Simon Lopez

The Kenai Peninsula Borough certified elections held on Oct. 10, electing Kelly Cooper to office. Borough Mayor Peter Micciche also gave updates on a proposed emergency service area in the eastern peninsula; and a group of moms from the southern Kenai Peninsula Russian Old Believer community of Nikolaevsk are pushing for a charter school for the second year in a row.

Rachel Lord and Caroline Venuti come out on top for Homer’s city council race after the city certified its elections Friday, during a canvas board meeting; about 75 homeschool parents and community members gathered in Soldotna Thursday evening to share their grievances and suggest improvements to homeschooling options; and Ravn Alaska, the Alaska airline that specializes in serving small communities, will cease operations out of Kenai Municipal Airport after Oct. 20.

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. Changing oceans have affected organisms from algae to whales. A graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks looked into how these changes impact the stress levels of limpets in Kachemak Bay.

Now, polls are closed and unofficial results for Municipal elections across the Kenai Peninsula Borough are rolling in. As of an 8:58 p.m. update last night, a majority of districts are reporting, showing close races across the peninsula; and in an update Monday, 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.

After 20 years with the Alaska SeaLife Center, Tara Riemer is stepping down as president and CEO; and 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 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, rising study costs and a budget shortfall 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; and a new five-year plan for federal offshore oil and gas options includes no leases in Alaska waters.

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council held a board meeting in Homer for the first time in nine years last Thursday and Friday; and four people are running to fill two seats on Homer’s city council this year. Caroline Venuti is one of the incumbent members running in this year’s election.

Fat Bear Week, the annual celebration of brown bears gearing up for hibernation at Katmai National Park and Preserve, kicks off this week with its junior bear competition; and the City of Kenai has entered into an official agreement with the Army Corp of Engineers to stabilize its eroding bluff. City officials say the project has been a long time coming, but the signing is a clear step forward.