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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 7
In the news
2 men die in whaling accident UTQIAGVIK — Local media reports that a whaling captain and a crew member from Utqiagvik died as they towed a whale back from a hunt. The Alaska Dispatch News says the names of those killed Sunday had not been released as of Monday. The Arctic Sounder newspapers reports that the accident happened when the men’s boat flipped in rough water as the crew towed the whale to shore. The Sounder reports that other nearby whalers said about a dozen other boats rushed to help. They couldn’t get the two men out of the water in time. North Slope Borough Mayor Harry K. Brower Jr. issued a statement Monday asking the media to respect the wishes of the whaling community and Whaling Captains of Utqiagvik in not releasing more information.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
K-Beach traffic lights go live this week By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Be prepared to make two new stops on Kalifornsky Beach Road. By the end of the week, two new traffic lights will go live at Gaswell Road near the Kenai Peninsula College, and at Ciechanski Road near Echo Lake Meats. The new light systems were added to meet traffic demands the road is now seeing, Shannon McCarthy, media liaison for the Department of Transportation, said. Beyond the two newly installed K-Beach Road traffic lights, the existing traffic light systems at Poppy Lane and at Bridge Access Road on KBeach will be updated, McCarthy said. The traffic light upgrades are part of the Knik Construction Company project that repaved K-Beach Road. The project, which began this spring, included resurfacing roughly 6 miles between Bridge Access Road in Kenai and the Sterling A car passes through the intersection of Gaswell and Kalifornsky Beach roads in Soldotna. Newly installed traffic lights at the intersection should be operational by the end of the week. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion) Highway in Soldotna. See LIGHT, page A3
Kenai’s buzzworthy new business By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Anchorage police identify man killed in bike crash ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police have released the name of a man killed in a weekend motorcycle crash. Thirty-five-year-old James Alcorn died Saturday afternoon. Police shortly after 2:30 p.m. took a call of a singlevehicle crash on Gambell Street between 15th Avenue and Fireweed Lane. Police say Alcorn had been driving fast. He lost control of the motorcycle and struck a pole. Emergency responders pronounced Alcorn dead at the scene. — Associated Press
East Rip is the peninsula’s newest recreational marijuana retailer, and the first cannabis business located in Kenai’s compact commercial center. Ryan Tunseth has been working to get East Rip set up for nearly a year, and has had his share of hiccups over the location and nature of the business. When East Rip was working on getting a permit from the city, there was some controversy surrounding the proposed location of East Rip, which is adjacent to Arby’s in central Kenai. In Dec. 2017, the Kenai Planning and Zoning Commission narrowly approved East Rip’s city permit after the commission reconsidered their November 2017 denial of the permit. The shop received their permits from the state earlier this summer, and East Rip was able to have a soft opening the second week of September. Q: What made you want to get into this industry?
Shop Talk A: Personally, I was going through a bit of a life change. I was working at Exxon Mobil when there was a shakeup with my Cook Inlet job. Exxon wanted to move us to Texas. I didn’t want to uproot my family. My kids like it here. I grew up here and have lived here my whole life. My dad lives here. We love it here. So, we decided to stay. My wife and I tossed around a few business ideas that might pay the bills and this one just stuck. Q: With a density of churches, playgrounds, schools and parks in central Kenai, it is difficult to find a spot to open this sort of business. How has this location been working for you since opening? A: The location is great. It’s something we feel is one our biggest assets. We are on a frontage road, and we like that it’s not right on the
Ryan Tunseth stands at the counter of his business, East Rip, on Monday in Kenai. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
highway. People can access something we were looking industry, how has business the store discretely. We’re a for. been for East Rip since first Q: Cannabis is a booming little bit removed, which was See SHOP, page A2
Coffee with the superintendent Index Local........................A3 Opinion................... A4 Sports......................A5 Classifieds.............. A6 Comics.................... A8 Pets.........................A9 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
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By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Tucked away in the back room of Veronica’s Cafe in Kenai, superintendent for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Sean Dusek, met with a handful of teachers, principals and public officials Friday morning. During the meeting, the group discussed on everything from health care and test scores, to personalized learning and more. Coffee with the Superintendent is an event the school district puts on periodically to give parents, teachers and concerned members of the public an opportunity to sit and share their thoughts about happenings with the school district. Sean Dusek waits to talk and answer the public’s questions in Reach Victoria Petersen at the back room of Veronica’s Cafe in Kenai on Friday. (Photo by vpetersen@peninsulaclarion. Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion) com.
Alaska GOP to weigh action against Murkowski By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Alaska Republican party leaders plan to consider whether to reprimand U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. The party has asked Murkowski to provide any information she might want its state central committee to consider. Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock says the committee could decide to issue a statement. Or he says it could withdraw support of Murkowski, encourage party officials to look for a replacement and ask that she not seek See HILL, page A2
In this Oct. 4, 2018 file photo, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks to members of the media after a vote to advance Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)