Guilty
Rally
Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ convicted
Duke stages wild 23-pt comeback
Nation/A5
Sports/A8
CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 115
In the news Disease testing delayed after lab damaged in quake ANCHORAGE — A state health lab was damaged in the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck south-central Alaska, delaying scientists’ ability to test for tuberculosis, botulism and other dangerous diseases. The Nov. 30 quake damaged 13 of the Anchorage facility’s secure testing rooms, forcing staff to send bacteria samples to labs in California and Washington state, the Anchorage Daily News reported this week. Germ-resistant walls made from layers of fiberglass cracked during the quake. The specialized walls help protect lab scientists from getting infected while conducting tests, said Bernd Jilly, chief of Alaska State Public Health Laboratories. Staff members are working to decontaminate the damaged rooms — a process that takes two days for each room, Jilly said. Doors have been sealed with plastic and tape, so hydrogen peroxide can be pumped in to kill microbes. The lab needs about $200,000 in repairs, and it’s uncertain when the rooms will be fixed, Jilly said. The building is considered “critical infrastructure,” so the state has placed it at the top of the repair list, he said. While the testing delays do not present an “acute danger” to public health, the slowdown complicates the facility’s goal of protecting against highly infectious diseases, Jilly said. Some doctors are not able to quickly get results needed to properly treat and prevent illnesses. Final test results for tuberculosis and botulism are faced with weeklong delays, Jilly said. “Patients are left in limbo for longer than they need to be left in limbo,” Jilly said. “There’s a double-edged sword in this unknown period of time, and the shorter you can make that period of time, the better it is for the individual, the community and the whole health care system.” — Associated Press
Index Local................A3 Opinion........... A4 Nation..............A5 Food................A6 Sports..............A8 Classifieds.... A10 Comics.......... A12 Alaska ...........A14
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Educators call for action
District staff rally at school board meeting, talk of strike By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
A sea of red flooded the Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers Monday night, when hundreds of educators, support staff and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District employees attended the Education Board meeting, wearing red in solidarity and support of getting a contract. After public comment, the district employees moved outside to rally for a contract, and discuss a potential strike. Two full busses of employees from Homer and Seward, along with employees from the central peninsula, were packed into the assembly chambers, with many people sitting on the floor and filling up all three of the chamber’s entryways. Now in the second semester of the school year, teachers and staff are still without a contract. Arbitration between the district and unions is expected Feb. 26-
Cities grapple with online retailer taxation By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
District employees leave the Betty J. Glick Borough Assembly Chambers during the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Education Board meeting in Soldotna, Monday, to rally for a fair contract. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
27, but staff said they hope to find a contract sooner, without arbitration. Stephanie Cronin has been teaching in the district for 20 years. Her family
lives in Seward, where her children attend Seward High and Seward Middle School. During public comment, Cronin spoke on behalf of teachers and staff across the
peninsula. “Today, we have worked 100 days, over 32 weeks without a contract,” Cronin said. “During this time we See RALLY, page A14
Amazon has started charging sales tax in the Kenai Peninsula Borough and municipalities are struggling to work out the logistics. Earlier this month, Amazon filed to start collecting and paying sales taxes but zip codes in the borough overlap between borough and cities, making it difficult to separate purchases made inside and outside of city limits. Kenai City Councilmember Tim Navarre is See TAX, page A14
House surprised as Knopp gets speaker nomination By KEVIN BAIRD Juneau Empire
A surprise nomination for Rep. Gary Knopp, RKenai, to be Speaker of the House spoiled what seemed like an imminent victory for House Republicans on Tuesday morning. In the end, both House speaker nominations failed with Knopp and Rep. Dave Talerico, R-Healy, each garnering 20-20 splits from the House. Coming into the 29th day of session, House Republicans expected Talerico to be nominated Speaker of the House. This was due to a news report in the Anchorage Daily News, published Monday, in which
Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, talks to the media about his nomination for Speaker of the House at the Capitol on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Knopp said he would vote for a Republican speaker. Knopp would have been the vote to carry a Republican
majority of 21 representatives. Those hopes soured Tuesday when Rep. Louise
Stutes, R-Kodiak, nominated Knopp, splitting the vote with Talerico. Leading up to the vote, Rep. Dan Ortiz of Ketchikan, called Knopp “a tireless champion for all Alaskans” and said it would be important the majority “work effectively regardless of party affiliation.” Ortiz said that’s important because he has no party affiliation. Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, then asked if Knopp would explain this unexpected nomination and referenced the news report. “I never said who I would support,” Knopp said. “I am in support of a Republican nominee, myself.”
Sharon Jackson, R-Chugiak, called the nomination “a very interesting occurrence.” The House will continue its record-setting run Wednesday, with no House speaker and no organization. It cannot conduct business. It will mark the 30th day of session. The previous record was 21 days of disorder set back in 1981. Knopp also said Republicans missed out on a chance to elect a GOP speaker. “You could say that the Republicans voted against one of their own today and could’ve had a Republicanled caucus,” Knopp said. See KNOPP, page A2
Marijuana industry testifies against control board nominee By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
The marijuana industry is not happy with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Alaskans voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2014, but the Alaska Marijuana Industry Association thinks the governor is trying to undo that through his leg-
islation and appointments. “Under the guise of rolling back a controversial criminal justice bill, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has again shown a lack of regard for the will of Alaskan voters,” stated an AMIA’s press release. The association said Senate Bill 32, one of the governor’s four proposed crime
bills, includes language that would make it a felony to possess 25 or more cannabis plants or various amounts of scheduled VIA drugs (including marijuana concentrates). They said there are no exemptions in the current text of the bill for legal marijuana businesses, leaving small cannabis business owners fearful of what
comes next. “In SB 32 they’re trying to take possession of a small amount of marijuana,” said AMIA Executive Director Cary Carrigan in an interview with the Empire. “I don’t know how they’re going to determine if something is what you bought or something that is illegal.” AMIA leaders are calling
for clarity in the language of the bill that it will not affect licensed operations. “If this was unintentional, we expect a quick fix from the Dunleavy administration,” said Carrigan in a press release. “Gov. Dunleavy has long aligned himself with the concept of states’ rights yet seems to
See BOARD, page A2
Hayden named publisher Sterling high-speed of Clarion, Homer News pursuit ends in arrest By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
By MICHAEL ARMSTRONG Homer News
Sound Publishing Inc. has appointed Jeff Hayden publisher of the Homer News and the Kenai Peninsula Clarion. Hayden started his new position on Monday, Feb. 11. “I am pleased to put the day-to-day operations of the Homer News and Peninsula Clarion in Jeff’s capable hands,” said Terry Ward, regional publisher and vice-president for Sound Publishing. “Jeff has a deep-rooted desire to help See NEWS, page A3
Jeff Hayden poses at the Homer News on Tuesday, in Homer. Hayden has been named publisher of the Kenai Peninsula Clarion and the Homer News. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
A Soldotna man has been charged with reckless driving and endangerment after being involved in a high-speed chase with a passenger in the car, according to an affidavit filed by state troopers on Sunday. Travis Mchone, 32, was driving southbound on the Sterling Highway between Sterling and Cooper Landing on Saturday when a trooper going northbound recognized his vehicle, a red Pontiac Grand Am. According to the affida-
vit, the same trooper had attempted to stop Mchone for speeding the night before, but Mchone did not pull over and instead drove down several frontage roads until troopers had lost sight of him. After confirming it was the same vehicle and driver as before, the trooper made a second attempt to stop Mchone. According to the affidavit, Mchone turned his right blinker on to indicate he was attempting to pull over, but suddenly switched to his left blinker and passed the car in front See ENDS, page A14