Soldotna

An engineering firm which plans to base itself in Soldotna claims to have solved a mystery from the ancient world, determining that hollow devices dating back to the Roman Empire are measuring instruments. According to John Ladd, who describes himself as “CEO, Futurist & Inventor” of Roman Systems Engineering, the Romans would mount small objects inside metal dodecahedrons -- 12-sided geometric objects made up of pentagon-shaped sides, each with a hole through it permitting access to the hollow center.

UAA Men's Basketball Coach Rusty Osborne announced Monday that Colton Lauwers has tranferred from Adams State in Alasmosa, Colorado to play for the Seawolves. Lauwers played his freshman season for Adams State, starting 15 of 26 contests and averaging 3.3 points per game. During the 2008-09 seaon, the 6-3, 235-pound guard was voted State Player of the Year as a senior at Dimond High. He led the Lynx as a Captain to a 26-3 record and the state title. He averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the state tournament that year, including a 21-point, 12-rebound performance in Dimond's 55-52 overtime victory against Soldotna in the championship game.

The kicking game proved critical in Friday's Cook Inlet Conference football games.  For the second straight week, South won by a single point, as Griffin Toomey booted the game-winning extra point following Michael Wilson's rushing touchdown in the third quarter of a 7-6 win over East.  The T-Birds scored their touchdown in the second quarter.  The win gives South a 2-1 record in conference play, while the T-Birds fall to 1-1 in league....

The defending State champion West Anchorage Eagles opened their season with a win.  The ASBN pre-season number one South High Wolverines get beat on the road by the pre-season number three Chugiak Mustangs.  Bartlett posts an impressive victory over West Valley, the Dimond Lynx shutout the Colony Knights and the short sprint that is the high school football season is now underway. Week One Saturday Scores: North Pole        28 West                  44   South                 18 Chugiak             21   Bartlett              51 West Valley      26   Dimond              31 Colony                  0   Palmer                14 East                       0   Eagle River         16 Soldotna              41   Skyview               32           Wasilla                 20   Delta                      8 Barrow                 73   Eielson               22 Kenai                 42   Valdez               14 Homer               54   ...

The staff of the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network has voted South Anchorage the preseason number one team in its large schools football poll.  South is coming off a 3 and 5 season in 2010, which constitutes a down year for the Wolverines.  However, John Lewis returns about a half dozen starters on defense and junior quarterback Zach Lujan.  South edges Bartlett for the top spot. Soldotna is the ASBN's choice for number one in the small schools poll, over Kenai.  The prep football season kicks off this Friday, August 12th.

Anglers looking to catch a Kenai River king salmon are going to have to do it without bait. At 12:01 a.m. Monday morning July 25, an Emergency Order issued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game went into effect that prohibits the use of bait in the Kenai River from the mouth to Skilak Lake.   "The guides are fine with that, as long as it helps get fish up the river and into the spawning beds," said Dave Goggia, President of the Kenai River...

For 24 years, the owners of Dairy Queen in Soldotna have seen customers come and go, but a blaze tore through the store early Wednesday, and now they’re left with the damages that followed. Co-owner Val Ischi said the building suffered $900,000 worth of damages, if not more. Deputy Fire Marshal Brad Nelson said he believes the fire started in the kitchen area but they are still investigating where and what exactly happened. The damage gets worse towards the back of the building where debris is all over the floor, and the roof is collapsed.

A Kenai Peninsula landmark was severely damaged Wednesday morning, when the Soldotna Dairy Queen caught fire at about 3 a.m. Firefighters spent about six hours battling the fire. Deputy Fire Marshal Brad Nelson said the blaze was not intense, but because of several remodels firefighters had to deal with multiple smoldering hot spots. Nelson said the fire was declared under control at about 9 a.m. Deputy Fire Marshal Brad Nelson says about $850,000 of damage was done to the building, which also includes another business.

Each month Channel 2 awards a scholarship to an outstanding Alaskan student. This month’s winner is an 18-year-old from Soldotna, who saw a business opportunity in an everyday chore. Kelsey Brush didn't know what she was getting into when she started her own business. “I came home to my mom and dad and say you would not believe what was in my boat today.” The concept for Kelsey’s Mobile Boat Washing Service came to her three years ago, as a way to save for college.

Two people drowned in Tustumena Lake after the boat they were on became swamped with water and sank Friday night, said Beth Ipsen, Alaska State Trooper spokeswoman. Soldotna troopers received a phone call at 4:38 p.m. Saturday about boating debris that was found in the lake. From information found in a cooler in the water, troopers discovered that the group of five had left Friday night to spend the weekend at a cabin near Pipe Creek.  U.S Fish and Wildlife and Alaska Wildlife Troopers launched an aerial and water search for the missing people.