Wildfire smoke from Canada drifted into the southern Kenai Peninsula this week, creating hazy skies across the region; and the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District laid off dozens of pool, theater and library employees last week.

Alaska State Troopers say a fourth set of human remains were recovered this week from the site of a boat that sank near Homer last summer. The Homer Chamber of Commerce has announced the theme for this year’s Fourth of July Parade: Bloom Homer Bloom. In September of 2025, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will begin the transplant of deer from the Kodiak Archipelago to coastal land south of Kachemak Bay based on habitat considerations and weather patterns, according to a June press release from the Soldotna Fish and Game office.