Dire
Cheers
UN report warns of climate catastrophe
Brewers pull off sweep of Rockies
World/A5
Sports/A6
CLARION
Partly sunny 54/40 More weather on Page A2
P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 7
In the news Commission finds violations by groups backing Dunleavy JUNEAU — The Alaska Public Offices Commission has found that two groups supporting Mike Dunleavy for governor violated campaign finance laws. The commission Friday assessed penalties of $4,450 each against the Republican Governors Association and Families for Alaska’s FutureDunleavy. The commission said it could revisit the penalty amounts. Gov. Bill Walker’s campaign alleged the RGA had set up Families for Alaska’s Future-Dunleavy, in part, to shield its donors from public disclosure. The commission found the groups, in reserving ad time, violated a prohibition on making expenditures without first registering with the commission. The commission also found that Families for Alaska’s Future-Dunleavy failed to file accurate reports related to the reserved ad time. An attorney for the groups, Stacey Stone, noted the commission wasn’t unanimous in its decision.
31 cruise ships scheduled to visit Kodiak next year KODIAK — Officials say 31 cruise ships are scheduled to visit Kodiak next year, the most vessels the Alaska city has seen in a single year. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports the last cruise ship of the season docked in Kodiak last week, bringing the 2018 total to 19 vessels. Discover Kodiak Director Aimee Williams says “word is getting out” about what coastal Alaska has to offer, leading to the tourism increase. She says Kodiak provides an authentic experience that attracts visitors. The largest cruise ship to dock in Kodiak will also occur next year as Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to visit in May, likely bringing more than 2,000 passengers to the city. Williams says the influx of people brings economic benefits across the city.
Index Opinion .................. A4 Nation .................... A5 Sports .....................A6 Classifieds ............. A9 Comics................. A12
Monday, October 8, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Borough seeks Plan B for K-Selo By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Bonds to build a new school in the Old Believer village of Kachemak Selo, east of Homer, were voted down last week, but the effort to build K-Selo a school is not over. Brenda Ahlberg is the community and fiscal project manager for the Kenai Peninsula Borough. She said the borough will be working with several entities to make sure the community of K-Selo gets the facility and education they need. “It’s important to know the voters have spoken, and respect that,” Ahlberg said. “That doesn’t mean we won’t continue to try and provide a quality education and facility for KSelo.” Pegge Erkeneff, communications liaison for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, said the district is disappointed with the results of the school bond vote. K-Selo has been in need of a new school for nearly 10 years.
In 2011, the village petitioned the school board for a new facility. In 2016, the state appropriated approximately $10 million for construction of the school, but in order to proceed the borough needed to provide a match. Borough residents voted down the match bond package, which was nearly $5.5 million, this last Tuesday. The current school in Kachemak-Selo is made up of three borough-leased buildings and serves about 46 students. Erkeneff said the school has deteriorated beyond useful capacity. The buildings are converted homes, and students and school district officials have said the buildings are unsafe and leak in the winter, among other issues. One of the largest cost drivers comes from the remote nature of the village. The village sits at the bottom of a steep bluff only accessible by a dirt switchback trail, too narrow and steep for most vehicles to The Kachemak Selo Middle-High School building sits against a backdrop of the ridge separattraverse. The borough initially ing the village from the Kenai Peninsula Borough road system Thursday, Aug. 30, in Kachemak considered upgrading the road Selo. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News) See K-SELO, page A13
Potters show wares at ‘Clay on Display’ By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion
Featuring work by the Kenai Potters Guild, Thursday’s “Clay on Display” art show opening provided both newcomers and experienced ceramic artists an opportunity to connect to and appreciate the hard work of local potters. Held at the Kenai Fine Art Center, located in Old Town Kenai, the month-long exhibit is a reminder that the art scene is flourishing in Kenai, KFAC vice president Marion Nelson said. “It’s getting better,” Nelson said. “It’s truly getting better.” Debbie Adamson, KFAC president, mingled with interested artists and art collectors during the show, which
featured dozens of carefully formed creations. As the days shorten and grow colder, pottery and ceramic work provide people with a great indoor activity, Adamson said. “Winter’s almost here, and sometimes you’ve got to get out of the house,” she said. “People will get (seasonal affective disorder), but that’s why you’ve got to get out and come here.” Adamson said since moving to the Kenai Peninsula in 1975, she has been in and out of the local art scene. Today, the scene is thriving, beginning with the youth from local middle and high schools, she said. “It’s fantastic,” Adamson said about the products created by young artists. “We’ve
had such a fun time … everyone is their own style of artist.” The art crowd has already received some expert teaching, and will be getting more soon. Adamson and Nelson said they were able to call on some outside help in Alanna DeRocchi — a clay and ceramic art specialist who currently teaches at the University of Alaska Anchorage. DeRocchi, an Illinois native who received a Master of Fine Arts from the Alfred School of Art and Design in New York. One of her works, which she created during a pair of classes she taught in September at the Fine Art Center, sat front and center at Thursday’s show. See CLAY, page A13
Artists, musicians rock out at Seward festival By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Seward Music and Arts Festival celebrated the end of a busy summer season with a Rockwell Kent-inspired weekend of live music and performances After a full season of welcoming cruise ships guests from around the world, the Dale R. Lindsey Alaska Railroad Intermodal Facility in Seward shifted gears. The musical soiree brought together bands and performers See MUSIC, page A13
A clay pot sits displayed for interested buyers Thursday evening at the “Clay on Display” exhibit at the Kenai Fine Art Center. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Motorist hits Anchor Point Post Office By MEGAN PACER Homer News
Peters wrote that emergency response services were initially sent to the scene because it was thought the driver may need to be extracted from the vehicle. The driver ended up being able to get out of the black SUV on their own. As of around 3 p.m., Peters said troopers were still at the scene investigating and arranging for the vehicle to be towed.
The Anchor Point Post Office got an unanticipated remodel when a motorist drove through the front of the building Friday afternoon. An employee and someone nearby called the accident in to Alaska State Troopers around 1:53 p.m., Public Information Officer Megan Peters said in an email. “It doesn’t appear that anyone is injured/needing transReach Megan Pacer at Fireweed Fiddle from Fairbanks performs on Sunday at the port,” she wrote. mpacer@homernews.com. Seward Music and Arts Festival in the Dale R. Lindsey Alaska Railroad Intermodal Facility in Seward. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Federal judge hears arguments in Fairbanks 4 lawsuit Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
FAIRBANKS (AP) — A federal judge has heard arguments on whether a lawsuit should proceed against Fairbanks and a group of former police officers in their handling of a case that resulted in four men spending nearly two decades in prison before their
convictions were overturned. Attorneys representing the city and former Fairbanks officers argued Wednesday for the dismissal of the wrongful imprisonment suit, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported . George Frese, Kevin Pease, Marvin Roberts and Eugene
Vent were convicted of second-degree murder but maintained their innocence in the 1997 killing of 15-year-old John Hartman. Their convictions were vacated in December 2015 after they reached a settlement with the state, See JUDGE, page A13
Troopers and others stand near the spot where a black SUV crashed into the front of the Anchor Point Post Office on Friday in Anchor Point. (Photo by Yvonne Prucha)