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P E N I N S U L A
Monday, March 11, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 137
Iditarod Peninsula mushers’ progress as of 3 p.m. Sunday: 5. Mitch Seavey, Seward, out Kaltag 14. Travis Beals, Seward, out Kaltag 35.Sarah Stokey, Seward, in Eagle Island 39. Ryan Santiago, Sterling, in Grayling Find more Iditarod coverage on Page A7.
In the news Scientists see improved ocean conditions for young salmon
SEATTLE — Young salmon could see improved conditions this year off the Washington and Oregon coasts. The Seattle Times reports scientists in a conference call with reporters say the ocean is more hospitable for salmon entering the ocean, several year after an unusually warm water event. A marine heat wave dubbed “The Blob” disrupted the ocean food chain. Research biologist Chris Harvey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says scientists are seeing several signs of recovery. Research surveys in 2018 confirmed that tiny animals stoking the food web are healthy and fat. Researchers report important forage fish, anchovies, are increasing in number and that fisheating sea birds are doing well. But they say subsurface sea temperatures remain warmer than average in some areas. — The Associated Press
Inside ‘I don’t know where we’ll wind up in the future.’ ... See page A2
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Shop Talk: Majestic Gardens By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
Last year Deniece and Ron Isaacs opened up Magical Gardens, a specialty CBD shop in Kenai that sells hemp and CBD products for people and animals. Fast forward to November, and the Isaacs have a new business right next door, with a slightly different name and a slightly different selection of products. Majestic Gardens is the Isaacs’ new cannabis shop, and they sat down with the Clarion on Friday to talk about navigating the Alaskan cannabis industry and the differences between selling CBD and THC products. Was it always your plan to have the CBD shop and the cannabis shop side-by-side? Deniece Isaacs: Well, I went to a hemp fair up in Anchorage and saw the attraction of it. There’s a lot of diseases and different things in my family, and that’s what took us down the road of CBD. And I’ve just always been a fan of the marijuana plant, so that kind of led me there originally. How has reception been since you opened? Deniece Isaacs: Slow but good. We’re really pleased
with all the people being very warm and welcome. Business is picking up and we’re learning how to do everything, so it’s picking up at a nice pace. Are the regulations when it comes to cannabis stricter than with CBD? Deniece Isaacs: Absolutely. There are no regulations for CBD. And with cannabis, there are a lot. Ron Issacs: In the Farm Bill, they (the federal government) legalized CBD oils and salves, and of course our state hasn’t made any regulations on it, yet. Other businesses around here offer CBD products and cannabis products in one store, so what made you decide on this model? Deniece Isaacs: With the marijuana industry, there’s a lot of risk. And there’s only me and my husband, we have no investors. We met right here 37 years ago and it’s just us and our lives here. In the event that something went wrong with the cannabis industry or the store, I wanted to keep the stores totally separate so that they would not affect each other. Charlotte’s Web is one of our primary oils next door and they have very strict guidelines on which people
Cazin Daly and owner Deniece Isaacs stand outside of Majestic Gardens in Kenai on Friday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
can sell their products. We signed contracts to abide by those rules, so we could not have Charlotte’s Web in this store. Ron Isaacs: There’s also a lot of people that, well they still just don’t want to go into a THC store. So there’s still somewhat
of a stigma attached to cannabis?
Deniece Issacs: Oh, absolutely. We get shunned a lot. There are many people that feel very strongly against marijuana because they don’t understand everything about it. What do you think you
can do to fight that stigma?
Deniece Isaacs: Well there is a conference going on in Anchorage in the next month and they’ll have a lot of educational speakers. We have literature over in the other store and there’s a lot See SHOP, page A2
Seward prepares for plastic bag ban By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
As Seward approaches a citywide plastic bag ban later this year, a local environmental awareness group is trying to help the community transition away from plastic. With a handful of volunteers and some sewing machines, Sustainable Seward has been transforming Tshirts into reusable bags and has partnered with Seward Marketplace and the local thrift store, Ukanuzit, to make the “upcycled” bags available to Seward shoppers. The three are working together to create “Borrow-ABag,” a display case with Tshirt bag available near the cash register at the Seward Marketplace. “The idea being that customers can grab a Tshirt bag on the spot, shop and take it home and return
it next time to the bin at the bottom of the display case,” said Sustainable Seward member Jenny Nakao. “Ukanuzit will wash and store the returned bags and Sustainable Seward volunteers will help transport them back and forth.” Nakao said the idea stems from a shopping experience at Ukanuzit about three years ago when Melissa Houselog, one of the owners of the store, gave her a T-shirt bag for her purchase. “She told me all about how she had been making them for customers instead of plastic bags,” Nakao said. “She makes them at home … while she decompresses from her day watching television. She’s made dozens on her own and uses them at the store.” With Houselog as an inspiration, Sustainable Seward decided to create T-shirt bags
Sustainable Seward members host sewing groups to create repurposed T-shirts into reusable shopping bags. (Photo courtesy of Jennny Nakao).
at the Seward Music and Art Festival in October. The Alaska SeaLife Center donated hundreds of shirts and nearly a dozen volunteers spent the weekend sewing bags for festivalgoers. “We did this to help educate people about the upcoming bag ban and support their transition to reusable
One dead after avalanche By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
An Anchorage man has died in an avalanche while backcountry snowboarding near Cooper Landing. Jeffrey Cheng, a 33-year-old from Anchorage, was overtaken by an avalanche while snowboarding with two friends near the Crescent Lake Saddle Cabin on Saturday, according to a police dispatch. Bryce Fischer and Cody Lourie, both of Anchorage, recovered Cheng from under 6 feet of snow and performed 30 minutes of CPR. Fischer then left the scene to return to the trai
head, where he had cell phone service and could call for help, according to the dispatch. The U.S. Forest Service, Alaska State Troopers and Moose Pass Emergency Services responded with snowmachines, according to the dispatch. Cheng was located deceased at about 8 p.m. and transported to the Carter Lake trail head. Next of kin has been notified. As of Sunday morning, the avalanche danger remains high above the tree line and is considerable below tree line, according to the Church National Forest Avalanche Information
Center. After a day or two of intense snow, preceded by nearly two weeks of sunshine, the likelihood of triggering a large avalanche has increased dramatically. “Human triggered large slab avalanches will be likely on steep windloaded slopes,” according to the report. “For anyone headed into the backcountry today, know that the likelihood of triggering a large and unsurviveable avalanche increases with elevation. Dialing back our terrain choices and sticking to slopes 30 degrees or less with nothing steeper above is wise, especially above the trees.”
bags,” Nakao said. Now, Sustainable Seward has continued to make bags at sewing nights at a member’s house or the Seward Community Library. “We sew about 30 bags per meeting and have over 100 made,” Nakao said. The group is also stenciling phrases onto the bags, such
as “please bring back,” and “I ‘heart’ Seward.” Banning plastic bags was one of the initial goals of Sustainable Seward, a grassroots organization founded at the second annual Seward Strong Planning Day. An ordinance banning plastic carry-out bags and polystyrene See BAGS, page A2
Conservatives rally amid anti-discrimination veto FAIRBANKS (AP) — Conservatives rallied to support Fairbanks and its mayor, who vetoed a local law that would have given sweeping equal rights protections to the LGBTQ community. The rally, billed as celebrating inclusiveness, was organized by City Councilman David Pruhs. Those gathered Thursday cheered Pastor Mark Zweifel after he thanked Mayor Jim Matherly for vetoing the ordinance, the Fairbanks Daily NewsMiner reported . The city council could consider a potential veto
override on Monday. However, overriding the veto would require five votes from the six-person council. The original ordinance passed on a 4-2 vote. Matherly, in vetoing the measure, said he wanted to put the issue to voters. The council could approve a ballot measure for consideration by voters or residents could seek to gather signatures to put their own initiative to a vote. Some of those who attended the rally held signs thanking Matherly. But most of the signs stated See VETO, page A2