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P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, October 26-27, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 23
In the news Trump endorses Dunleavy for Alaska governor via tweet JUNEAU — President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to endorse Republican Mike Dunleavy in the Alaska governor’s race. The endorsement was among a smattering of endorsements Trump posted Thursday, hours before Dunleavy was scheduled to participate in a broadcast debate against Democrat Mark Begich. At a forum last month, the men were asked to rate Trump’s job performance on a scale of zero to 10, with 10 the highest. Begich said “four minus.” Dunleavy said eight. The governor’s race was shaken up last week when Gov. Bill Walker said he could not win against Begich and Dunleavy and ended his campaign. The announcement came days after Walker’s lieutenant governor and close friend, Byron Mallott, resigned over unspecified inappropriate comments. Walker, an independent, said Begich would be better for Alaska than Dunleavy.
Ted Stevens airport sees new high in summer passengers ANCHORAGE — Summer passenger traffic set an alltime high in 2018 at Alaska’s largest airport. Officials at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport say 1.53 million passengers embarked on flights from May through September. That was an increase of 68,724 passengers, a nearly 4.5 percent jump over 2017 summer traffic of 1.46 million embarking passengers, airport manager Jim Szczesniak said Thursday. It also exceeded the previous recorded high in summer 2016.
Correction Clarification has been added to Thursday’s story regarding invocations at Tuesday’s Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting to make more it more clear that the borough lost a lawsuit against the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska in a fight over its invocation policy, which allows certain groups and individuals to offer an invocation at the beginning of each meeting. The article previously stated the borough lost in a fight over the right to give invocations. We apologize the error.
It’s satire season again
Absentee registration ‘Lame Ducks and Dark Horses’ returns to Triumverate stage deadline Saturday, early voting At Monday’s rehearsal for now open “Lame Ducks and Dark Horses,” the jokes were so thick, By JEFF HELMINIAK Peninsula Clarion
the laughter so omnipresent, that when it came to the actual script, it was hard to keep track of what’s in or out. Kind of like the Alaska governor’s race, and that’s why “Lame Ducks and Dark Horses” is probably better equipped than any of the Alaska political institutions to handle the late October departure from the race by Gov. Bill Walker. Starting Friday and Saturday, Triumvirate Theatre’s production of “Lame Ducks and Dark Horses” is back for its sixth go-around. The show happens every two years and features impersonations of local, state and national political figures, and even some actual Hannah Tauriainen and Tyler Payment, seated and in yellow, and Brian Lyke and Chris Pepper politicians in the flesh from enact a Star Trek spoof Monday during rehearsals for “Lame Ducks and Dark Horses” at TriumSee DUCKS, page A2 virate North, five miles north of Kenai. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Local .......................A3 Opinion .................. A4 Religion...................A5 Sports .....................A6 Classifieds ............. A9 TV Guide .............. A11 Comics................. A13 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Saturday is the last day for eligible Alaska voters to receive an absentee by-mail ballot. Voters planning to mail in their ballot must submit an application to the Division of Elections by Saturday. Applications can be found online at www.elections.alaska.gov and must be printed, signed and returned to Division of Elections by mail, fax or attached to an email as a PDF, TIFF or JPEG file. Digital signatures will not be accepted, all signatures must be handwritten. Voters can also apply for a ballot to be sent electronically, through fax or online. The See VOTE, page A2
Women in Agriculture Conference comes to the Kenai By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Women in Agriculture Conference will be coming to the peninsula for its second year this weekend. The one-day virtual gathering for anyone interested in the farming and agriculture industry will take place in Soldotna, Fairbanks, Delta Junction and Palmer. The event will include 34 video conference sites across Alaska and in Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Washington. This year’s theme is “pump up your financial fitness.” Heidi Chay is the local coordinator for the central peninsula. She said the conference highlights some of the special
contributions women are offering the agriculture industry, but is open to anyone who is interested in farming, no matter what the gender. “In many parts of the country where there’s rapid growth in new farms, young women are often in the lead,” Chay said. “We’re seeing women retiring from their jobs to go into farming.” The program will be hosted by the Kenai Soil and Water Conservation District and will feature both virtual and local presentations, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending around 3 p.m. at the Kenai River Center in Soldotna. Virtual presentations will be See FARM, page A6
Participants in the Women in Agriculture virtual conference in March 2016 at the Kenai River Center. (Photo by Janice Chumley)
Soldotna City Council Redoubt ranked among list of ‘very high threat’ volcanoes changes Kleeb to Whistle Hill Loop
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON — Government scientists have classified 18 U.S. volcanoes as “very high threat” because of what’s been happening inside them and how close they are to people. The U.S. Geological Survey has updated its volcano threat assessments for the first time since 2005. The danger list is topped by Hawaii’s Kilauea, which has See HIGH, page A3
Index
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Steam rises from Redoubt Volcano in this Jan. 21, 2018, file photo. (Photo by Michael Armstrong, Homer News)
The Soldotna City Council voted to rename Kleeb Loop to Whistle Hill Loop. Mary Krull is the owner of Brew@602, a train-carturned-coffee-shop, which sits on top of the hill along the former Kleeb Loop in Soldotna. The hill, which is a commercial complex, is also now home to a hydroponic farm, Fresh 365, and the fu-
ture Addie Camp Train Car Eatery and Wine Bar. Krull said she is thrilled to death with the council’s decision to approve the name change. “It was really a safety issue,” Krull said. “People were confused how to get to the hill when they saw our new sign put up.” Krull said she and the city researched the history of the Kleeb name but found no history on it.
Tlingit & Haida, Sealaska Corp. Alaska Catholic decline to endorse gov candidate official orders sexual tion, who has since dropped efforts on behalf of our share- misconduct review out of the race. When asked if holders and communities and
By JAMES BROOKS Juneau Empire
Sealaska Corp. will not make an endorsement in the new-look Alaska governor’s race. The regional Alaska Native corporation for Southeast Alaska had originally endorsed incumbent independent Gov. Bill Walker for re-elec-
Sealaska Corp. would be backing Democrat Mark Begich or Republican Mike Dunleavy instead, the answer was neither. In an email Wednesday, Sealaska Corp. communications manager Dixie Hutchinson shared a statement explaining the corporation’s decision. “Sealaska takes on policy
on rare occasions, endorses candidates. Sealaska’s board endorsed Governor Walker for multiple unique reasons, such as his recognition of Tribal sovereignty and working with Tribes on their priorities, more so than any other administration in Alaska’s history,” she See GOV, page A6
By RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — The Catholic archbishop of Alaska’s largest city announced Wednesday he has ordered an independent review of all sexual misconduct allegations involving priests and others as-
sociated with the church going back five decades. Archbishop Paul Etienne appointed a three-member commission to review all personnel files since the Archdiocese of Anchorage was established in 1966. The panel also will review sexual misconduct allegaSee CHURCH , page A6