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P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, December 21-22, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 71
In the news Longtime head of Alaska’s Iditarod sled dog race is leaving ANCHORAGE — The longtime head of Alaska’s 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is resigning in mid-January after 25 years on the job. Iditarod Trail Committee CEO Stan Hooley said Thursday he is leaving the post he held since 1993 to take on a new opportunity outside the state. The 61-year-old Hooley says he’s not at liberty to say what the opportunity is until January. Hooley says his resignation has nothing to do with the Iditarod coming off a difficult time for race organizers, who have faced the loss of major sponsors, financial hardships and the first-ever dog doping scandal. Earlier this month, race officials cleared four-time champion Dallas Seavey of any wrongdoing in a dogdoping scandal that followed the sled dog race last year. The committee’s chief operating officer, Chas St. George, will serve as acting CEO until a replacement is found.
2 men accused of assaulting Anchorage crash victim ANCHORAGE — Two men are under arrest in Anchorage, accused of assaulting the driver of a pickup truck that was struck by the vehicle they were traveling in. Police say a Honda that 24-year-old Jordan Campbell and 24-year-old Vidal Burney were traveling in rearended the victim’s truck late Wednesday night. Police say Campbell and Burney got out of their vehicle and began hitting the victim, then Burney stole a gun from the truck’s front seat before the men took off. Campbell and Burney were located and arrested early Thursday on charges of robbery, theft and assault, and Burney also was charged with weapons misconduct and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Online court records don’t list attorneys for the men. Police say the victim had visible injuries but did not need medical care. — Associated Press
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Control board approves rules for onsite marijuana use By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Alaska regulators on Thursday approved rules for onsite consumption of marijuana at specially designated shops, a significant step for the cannabis industry in the state after years of debate. The 3-2 vote by the Marijuana Control Board does not mean people can light up at shops right away. Rather, interested businesses would have to apply for a special onsite use endorsement and devise plans that would meet ventilation and other standards for onsite use and pass muster with the board. “It’s not like people are going to be opening these up in the next week,” said Cary
The open sign for Uncle Herb’s, Homer’s first marijuana retail store, lights up on opening day, Thursday, May 24, 2018 on Ocean Drive in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Carrigan, the executive direc- rigan nonetheless called the tor of the Alaska Marijuana vote significant and a positive Industry Association. Car- step.
The adopted rules also must be reviewed by the state Department of Law before they can be finalized. Chris Lindsey, senior legislative counsel with the Marijuana Policy Project, said Alaska would have the first regulatory framework for onsite use at the state level. He called the adopted rules smart and said they could be a model for other states. The Marijuana Control Board has gone back and forth on the issue since passing regulations in 2015 that contemplated allowing for onsite consumption in designated areas of authorized retail marijuana stores. However, it wasn’t until Thursday that the board adopted rules for how onsite use would work.
See BOARD, page A3
Airport remodel on schedule despite asbestos By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Construction at the Kenai Airport continues, but costs are creeping higher than anticipated. At Wednesday’s city council meeting, City Manager Paul Ostrander warned the council that he will most likely bring a resolution for more funds in the new year. “Because of asbestos that was not found during the design process, it appears we’re going to have to do a serious amount of abatement,” Ostrander said. “And it looks like we’re going to burn through a significant portion of our contingency.” See AIRPORT, page A3
Giving the gift of experience for the holidays By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Still trying to find the perfect gift for friends and family on your shopping list? Consider gifting them an experience. In 2010, researchers from Cornell University found people are more satisfied with the gift of experience, compared to material purchases. This doesn’t necessarily mean doling out thousands of dollars for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. It can be as simple as a complimentary car wash or an all-expenses-paid weekend at a public use cabin. For the busy bees Let the workaholics, stressedout moms and friends constantly on the go have a day off. A day at the spa is the perfect gift for the person who needs pampering. At Bare Skin Spa in Soldotna, treat your weary friend or family member to a facial, pedicure or manicure, massage or body scrubs. They have several spa packages available, like the Cleopatra-for-a-day special, which includes a 24K gold facial, a milk and honey foot facial, a
This May 4, 2018, photo shows the “Art Shack,” an art studio space owned by Sue Mann, in Soldotna. (Clarion file photo)
60-minute grapeseed oil mas- Spa range from $159-$299. At Renewal Skin Studio in sage, a warm paraffin dip and sparkling cider or hot tea and Soldotna choose from a wide vagrapes to complete the experi- riety of facials and body scrubs. Also, choose from several spa ence. Spa packages at Bare Skin
packages at Karlene’s Day Spa. The Purely Pampering Package includes a one-hour full body hot rock massage, foot scrub and hand paraffin dip. Packages range
from $140-$395. Does the busy bee in your life need a new haircut or a fresh manicure? Affinity Salon and Day Spa in Kenai offers dozens of hair services, from beard trims to perms to styling. Do you know someone who commutes? Treat them to an auto detail. There are several auto body shops in town that offer this service, such as Hutchings Auto Spa and Beau’s Detailing and Mobile Powerwashing in Soldotna. For the person who loves to move Treat your active friends and loved ones to some yoga classes. Tides Yoga Studio in Kenai and Yoga Sol and The Yoga Yurt near Soldotna offer several kinds of yoga classes. Want to give the gift of selfdefense and exercise? There are several martial arts facilities on the central peninsula, including Challenge Martial Arts in Nikiski, Redemption Mixed Martial Arts in Soldotna and White Crane Academy in Kenai. It will be some time before the See GIFT, page A2
Judge backs Alaska elections division in recount By DAN JOLING Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Division of Elections properly recounted votes in a state House race decided by one vote, a Superior Court judge decided Thursday. The Alaska Supreme Court named Judge Eric Aarseth as
a special master to prepare a report on the recount appeal by Democrat Kathryn Dodge. The recount showed her losing by one vote to Republican Bart LeBon in a race for a seat from Fairbanks in the Alaska House. Aarseth will turn in a written report Friday and the state Supreme Court will have the final say after a hearing next month.
Aarseth from the bench after a hearing Thursday said elections officials followed the law as set up by legislators. There may be times, he said, when a vote is counted even though it was cast by someone who is not a resident. However, state lawmakers set up election law to ensure the continuity of leadership in the state without
Permanent Fund seeks incentive pay for managers JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. wants to pay its investment managers incentive compensation, which officials said is needed to recruit and retain talented employees. The board presiding over the nearly $64 billion fund adopted a policy earlier this year to start paying incentives worth up to 50 percent of investment managers’ salaries, KTOO Public Media and Alaska Public Media reported this week.
The board’s incentive compensation request is included in its annual budget request, which must be approved by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration and the state Legislature. The state employees who manage the fund’s investments would receive incentive pay based on a combination of how the fund and the assets they manage perform. Incentive pay would be based on performance over the last five years.
Incentive compensation systems can be complicated, but the corporation aimed to keep it concise, CEO Angela Rodell said. “Let’s keep it very simple and straightforward and very tangible for people to grasp that investors making investment decisions will benefit from the positive decisions that they make and they won’t benefit from the negative decisions they make,” Rodell said.
See PFD, page A3
long delays, he said. “The Legislature has made the emphasis that a prompt decision, in my words, is more important than perfection in the election process itself,” Aarseth said. LeBon did not attend the hearing. Dodge said afterward she was evaluating the decision and had no immediate com-
ment. The crux of Dodge’s appeal came down to two ballots accepted by election officials and one that was rejected. Elections officials received two absentee ballots listing Fairbanks addresses that did not appear to be residences, she testified. One was from a doc-
See COUNT, page A3
Stores sell CBD products as rules are worked out ANCHORAGE (AP) — Products containing cannabidiol have been offered in stores and coffee shops in Alaska, but CBD oil has not been approved to be used in food, drinks or edibles, state regulators said. Regulations governing CBD items are still being written, and the state has been warning residents to be cautious about what they ingest, the Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday. Uncle Leroy’s Coffee shop in Anchorage had offered
costumers doses of CBD oil in their coffee, but the shop pulled it from the menu after the owners received a warning letter from the state. “People still ask if we have it,” said Austin Schwartz, an owner of Uncle Leroy’s. “So I think there is a desire. I mean, there are a group of people out there that want it.” CBD products such as bags of gummy bears and vaping pens are still displayed at gas stations and other shops as the legality of the products See CBD, page A3