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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 11
In the news
Air Force F-22 Raptor makes emergency landing ANCHORAGE — The Air Force says a landing gear malfunction likely was the cause of an emergency landing of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet in Alaska. The F-22 made the landing early Wednesday afternoon at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. The pilot was not injured. Air Force spokeswoman Erin Eaton says the base launched in investigation after the emergency landing. A preliminary review pointed to the landing gear problem, the Air Force said in an announcement Thursday afternoon. The F-22 is a twin-engine, single-seat fighter produced by Lockheed Martin. The company website the aircraft are 62 feet (18.9 meters) long with a wingspan of 44.5 feet (13.6 meters). Two Raptors were scrambled last month to intercept and monitor Russian bombers in international air space west of mainland Alaska.
Aniak residents say new airport beacon is causing problems BETHEL — Residents of a small village in western Alaska say a recently installed beacon at the airport is shining into homes and keeping them up at night. KYUK-AM reports the state installed the new beacon at the Aniak Airport during the summer as part of a runway construction project needed to meet federal aviation requirements. Residents say they were never notified about the beacon and are working on putting together a petition. Aniak City Manager Kevin Toothacker says he is planning to meet with the company tasked with the construction project to find a solution. He says it’s too expensive to move the beacon and moving it would just cause it to shine into other homes. He says other options could include softening the light or changing its angle. — Associated Press
Index Local........................A3 Opinion................... A4 Nation/World............A5 Religion....................A6 Sports......................A7 Classifieds............ A10 TV Guids................A12 Comics.................. A14
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Soldotna beautification permits approved By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Alaska Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration approved the city of Soldotna’s application for a beautification and encroachment permit, according to Stephanie Queen’s city manager report. The permit allows the city to plant landscaping along portions of the Kenai Spur and Sterling Highway right of ways. In her report, Queen said the city would continue working with adjacent landowners in coordinating landscaping design in key areas of the highway corridor. The report also states the project will be funded using money previously appropriated for right-of-way improvements. Director of economic development for the city, John Czarnezki said the permit includes mostly vacant right-ofway land along the Sterling Highway. “For example, there’s some Department of Transportation land at the C&C Mall, near the old Napa mall, in front of the old Blockbuster building, at Thompson’s Corner and on the A grassy area adjacent to the Sterling Highway in Soldotna is photographed on Oct. 11. The corner is one of several that could See CITY, page A2 be updated as part of the city’s beautification plans. (Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
World-renowned pianist to play in Soldotna By JEFF HELMINIAK Peninsula Clarion
At first blush, it’s a tad unbelievable that a pianist of international renown will be playing Soldotna Christ Lutheran Church on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the cost for entrance at just $20, or $10 for
students. But talk to Teresa Walters, who has played on six continents and most of the 50 states to glowing reviews, and her Saturday appearance starts to make sense. “My impression flying into Anchorage is the scenery just took my breath away,” said
Walters, who made her first flight to Alaska on Wednesday. “I saw the diversity, the beauty of the landscape, the mountains, the lakes, the panorama. “It’s spectacular. It’s everything you always hear about and read about.” Alaska’s beauty also fits perfectly with Walters’ program,
titled “Celebrating Our World.” “It’s a focus on what we all have in common as human beings, how the music of the great composers belongs to all of us,” she said. “It’s something that unites every historical period beyond politics and religions. It unites the human condition. “The focus in this day and
age can be on what divides us, but there is so much more we have in common.” Walters believes the power of music should not be limited to all of the great concert halls she has played in cities such as New York, London, Paris, MosSee PIANO, page A2
Delegation pens another transboundary letter By KEVIN GULLUFSEN Juneau Empire
Alaska’s congressional delegation penned another letter, made public in a Tuesday press release, urging the State Department to protect Alaska’s watersheds from Canadian transboundary mine pollution.
The letter, dated Oct. 2 and signed by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, Rep. Don Young, Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, asks the department to “deliver a strong message” to Canada at bilateral meetings in Ottowa this month. That message includes an
ask for water quality monitoring by both nations, binding legal protections for Alaska’s watersheds and financial assurances for possible pollution. “American resources, communities, and industries must not be harmed by developments upstream in British Columbia,” the group wrote.
October’s letter is the latest in a series of correspondences from Alaska’s executive branch and its congressional delegation dating back to the Obama administration. The group fears that British Columbia’s mining practices have left Alaska’s waters vulnerable. Alaska requires 100
percent funding for a mine’s environmental liabilities before a mine is allowed to begin operations. Canada does not. As of Dec. 31 2016, when the last figures were publicly available, B.C. mines were under bonded by more than $1.5 billion — money that wouldn’t be See LETTER, page A3
Soldotna City Council confirms Groups to sue over new members, new student rep Fairbanks air pollution By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Soldotna City Council confirmed their new council members as well as a new student representative at Wednesday’s meeting. Jordan Chilson, Justin Ruffridge and Paul Whitney all ran uncontested races for their seats on the city council and were confirmed at the meeting. Chilson, the only non-incumbent of
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Paul Whitney, unopposed for Soldotna City Council
FAIRBANKS (AP) — Environmental groups say they are planning another lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to push action in addressing air pollution in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice sent a 60-day notice Wednesday that it would be suing the EPA “for failing to perform a nonSee NEW, page A2 discretionary duty under the Clean Air Act,” the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported . The planned suit is over missed deadlines for filing a new plan for reducing elevated levels of a toxic particulate that is found largely in wood smoke and is linked to a number of health problems. When the air is stagnant during winters in the Fairbanks area, emissions from home heating linger at ground Justin Ruffridge, unopposed Jordan Chilson, unopposed level. The elevated pollufor Soldotna City Council for Soldotna City Council tion in parts of Fairbanks and the newly elected council members, will be taking over for council member Linda Murphy starting Oct. 24. Soldotna High School sophomore, Katie Delker, was confirmed as Soldotna’s newest liaison between the high school and the city. She told the council on Wednesday that she loves to participate in any event that involves leadership. “It’s incredible that students can watch these meetings and
get involved with decisions that are being made that affect this town,” Delker said. Delker is on her student council at Soldotna High, and she participates in cross-country, cross-country skiing and soccer during the school year. The student representative position was created in 2014. Any student who wishes to be the student representative must be a resident of the city, in good
North Pole were declared seriously out of attainment with the federal Clean Air Act last year. Earthjustice claims the borough has the “worst fine particulate matter air pollution in the nation,” reaching levels of more than double the recommended limit for unhealthy air. Earthjustice is representing Fairbanks-based Citizens for Clean Air, Anchorage-based Alaska Community Action on Toxics, and the Californiabased Sierra Club. “The Clean Air Act sets clear deadlines for planning and achieving compliance with air quality standards,” said Jeremy Lieb, an attorney for Earthjustice. “The EPA and the state have repeatedly missed these deadlines, showing disregard for the health consequences of continued See SUE, page A2