Kenai
RSSNews from Kenai, Alaska
Kenai council takes up $75,000 home tax exemption for November ballot
Kenai City Council votes Wednesday on sending a $75,000 home tax exemption to voters in November, following resident concerns about rising property taxes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2h ago2 min readAI
When a custody case is filed in both tribal and state court, whoever filed first wins, Alaska Supreme Court rules
Filed in both tribal and state court, a custody case goes to whoever filed first, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled — here decided by an eleven-day gap.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
The state ordered Cook Inlet setnetters onto gear their permits don't allow
Alaska ordered Cook Inlet setnetters onto gear their permits don't allow, deepening a years-long squeeze on a fishery it controls in state waters.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
A fish truck rolled on the Seward Highway, cutting off the road into town before the Fourth
A fish truck rolled on the Seward Highway late Friday, scattering its load and closing the road into town for hours — just as crowds arrived for the Fourth and Mount Marathon.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai mayor moves to shield home value from city property tax
Kenai's mayor directed the city manager to draft a residential property tax exemption after residents said assessments are climbing faster than relief.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Alaska LNG tax bill advances as working draft, disputes unresolved
Alaska lawmakers advanced a working draft of HB 381, the tax framework for Alaska LNG, but disputes over the alternative volumetric tax remain unresolved.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago3 min readAI
Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground
Troopers say a Wasilla woman attacked her partner with a hatchet, choked him, and threw full beer cans at him at a Kenai Peninsula campground. She faces assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai weighs federal housing funds for Sixth Street water and sewer work
Kenai weighs using federal housing grant money to help fund water, sewer and street work on Sixth Street, with a public hearing and vote Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Kenai enacts subdivision, street design standards overhaul
Kenai City Council approved new subdivision and street design rules to speed up development review. • Minimum lot size set at 40,000 square feet for septic systems, matching borough standards. • Large subdivisions must extend water mains if public water is available within 1,500 feet. • New Street Design Manual can be updated by city staff without council approval, replacing rigid code rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai council approves $775,000 for Sixth Street water, sewer, road work
Kenai City Council approved 775000 dollars for Sixth Street infrastructure. The project will serve new senior housing but stop short of future development sites.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIOne Anchorage restaurant keeps getting caught serving with expired cards
Alaska cited six bars and restaurants for servers pouring with expired training cards — one Anchorage spot for the fifth time in four years, now risking its liquor license.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai has 120 seniors waiting for housing that doesn't exist yet
120 people are waitlisted for senior housing in Kenai that hasn't been built — and the city's plan doesn't even study the problem until around 2030.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A Kenai woman is mauled by a bear on her own front deck
A Kenai woman was seriously hurt when a brown bear sow attacked her on her front deck — drawn in, troopers say, by bird feeders in the yard, on a peninsula that's a bear-attack hot spot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai council funds $110K roof shortfall, sets Oct. 31 deadline for Senior Center and shelter work
The Kenai City Council unanimously enacted an emergency ordinance Wednesday adding $110,000 to cover a budget gap on bundled roof replacements at the Senior Center canopy and animal control shelter, awarding the contract to sole bidder Orion Construction with a substantial completion deadline of October 31.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai limits tent camping to 2 tents per property, defines 3+ as campground
Kenai allows up to two tents on private property indefinitely, but three or more tents now require conditional-use approval and are classified as a campground.
by Lucas Brown2mo ago2 min readAI
Alutiiq Air ends Kenai service; airport eyes Fox Air contract
Alutiiq Air stopped flying to Kenai, leaving Grant Aviation as sole carrier. City pursuing Fox Air contract pending investigation of citizen complaint. Main runway closed three weeks for repairs, operations on temporary runway pending FAA approvals. Terminal cafe closing May 23, seeking new operator by July 1.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai airport eyes automated fee system amid pilot privacy backlash
Kenai Airport is moving toward an automated landing fee system using aircraft tracking data, but a federal bill co-sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan would ban that exact use, forcing the airport to choose a different technology if the law passes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai council grants Tidewater LLC 10-year first right of refusal on Denina Point Estate
Kenai City Council unanimously gave developer Tidewater LLC a 10-year first right to buy the city-owned Dena'ina Point Estates parcel and committed $54,219 toward subdivision costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIKenai council passes camping ordinance limiting tent numbers
Three tents is enough. / A campground, it shall be called. / Freeloaders, beware!
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai unveils 20-year parks master plan with sports complex overhaul
Kenai approved a 20-year parks plan to consolidate ball fields into one expanded sports complex. • Downtown green spaces become seasonal campground and event venue. • City spends 1.3 million yearly on parks but recovers only 17 percent through fees. • Near-term priorities include new playgrounds and ice rink upgrades.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai moves to clear six pieces of public land for sale
Kenai's council votes Wednesday to strip "public purpose" status from six city parcels, the step before selling them — on a consent agenda, with no public hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai completes streetlight assessment, eyes $1.9M federal grant
Kenai's school bus stops lack safe lighting in winter darkness, assessment finds. City applies for 1.9 million dollar federal grant to upgrade lights and widen bike paths on two corridors. Most streetlights are aging LED units showing flicker and electrical problems. Grant decision expected next week, work would start later this year if approved.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Five dipnetters cited at Kenai personal use fishery for recordkeeping violation
Five people were cited July 18 at the Kenai dipnet fishery for failing to record salmon catches in ink before hiding or moving the fish, a violation that can cost future fishing privileges.
by Bill AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Kenai weighs spending city money to develop a city-owned parcel
Kenai votes Wednesday on spending $54,219 to subdivide city land and partner with a developer — though the agenda doesn't say how many lots or what would go there.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai adopts $42.1M budget with swim team grant, airport upgrade
Kenai City Council adopted a $42.1 million budget for fiscal year 2027, approving $296,402 in amendments for a swim team grant, airport billing automation expected to recover $130,000 in missed revenue, and council chambers technology upgrades.
by Lucas Brown2mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai airport cafe closes; city seeks new operator by June 25
Debbie's Bistro closed at Kenai Municipal Airport after gross receipts fell to $68,000 in a year, compared to $400,000 to $500,000 when prior restaurants operated there. The city seeks a new operator with bids due June 25.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai commission imposes quiet hours on short-term rental, reviving debate over neighborhood rules
Kenai Planning & Zoning Commission approved an Airbnb in Inlet Woods with mandatory 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. quiet hours, reigniting debate over whether short-term rentals should face stricter rules than long-term rentals in the same neighborhood.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai proposes $1.55 million for street work, pay raises in 2027 budget
Kenai budgets $1.55 million for street work and 2 percent pay raises for all staff. • Paramedic and police certification pay increases to match neighboring departments. • City allocates $300,000 for public safety building design ahead of November 2027 bond vote. • Water and sewer rates rise 4 percent to cover inflation and future plant upgrades.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai parent asks commission to lower weight room age limit
A Kenai parent asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to lower the weight room age limit at Kenai Rec Center from 16 to 14, saying the current policy pushes families to drive to nearby communities where younger teens can use gyms independently.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
Cook Inlet's salmon season opens June 22 — and could slam shut early
Cook Inlet's salmon season opens June 22. The last two years so many reds came back they went uncaught — and the rule behind that is still on the books.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Planning commission approves variance for multifamily housing on corner lot
Kenai Planning Commission unanimously approved a variance allowing two multifamily buildings 10 feet from Cacnew Way instead of the standard 20 feet on a corner lot, citing safety improvements and housing demand.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai Parks Commission approves master plan, sends to City Council
Kenai Parks Commission unanimously approved a 10-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan on May 7 and sent it to City Council, which will review it May 20 and vote in June.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai garden tour set for Aug. 11, focus on Leif Hansen Park
Kenai Beautification Commission hosts a free garden tour August 11 at 5:30 p.m. to showcase landscaping at Leif Hansen Park and the visitor center.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
Hilcorp seeks state lease for 1,330-acre gas storage field in Kenai
Hilcorp filed Friday for a state lease to store natural gas in 1,330 acres of subsurface rock beneath Kenai, with public comments due July 7.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
State asks Kenai to join disease early-warning network
Kenai City Council approved joining a statewide wastewater monitoring network that tests sewage for disease outbreaks. The state covers all equipment costs and will sample Kenai's wastewater weekly.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai proposes 4% water/sewer rate hike to fund aging infrastructure
Kenai proposes 4% water and sewer rate hike starting July 2026 to fund wastewater plant overhaul planned for 2029. • City losing 340,000 dollars annual revenue and facing higher chemical and staffing costs. • Rates remain among Alaska's lowest. Last increase was in fiscal year 2025. • Council will hold public hearing before final budget vote in May.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
In a quiet Kenai neighborhood, a fight over how many homes is too many
A developer wants townhouses and a six-plex on a quiet Kenai dead-end — the most density the zone allows — and at least one neighbor isn't sold on the traffic.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Kenai airport main runway closed May 14 through September; pilots use temporary runway
Kenai airport main runway closed May 14 for three month rebuild • Pilots use temporary runway with initial restrictions • FAA clearance documents needed before normal operations resume • Work finishes by end of September if weather allows
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai seeks federal grants for sidewalks, fish passage culverts
Kenai submitted a federal grant application for sidewalk and street lighting improvements on Lawton and Tinker, and is preparing a second application to remove fish passage barriers in local creeks by end of June.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai Planning Commission recommends rural residential rezone, rejecting city's denser proposal
Kenai Planning Commission rejected the city's plan to rezone 81 acres for denser housing and instead recommended rural residential zoning with larger lots, citing neighbor concerns about infrastructure despite a housing shortage.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI