai and Soldotna Turkey Trot kick off a month full of holiday festivities
Last weekend’s holiday festivities drew folks from all over the Kenai Peninsula. Soldotna Parks and Recreation’s first annual food drive and Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day had 98 participants and raised six large bins of food for the Soldotna Food Bank. T-shirts were given to the person with the largest donation and longest run, with […]
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Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to allow permitted firewood collection
The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is allowing personal use firewood collection by permit as of Wednesday, Nov. 19. Permits allow collection of up to five cords — which the park service defines as four feet high by four feet wide, and eight feet long — of firewood for personal use per household. Cutting is limited […]
Read MoreKenai City Council terminates Challenger Learning Center’s lease
During an emotional Kenai City Council meeting last Wednesday evening, Nov. 5, one of the resolutions up for discussion was terminating the lease of the building that houses the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. Since opening in 2000, the center has offered programs to spark kids’ interest in STEM fields by offering workshops, space-themed simulations […]
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Photojournalist joins Clarion staff
Photojournalist Chloe Anderson recently joined Peninsula Clarion staff as a reporter, covering central Kenai Peninsula news and events. Currently based in Juneau, Anderson has previously written and done photography for the Juneau Empire, Colorado Sun, Boulder Weekly, Kansas Reflector, Climbing magazine, Associated Press, and more. In 2023 she was awarded second place for Best Online […]
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Assembly amends ordinance capping tax exemptions
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly gathered with five new members Tuesday night to discuss amendments to a recent city ordinance and appropriate funds for upcoming projects. Reorganization The assembly reorganized at the beginning of the meeting. Ryan Tunseth, who represents Kenai, was unanimously named the new assembly president, replacing Peter Ribbens of Nikiski. Kelly Cooper […]
Read More Assembly amends ordinance capping tax exemptions
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly gathered with five new members Tuesday night to discuss amendments to a recent city ordinance and appropriate funds for upcoming projects. Reorganization The assembly reorganized at the beginning of the meeting. Ryan Tunseth, who represents Kenai, was unanimously named the new assembly president, replacing Peter Ribbens of Nikiski. Kelly Cooper […]
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Homer Electric Association talks strategy, energy diversification
Representatives from the Homer Electric Association hosted a gathering with Anchor Point residents last Thursday, Oct. 23, as part of their annual schedule of meetings held with communities across the central and southern Kenai Peninsula. At the Anchor Point VFW Post 10221, HEA General Manager and CEO Brad Janorschke presented on a number of the […]
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Borough assembly swears in new members
The five new members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly were officially sworn in last week, towards the end of the Oct. 14 meeting. The borough election results were also certified last Tuesday. Last Tuesday marked the final regular meeting for the outgoing assembly members. The new members will take their seats at the next […]
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Preliminary borough election results favor new local election date, reveal new assembly members
Unofficial election results reveal the newest additions to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly following the borough election on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Two of the five seats on the ballot were uncontested races, with only one candidate having filed for each seat. The other three races each had three candidates. While most of the newly-elected assembly […]
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Initial election results show new school board makeup
Preliminary results from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education election reveal a new composition of board members. Following certification of the official results, newly elected representatives will serve a three-year term on the board. In District 1, representing Kalifornsky, incumbent Patti Truesdell sought a third term serving the school district. Unofficial results […]
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Voters turn out for borough, city elections
Homer polling locations reported steady traffic on Election Day, Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 7, as voters turned up to cast their ballots in the Kenai Peninsula Borough and City of Homer elections. Three Homer City Council seats — two three-year term seats and one one-year term — are in contention in the city election. For the […]
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Anchor Point selects capital project priorities
Representatives from Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche’s office met with Anchor Point residents Saturday, Sept. 27, to outline the community’s wishes for borough Community Assistance Program grants and for capital improvement projects. About 15 attendees, representing multiple local organizations and nonprofits including the Anchor Point Public Library, the Anchor Point Food Pantry, the Anchor […]
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Homer girls, boys cross-country sweeps regions; Seward’s Jordan repeats as individual champ
The Homer girls and boys cross-country teams swept the Division II team titles Friday at the Region 3 cross-country meet at Kincaid Park in Anchorage. In addition to both Mariners squads, the Soldotna girls, Seward girls, and Kenai Central girls and boys all qualified for the state cross-country meet Saturday, Oct. 4, at Palmer High […]
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No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 5
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Kenai Peninsula citizens had voted to create a second-class governing entity called the Kenai Peninsula Borough, which was incorporated at the beginning of 1964. By the end of the year, Soldotna had been selected as the seat of government power. As the borough began doing business in whatever physical space it could, it […]
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Truesdell talks budget, services as sole attendee of forum for assembly’s Soldotna seat
Sargeant Truesdell, one of the three candidates for the Soldotna seat on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, discussed his vision for the borough last week at a candidate forum moderated by the Clarion and KDLL 91.9 FM. Truesdell is among three vying for the seat currently held by Tyson Cox — who cannot run for […]
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Assembly OKs information campaign on ballot measures
The Kenai Peninsula Borough will spend up to $34,000 before the Oct. 7 election to support an education campaign online and in print about “challenges” with citizen-led initiatives on this year’s ballot that would require hand-counting future ballots and align the borough’s election day with the state. Ballot Proposition No. 1, if approved by voters, […]
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Sterling assembly candidates field questions at election forum
The three candidates vying for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s Sterling and Funny River seat met last week to discuss their approaches to taxation, budgeting and more as part of a candidate forum moderated by the Peninsula Clarion and KDLL 91.9 FM. The forum, hosted in partnership with the Central Peninsula League of Women Voters […]
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Borough purchases additional K-Selo land for school construction project
The Kenai Peninsula Borough passed a resolution Aug. 19 authorizing the acquisition of additional land for the Kachemak Selo school construction project. Resolution 2025-034 authorizes the purchase of a 0.3-acre area of land directly adjacent to the 1.02-acre lot that the borough purchased last year for the construction of a new school facility. The newly […]
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Chapman School unveils new traffic route
Phase one of an ongoing project to upgrade student pick-up/drop-off and parking at Chapman School in Anchor Point was completed and implemented this week. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved the purchase of more than 6 acres of land adjacent to the existing Chapman School campus last November in order to address increased growth and […]
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Assembly calls on school district to fund Ninilchik, Seldovia pools
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly earlier this month unanimously adopted a resolution asking the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to fund pools in Ninilchik and Seldovia this year. The pools in Ninilchik and Seldovia were slated to be closed in all of the district’s draft budgets for this year, and the district’s finalized budget does […]
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Industry Appreciation Day honors community leaders, businesses
Industry Appreciation Day, an annual celebration of oil and gas, commercial fishing, tourism and health care in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, drew hundreds on Saturday to Kenai’s Softball Greenstrip to enjoy free food, play games, and recognize “outstanding” businesses and individuals. The event is important, Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche said while hosting the […]
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Borough unanimously approves $2.1M hospital land purchase
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly on Aug. 19 unanimously approved an ordinance that would finance and approve the purchase of four downtown Homer properties for South Peninsula Hospital use and expansion. The assembly introduced the ordinance Aug. 5, during their meeting in Homer at the Porcupine Theater. The first property, located within the Homer Medical […]
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No Simple Matter: Finding the borough a home — Part 1
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This series of articles, in a somewhat different form, first appeared in the Redoubt Reporter in January and February 2012. Binkley Street was just a gravel-covered Soldotna back road in November 1969. At 148 N. Binkley, construction on the new administration building for the five-year-old Kenai Peninsula Borough was moving forward again when […]
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