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P E N I N S U L A
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 27
In the news West Coast fishermen back ballot measure The largest commercial fishing trade organization on the West Coast announced Monday its support for Ballot Measure 1, which would change how the State of Alaska permits development on certain fish habitat. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations represents members from San Diego to Alaska. Its voting board doesn’t have Alaska representation. “Alaska’s fisheries are the richest in the nation, annually supporting a $5 billion seafood economy,” said Glen Spain, Northwest Regional Director for the group. “In the case of salmon, the health of fisheries is directly tied to the health of their freshwater spawning and rearing habitat. Alaska’s freshwater habitat is right now second to none, but many threats large and small are advancing.” Ballot Measure 1 is up for a vote at the statewide general election on Nov. 6. — Juneau Empire
Wildlife officials sample hunter kills looking for bacterium ANCHORAGE — Alaska hunters are helping the state assess the extent of a bacterium in game animals that could cause respiratory problems. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says hunters helped collect laboratory samples from more than 330 Dall sheep. Hunters also provided specimens from 110 mountain goats, 100 caribou and 100 moose. The department is looking for mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, also known as M.ovi. The bacterium occurs in domestic and wild sheep and goats in the Lower 48. Some strains have been identified as pathogens in bighorn sheep pneumonia outbreaks that led to die-offs. The bacterium this year was detected for the first time in Alaska Dall sheep and mountain goats. — Associated Press
Correction The Sunday, Oct. 28 interviews with District 29 candidates, Shawn Butler and Ben Carpenter, stated Rep. Mike Chenault’s position as Speaker of the House. Bryce Edgmon is the current Speaker of the House. We apologize.
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Skyview tutor receives state honor By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
In a surprise assembly Tuesday morning, the National Education Association of Alaska awarded Soldotna’s Suzanne Goodwill the title of Alaska Education Support Professional of the year. Goodwill is an academic tutor and intervention aide at Skyview Middle School. The Education Support Professional of the Year is the NEA of Alaska’s highest honor for non-certified education professionals. Tim Parker, NEA-Alaska president, said there are as many education support professionals as there are teachers in the state of Alaska. He said Goodwill has shown the ability to do any job an education support professional might be tasked with. “She can come in and sub; she can come in and do anything,” Parker said. “Staff always says she’s constantly moving, doesn’t sit still and that she has all this energy. She’s just a fantastic representative of what education support professionals do around Alaska.” Goodwill found out during the Suzanne Goodwill poses for photos along with Skyview Middle School principal Sarge Truesdell, NEA Alaska President Tim Parker, Kenai Peninsula School District superintendent Sean Dusek and Kenai Peninsula Borough Education Board President See HONOR, page A2 Penny Vadla in a surprise assembly on Tuesday at Skyview Middle School in Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen)
State departments look for increase in budgets By JAMES BROOKS Juneau Empire
Legislative and governor candidates have vowed across the state to further cut Alaska’s budget, but many state departments drafting their budget requests for the coming fiscal year are going in a different direction. On Friday, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute became the latest state-supported agency to warn that budget cuts have reached their limit and in
some places have gone too far. In an unusual statement, the public-private partnership said it will be requesting $3.75 million more from the state in the coming year. “There’s only so much you can do to squeeze down on the role and responsibilities of state government, and as far as others, there’s some departments looking at increments … I guess mostly in programs that will pay long-term benefits,” said Mike Navarre, commissioner of the
Report: Alaska overdoses up, marriage rates down
Alaska Department of Commerce, which controls ASMI’s budget. An “increment,” in the jargon of the state, is a budget increase. “We used to invest in seafood By VICTORIA PETERSEN Alaskan women gave birth marketing. We’re looking to do Peninsula Clarion to roughly 7 percent fewer it again,” Navarre said. babies in 2017 than in 2016. For the current fiscal year, Monday, the state Health The state crude birth rate, the state budget is $11.277 bil- Department released the 2017 which measures the numlion, according to figures from Alaska Vital Statistics Report. ber of births for every 1,000 the nonpartisan Legislative FiThe annual report features Alaskans, has also dropped nance Division. That includes new insights into marriage between 2016 and 2017, from See DEPT, page A3 and divorce, baby names, 15.2 to 14.2 births per 1,000 fertility rates and other state- people. Despite the drop, the wide statistics. state’s crude birth rate is still Fewer and fewer Alaskans higher than the national avare getting married. The state erage, which was 12.4 births marriage rate has been slowly per 1,000 Americans in 2015, declining from 8.5 marriages according to the National per 1,000 people in 2008, to Center for Health Statistics. 7 marriages, per 1,000 peo- In Alaska, the most popular ple last year. In 2017, most baby names were Emma and Alaska weddings took place James in 2017. which was on Saturday, a in July, while the most unIn 2017, the teen birth rate, woman identified as Victoria popular month to get married which looks at the number of Koonaloak told authorities. was February. Over 5,000 births for every 1,000 Alas“Victoria stated the defen- Alaskans got married last kan women aged 15-19, was dant brandished a handgun summer, including 79 same- 21.4 births per 1,000 women while they were drinking. She sex couples. Between 2013- and is also down from 25.5 stated they did not want him 2017, the most common ages births per 1,000 in 2016. The there anymore so they got to get married are between state teen birth rate was also him out of the residence,” the 20-24 years old. Separations slightly higher than the nacomplaint says. are down slightly from 2016, tional average, which was Ahmaogak stayed outside with 3.6 separations per 1,000 20.3 births in 2016, according See MURDER, page A3 people occurring last year. See STATS, page A13
Health department releases annual Alaska stats report
Alaska fugitive charged with 2nd degree murder, assault By RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — Officials say a man sought by police in Alaska fatally shot one person and injured two others after they kicked him out of a home during a party to celebrate his 27th birthday, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.
Asiagin Dana Ahmaogak is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of assault in the shooting Sunday morning shooting in Utqiagvik (ook-GAR’-vik), which is also known as Barrow. According to the criminal complaint, people were in the home drinking and celebrating Ahmaogak’s birthday,
Candidate Spotlight: Alaska House District 31 Editor’s note: Ahead of next week’s election, the Clarion is publishing interviews with candidates vying to represent peninsula communities. In today's paper, we are including the Homer News' interviews with District 31 House of Reparesentatives candidates: nonpartisan candidate Rep. Paul Seaton and Republican Party candidate Sarah Vance. District 31 includes southern peninsula communities, including Homer, Anchor Point, Ninilchik, Funny River, Fox River, Kachemack/Fritz Creek and Kasilof.
By MICHAEL ARMSTRONG Homer News
By MEGAN PACER Homer News
Question: What do you Question: What do you see see as the role of the Disas the role of the District 31 trict 31 Representative? Representative? Answer: “The role is to Answer: “My personal phirepresent the needs of the losophy is there are a number people at the state level. I of areas to cover. First of all, look at as a job description, there’s representing constitunot a title. That’s the perents and their interactions with spective I began this camthe agencies of state governpaign. I work for you, you ment. And it’s not to interfere tell me what your priorities with that, but to make sure the are for our district. What do Sarah Vance. (Photo by Han- conversation goes forward in a Paul Seaton. (Homer News you see as the needs, what I nah Vance) timely manner and that the is- file photo) See VANCE, page A13
See SEATON, page A2