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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 116
In the news
Local Republicans call on Knopp to join majority or resign By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
On Monday, Republican officials for District 30 narrowly passed a resolution calling for Rep. Gary Knopp (RKenai/Soldotna) to join the state House Republican majority, or resign. In a phone call Wednesday afternoon, Knopp said he is definitely not going to resign. Ten officers supported the resolution, with eight opposing. One officer abstained and another officer was not present. The Alaska State house of Representatives has been without organization since the legislative session began early last month. Chairman for District 30, Neal DuPerron, said the resolution was mailed to Knopp Tuesday. The monthly meeting was held at the Ammo Can in Soldotna.
Large oyster farms planned for Southeast JUNEAU (AP) — Large oyster farms have been proposed for southeast Alaska, marking potential growth in marine life cultivation for food that a state task force has projected could be a $100 million industry. Silver Bay Seafoods has been working on securing a 10-year lease on 182 acres of seafloor near Sitka from the state Department of Natural Resources, CoastAlaska reported Tuesday. State agencies are reviewing the application by the seafood company, which has been buying and processing fish at its plant in Sitka for the past decade. The company’s proposal is available for public comment through March 1. Another oyster farm has been proposed on 127 acres in Doyle Bay off Prince of Wales Island. The farm has passed the regulatory review process, but it still needs to post a bond, pay its fees and sign for the lease.
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Dunleavy releases budget Borough could see major cuts to university system, public schools By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Peninsula agencies could face hard decisions, if Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget, which would cut $1.6 billion in state spending, is passed. Documents available on the state’s Office of Management and Budget website detailed possible cuts spanning across the state. Rep. Gary Knopp (RKenai/Soldotna) said he’s still in the process of dissecting the budget. “Some things are very alarming, as I thought they would be,” Knopp said. Knopp said he’s not happy about the budget overall. He said he supports the governor’s right to look at the budget but would prefer a more analytical approach. “This slash and burn $1.6 billion in a year is un-
Governor proposes cutting UA’s budget by nearly half By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
UAS Student Body President Nick Bursell speaks at a rally for funding the University of Alaska in front of the Capitol on Wednesday, in Juneau. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)
sity and public education, puses will close,” Knopp realistic,” Knopp said. Rep. Knopp said he’s which saw some of the said. After the governor talkconcerned with the im- deepest cuts. See CUTS, page A13 “I imagine some campacts to both the univer-
Gov. Mike Dunleavy released his budget Wednesday that proposes cutting 41 percent of the total operating budget for the university system, prompting outcry from university officials and education advocates. University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen responded by saying an estimated 1,300 positions would need to be eliminated. As a result of past budget cuts, they’ve already cut about 1,200 positions. “Those were not empty positions,” Johnsen said at a press conference in Fairbanks after Dunleavy’s See UA, page A2
Chamber talks Soldotna field house ahead of vote By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
The fate of the Soldotna Field House and the upcoming special election were discussed at length during Soldotna’s Chamber Luncheon on Wednesday. Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen, Public Works Director Kyle Kornelis and Tim Dillon with the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development Division gave a presentation to the chamber laying out the details of the project’s design and explaining how the city plans to pay for its construction and upkeep. The field house has been in the planning phases for two years now as a coor-
Kyle Kornelis, Stephanie Queen and Tim Dillon speak about the Field House project during a Soldotna Chamber Luncheon on Wednesday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/ Peninsula Clarion)
dinated effort between city officials, youth and adult sports leagues and medical professionals. During
the presentation, Kornelis gave a breakdown of what the facility will look like and what features it will
A brew for all seasons Frozen RiverFest to warm up Soldotna this weekend By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion
This weekend’s Frozen RiverFest may offer a pick-me-up from the midwinter doldrums. Slated from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Soldotna Creek Park, the festival has become an annual happening that draws in the crowds. Now in its fifth year, the social gathering not only serves as a way to spice up a cold day and night, but it also injects a nice financial stimulus into the local economy, event organizer Andrew Heuiser said. “The whole idea is to honestly create a unique Alaskan event and get
Alaska brewers serve up beer at the Frozen RiverFest in February, 2018. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
people out in the dead of people here, with is a nice winter when not a whole stimulation for local busilot is going on,” Heuiser nesses.” said. “It draws Anchorage See BREW, page A3
Proposed Medicaid cuts spark outrage By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
On the day their budget proposal was released, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Office of Budget and Management Director Donna Arduin repeatedly said this budget will affect all Alaskans. Many lawmakers and health care experts agreed
— but did so in a different tone. Particularly as a result of the governor’s plan to make cuts to Medicaid, many agreed Wednesday that seniors and those in need of affordable health care would be negatively affected by the cuts. The amended budget proposes more than $1.6 billion in cuts, including a
$271 million cut to Medicaid. That’s nearly a 40 percent decrease from last year’s budget, according to OMB budget documents released Wednesday. The budget proposal lists a 31 percent decrease in Department of Health and Social Services funding. See MED, page A13
have. According to specifications laid out in the presentation, the bottom floor of the building will be 42,000 square feet with a second-floor mezzanine that totals 15,000 square feet. The mezzanine will feature a three-lane running track and have elevator access. The bottom floor of the facility will have Sport Court flooring for sports such as basketball or volleyball, as well as removable turf for soccer or football. It would also include dividers that can allow multiple events to occur simultaneously. The complex will meet size regulations for all sports except high school foot-
ball and soccer, giving Soldotna the opportunity to host various state tournaments in the future. The field house will be built adjacent to the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, and the two buildings will be connected with a breezeway. Kornelis said that the field house design is “95 percent complete,” and the planners are waiting on the results of a special election on March 5 before finalizing anything. If the vote passes, Kornelis said that he expects construction to start as early as this summer, with the building being complete by August of 2020. See VOTE, page A13
22nd annual Tsunami Bowl coming to Seward By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Seward is once again welcoming teams from across Alaska for the 22nd annual Alaska Regional National Ocean Bowl competition, known as the Alaska Tsunami Bowl. From Feb. 21 to 24, the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Oceans Sciences is hosting 16 teams, testing their knowledge of ocean science against one another. The annual event has been held in Seward since 1998 and brings together students from as far as Mt. Edgecumbe and Unalaska. “Debuting in the 1990s, the National Ocean Sci-
ences Bowl (NOSB) was created by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership to address a gap in environment and earth sciences in public education,” according to the event’s press release. The NOSB, the national parent competition of the Tsunami Bowl, hopes to introduce high school students to and engage them in ocean science, to prepare them for STEM careers and help them become environmental stewards. Each of the regional winners, including whoever takes home top prize in Seward later this month, will move on to the national competition in Washing-
See BOWL, page A3
Budget: More than 700 state job cuts proposed By KEVIN BAIRD Juneau Empire
“Ain’t no power like the power of the people ‘cuz the power of the people won’t stop,” went the chant of protest outside Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on
Wednesday afternoon. The protesters were members of the AFL-CIO, a labor union that represents many state employees. The AFLCIO left the Capitol singing union songs. See 700, page A3