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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 135
Iditarod 2019 Peninsula mushers’ progress as of 6 p.m. Thursday: 8. Mitch Seavey, Seward, in Iditarod 14. Travis Beals, Seward, out Ophir 15. Sarah Stokey, Seward, out Ophir 48. Ryan Santiago, Sterling, in McGrath Find more Iditarod coverage on Page A7.
In the news Keith Miller, Alaska’s third governor, dies at 94
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Keith Miller, who served as Alaska’s third governor, has died. He was 94. His step-daughter, Carol Slater, confirmed Miller died of pancreatic cancer while in hospice care Saturday in Anchorage. Miller was serving as Alaska’s secretary of state when Gov. Wally Hickel was selected by President Richard Nixon to be the secretary of the U.S. Interior. Alaska didn’t have a lieutenant governor position then. Alaska came into sudden wealth under Miller’s governorship when an oil lease sale on the North Slope fetched $900-million. Miller served as governor for two years, losing to Gov. William Egan in 1970. Miller ran again in 1974, only to lose in the Republican primary. Born March 1, 1925, in Seattle, he moved to Alaska in 1946 and homesteaded in the Talkeetna area.
Inside ‘I literally had to pinch— I had to pinch myself.’ ... See page A6
Friday — Saturday, March 8-9, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
KPEDD Director talks 2020 Census By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
Every 10 years, the federal government collects census data to determine the population and demographic information of every region in the country. With the 2020 Census just around the corner, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly asked the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development Disctrict to lead the data collection efforts on the peninsula. KPEDD Executive Director Tim Dillon gave a presentation on Tuesday’s Assembly meeting to discuss this and other projects being undertaken by KPEDD. Dillon said during his presentation that KPEDD is currently putting together an outreach committee to increase awareness of the census and encourage participation. Representatives from each peninsula community will begin outreach
efforts in April, Dillon said while during an interview Thursday. According to Dillon, an accurate census count is important because it ensures that federal dollars for social programs and loans go where they are most needed. “We need to make sure that people are counted and counted correctly, because it means dollars in the long run,” said Dillon during the presentation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s website, more than $675 billion in federal funds is distributed annually based directly on the information collected by the decennial census. The census also determines how congressional districts are drawn, which means that an inaccurate count could leave communities with inadequate or inaccurate representation. Because the census asks very specific and personal questions — including the
KPEDD Executive Director Tim Dillon gives a presentation at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting in Soldotna on Tuesday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
number of men, women and children in a home — people are sometimes hesitant to respond. Dillon said that the goals of KPEDD’s outreach com-
mittee are to counteract that reluctance and increase awareness about the local benefits provided by accurate census counts. “It’s about education
more than anything else,” said Dillon. Beyond the census project, Dillon updated the assembly on the staSee TALK, page A2
Vance fields heated questions at town hall By MEGAN PACER Homer News
Homer area residents were restless to say the least on Saturday while they attended a town hall put on by Rep. Sarah Vance (R-Homer) at Kachemak Bay Campus. They asked questions out of turn, spoke over one another, interrupted Vance and in some cases shouted at her during the tense, two-hour event. They wanted answers to questions about the deep cuts Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s
proposed budget would make to public services — answers the freshman representative said she doesn’t have because the Alaska House is only just starting its work of examining the proposed budget. The House took a record number of 31 days to elect a leader and get organized, something Vance said she was just as frustrated about as her constituents. Hundreds of people showed up to speak with Vance at the meeting in a large classroom in Pioneer Hall. Those who didn’t get
there early enough spilled out of the room on the upper floor and into the lobby. Many of them were there to talk about funding for public education. “Our schools are the lifeblood of our community,” said Mike Illg, a member of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education. Illg told Vance it’s likely the school district will have to cut sports, school pools, school theaters and more under the proposed budget. See VANCE, page A2
Richard Gustafson asks Rep. Sarah Vance (R-Homer) a heated question during a town hall meeting Saturday, March 2, 2019 at Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Nominee haunted Highway closure planned by ghoulish past By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Past ghosthunting experiences have come back to haunt a man picked by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to serve on a compensation board for crime victims. John Francis hasn’t shied away from the topic, voluntarily bringing it up during a House hearing last week and
calmly fielding pointed questions during a Senate hearing Wednesday. In an interview Thursday, he spoke of a lifechanging event in which he felt the soul of a man “go through my body.” Francis said he was somewhat surprised by how much attention the ghost hunting has gotten. He said he expected more questions on criminal activity he was See GHOST, page A2
By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
A portion of the Sterling Highway will be closed from March 11 to March 18, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT). The highway will be closed at Mile Post 106 just north of Kasilof as crews work to replace the Coal Creek Culvert. Drivers will have to use Kalifornsky Beach Road as a detour while this portion of the highway is closed, according to the DOT’s website. This road closure and culvert repair
is part of a larger project to widen the shoulders of Sterling highway from Mile Post 97 to Mile Post 118. The project will also install large-diameter culverts at Slikok Tributary, Crooked Creek and Clam Gulch. All construction related to this project is scheduled to be finished by October of this year, according to the public notice. Anyone residing in construction zones who may require special accommodations can contact the DOT Highway Construction Engineer at 907-269-0450. For all other questions, call the DOT hotline at 907-262-1042.
Rolling out the red carpet Photos and caption by Victoria Petersen
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Thursday afternoon, the Kenai Peninsula School District hosted a Despite the films’ short time limit, students stretched their creativity. student film festival. Some films featured original student animation, and another was a Students, parents and teachers came to the Kenai Central High stop-action style video made with Lego toys. School auditorium to watch dozens of short films made by students in Students attending the film screening were greeted with the red the district’s Quest program. carpet treatment, complete with a photo backdrop opportunity.