The fourth annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby ended yesterday, awarding $3,600 in prize money to six fishermen whose fish were not too big, not too small, but just right. The city of Kenai and Kenai Chamber of Commerce are now counting the rest of the funds raised, which the Kenai Community Foundation will use for river and anadromous water preservation.

The derby, which ran from Sept. 15 to Sept. 20, awards fishermen whose catches best approximate a daily “magic weight,” randomly generated at the end of each derby day. Don Morrison was the overall winner and will receive $3,000 in prize money. That’s three times the cash the derby awarded in last year’s grand prize.

A 22-year-old Nikiski woman died this weekend following a reported car chase.

According to an Alaska State Troopers report, officers attempted to stop Olivia Mapes around 2 p.m. Saturday for swerving across the center and fog lines on the Kenai Spur Highway. Mapes didn’t stop, and when she turned off the highway, a pursuit ensued, according to the state’s online trooper dispatch.

Try to count how many disasters we saw this year and you will run out of fingers. 

2020 is most certainly going down in history as the year of emergencies. September, however, is all about guarding against emergencies. For this year’s National Emergency Preparedness Month, Dan Nelson, emergency manager for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management, is doling out some advice about what it means to expect the unexpected.

Enrollment is down 18 percent at Kenai Peninsula College this fall.

Last year, there were 2,072 students enrolled in the fall semester, 174 of whom were taking classes full time. This year, there are 1,729 students enrolled, 121 of whom are full time. Students are also taking fewer classes this semester — enrollment by credit hours is down by 20 percent.

There are a few reasons for that dip, said President Gary Turner.