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Week of Aug 10

Eklutna Tailrace closes stretch to anglers 16 and older Saturday

Alaska Department of Fish and Game closes a stretch of Eklutna Tailrace to anglers 16 and older on Saturday, Aug. 15, to give kids 15 and younger a youth-only coho salmon fishery from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Eklutna Tailrace, Palmer area, Alaska
Cover image for article: Eklutna Tailrace closes stretch to anglers 16 and older Saturday

The Kenai Assembly will fill the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday

The Kenai Assembly will appoint someone to the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday from three applicants — voters decide who finishes the term in November.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: The Kenai Assembly will fill the vacant Kalifornsky seat Tuesday

A closed Seward school would become a city-run community center

The closed Seward Middle School would be leased to the city for $1 a year to become a community center, under a deal the borough Assembly takes up Tuesday.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A closed Seward school would become a city-run community center

Dunleavy's LNG bill would swap a graduated S corp tax topping 9.4% for a flat 2%

Dunleavy cut the disputed oil-and-gas tax to a flat 2% in a revised LNG bill, trying to revive a stalled pipeline deal. The Legislature takes it up Aug. 20.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Dunleavy's LNG bill would swap a graduated S corp tax topping 9.4% for a flat 2%

Seward's shipyards are tooling up as the town becomes a Coast Guard port again

Seward's shipyards got $2.3M in grants as the town becomes a Coast Guard port again, with a fast response cutter and later an Arctic icebreaker bound there.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Seward's shipyards are tooling up as the town becomes a Coast Guard port again

Kamishak District closed to seining after survey found fewer pinks

Alaska closes the Kamishak District to commercial salmon seining Wednesday night after an aerial survey found fewer pink salmon than expected in Lower Cook Inlet.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Kamishak District closed to seining after survey found fewer pinks

College student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in

An 18-year-old visiting student was airlifted off Resurrection Pass 14 miles from the trailhead after an allergic reaction left him unable to breathe. A military crew flew him to Anchorage.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Resurrection Pass Trail, Alaska
Cover image for article: College student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in

Troopers cite 19 anglers for fishing violations on Kenai, Kasilof

Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited 19 anglers on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in late July and early August for fishing violations, mostly for failing to release snagged fish.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Troopers cite 19 anglers for fishing violations on Kenai, Kasilof

More from Kenai Peninsula

A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge

A pilot survived a crash that flipped his plane upside down in the trees of the Kenai refuge Sunday, then texted 911 himself to say he wasn't seriously hurt.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge

Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce

Senate majority members want a rejected gas storage project revisited and an idle Cook Inlet lease produced — amid a fight over who fixes the gas crunch.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce

Week of Aug 3

Lower Cook Inlet seiners are shut down while set netters keep fishing, days before the season ends

Lower Cook Inlet's purse seiners are shut down while set netters in the same district keep fishing, right as the salmon season closes out Aug. 15.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Cover image for article: Lower Cook Inlet seiners are shut down while set netters keep fishing, days before the season ends

Father and daughter rescued by boat from Kenai River island at mile 73

A father and daughter stranded on a Kenai River island at mile 73 on July 27 when rising water cut off their return were rescued by boat the same day.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Father and daughter rescued by boat from Kenai River island at mile 73

Kodiak will homeport the Coast Guard's first Arctic Security Cutters

Kodiak will homeport the Coast Guard's first two Arctic Security Cutters, part of a multibillion-dollar Arctic buildup, with a third headed to Seward.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Kodiak will homeport the Coast Guard's first Arctic Security Cutters

Upper Cook Inlet reopens to a one-king limit after a spring closure

Upper Cook Inlet anglers north of Bluff Point can keep one king salmon from Aug. 16 through Sept. 15, after a closure meant to protect declining king stocks.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Upper Cook Inlet reopens to a one-king limit after a spring closure

Bethel man arrested for DUI near Cooper Landing after a REDDI report

A driver reported swerving into oncoming traffic near Cooper Landing was arrested on a DUI charge Friday night, flagged through the state's REDDI line.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Bethel man arrested for DUI near Cooper Landing after a REDDI report

Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock clears review; work set for 2026

Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock cleared its environmental review, with waterfront construction set to run from 2026 to 2028.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock clears review; work set for 2026

About Kenai Peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula, governed as the Kenai Peninsula Borough, is a region of Southcentral Alaska bordered by Cook Inlet. Its communities include Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Seward, Nikiski and Anchor Point, and Kenai Fjords National Park lies within it.

Salmon fishing on the Kenai River and in Cook Inlet shapes the economy, along with oil and gas development and natural gas storage. The borough assembly and the councils and planning commissions of Kenai, Homer and Seward decide questions of land use, taxes, short-term rentals, housing and utility rates.

The Sterling and Seward highways carry traffic through the peninsula, and Kachemak Bay State Park and Kenai Fjords National Park lie along its shores. Schools across the peninsula answer to a single borough school board.

More from Kenai Peninsula

Soldotna man arrested nearly two months after report he exposed himself to two minors

Alaska State Troopers arrested a 23-year-old Soldotna man Thursday, nearly two months after a report that he exposed himself to two minors.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Soldotna man arrested nearly two months after report he exposed himself to two minors

Troopers cite three anglers for keeping snagged sockeye on the Kenai

Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited three anglers on the Kenai River in late July for keeping snagged sockeye salmon, seizing four fish total that went to charity.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Troopers cite three anglers for keeping snagged sockeye on the Kenai

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.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: When a custody case is filed in both tribal and state court, whoever filed first wins, Alaska Supreme Court rules

Rockfish limit in Resurrection Bay stays at three a day through Sept. 15

Anglers in Resurrection Bay stay limited to three rockfish a day through mid-September, a cap in place since April that covers peak charter season.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Resurrection Bay, Alaska
Cover image for article: Rockfish limit in Resurrection Bay stays at three a day through Sept. 15

Murkowski cosponsors bill to let Coast Guard commandant sign local support deals

Sen. Murkowski cosponsored a bill to let the Coast Guard commandant sign local support agreements faster, potentially speeding up infrastructure deals at Alaska installations like Kodiak and Seward.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Murkowski cosponsors bill to let Coast Guard commandant sign local support deals

A fuel break cleared years ago helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling

A fuel break cleared in 2019-20 helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling — a case of wildfire prep paying off, with no injuries and no homes lost.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: A fuel break cleared years ago helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling

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.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Kenai council approves $775,000 for Sixth Street water, sewer, road work

Coast Guard asks Homer to accept transfer of cutter support building

Homer City Council votes Aug. 24 on accepting ownership of a Coast Guard cutter support building. • The ordinance does not specify maintenance costs or operational details the city would assume. • Residents can testify at the 6 p.m. public hearing.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Coast Guard asks Homer to accept transfer of cutter support building

Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day as coho pour in

Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day starting Friday as more than 1,100 coho pour in, though kings still can't be kept for the rest of the year.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Ship Creek, Alaska
Cover image for article: Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day as coho pour in

A Homer seafood plant would pass to Silver Bay amid an OBI takeover

A Homer Spit seafood plant would pass to Silver Bay as it absorbs OBI statewide — a deal some fishermen and workers fear could erode local wages.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A Homer seafood plant would pass to Silver Bay amid an OBI takeover

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.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Kenai mayor moves to shield home value from city property tax

Troopers arrest Sterling driver on DUI charge after head-on crash at mile 84

A Sterling man faces a DUI charge after his Impala pulled into the path of a northbound pickup on the Sterling Highway at mile 84 on Tuesday evening, injuring the other driver.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Troopers arrest Sterling driver on DUI charge after head-on crash at mile 84

Cook Inlet drift fleet limited to Area 3 for a single 12-hour opener Thursday

Cook Inlet drift gillnetters get just one 12-hour opener in Area 3 Thursday, driven by coho conservation — a federal EEZ closure and state limits are squeezing the fleet's access as coho harvest runs over its cap.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Cook Inlet drift fleet limited to Area 3 for a single 12-hour opener Thursday

Homer electric members get a small break while Interior faces a big spike

Homer electric members are paying about $3.30 less since July 1 — a rare bit of good news, while Interior members brace for a 62% cost-of-power spike.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Homer electric members get a small break while Interior faces a big spike

Alaska moves to hand four more land tracts to a housing agency, no bidding required

Alaska is proposing to transfer four more state land tracts to its housing agency without competitive bidding — part of an ongoing push to turn public land into housing development.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska moves to hand four more land tracts to a housing agency, no bidding required

Chugach seeks industrial zoning for its campus, dropping a buffer

Chugach wants to rezone its Anchorage North Campus to heavy industrial to match its use, dropping a green buffer meant for a highway that likely won't come.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Chugach seeks industrial zoning for its campus, dropping a buffer

Troopers arrest nine on drug charges during Salmonfest in Ninilchik

Troopers arrested nine at Salmonfest, eight on felony drug distribution charges, though the dispatch names no one and gives no drug quantities.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Troopers arrest nine on drug charges during Salmonfest in Ninilchik

The little Kachemak Bay lab watching Alaska's ocean for 70 years

A NOAA-UAF marine lab has studied Kachemak Bay for nearly 70 years — acidification, algal blooms, shellfish. A seawater permit keeps its tanks running.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kasitsna Bay, Alaska
Cover image for article: The little Kachemak Bay lab watching Alaska's ocean for 70 years

Most of the deer Alaska moved to the Kenai died over winter. The state is trying again.

Most of the 19 deer Alaska moved to the southern Kenai last fall died over a brutal winter, but the state is releasing 15 to 20 more this fall to try to build a future huntable herd.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Most of the deer Alaska moved to the Kenai died over winter. The state is trying again.

Kenai school board weighs AI classroom rules ahead of the school year

Kenai's school board is trying to write AI classroom rules firm enough to matter but loose enough to last, the same bind every district is in. They want them set by fall.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Kenai school board weighs AI classroom rules ahead of the school year

Week of Jul 27

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.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Kenai weighs federal housing funds for Sixth Street water and sewer work

Micciche sets break-even floor on Kenai Peninsula tax break for Alaska LNG

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche set a floor on Alaska LNG tax breaks at 75% off, saying the borough will not accept less than break-even on a $23.6 billion to $28.4 billion facility.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Micciche sets break-even floor on Kenai Peninsula tax break for Alaska LNG

Kenai dipnet season closes after another strong sockeye run

The Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery closed for 2026 after a late-run sockeye return near 3 million, again clearing Fish and Game's escapement goals. Kasilof stays open through Aug. 7.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Kenai dipnet season closes after another strong sockeye run

A visiting angler was found dead in the Kenai River near Sterling

A 71-year-old Georgia man who came to fish the Kenai River was found dead near a Sterling boat ramp Friday. Troopers say nothing suspicious has been found.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A visiting angler was found dead in the Kenai River near Sterling