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P E N I N S U L A
Monday, December 24, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 73
In the news River otter moved to Detroit Zoo after rescue in Alaska ROYAL OAK, Mich. — An orphaned North American female river otter found by hikers in southeastern Alaska has been moved to the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak. The Detroit Zoological Society says 7-month-old Kalee is a potential mate for Sparky, a 4-year-old male otter born at the zoo. Kalee had suffered a laceration and puncture wound to her side when she was discovered in June. Alaska Fish and Game officials turned her over to a zoo there for initial care. Detroit Zoological Society Chief Life Sciences officer Scott Carter says “female river otters typically do not reproduce until they reach two years of age, but in the meantime, Kalee will be a playful companion for Sparky.” The Detroit Zoo expanded its river otter habitat last year. Three other river otters also call it home.
Assembly member to resign seat to attend Air War College FAIRBANKS — A member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly plans to resign next summer to attend the Air War College in Alabama. Angela Major holds the highest civilian position on Fort Wainwright. She says she likely will study national security strategy or strategic studies at the U.S. Department of Defense senior professional leadership school. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Major was elected to a three-year assembly term in October 2017. She plans to serve until June or July. The assembly will choose her replacement. Assembly seats are nonpartisan and atlarge. — Associated Press
Solving Alaska’s teacher problem at home University system president aims for 90 percent of teachers to be UA educated by 2025 By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
Alaska has a teacher problem. Well, the whole country has a teacher problem, but it’s even more pronounced in rural areas of Alaska. It’s tough to live here for some people, which makes it hard to attract good teachers to fill open teaching positions across the state. “People aren’t as willing to come to Alaska as they used to be,” said Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education Steve Atwater. But teachers who are from Alaska, and know how to live and thrive here, are more likely to stay. That’s why the University of Alaska System President Jim Johnsen has set a goal for 90 percent of all new teacher
The Peninsula Clarion will not publish on Tuesday, Dec. 25 and Tuesday, Jan. 1. We will resume printing on the following Wednesdays. We wish you and your family a merry Christmas and happy new year.
Index Opinion................... A4 Schools................... A5 Sports......................A6 Classifieds.............. A8 Comics.................. A10
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University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen, left, listens to Dr. Steve Atwater, Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education, during an interview at the University of Alaska Southeast on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
hires to have graduated from 2025. It’s part of an initiative the University of Alaska by called “Grow your own,” which
is used by teacher recruitment programs across the country. Nearly two-thirds of all teacher and administrative school positions are hired from out of state each year, according to data from the university. Many teachers come to get initial experience out of university, then leave after one or two years to go back to the Lower 48. “Between 2004 and 2014, district-level teacher turnover in rural Alaska averaged 20 percent per year, and about a dozen districts experienced annual turnover rates higher than 30 percent,” said Dayna Jean DeFeo, a senior research associate for the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research in a report. In contrast, the national rate is only 8 percent, accord-
ing to a report by the Learning Policy Institute. Right now, Atwater said about 43 percent of teachers are coming from the University of Alaska. In order to raise that number to 90 by 2025, the university is focusing on two main goals: recruitment and retention, especially among Alaska Natives. “You want to get more people into the pipeline,” he said. “And you have to get people to stay.” To accomplish this goal, the university is taking a multifaceted approach including traditional-type recruiting, public awareness and outreach, a statewide mentoring program to support teachers who are already working in Alaska, a See TEACH, page A5
Court ruling could impact Kenai Peninsula teachers still without contract peninsula cruise ports By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
A decision in a long-fought court case between the cruise industry and Juneau could have local ramifications for Seward, Homer and other cruise ports in Alaska. U.S. District Court Judge H. Russel Holland ruled earlier this month that it’s constitutional for a city to collect head taxes, or fees from each cruise ship passenger, but they can only be used to benefit the cruise ships, not the public or cruise passengers. “Passenger benefits are not relevant,” Holland wrote in his 35-page ruling. “The proper question as to each category of expenditure by the City and Borough of Juneau is: Does the expenditure provide a service to
As the Anchorage and Ketchikan school districts finalize employee contracts, it is unknown when teachers in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will see their three-year contracts. David Brighton, president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, said the district and teacher unions do not have any meetings scheduled to ne-
Cruise ship visitors gather for their tours on the Seawalk in Juneau on Sept. 13, 2017. (File photo)
a vessel? If the answer is yes, the expenditure is constitutional.” If the answer is no, Holland said the expenditure is unconstitutional under the Tonnage
Clause of the U.S. Constitution which stops states from charging for a vessel’s cargo without providing a service to the boat. See CRUISE, page A2
Santa tracker will still run despite government shutdown By DAN ELLIOTT Associated Press
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DENVER — The government may be partially shut down, but that won’t stop hundreds of volunteers dressed in Christmas hats and military uniforms Monday from taking calls from children around the
world who want to know when Santa will be coming. The military says the NORAD Tracks Santa won’t be affected by the government shutdown because it is run by volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado and is funded by the Department of Defense’s budget that was ap-
proved earlier this year. Now in its 63rd year, the Santa tracker became a Christmas Eve tradition after a mistaken phone call to the Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1955. CONAD, as it was known, had the serious job of See SANTA page A2
gotiate contracts. “It’s frustrating to see Ketchikan and Anchorage both settle a contract with 2 percent raises in all three of the years, and our district can’t see to give us a three-year contract or include raises,” Brighton said. If no new meetings are scheduled with the district and unions, arbitration will take place on Feb. 26. The school district was not immediately available for comment.
PCHS Dental receives national award By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Peninsula Community Health Services of Alaska Dental received a national award of excellence in November. The award to PCHS Dental was presented at the National Network for Oral Health Access conference, which took place Nov. 1114 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The award was given to two other health clinics across the country — one in Santa Barbara, California and one in Palm Beach County, Florida For the last three years, PCHS has been working with DentaQuest, a nonprofit organization focused on improving ef-
ficiency, effectiveness and quality in dental care, according to a press release. Dental Director Jake Owens said working at PCHS has been a very rewarding experience. “We get the opportunity to help people with more affordable and quality health care, something that is truly needed in all communities,” Owens said. The press release from PCHS noted the DentaQuest program helped to improve community access to oral health care, and improved clinic operations, ensuring viability in the future. “For two years, (DentaQuest) advised us on potential improvements, from policy and See AWARD, page A3
Southern peninsula homestead kids tell their tales By MEGAN PACER Homer News
Four local children from homestead families — now grown with extensive families of their own — regaled the community with stories and anecdotes from their respective homesteads earlier this month during the second iteration of “Homestead Kids.” Terry Epperson Harrington, Al Poindexter, Mary Haakenson Perry and Joyce Anderson Turkington all grew up in the area surrounding North Fork Road in Anchor Point, referred to generally as “the North Fork.” They presented “Homestead Kids: Tales from the North Fork” at the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center, moderated by Lynn
Lynn Whitmore moderates Homestead Kids: Tales of the North Fork, a presentation held Dec. 13 at the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center in Homer. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Whitmore. To say all homesteaders and their children lived the same kind of life would be simplify-
ing: Some were cattle ranchers (like the Eppersons and the Andersons), others were gardeners, still others were fishermen
(like the Haakensons). One thing they all shared, though, was the experience of taming a piece of the Kenai Peninsula together through hard work, building and expansion. Whitmore asked the panelists about a range of topics, from what their first cabins on the North Fork were like to how they got to school, particularly in the winter. Each pioneering kid recalled that their first house on the North Fork was a one-room cabin. Some had lofts, others didn’t. It wasn’t uncommon to go through several homes in those days while the family settled into its homesteading lifestyle, eventually expanding and upgrading. Harrington recalled staying in an uninsulated house in Ninilchik before
the family really got settled. In Perry’s home, six older siblings all slept together in one loft, with the baby of the family sleeping downstairs with their mom and dad. Both Harrington and Poindexter described early homes in which the cracks between the logs were just about as wide as the logs themselves. They recalled waking up some cold mornings with their blankets frozen to the wall of the cabin where they slept. Turkington’s family got the first grazing lease given out on the Kenai Peninsula after moving up from the New Mexico area. Poindexter’s family were successful chicken farmers from Seward, helping other families in other areas of the See TALES, page A3