Attack
Hoops
Las Vegas shooter’s motive still unknown
Harden extends 30-point streak
Nation/A5
Sports/A8
CLARION
Snow 38/20 More weather on Page A2
P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 103
In the news Study: Alaska Native nonprofit contributed $10M to economy JUNEAU (AP) — A Juneau-based Alaska Native nonprofit directly and indirectly contributed more than $10 million into the state economy last year, according to a study by a research and consulting firm. The McDowell Group found the Sealaska Heritage Institute generated the money through its employees, contractors, grants and the visitors it brought in, the Juneau Empire reported Monday. About $9.2 million was spent in the city and borough of Juneau. The institute’s revenue last year was $8.16 million, so every dollar the nonprofit took in turned into more for the state and city, according to the study. “It was astonishing to see how high the numbers actually are,” said Rosita Worl, the institute’s president. “It’s very gratifying to know that we contribute this much to the economy of Juneau and the state.” The study was an attempt to quantify what growth in revenue, programs and community support means for the city and state, said Lee Kadinger, the institute’s chief of operations. The institute had 85 employees who earned almost $4 million and generated about $170,000 in sales and bed taxes, according to the study. From the institute’s purchases and contracts, 200 Juneau businesses and individuals benefited, and $800,000 was paid to 60 Juneau-based contractors mostly through grant programs. The institute gave $750,000 to the Juneau School District and the University of Alaska Southeast for additional teachers and teacher education and arts programs. It also gave $120,000 in scholarships to 59 Juneau students, with $70,000 spent on education at the university. “When you look at some of the educational gains you’re seeing in the community, you can’t help but say the impact from an economic standpoint is tying into a school improvement,” Kadinger said.
Index Local................A3 Opinion........... A4 News................A5 Foods...............A6 Sports..............A8 Classifieds.... A10 Comics.......... A12 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Senators question Dunleavy budget Borough By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
Senators on both sides of the aisle packed a room in the Capitol Tuesday morning to hear more about the governor’s new proposal to cut $20 million from K-12 schools and $3 million from Village Public Safety Officer programs. Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin and Budget Director Lacey Sanders presented a line-by-line walk-through of the fiscal year 2019 supplemental budget released on Monday, during the Senate Finance Committee. Arduin said the $20 million for schools, although approved through legislation in May 2018 as one-
Sen. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, asks a question as the Senate Finance Committee listens to a supplemental budget offered by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin at the Capitol on Tuesday. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)
time funding, has not actually been distributed to schools, and isn’t scheduled to be delivered until early
February. But Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, said that many school districts al-
ready have the money prioritized in their budgets for the 2018-2019 school year, so the proposed cuts would be challenging. He and other senators questioned whether there had been any discussions with school districts prior to Monday’s announcement. “You should be talking to the school districts first,” Bishop told Arduin. Sen. Peter Micciche, RSoldotna, also asked if the governor’s office had asked school districts whether they’re being caught by surprise. On Monday, Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss told the Empire in an interview that this would most definitely See SENS., page A2
Firefighters douse Anchor Point blaze By MEGAN PACER Homer News
The former location of Anchor Point Seafoods went up in flames Saturday night, requiring a response from three separate fire departments. Anchor Point Emergency Services was called to the blaze at 11:42 p.m. Saturday along with Alaska State Troopers, according to a press release from the fire and EMS department. The building on North Fork Road was “fully engulfed” by the time the got there, according to the release. Firefighters quickly realized more help would be needed, and called for mutual aid from Homer Volunteer Fire Department and Ninilchik Emergency Services. It took a total of 17 firefighters from the three agencies, three tankers, a fire engine and multiple utility vehicles to stifle the blaze. “Although the fire was
The former location of Anchor Point Seafoods sits ablaze Saturday on North Fork Road in Anchor Point. (Photo courtesy Anchor Point Emergency Services)
brought under control within 30 minutes, complete suppression efforts were delayed by nearly two hours until crews from
HEA arrived to shut down the power to the structure in order to ensure the safety of firefighters working on scene,” wrote Anchor Point
Emergency Services Deputy Chief Jon Marsh in the release. “Crews remained on scene until shortly after 5 See BLAZE, page A2
to lose $1.4 million under proposed cuts By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced legislation that would repeal a 2018-2019 appropriation of $20 million to K-12 public education in Alaska. In a letter to peninsula Sens. Gary Stevens and Peter Micciche, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones asked for support in opposing the repeal of the one-time funding. Of the $20 million, $1.4 million was appropriated and allocated to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, according to documents from the state Department of Education and Early Development. The school district budgeted the $1.4 million into their General Fund Revenue, which was used to reinstate 11.5 teaching positions. “We have been employing and paying those folks since the start of the school year in August,” the letter reads. In his letter, Jones said the district cannot afford to be forced to spend an addition $1.4 million in fund balance. Last year, the Legislature passed a $20 million appropriation to be distributed among Alaska’s See CUTS, page A2
Local pianist to join with singer for ‘emotional’ concert By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion
Audiences will get the chance to hear something rare this weekend in Soldotna. Local musician Maria Allison is teaming up with Michigan singer Rehanna Thelwell for a highly anticipated performance Saturday at the Soldotna Christ
Lutheran Church. The evening’s program begins at 7:30 p.m. Thelwell’s voice is what makes the performance so special, as the University of Michigan grad is a classically trained opera singer, and is recognized as a “contralto” — the lowest vocal type for female singers. Thelwell said she operates in the area between con-
tralto and the next highest, mezzo-soprano, and considered herself a mezzocontralto to avoid confusion. Allison said contralto women are rare, so rare that she has worked with only one contralto in her career prior to this weekend, and Thelwell will be the second. “Sopranos and altos are
a dime a dozen, but contraltos not as much,” Thelwell said. Thelwell said the program music was handpicked by herself with recommendations from several of her professors that will give the performance a good flow and will represent her vocal talents well. Allison said the night is expected to engage the au-
dience with a rich, powerful range of emotion derived from Thelwell’s voice and Allison’s piano. “It has a strong emotional message that is really appealing to (listeners), some of it makes me want to cry,” Allison said. “It has powerful messages, it’s really moving.” Allison said the proSee SING, page A3
State sues opioid company Reps talking, but By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
The state is suing a major opioid manufacturer, alleging the company minimized the risks of opioids in its marketing campaign for more than a decade. Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson filed a lawsuit Monday against opioid manufacturer Mallinckrodt PLC, Mallinckrodt LLC and SpecGX LLC, a Mallinckrodt subsidiary, according to the court filing. The lawsuit accuses Mallinckrodt of not being forthcoming about the risks of addiction with its opioid medications in its messages to prescribers. “It is no secret that Alaska has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, and we don’t have time to lose,” Clarkson
said in a Monday release from the Alaska Department of Law. “My office is dedicated to taking all appropriate steps to hold accountable those who violate the law and jeopardize our public health and safety.” From 2011-2017, there have been 582 overdose deaths in Alaska, the lawsuit alleges. From 2013 to 2017, there were 25 opioid overdose deaths in Juneau, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Public Services. In February 2017, former Gov. Bill Walker declared the opioid crisis a public health disaster. Based on prescriptions, Mallinckrodt is the largest manufacturer of opioids in the United States, according to the lawsuit. In 2015, Mallinckrodt estimated that
it accounted for 25 percent of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) entire annual quota for controlled substances that it manufacturers, according to the suit. The state claims that Mallinckrodt relayed, and continues to relay, these misleading messages to prescribers, which it has spread through marketing materials, websites and in-person sales calls. The suit even alleges the company sponsored speakers’ programs and professional associations that disseminated the company’s message while appearing independent and credible. This is quickly coming familiar territory for Alaska and other states. State and city government have been consistently bringing law-
See SUIT, page A3
House still unsettled By KEVIN BAIRD Juneau Empire
Rep. Dave Talerico did not get to break the news he had hoped to share during a press conference Tuesday in the Alaska State Capitol. The Healy Republican had no update on House leadership and organization. He said members of the House are “still talking quite a bit,” though. “The most important thing is we’re still communicating,” Talerico said. Tuesday marked the 15th day of the 31st Legislative Session, and the House remains unorganized, which is a week shy of the record of 22 days without House leadership, set back in 1981. The
House cannot conduct business without House leadership in place. There are 23 Republicans in the House, but only 20 are caucusing with their party; it takes at least 21 representatives to form a majority caucus in the House, which has 40 members. A permanent House speaker cannot be elected without a majority either. Republican Reps. Gabrielle LeDoux, of Anchorage, and Louise Stutes, of Kodiak caucused with the House Majority Coalition during the last legislative session. Former Alaska GOP chairman Tuckerman Babcock, who is now the Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s chief of staff, See HOUSE page A3