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P E N I N S U L A
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 63
In the news Refuge continues slash pile burning The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is conducting slash pile burning along the Refuge boundary near Sterling. The burning began Tuesday and will continue to Wednesday, according to the Refuge. The piles are a result of thinning along the boundary of the Refuge around the Sterling fuel break. The fuel break is an area created to protect surrounding residents and infrastructure while giving Refuge managers decision space to make more informed decisions about wildfires occuring in the area. — Staff
Anchorage police release names of 2 dead in double shooting ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police have released the names of two men who may have fatally shot each other during a gun sale transaction on the city’s west side. Nineteen-year-old Daniel Bender Jr. and 19-year-old Davon Dodge died in the weekend shootings. Police on Tuesday released no other additional details in the case. Police responded to shots fired around 5:10 p.m. Sunday. One man was found inside a vehicle parked on west 29th Avenue and another was outside the vehicle. A preliminary investigation determined Bender and Dodge met to discuss the sale of a gun. Police say they apparently got into an argument and shot each other.
Trial underway for North Pole father charged in son’s death FAIRBANKS — A Fairbanks jury is hearing testimony in the trial of a North Pole man charged with killing his 4-year-old son. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports 31-yearold Christopher Sadowski is charged with first- and seconddegree murder in the death of Christopher Sadowski Jr. The boy died in May 2015. Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Lee Bruce testified he viewed the boy’s bruised body and found 59 blunt force injuries and severe burns on the boy’s face and neck. — Associated Press
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Mayor: Borough needed more prep ahead of quake By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District was praised for their quick response following the Nov. 30 7.0 magnitude earthquake, however, borough Mayor Charlie Pierce said there was room for improvement for borough administration. “It was evident that our performance, although very well, was not anywhere near to how the school district had performed,” Pierce said at the Dec. 4 borough assembly meeting. Pierce said the borough hasn’t practiced any drills or performed emergency training
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Anchor Point moose poacher fined $100,000, sentenced to jail By DAN JOLING Associated Press
A long crack stretches along a length of road in Nikiski on Nov. 30 due to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the Kenai Peninsula, along with the Anchorage, Wasilla and Palmer areas. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
ANCHORAGE — An Alaska man who poached three moose and left most of the meat to rot has been sentenced to nine months in jail and fined more than $100,000. Rusty Counts, 39, of Anchor Point, shot the moose near his community over two weeks in September. He pleaded guilty Nov. 6 to 21 misdemeanor wildlife counts and violations, including wanton waste, exceeding bag limits and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Hunting regulations near the Kenai Peninsula commu-
nity require moose to have antlers measuring 50-inches wide to be harvested. None of the three moose had the required spread, said Aaron Peterson, an assistant attorney general who prosecuted the case. “The working theory is that he realized they were sublegal and decided not to stick around to salvage the meat,” Peterson said Monday. He called the case one of the most egregious poaching events ever seen by Alaska state wildlife troopers. Alaska officials take seriously the harvesting of moose and salvaging of meat, Alaska Department of Fish and Game See MOOSE, page A3
Scientists: ‘Scary’ warming at poles Fishing showing up at weird times, places vessel By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON — Scientists are seeing surprising melting in Earth’s polar regions at times they don’t expect, like winter, and in places they don’t expect, like eastern Antarctica. New studies and reports issued this week at a major Earth sciences conference paint one of the bleakest pictures yet of dramatic and dangerous warming in the Arctic and Antarctica. Alaskan scientists described to The Associated Press Tuesday never-before-seen melting and odd winter problems, including permafrost in 25 spots that never refroze this past winter and wildlife die-offs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday released its annual international Arctic report card, detailing the second warmest Arctic on record and more than In this March 9 file photo, the aurora borealis displays above Ice Camp Skate in the Beaufort See POLES, page A2 Sea. (MC 2nd Class Micheal H. Lee/U.S. Navy via AP, File)
sinks in Seward Harbor Staff report Peninsula Clarion
A fishing vessel in the Seward Harbor has leaked an unknown amount of marine diesel and other petroleum products after sinking Sunday. The F/V Nordic Viking was discovered by the Seward harbormaster near T Dock, by Icicle Seafoods, according to a situation report from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The harbormaster then deployed an absorbent boom. A containment boom was later deployed by a salvage contractor hired by Larry March, the See SUNK, page A3
Moment of reckoning looms for ex-Trump lawyer By JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press
NEW YORK — The moment of reckoning has nearly arrived for Michael Cohen, who finds out Wednesday whether his decision to walk away from President Donald Trump after years of unwavering loyalty will spare him
from a harsh prison sentence. A federal judge in New York is set to decide whether Cohen gets leniency or years in prison for crimes including tax evasion, making illegal hush-money payments to protect Trump during the campaign and lying to Congress about the president’s past business dealings in Russia.
Few observers expect the hearing to go well for the 52-year-old attorney. For weeks, his legal strategy appeared to revolve around persuading the court that he is a reformed man who abandoned longtime friendships and gave up his livelihood when he decided to break with the president
LeBon asks for recount win to be upheld by Alaska court JUNEAU — The Republican candidate in a disputed Alaska House race is challenging the handling of four ballots as part of an ongoing legal fight over the seat. Republican Bart LeBon and the state Republican Party, through their attorneys, raised the questions in a court filing that asked that LeBon be reaffirmed the winner. A recount in the race showed LeBon winning by one vote over Democrat Kathryn Dodge, who last week appealed the outcome to the Alaska Supreme Court. Dodge argued that two ballots were wrongly excluded, including one with ovals filled in next
to both candidates and an “X” through the oval next to LeBon’s name. Her appeal states the ballot was not counted and that it should have been counted for Dodge. Her appeal also raised residency questions involving two other ballots it claims were wrongly counted. LeBon’s challenges appear to involve different ballots. His filing states one had marks touching the ovals next to both names and was counted for Dodge but should not have been counted. Another ballot with marks touching the ovals next to both names also had an “X” over See LEBON, page A3
This July 18, 2018, file photo shows Republican Bart LeBon. . (Eric Engman/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP, File)
and speak with federal investigators. That narrative collapsed last week. New York prosecutors urged a judge to sentence Cohen to a substantial prison term, saying he’d failed to fully cooperate and overstated his helpfulness. They’ve asked for only a slight reduction in the 4- to 5-year term he would face under federal sen-
tencing guidelines. A sentence of hard time would leave Cohen with little to show for his decision to plead guilty, though experts said Wednesday’s hearing might not be the last word on his punishment. Cohen could have his sentence revisited if he strikes a deal with See TRUMP, page A3
Anchorage students return to class after earthquake ANCHORAGE (AP) — Anchorage-area students have returned to school after the district closed for a week so staff and contractors could inspect buildings and repair damage following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. All but three of the Anchorage School District’s dozens of schools reopened Monday after the Nov. 30 quake shook southcentral Alaska, disrupting power and cracking roads, the Anchorage Daily News reported . Several principals said that teachers and staff were focusing on ensuring students felt safe during their return Monday. Some students were greeted with hot chocolate, welcome back signs or cookies.
Many students at Gladys Wood Elementary School were riding the bus when the earthquake struck. About a dozen teachers greeted students at their bus stops Monday, principal Cindy Hemry said. “So we thought it would be good to have some teachers spread out at various stops to talk with them and if they had any anxiety, to kind of lighten the mood a little bit,” Hemry said. At Bear Valley Elementary School, crisis-response dogs went classroom to classroom to comfort children. Some schools had lingering damage such as broken furniture or missing ceiling tiles, superintendent Deena Bishop said. See QUAKE, page A3