Josh Krohn

Polls are closed and unofficial results for municipal elections across the Kenai Peninsula Borough are rolling in. Pier One Theater has spent weeks on their fall production and will begin performing this Friday. Escaping postponement due to the threat of last week’s pending government shutdown, Katmai National Park and Preserve’s Fat Bear Week is here.

After 20 years with the Alaska SeaLife Center, Tara Riemer is stepping down as president and CEO. Kenai Peninsula Borough School District officials said rising costs have caused complications for its school building maintenance projects meant to be funded by a bond. A humpback whale was found dead- floating near Kodiak Island earlier last week. Federal and tribal workers brought the corpse to a nearby island last Tuesday to try to determine the cause of death.

In a legislative town hall Thursday night, Department of Transportation officials provided updates on major Kenai Peninsula road projects, and took questions from the public about road-related issues. The town hall was hosted by central peninsula legislators Sen. Jesse Bjorkman and Rep. Justin Ruffridge. Homeownership is a financially unattainable dream for a lot Alaskans. But there is a program that’s been banging along for years that puts it in reach of families who can put in time.

A new five-year plan for federal offshore oil and gas options includes no leases in Alaska waters. The City of Homer has been in talks with the US Army Corps of Engineers about expanding Homer Harbor for nearly twenty years, and began a feasibility study earlier this year. However, budget mixups and rising study costs could put the project on pause. Four people are running to fill two seats on Homer’s city council. Joni Wise is a first time candidate in this year’s election.

An annual autumnal tradition in Homer turns twenty this year, the Burning Basket is currently being constructed at Mariner Park at the base of the spit, and it will culminate with the burning ceremony this Sunday at sundown (about 8:30pm).

Wrangell’s Search and Rescue helped recover six people from a grounded boat Tuesday. The boat, which was about six miles south of Wrangell, was left aground by a rapidly dropping tide. Alaska’s wildfire season remains on track to be slowest on record.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is officially supporting a proposed statewide rule that would bar trans girls from women’s high school sports, per a resolution passed at its meeting Tuesday night. Alaska is one of the only places in the world where peony flowers grow in the summer months, but the unusually cold, wet weather this year is delaying the blooms by weeks.

The Kenai Peninsula School District’s Board of Education Monday night voted to draw on its savings to balance its budget for the 2024 fiscal year. A former Soldotna teacher and union president was arraigned yesterday, where he pleaded not guilty to 61 counts, including sexual abuse of a minor, exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. A male sandhill crane that was shot with an arrow off East End Road in Homer has been rescued and reunited with its colts, according to Kachemak Crane Watch.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is deciding whether to back a proposed rule to ban trans girls from women's high school sports teams, after that rule advanced at a statewide school board meeting in Soldotna last month. Two new pharmacy-related bills were signed into law by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in Soldotna last Thursday. Homer's iconic Pier One Theatre is gearing up to commemorate an astounding milestone this summer: 50 years of captivating audiences with live local plays, enchanting musicals, and a myriad of unforgettable performances.