Schools
NFL
What’s happening this week
Bears top Packers, clinch division title
Schools/A5
Sports/A6
CLARION
Snow 22/13 More weather on Page A2
P E N I N S U L A
Monday, December 17, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 67
In the news Energy specialist urges radon tests after earthquake ANCHORAGE — A state energy specialist is encouraging those affected by last month’s earthquake in southcentral Alaska to retest their homes for radon. Radon is an odorless gas that has been linked to cancer. It is formed when uranium underground decays. Art Nash is a state energy specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He tells the Anchorage Daily News that under normal circumstances he recommends homeowners test for radon every five years. But he says that when the ground is disturbed, it can create fissures that allow radon to escape into the air. Since it’s impossible to know where fissures may have formed, he recommends every homeowner affected by the earthquake retest their homes.
Kodiak district to put to use shuttered school buildings KODIAK — District officials are planning to put to use the buildings that housed two Kodiak Island schools that were shut down because of low enrollment. Kodiak Island Borough School District Superintendent Larry LeDoux said the school buildings in Larsen Bay and Karluk will serve as hubs for general community needs, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Thursday. The district closed both schools after enrollment dropped below 10 students at each site. Schools with fewer than 10 students cannot qualify for state funding. “One option would be to simply board them up and cool them down, but that doesn’t work,” LeDoux said. “If you board them up, you just have an empty building.” Using the buildings will stave off thousands of dollars in deferred maintenance costs needed if the schools are ever reopened, LeDoux said. For the Larsen Bay building, the building could serve as a study hall. Borough manager Michael Powers said the city of Larsen Bay has been helpful in keeping the building open, noting it has provided utilities. The building in Karluk has provided some challenges, but the borough is working to resolve any issues, Powers said. — Associated Press
Index Opinion................... A4 Schools................... A5 Sports......................A6 Classifieds.............. A9 Comics.................. A12
Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
In DC discussions, Dunleavy focuses on quake recovery By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
Gov. Mike Dunleavy flew from Alaska’s capital to the nation’s capital this week, getting a chance to get Alaska’s issues on the minds of secretaries, directors and even the president. Speaking over the phone from Washington, D.C. on Friday, Dunleavy said the chance to sit down at a table with President Donald Trump and other newly elected governors was valuable, even if he didn’t get any alone time with the president. “We didn’t get any one-onone time per se,” Dunleavy said. “When the press left, he went around the table and got our thoughts on the big issues facing our states right now.”
Marty Thurman with Granite construction inspects a crack in the road at the International Airport Road offramp on southbound Minnesota Blvd., in Anchorage, Friday, Nov. 30. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP)
Chiefly, Dunleavy talked wake of a 7.0 earthquake that about relief efforts in the caused damage throughout
the Anchorage area on Nov. 30. Talking with the heads of departments such as Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about earthquake relief was a major priority of his going into the trip, he said. “I think the first thing was to establish a relationship with these secretaries in the various areas such as transportation, and work with FEMA to establish a relationship and to put on their radar screen what some of the issues are in Alaska,” Dunleavy said. He ended up meeting with people from those departments, specifically talking about plans for earthquake See QUAKE, page A3
Reader’s guide to local holiday shopping By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Whether it be poetry, adventure, nonfiction or cookbooks, local writers cover a variety of genres. The gift of books and reading can be appreciated by children and adults alike. If a book is on your Christmas list, there are several titles written by residents of the central peninsula to add to your shopping list. Bill Howell of Sterling has written several books about the history of brewing in Alaska. His book “Alaska Beer: Liquid Gold in the Land of the Midnight Sun,” explores the historic and present Alaska beer scene. You can find his books at River City Books in Soldotna, Kenai River Brewing Company and at the Kenai Peninsula College Bookstore. Willow-Haven Walaszek grew up on the Kenai Peninsula and is studying to be a
Friday marks the winter equinox — the shortest day and longest night of the year. The sun will rise at 10:12 a.m. and set at 3:43 p.m., leaving just five hours and 41 minutes of daylight. In Alaska, the winter solstice, which occurs when one of Earth’s
On Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m., the winery invites guests of all ages to walk trough their “winter wonderland” full of “delightful holiday displays.” The family-friendly event will also feature Christmas music and a chance to warm up with hot cocoa and a fire pit. The Kenai River Raven Lodge See WINTER, page A3
— Juneau Empire
“It’s warming them up to the dental hygienist in Utah. While dren’s book “I like your Smile,” she’s home for the holidays, which introduces children to idea and all the things they will Walaszek is promoting her chil- their first dentist experience. See BOOK, page A3
poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun, is welcomed each year. It signals that Alaska’s already short winter days will creep up in length, and gives people a chance to celebrate the astronomical phenomenon. The Kenai Wildlife Refuge is hosting a guided Solstice Walk through the refuge Friday. “The full moon is on Dec. 22
at 8:50 a.m., so we figured we’d do a walk in the evening,” said Ranger Michelle Ostrowkski. “The sun sets at 3:43 p.m. and the moon rises at 3:53 p.m. We’ll walk down to the lake and celebrate solstice, the shortest day of the year.” Bear Creek Winery will be lighting up the shortest day of the year with their Garden of Lights.
By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
See RALLY, page A2
Kenai Police Department is offering free vacation checks to city residents leaving their homes vacant for the holiday season. Lt. Ben Langham said the service is offered year-round but is popular during this time of the year. “We add those homes to a special patrol log and go to those homes and make sure they are checked on,” Langham said. Any city resident is eligible for the free service. The police department will ask for your name, address and a list of emergency contacts. Langham said at any given time during the year, the department has five to 10 homes they are checking on. Residents can call 907283-7879 if they are interested in having their home checked on this holiday season.
Nine months after a fatal assault, a Juneau grand jury indicted a local woman for second-degree murder, according to a press release from the Juneau Police Department. Jamie Diane Moy Singh, 35, was arrested Friday after the grand jury handed down its indictment Thursday, the release states. The charge stems from an alleged March 6 assault that resulted in the death of 59-yearold Mary Lou Singh. During the March 6 assault, Mary Lou Singh suffered a head injury and was taken to Providence Hospital in Anchorage, police said at the time. She was pronounced dead 10 days later. The assault happened in the 8100 block of Snipe Court, and Jamie Diane Moy Singh was also taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital for injuries suffered in the incident, police said. The younger Singh is a Juneau resident, JPD Lt. Krag Campbell said Saturday. Mary Lou Singh was a California resident, JPD Public Safety Manager Erann Kalwara said in March.
Shoppers make book purchases during the busy holiday shopping season at River City Books in Soldotna on Friday. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Juneau residents speak out on immigration, borders A whipping wind swept through a crowd in front of the Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building in Juneau on Saturday, but to Manni Guillen, it felt warm. “I appreciate Juneau a lot and I appreciate you guys being out here,” Guillen said. “There’s a saying that it gets kind of cold out there in the world. People get mean to each other, and you guys are out here making it a little bit warmer.” Guillen was one of the featured speakers at Saturday’s
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Juneau woman indicted for murder
Community to celebrate winter solstice By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Kenai police offer security checks on unattended homes
Manni Guillen, whose family moved to Juneau from Mexico when he was a baby, speaks at the Love Knows No Borders rally in Juneau on Saturday. (Alex McCarthy/Juneau Empire)
Fairbanks high school changes admissions practices for access FAIRBANKS (AP) — A Fairbanks career and technical high school is changing its admissions practices in an effort to provide greater access to students. Starting next year, Hutchison High School, which uses a lottery to select students, will no longer give extra weight to students with good grades and good attendance, the Fairbanks Daily NewsMiner reported . Applicants also will no longer have to submit letters of recommendation. Hutchison is the only public high school in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District that focuses
on career and technical education though the other high schools offer career and technical education classes. It also is the only public high school in the district that selects students via lottery. Principal Robyn Taylor said the application process was changed after receiving comments from parents and students. The school was never meant to cater to elite students, she said “We are a public school, operating under public school funds. We are not a private school,” Taylor said. “We really want to be more transparent and give everySee SCHOOL, page A3