Shaylon Cochran, KDLL - Kenai
Shaylon Cochran is a host and reporter at KDLL in Kenai. He’s reported on fishing, energy, agriculture and local politics since coming to Alaska in 2011. He has worked at KDLL/KBBI on the Kenai Peninsula, where he picked up lots of new hobbies, like smoking salmon, raising chickens, skiing and counting RV’s. He holds a bachelors degree in Journalism from Iowa State University.
Card Street Fire Grows To 1,500 Acres
The Card Street Fire near Sterling on the Kenai Peninsula doubled in size overnight. Now at more than 1,200 acres, the fire has destroyed at least six structures.
Nikiski Seeks More Law Enforcement as Petty Crime Booms
More property crime and the potential for hundreds of new residents in the coming years has the unincorporated area of Nikiski looking for more law enforcement.
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BlueCrest Energy looking to drill on southern Kenai Peninsula
A new company looking to drill for oil on the southern Kenai Peninsula could begin operations as soon as this summer.
NOAA Report Shows Slight Increase In Cook Inlet Beluga Population
A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a slight increase in the Cook Inlet Beluga whale population. But, the whales haven’t bounced back as fast as scientists hoped when they were placed on the endangered species list in 2008.
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Public Comment Sought For Cooper Landing Bypass
The state department of transportation released its first draft of a plan to reroute the Sterling Highway around Cooper Landing.
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Police Confident Remains Belong To Missing Kenai Family
Police investigators in Kenai are confident they’ve found the remains of a family missing since last May.
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Crews Work To Clean Up Milne Point Oil Spill
Clean-up crews are still working on an oil spill at Milne Point, about 25 miles northwest of Deadhorse. Milne Point is operated by Hilcorp.
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Much To Sort Out Before Subsistence Gillnets Hit Kenai, Kasilof
A new federal subsistence fishery rule adds set gillnetting to the Kenai and Kasilof rivers. State and federal biologists are concerned the new rule will hamper conservation efforts aimed at preserving king salmon and other fish species in the rivers. But the Ninilchik Traditional Council, which asked for the right to set gillnet, says it can fish responsibly.
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Subsistence Community Allowed To Use Set Gillnets On Kenai, Kasilof Rivers
A new fishery approved by the Federal Subsistence Board last week will allow the use of set gill nets on the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers.
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Blue Crest Plans New Onshore Wells, LNG Shipments
The resurgent boom continues in Cook Inlet. At the annual Kenai Peninsula Industry Outlook Forum this week in Kenai, new oil and gas player Blue Crest, based in Forth Worth, made some of the biggest announcements.
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Fish & Game Releases Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Salmon Fishing Summary
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released its summary report for the 2014 commercial salmon fishing season. Continued low king salmon numbers and new management tools were at the heart of this year’s fishing.
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Parnell, Walker Spar At Soldotna Gubernatorial Debate
Four gubernatorial candidates took questions at a Chamber of Commerce forum Wednesday in Soldotna. It quickly turned into a debate between the two bigger names on the ballot, Governor Sean Parnell and Bill Walker.
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Hilcorp Drilling Platform Catches Fire In Cook Inlet
Four people were safely evacuated from a drilling platform in Cook Inlet that caught fire Thursday morning.
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Brown Bear Hunting Suspended In Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Last month, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge announced it was thinking about temporarily suspending brown bear sport hunting on the Refuge until late next spring. This week, they held two public meetings to see how people felt about the proposal and on Friday, they made their decision.
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Brown Bear Hunting In Kenai Wildlife Refuge Could Be Closed For Year
Brown bear hunting in the Kenai Wildlife Refuge could be closed entirely this year. The Refuge’s proposal comes just days after a call for a full and permanent ban on brown bear hunting.
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AFCA Responds to State’s Challenge of Setnet Ruling
In July, Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance president Joe Connors was very pleased that the group’s effort to get commercial setnetting banned in the state’s urban areas, was going to move forward.
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Parnell Finalizes Tax Cuts for In-State Refineries
After getting through all of the security clearances and checks, guests were ushered into the fire station at the Tesoro refinery where Governor Parnell put his signature on the dotted line.
Effort to Ban Commercial Set Netting Moves Forward
The push to ban commercial set netting moved another step forward this week. A Superior Court Judge in Anchorage ruled yesterday that the Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance can begin collecting signatures for a ballot initiative, so voters can decide about the value of commercial set net fishing in Cook Inlet.
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Emergency Order Limits Kasilof King Fishing Hours
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued an emergency order restricting personal use setnetting on the Kasilof River Thursday. That fishery’s time will be cut in half in an effort to get more king salmon up the Kasilof River.
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Research Opportunities Abound In Funny River Fire Aftermath
The Funny River fire is now considered 60 percent contained, with minimal fire growth over the past few days. As the fire slowly burns out, scientists are excited about new research possibilities in the area.
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