Pact
Hoops
US to suspend nuclear treaty
Whiteside leaves bench in loss
Nation/A5
Sports/A9
CLARION
Cloudy 32/27 More weather on Page A2
P E N I N S U L A
Wednesday, December 5, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 57
In the news
Alaska Marine Highway takes step to replace old ferry KODIAK (AP) — The Alaska Marine Highway System has taken the first step in the process of finding a shipyard to build a ferry to replace an aging vessel serving southwest Alaska. The highway system issued a pre-solicitation notice last month for the Tustumena Replacement Project, but a possible construction date and build location remain unknown because of a pending federal waiver, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Monday. The federal waiver is required before a construction contract can be issued to replace the 54-year-old Tustumena vessel, which has been plagued by maintenance issues. Officials have been planning for years to replace the ferry. “The pre-solicitation is the first step in bringing in a shipyard, via a competitive process, to conduct the final design of the ship, and try to get to a guaranteed maximum price with that shipyard,” said Aurah Landau, public information officer for the highway system. “AMHS continue to wait for a federal Buy America Waiver from Federal Highway Administration for small parts of the vessel construction.” The Buy American Act “requires a domestic manufacturing process for all steel or iron products that are permanently incorporated in a federal-aid highway construction project,” according to the Federal Highway Administration. The Tustumena serves Kodiak, the Aleutian Islands and the Kenai Peninsula. Officials plan for the replacement ferry to be 330 feet long and 71 feet wide. It would need overnight accommodations for 250 people and capacity to hold up to 54 cars. The design also includes an 80,000-pound vehicle elevator. About $244 million in federal and state funding has been earmarked for the project, with $222 million coming from the Federal Highway Administration.
Index Opinion................... A4 Nation..................... A5 World...................... A6 Food........................A7 Sports......................A9 Classifieds............ A11 Comics.................. A14 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Mueller recommends no prison for Flynn, citing cooperation By CHAD DAY and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser provided so much information to the special counsel’s Russia investigation that prosecutors say he shouldn’t do any prison time, according to a court filing Tuesday that describes Michael Flynn’s cooperation as “substantial.” The filing by special counsel Robert Mueller provides the first details of Flynn’s assistance in the Russia investigation, including that he participated in 19 interviews with prosecutors and cooperated extensively in a separate and undisclosed criminal probe. But the filing’s lengthy redactions also underscore how much Mueller has yet to reveal. In this Jan. 22, 2017 file photo, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn arrives for a White It was filed two weeks ahead House senior staff swearing in ceremony in the East Room of the White House, in Washington. See FLYNN, page A16 (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Troopers: No selfies on road buckled by Friday’s quake
Former hockey coach gets 62 years in sex abuse case By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
On Monday, a Sterling resident and former Soldotna High School hockey coach was sentenced to more than 60 years in prison for sexual abuse of six minors and possession child pornography. Bradley Elliott, 57, pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including six charges of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, one charge of possession of child pornography and eight charges of indecent photography, according to Kenai District Attorney Scot Leaders. Elliott faces 62 years and 240 days in prison, with 42 years suspended and a $300,000 fine, with See ABUSE, page A15
By RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — With sizable shockwaves still emanating from last week’s powerful earthquake, authorities in Alaska are urging the selfie-taking public to stay away from a road that was badly mangled. Some photos posted on social media show people even climbing into large cracks on the buckled road in Wasilla north of Anchorage, Alaska State Trooper spokesman Jonathon Taylor said Tuesday. Signs and barricades have been set up to keep people away from the site, whose ground liquefied from the force of Friday’s 7.0 magnitude quake near Anchorage. “It looks sort of like shattered pieces of glass, if you will, from above, which makes a very fascinating visual. But it is also unsafe to be there,” Taylor said. Repair crews using heavy equipment have started construction on the stretch of road, and spectators can impede that effort, he said. Taylor hasn’t heard about
Dunleavy chooses VincentLang for fish and game
In this Nov. 30 file photo, provided by Jonathan M. Lettow, people walk along Vine Road after an earthquake in Wasilla, Alaska. Alaska State Troopers are asking that people do not take selfies in front of the buckled roadway north of Anchorage, Alaska. (Jonathan M. Lettow via AP, File)
anyone getting hurt, however. with scores of aftershocks oc- north of Anchorage. The latest substantial afterHe said just being in the area is curring since the earthquake, See QUAKE, page A15 extremely unsafe, particularly which was centered 7 miles
ANCHORAGE (AP) — New Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named a former state Department of Fish and Game official to serve as the agency’s acting leader. The Republican governor’s office announced that Doug Vincent-Lang would take the job about 90 minutes after Sam Cotten’s tenure as the department’s commissioner ended at noon Monday, the AnchorSee GAME page A15
PBS cartoon ‘Molly of Denali’ brings Refuge plans full slate Alaska Native perspective to kids TV of December events, with or without snow BY BEN HOHENSTATT Capital City WeeklY
If Kennedy Miller is any indication, “Molly of Denali” will have an audience. The 9-year-old girl was in the audience for a presentation about the upcoming PBS cartoon that featured a preview of an episode of the show, held Friday in Juneau as part of the University of Alaska Southeast’s Evening at Egan Lecture Series. “I really like it,” Miller said. At 9, she’s a bit older than the show’s intended 4-8-yearold audience, but Miller said she would still like to watch the University of Alaska Southeast professor X’unei Lance Twitchshow and could not think of oth- ell filled in for the Evening at Egan presentation about “Molly of Denali” Friday, Nov. 30. He introduced the crowd at UAS’s Egan er kids shows set in Alaska. Library to the show’s characters, including Molly’s dog, Suki. See MOLLY, page A16 (Ben Hohenstatt/Capital City Weekly)
By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Despite the winter’s darkness and this year’s lack of snow, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has a host of events scheduled for December to entertain through the winter days and holiday breaks. On Dec. 8, Ranger Leah Eskelin will hold a demonstration using the hands-on augmented reality sandbox which ties together sand, an Xbox and shadows to explore topography and see where rain water drains and pools.
The event runs from 2 to 3 p.m., but guests are welcome to come anytime during the hour. “People can drop in during that time and get to play with the sand,” said Ranger Michelle Ostrowski. “It’s addictive; it’s fun.” Ostrowski will also lead a Solstice Walk on Dec. 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. to celebrate the days getting longer and a full moon. Attendees are asked to preregister by calling 907-260-2820. “The full moon is on Dec. 22 at 8:50 a.m., so we figured we’d do a walk in the eveSee REFUGE, page A15