A plane sits in brush on Fontaine Avenue at around 5:45 p.m. after a crash on Thursday, May 11, 2023, near Sterling, Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Alisha Joe)

No injuries reported after Sterling plane crash

Alaska State Troopers were notified of the crash at around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday

 

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, left, addresses constituents during a town hall event on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski senator’s bill ‘lumbers’ toward governor’s desk

Senate Bill 87 aims to make locally milled lumber more widely available for the construction of housing in Alaska

 

Apayauq Reitan, the first transgender woman to participate in the Iditarod, tells the House Education Committee on March 30, 2023, why she opposes a bill restricting sex and gender content in schools. A second meeting for public testimony is scheduled Thursday. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)

Peninsula voices among ‘parental rights’ debate in Juneau

People who spoke in opposition outnumbered those who spoke in support by three to one

 

Former Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor and current Alaska gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce speaks at a “Get Out the Vote” rally hosted by the Kenai Peninsula Republican Women at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Borough to pay more than $237K to settle sexual harassment suit

As part of the settlement, the borough is not admitting any wrongdoing

Former Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor and current Alaska gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce speaks at a “Get Out the Vote” rally hosted by the Kenai Peninsula Republican Women at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
The badge for the Kenai Police Department

Police seek information on woman found dead in Kenai

The woman was found Friday near Haller Street and the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai

The badge for the Kenai Police Department
Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire
Rep. Justin Ruffridge works in the Alaska State Capitol building on March 28 in Juneau.
Rep. Justin Ruffridge works in the Alaska State Capitol building on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Juneau, Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Rep. Justin Ruffridge works in the Alaska State Capitol building on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)

House bill aims to boost Alaska Performance Scholarship use

The scholarship is awarded to support education after high school graduation

Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire
Rep. Justin Ruffridge works in the Alaska State Capitol building on March 28 in Juneau.
Rep. Justin Ruffridge works in the Alaska State Capitol building on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Juneau, Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Rep. Justin Ruffridge works in the Alaska State Capitol building on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, speaks during a meeting of the House State Affairs committee on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Juneau, Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Kenai area lawmakers set sights on financial fixes

KENAI — The central Kenai Peninsula’s representatives in the Alaska House of Representatives have their eyes on state finances this week. Reps. Justin Ruffridge, a… Continue reading

Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, speaks during a meeting of the House State Affairs committee on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Juneau, Alaska. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor-elect Peter Micciche testifies before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor-elect Peter Micciche testifies before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Signs supporting Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral candidates Peter Micciche and Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings are staked in the snow at the intersection of the Kenai Spur and Sterling highways on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Signs supporting Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral candidates Peter Micciche and Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings are staked in the snow at the intersection of the Kenai Spur and Sterling highways on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Bob Bird (left) and Lisa Parker (right) participate in a Constitutional Convention Forum at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Constitutional convention debate comes to Kenai

Alaskans will be asked on the Nov. 8 general election ballot: “Shall there be a constitutional convention?”

Bob Bird (left) and Lisa Parker (right) participate in a Constitutional Convention Forum at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska gubernatorial candidates Bill Walker, left, and Les Gara participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Gara and Walker face off at forum

The two, who found common ground on some issues, took aim at Dunleavy

Alaska gubernatorial candidates Bill Walker, left, and Les Gara participate in a candidate forum hosted by the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska LNG Project Manager Brad Chastain presents information about the project during a luncheon at the Kenai Chamber Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Murkowski, Sullivan throw support behind Alaska LNG Project

The project would move gas from the North Slope through an 800-mile pipeline to a liquefaction plant in Nikiski

Alaska LNG Project Manager Brad Chastain presents information about the project during a luncheon at the Kenai Chamber Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy

Governor’s office contracts ex-aide for ‘statehood defense’

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office has entered a contract with a former Dunleavy aide for up to $50,000 in part to… Continue reading

Dunleavy
Alaska SeaLife Center Animal Care Specialist Savannah Costner releases a 1-year-old female elephant seal back to the ocean on March 24, 2022, after the animal was admitted as a patient to the ASLC Wildlife Response Program. The 320-pound animal was released near Lowell Point in Seward, Alaska. (Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)

SeaLife Center rehabs baby elephant seal

The seal is the first mammal admitted to the center’s Wildlife Response Program this year

Alaska SeaLife Center Animal Care Specialist Savannah Costner releases a 1-year-old female elephant seal back to the ocean on March 24, 2022, after the animal was admitted as a patient to the ASLC Wildlife Response Program. The 320-pound animal was released near Lowell Point in Seward, Alaska. (Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
In this Empire file photo, Juneau citizen Mary Ellen Yadao signs her name to vote in the City and Borough of Juneau Municipal Election on Oct. 6, 2020. Speaking to a panel of cybersecurity experts Thursday, Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer said the state is taking advantage of federal resources to bolster election security. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file)
In this Empire file photo, Juneau citizen Mary Ellen Yadao signs her name to vote in the City and Borough of Juneau Municipal Election on Oct. 6, 2020. Speaking to a panel of cybersecurity experts Thursday, Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer said the state is taking advantage of federal resources to bolster election security. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file)
Capital City Fire/Rescue personnel rescued an injured person on a trail near Thunder Mountain High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Capital City Fire/Rescue personnel rescued an injured person on a trail near Thunder Mountain High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
A JAMHI Health & Wellness Inc. sign is shown in this June 2018 photo. At the time, JAMHI celebrated the opening of its Midtown Clinic located at the House First Project. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire)

Juneau nonprofit receives $100k grant for reentry programs

The grant is part of a larger $1.4 million grant for organizations across Alaska.

A JAMHI Health & Wellness Inc. sign is shown in this June 2018 photo. At the time, JAMHI celebrated the opening of its Midtown Clinic located at the House First Project. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire)
State reports 95 new COVID-19 cases

State reports 95 new COVID-19 cases

Nearly all are residents.

State reports 95 new COVID-19 cases
State reports 4 deaths, 37 new cases

State reports 4 deaths, 37 new cases

Both numbers are unusual.

State reports 4 deaths, 37 new cases
Work begins on SHI’s arts campus

Work begins on SHI’s arts campus

Hopefully to open next July.

Work begins on SHI’s arts campus