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P E N I N S U L A
Tuesday, January 8, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 84
In the news Highway officials seek $1.5 million for repair of overpass ANCHORAGE — State highway officials are seeking $1.5 million dollars for repair of a busy Anchorage overpass. Anchorage television station KTUU reports the final cost for repair of the Seward Highway overpass at Tudor Road could be higher or lower. A dump truck with a raised bed hit the overpass Jan. 3, damaging a girder. Alaska Department of Transportation spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy says crews from Sandstrom and Sons have worked on repairs since the crash. The damage and repairs continue to cause lane closures on the main northsouth thoroughfare on Anchorage’s east side. The truck was driven by a private operator. McCarthy says she is working to confirm which company was involved in the crash before releasing that information. McCarthy says the state will make a claim against the owner’s insurance.
Anchorage’s inspection backlog numbers 1,200 properties ANCHORAGE — Officials say about 1,200 properties in the Anchorage area are waiting for damage inspections more than a month after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook southcentral Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News reports the deadline to apply for a state individual assistance grant is Jan. 29, but city officials say a building inspection is not a prerequisite to apply for state or federal disaster aid. Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says people should not wait to start an application for aid even if officials haven’t determined the extent of damage. Grants could provide up to $17,450 to cover damage that affects a person’s ability to live in the home. The city building department says working through the inspection backlog could take several months. — Associated Press
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Nikiski incorporation efforts continue King By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
The Local Boundary Commission recently drafted their annual report to the first session of the 31st Alaska State Legislature. Included in the report is the current status of the petition to incorporate Nikiski into its own municipality. According to the report, the Local Boundary Commission is awaiting a final amended petition to be submitted for consideration. The incorporation effort is led by the Citizens for Nikiski Incorporation, which submitted the original petition in December 2016. The petition was accepted for filing by the Local Boundary Commission, and over the course of 2017 was subject
The sign welcoming residents to Nikiski along the Sterling Highway as seen on Monday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
to a public comment period, staff. Taking into account the informational sessions and a public comments and an analpreliminary report by LBC ysis of regulatory standards,
the preliminary report recommended denying the Nikiski incorporation petition. The report stated the potential city “seeks more than it intends to offer” in the way of government services. The proposed boundaries — which included the communities of Tyonek and Beluga as well as a portion of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve — would have made the city of Nikiski approximately 5,480 square miles. The proposed city limits are based on the current service boundaries for the Nikiski Fire Service, the North Peninsula Recreation Area and Nikiski Senior Service. The Citizens for Nikiski Incorporation argued that the preliminary report was handled improperly and with See NIKISKI, page A2
Micciche files bill on ‘Schneider Loopholes’ By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Monday, Sen. Peter Micciche (R-Soldotna) filed SB 12 in an effort to eliminate “Schneider Loopholes” in state criminal code, a press release said. The early bill-filing came a week before the first session of the Legislature, which begins on Jan. 15. Micciche’s “Schneider Loopholes” refer to the 2018 case of Justin Schneider, an Anchorage man who served no prison time after strangling a woman unconscious and then masturbating on her. “Last year, Alaskans were horrified to learn that a guilty violent sexual perpetrator, Justin Schneider, walked without adequate conse-
Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, prepares to open a floor session of the Alaska Senate on April 27, 2018. (Daniel McDonald/ Alaska Senate Majority)
quences,” Micciche said in der was charged with one the press release. count of felony kidnapping In September, Schnei- and three counts of assault,
as well as one misdemeanor count of harassment. The case ended with a deal, where Schneider pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree felony assault. Judge Michael Corey sentenced him to two years in prison, with one year suspended, but Schneider was given credit for a year under house arrest. Schneider won’t spend any time in prison. In his press release, Micciche said the case exposed serious, long-standing shortcomings on how Alaska deals with cases of sexual assault. “Serious crimes were ignored and an inappropriate plea deal allowed the perpetrator to serve a portion of the sentence of the single conviction at home with his family,” Micciche said in the press re-
See BILL, page A3
fisheries in Northern Cook Inlet closed By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Northern Cook Inlet, including the Susitna and Little Susitna River, is closed to commercial and sport king salmon fishing in 2019. According to an emergency order from Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Northern Cook Inlet will be closed to king salmon commercial and sport fisheries, and subsistence fisheries will be restricted. King salmon sport fisheries will be closed throughout the Susitna River, Yentna River and Little Susitna River drainages throughout the 2019 season. Commercial fishing will be closed in the Northern District of Upper Cook Inlet through June 24 to allow king salmon passage. Fish and Game is not closing subsistence fishing entirely. The department said they recognize the need to share the burden of conservation, but also understand the importance of subsistence fishing. So, subsistence king salmon fisheries in Tyonek and Upper Yentna subdistricts will be restricted to two days per week instead of the usual three. “The department must make these closures and restrictions because of a recent pattern of extremely poor returns for king salmon stocks in the NCI area,” said ADF&G Acting Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang in a release from Fish and Game. See CLOSED, page A3
Alaska suicide rate jumps 13 percent during 2012-17 period ANCHORAGE (AP) — A new state study shows the suicide rate in Alaska has jumped in recent years. There was a 13 percent increase in suicides between 2012 and 2017 compared to
a similar period from 2007 to 2011, Alaska Public Media reported. Suicide was the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 64, according to the analysis by
state health officials. The rates were highest in northern and southwestern communities. The largest increase, however, was along the state’s Railbelt. Also seeing a significant
increase was the area covering Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The region had a 61 percent hike in suicides, compared to the earlier period. Deborah Hull-Jilly, a state
epidemiologist who worked on the report, is also starting a yearlong project with other researchers to determine why suicides have increased after several years of declines. See JUMP, page A3
Bonuses of nearly $300,000 paid Soldotna Creek Park ice path ready for skaters to pipeline corporation head By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — The president of the state-sanctioned Alaska Gasline Development Corp. received performance bonuses totaling nearly $300,000 for work the past two years, the corporation confirmed Monday.
Tim Fitzpatrick, a corporation spokesman, said the board conducted performance reviews for president Keith Meyer and a three-member executive committee decided on the amounts. He said the money was awarded in late December. Fitzpatrick noted Meyer is eligible for performance bo-
nuses of up to $200,000 annually under his contract. Meyer has a $550,000 base annual salary. His three-year contract began in June 2016. The total broke down to a performance bonus of about $139,000 for Meyer’s first year and about $157,000 for his See PAID, page A3
Moose wanders into Anchorage hospital ANCHORAGE — A moose wandered into a hospital building in Alaska’s largest city Monday — and Stephanie Hupton was ready to capture the visit with her phone camera. Hupton works in billing at a physical therapy office inside a building attached to Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage. When a patient mentioned security staffers were monitoring a moose that got inside her building, she dashed out and started re-
cording. “Didn’t think we’d have a pet moose,” she said. The footage shows the moose browsing around some greenery near an entrance before it stands gazing at the camera’s direction. Hupton said she never felt threatened by the mellow creature in her closest ever encounter with one of the massive animals. The moose briefly lingered before sauntering out through the motion-activated door and meandering around
the parking lot, Hupton said. It was an experience she never expected when she moved to Anchorage three years ago from Carroll, Iowa. In her home state, Hupton had seen her share of deer and cows, but nothing as exotic as a moose. “It’s definitely different than small-town Iowa,” she said. Hospital spokeswoman Kjerstin Lastufka said the moose got inside the
See MOOSE, page A3
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Soldotna’s Parks and Recreation Department has been working for days to make an ice skating path at Soldotna Creek Park. Parks and Recreation Director Andrew Carmichael said it’s now ready
for use. Carmichael said the path is ready to see skates, but that the path is not as smooth as it could be. “It’s actually too cold to resurface with the Zamboni,” Carmichael said. “When it gets below zero, the ice gets See SKATE, page A2
Troopers search for vehicle involved in hit-and-run By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
Law enforcement is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run vehicle collision on Friday afternoon. Alaska State Troopers responded to the collision at Milepost 15 next to the Immanuel Baptist Church on Kalifornsky Beach Road. The vehicle that fled the scene has not been iden-
tified. The other party was able to drive the vehicle from the scene after speaking with authorities. The vehicle was described as either a white late-1980s full-size pickup with a camper, or a fullsize late-1980s SUV. The vehicle’s passenger side will have visible damage. Any information pertaining to the whereabouts of the vehicle or suspect should be reported to the Soldotna Troopers at (907) 262-4453.