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Week of May 11
State partners with Skagway startup to sell Alaska-made goods online
Alaska's Made in Alaska program launches a free online marketplace with Skagway startup Voyij on June 1, giving permit holders access to 10 million cruise and airline customers at no upfront cost.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate Panel Advances Bill Tying Hunting Rights to 180-Day Residency
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill tying resident hunting licenses to a 180-day residency standard, matching Permanent Fund Dividend rules to stop non-residents from claiming cheaper resident tags.
by Alaska News6mo ago6 min read
Senate panel advances Whittier land transfer bill without objection
Alaska Senate committee unanimously advanced a bill to transfer railroad land to Whittier for harbor expansion, housing, and business development.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska schools face May 15 deadline for improvement plans, funding
Alaska school districts must submit three-year improvement plans and budgets to the state by May 15, a deadline that comes as districts budget without knowing their actual state funding.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska opens second round of rural health webinars for $272M program
Alaska is hosting webinars May 13 through 15 to plan how to spend $272 million in federal rural health funding, the second-highest amount awarded to any state.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min readAlaska lawmakers debate farm tax break for horses, flowers
Alaska House committee narrowed a farm tax bill Tuesday, removing horses and flowers from eligibility and angering the bill's sponsor.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska House Passes Required Local Contribution Cap for Schools
Alaska House voted 24-16 to cap annual growth in required local school funding at 2%, shifting roughly $29 million in education costs from municipalities to the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Week of May 4
House Finance begins review of Alaska LNG tax bill with competing rate proposals
House Finance is debating a new tax plan for the Alaska LNG pipeline. Lawmakers and the administration disagree on the tax rate.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
More from Kenai Peninsula
Anchor River Chinook Peak Shifts Two Weeks Later, Data Shows
Anchor River Chinook salmon now peak about two weeks later than they did 25 years ago, shifting from early June to late June or early July, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game weir data.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readHalibut Landings Lag 80% Behind Quota as Prices Hit $7/lb
Halibut landings lag at 18 percent of quota by early May as dock prices hold strong at $6 to $7 per pound, while sablefish catches outpace expectations.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readHouse panel hears bill to ease farmland leasing, lower costs for Alaska growers
House panel advanced a bill to let Alaska farmers lease state land at below-market rates instead of costly appraisals, after one Homer grower's lease fee jumped from $1,000 to $9,360 annually.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readBank of America Files Four Debt Suits Against Kenai Residents in One Day
Bank of America filed four debt collection lawsuits against Kenai-area residents in early May 2026, according to Alaska Court System records.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago1 min readAlaska House Rewrites LNG Tax Bill, Raising Rate While Empowering Boroughs
Alaska House raised the LNG pipeline tax to 15 cents per thousand cubic feet and gave boroughs power to negotiate property taxes on gas facilities instead of a uniform state rate.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Shoulder-to-Shoulder Anglers Pack Kenai River as Salmon Runs Peak
Hundreds of anglers pack the Kenai River shoulder to shoulder as late-run sockeye and coho salmon peak through September, with strong catches reported on beads and streamers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readKenai health office closed May 7 due to plumbing problems
Alaska Department of Health's Kenai office at 630 Barnacle Way closes May 7 for plumbing repairs, with remote workers staying home and essential staff reporting as usual.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readHouse Panel Advances $40M Community Impact Fund for Gas Pipeline
House Resources Committee voted 7-2 to increase a community impact fund for Alaska LNG pipeline municipalities to $40 million, over the project developer's objection that it exceeds economic modeling.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Coming up
Kenai Peninsula Borough Plat Committee
Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers, 144 N. Binkley St., Soldotna, AK 99669, and Zoom (Meeting ID 907 714 2200, toll free 888-788-0099 or 877-853-5247)
Meeting
Kenai Peninsula Borough Public Hearing on Ordinance 2026-37
Hearing
Grateful Extracts Marijuana Control Board Hearing
Hearing
Public Comment Deadline: State Underground Storage Rights Claim
Public notice
Lynx Trapping Season Opens (GMU 7 & 15)
Public notice
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
Alaska House bill to ban polystyrene food containers moves to Senate
Alaska House Bill 25, which would ban polystyrene foam food containers statewide, advanced to the Senate after testimony Tuesday on cost versus pollution concerns.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska Legislature Falls Two Votes Short of Overriding Elections Bill Veto
Alaska Legislature fell two votes short of overriding Gov. Dunleavy's veto of a bill that would have let voters track ballots online and fix envelope errors before rejection.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
AG nominee Cox faces criticism over grand jury access policies
Attorney General nominee Stephen Cox faced criticism Monday for blocking Alaskans from bringing complaints directly to grand juries, contradicting research he himself commissioned.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Week of Apr 27
Board restricts Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishery to protect coho salmon
Alaska's Board of Fisheries voted Friday to restrict Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishing to protect coho salmon, limiting the fleet to two 12-hour windows per week and a 2-mile buffer from shore.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Senate Panel Advances Social Media Ban for Minors Under 16
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill banning social media for under-16s despite court challenges blocking similar laws nationwide.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Anchor Point Man Arrested After Assault, Vehicle Theft
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 45-year-old Anchor Point man April 28 after he allegedly assaulted someone and stole their vehicle on the Kenai Peninsula.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readBoard Chair Survives Ethics Challenge Over Village Corporation Ties
The Board of Fisheries voted 6-0 to let Chair Marit Carlson-Van Dort vote on Area M proposals despite questions about her corporate ties.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
House advances bill requiring 30-day state payments after heated debate
Alaska House advanced a bill requiring the state to pay contractors and nonprofits within 30 days, adopting a one-year phase-in after removing language that risked federal Rural Health funds.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel advances gas pipeline tax overhaul with $610M revenue target
Alaska Senate panel voted to replace property tax on gas pipelines with a volumetric tax projected to generate $610 million annually once Alaska LNG reaches full capacity.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Alaska House panel hears bill to overhaul school funding timelines
House Bill 261 would let Alaska school districts budget using enrollment numbers from July instead of October, letting them offer teacher contracts months earlier when more candidates are available.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House passes bill requiring transparency at psychiatric hospitals for minors
The House passed a bill requiring psychiatric hospitals to conduct surprise inspections and allow minors weekly private calls with parents.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Planning Commission accepts DOT concept for Tudor Road interchange redesign
Anchorage's Planning Commission approved a redesign of the aging Seward Highway and Tudor Road interchange that will add protected bike and pedestrian paths, following five fatalities in the corridor.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Senate panel advances property tax assessment cap bill
Senate panel advanced a bill letting cities cap annual property tax increases on owner-occupied homes, despite assessors warning it creates unfair burdens between longtime and new homeowners.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska moves to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide
Alaska is moving to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide using a three-tier Ready, Set, Go system after confusion during the 2022 Clear Fire left residents uncertain about danger zones.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House Finance hears $8.4M in governor's budget amendments
House Finance heard $8.4 million in budget amendments, including salary increases for public safety workers and a reversal of pay raises for newly unionized University of Alaska employees.
by Alaska News6mo ago8 min read
Homer Council to Vote on HART Sales Tax Renewal for November Ballot
Homer City Council votes tonight on whether to ask voters to renew the city's 0.75 percent sales tax for roads and trails for 20 more years, with the ballot measure set for November 3.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate Finance Advances Agricultural Leasing Reform After Farmer Cites $9,000 Annual Fee
Senate Finance advanced a bill to let farmers lease state land at agricultural rates instead of development prices, after a Homer farmer's annual fee jumped from $1,000 to $9,000.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Week of Apr 20
Senate panel hears workforce plan for Alaska LNG pipeline
Alaska LNG pipeline needs 6,600 workers by 2027, but state's shrinking workforce means most will come from outside Alaska. • Training system runs at 60 to 80 percent capacity; barriers include instructor shortages and living costs during training. • State should expand short-cycle vocational programs and consider a state apprenticeship agency to increase hiring ratios.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Municipal League urges local control in Alaska LNG tax negotiations
Alaska Municipal League urged state senators to let local governments negotiate their own tax deals with Alaska LNG rather than accept a statewide formula.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Alaska Senate passes wildfire evacuation color-code system
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill establishing a statewide color-coded wildfire evacuation system, green for ready, yellow for set, red for go, to replace confusing local variations.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders
A House committee heard testimony on a bill to let emergency dispatchers retire after 20 years instead of 30 and classify them as first responders.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders
A House bill would let emergency dispatchers retire after 20 years instead of 30 by reclassifying them as first responders with police and firefighter benefits.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House Education Committee advances CPR training bill with rural flexibility
House Education Committee approved CPR training for Alaska schools with rural flexibility, delaying the requirement to July 2027 to pursue a state grant.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel hears setnet cooperative bill, sets aside land transfer
Senate panel advanced a bill allowing setnet fishermen to work cooperatively, addressing enforcement conflicts, while postponing a land transfer proposal pending more details.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago7 min read
