The Alaska State Legislature begins its session Tuesday. Sen. Gary Stevens is a Republican who represents District C, including the Southern Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island and Seward. Stevens is serving as Senate President this session. KBBI’s Desiree Hagen sat down with him Friday to discuss his legislative priorities.

Seldovia’s city manager is leaving the city after two years on the job. Rachel Friedlander said she’s relocating to the Lower 48 after a decade in Alaska and two years in the Kachemak Bay community. Her contract with the city expired this week.

The City of Homer has applied to become a designated Coast Guard City — a recognition shared by just five other communities in Alaska. The designation is mostly symbolic, and is extended to cities that take extra steps to make Coast Guard families feel welcome.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is holding a special mayoral election Feb. 14 to fill the remainder of former Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce's term.

Voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough will choose a new mayor in a special election this Valentine's Day. Several Kenai and Soldotna candidates are already thinking of running for the open seat, which they would fill through October 2023.

The Homer Chamber of Commerce hosted a debate Thursday night at Lands End Resort with candidates for the Alaska governor’s race. Democratic candidate Les Gara and former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, along with former Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce — who showed up unexpectedly — discussed their stances on a number of hot button issues. All three hope to unseat incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who declined an invitation to the event.

Hundreds on the southern Kenai Peninsula showed up to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes for new city council and borough representatives, on top of a slate of ballot propositions. Early results are showing promising leads for incumbents across elections, as well as support for a bond package that would finance infrastructure improvements at Homer High and other schools. But canvas boards still have to count hundreds of absentee ballots before they finalize the results of the election, next week.

The Oct. 6 forum, which is hosted by the Homer Chamber of Commerce, is just one in a series of debates organized by the chamber in this season’s election cycle. Two other debates are scheduled for later this month.

Early results for Tuesday’s municipal election show promising leads for incumbents in city and borough elections. Preliminary results — updated early Wednesday morning and posted on the Kenai Peninsula Borough webpage —are not final and do not include absentee votes, said Kenai Peninsula Borough Clerk Johni Blankenship. The borough will certify results Oct. 11.

Today is Election Day! Kenai Peninsula Borough voters will choose new city council, borough and school board representatives, on top of a slate of borough and city-wide propositions.Alex Koplin, a member of Kenai Peninsula Votes — a non-partisan organization that aims to increase local voter turnout — gives an overview of what to expect.