Peninsula Clarion, March 06, 2019

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P E N I N S U L A

Vol. 49, Issue 133

Iditarod Peninsula mushers’ progress as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: 8. Travis Beals, Seward, out of Nikolai 10. Mitch Seavey, Seward, out of Nikolai 21. Sarah Stokey, Seward, out of Nikolai 46. Ryan Santiago, Sterling, out of Rohn

In the news Alaska to send National Guard troops along USMexico border

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska will send 10 National Guard members for aerial patrol operations along the U.S.Mexico border. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state will send the soldiers from an aviation unit for a six-month deployment beginning April 1. Dunleavy’s office says the soldiers will focus efforts in Arizona, near the border. The deployment comes following a request for volunteers through the National Guard Bureau. The soldiers will include helicopter pilots, crew chiefs, aircraft maintenance and support personnel. They will fly and maintain aircraft in Arizona brought in by Guard units in other states. Dunleavy previously offered President Donald Trump the use of the Alaska National Guard to patrol the border.

Inside ‘Everyone should take a trip with Bernie! What fun ... Well almost! ’ ... See page A

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Early results show no bond for field house By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion

Unofficial results from Soldotna’s special election are in and the ordinance that would have allowed the city to borrow $10 million for construction of the Soldotna field house appears to have failed by 21 votes, 289 to 268. Results may change after absentee and question ballots have been tallied. The election asked voters if the city should issue a $10 million dollar bond to fund the construction of the field house. The bond would be paid off with a temporary .5 percent increase in sales taxes. Early exit polling for the special election reflected how close of a

call the unofficial results are. Out of 50 people surveyed, 15 said they voted yes, 13 said they voted no and 23 did not wish to disclose their vote. People had many different reasons for voting the way they did. Most of those who voted yes said that they thought the field house would benefit the youth in the community. Others said that the elderly residents needed a warm place to exercise with their families in the winter. Of those who voted against it, some did not feel that the city could realistically afford to maintain the facility. Others said they had a problem with the decision being based on a special election, rather than See VOTE, page A2

A sign directing voters to the polling place sits outside city hall in Soldotna on Tuesday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Elks Lodge awards grant to hospital By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion

The Kenai chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks recently received a grant from the Elks National Fund and in turn donated $3,750 to the Central Peninsula Hospital Foundation. The lodge began donating to the CPHF in 2012 and has since donated a total of $13,500, according to a press release. Lodge trustee Mary Jack-

son said that the purpose of their Elks Care Fund is to provide medical financial assistance for people who are under-insured or uninsured. Jackson said that CPHF is meant to help cover the cost of major issues like cancer treatment and the Elks Care Fund allows CPHF to offer financial assistance for a wider variety of medical care. Since the fund was first started, it has helped pay for medical equipment, physical rehabilitation session

and transportation costs for under-insured citizens. “Kenai Lodge #2425 is honored to continue to help our neighbors and community with the Elks Care Fund and work with the CPHF to make this program successful,” said Jackson. The Kenai lodge receives the grant each year by having a high enough average donation from each lodge member. This year the Kenai lodge averaged $42.85 in donations per member, See GRANT, page A2

Kenai Elks Lodge members (from left to right) Mary Jackson, Ken Cole, Trina Sanford and Ryan Huss-Green stand in front of the lodge’s signature mounted elk on Tuesday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Legislators vow to Kenai man accused of stealing power from HEA defend ‘vital’ rural By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion

A man in Kenai has been charged with allegedly damaging property and stealing electricity from Homer Electric Association. According to a March 4 affidavit, on Jan. 22 Alaska State Troopers responded to a call from a Kenai resident about power lines that had been cut on his property. The property owner said that Jeff Johansen, 43, had been living on his property with one other person. When the owner visited his property during the week of Jan. 14, he discovered his power box had been damaged and the connected

HEA investigators determined that the utility pole had been tampered with and that a makeshift wire was running from the pole to the trailer. — March 4 Kenai Court Affidavit power lines had been cut. Johansen allegedly admitted to the property owner that he was stealing power from HEA, which owns the utility pole near the property. The property owner reported the cut power lines to troopers as well as to HEA, who investigated the damage on Jan. 22. According to the affidavit, the

HEA investigator determined that the utility pole had been tampered with and that a makeshift wire was running from the pole to the trailer in which Johansen had been living. HEA also determined that Johansen had been a person of interest in a similar incident that occurred in December of 2017. See HEA, page A2

Ulsom maintains Iditarod lead, loses out on beaver mitts ANCHORAGE — Norwegian musher Joar Ulsom retook the lead in the world’s most famous sled dog race, but he missed out on a pair of mitts made out of beaver and a new musher’s hat. Frenchman Nicolas Petit was the first musher to reach the community of McGrath, winning the prizes made by locals. Ulsom, the defending champion, breezed into the checkpoint about 90 minutes later on Tuesday and immediately left to reclaim the lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. See MUSH, page A2

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race defending champion Joar Ulsom, of Norway, talks to fans before the ceremonial start of this year’s race Saturday, March 2 in Anchorage. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

energy fund and that she thinks a portion By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire

One section of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget for 2020 would hit rural Alaskans in an area where it hurts: energy. The Power Cost Equalization fund helps lower the cost of energy in rural Alaska communities. “This was a compromise reached in 1984, when the Legislature recognized that there was no answer to bring affordable power to rural Alaska,” said Meera Kohler, the president and CEO of the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative at a House Energy committee meeting on Tuesday. “We can’t afford to go back to annual battles for PCE. We need folks to understand how vital this program is.” Fuel cost since 1985 has gone up by 127 percent in 2017, but efficiency is also up 32 percent, Kohler said in her presentation. “Things have improved dramatically,” said Kohler. The most recent year’s funding was at $28 million. That is at 100 percent funding, Kohler said. The governor has proposed cutting this funding completely in his fiscal year 2020 budget. But Sen. Natasha von Imhof, R-Anchorage, said she can confidently say she, and several other legislators, will fiercely protect the PCE. She said that a more systematic, statewide approach needs to be taken. There are several associations that are doing good work in the field already, she said, such as the Alaska Energy Authority,

of the funding for the PCE should be used to leverage with different organizations on finding energy solutions for rural Alaska. She pointed to Kodiak’s use of more green energy as a good example. “Well, I can confidently say there are several legislators that are very protective of the PCE and will defend its continuing as is,” Von Imhof said in an interview with the Empire. “I happen to think that folding the PCE into the general fund is probably not the best choice moving forward, and I may look toward the choices that I described earlier as in being part of an effort to make a systematic and deliberative multi-year plan to address rural Alaska’s energy needs.” In 1977, oil first flowed down the pipeline. There was virtually no transmission system in Alaska, Kohler said. Diesel fuel was the primary energy source in all of Alaska, except Fairbanks, which relied on oil and coal. There was very little hydropower. After oil started flowing, studies were done to identify projects to reduce the cost of electricity throughout Alaska. Oil prices peaked in 1979 triggering the first power cost assistance program, which was a precursor to the PCE program as it is known today, Kohler said. “The PCE program is a political compromise made with rural Alaska resulting from billions in state spending on energy infrastructure continuing to pay dividends, by way of affordable and See RURAL, page A2


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