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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 48, Issue 4
In the news Man shot in Anchorage school parking lot
Thursday, October 4, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Fall colors take over Kenai refuge
ANCHORAGE — One man has been hospitalized and another is in custody following a shooting in an elementary school parking lot in Anchorage. Anchorage TV station KTUU reports the shooting occurred before 10 a.m. Wednesday at a parking at Denali Elementary School. No students were hurt or involved. Police spokesman MJ Thim says the shooting involved a dispute that was “domestic in nature” between the two men. Thim says police are investigating why the men were in the parking lot and whether they have any connections to the school or students. He says the shooting appears to be an isolated incident. Police say the injured man was shot in the upper body. The men’s names were not immediately released.
Mist rises over Hidden Lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday near Sterling. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Authorities: Bears fed on body of man killed at mine JUNEAU — Authorities say three bears fed on the body of a contract employee who was killed this week at a remote southeast Alaska mine site. Ken Marsh, a spokesman with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said Wednesday the circumstances surrounding Anthony David Montoya’s death remain unclear. Authorities say no one witnessed what happened to the 18-year-old from Hollis, Oklahoma. Megan Peters, an Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman, says an autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office was pending. She says Montoya had left a group to go to a nearby water pump site. When he didn’t return, others went looking for him. They say Montoya and the bears were about 35 yards from them. Peters says the site was reportedly noisy. The bears were subsequently killed. — Associated Press
ConocoPhillips bullish on Alaska’s future By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
At Wednesday’s Joint Chamber Luncheon, Lisa Bruner, vice president of North Slope operations for ConocoPhillips, presented residents with a big picture look at the company’s future in Alaska. Bruner, who has been with the company for over 29 years, said the company is growing its Alaska portfolio. “The company itself is very aggressive about the future in Alaska,” Bruner said. “We see a lot of promise in the forthcoming developments in the state.” Bruner said roughly 20 percent of the company’s production is in the state of Alaska. Looking back at 2013, Bruner detailed Conoco’s past predictions for development in Alaska, which were in decline. “Frankly speaking, it wasn’t a very exciting future for the company at that point in time, and there were a number of reasons for that,” Bruner said. She said state tax regimes
and the fiscal climate at the time made investment in Alaska difficult. “We were in what is classified as maintenance mode,” Bruner said. “We were still maintaining our infrastructure to produce what we had, but we didn’t see a hugely promising future.” Fast forward to today, Bruner said Conoco is seeing more potential for development in Alaska. “The changes we’ve seen since 2013 is nothing short of transformational,” Bruner said. Bruner said the transformation was a result of a few key events. Passage of SB 21 in 2013 raised the base tax rate, and made it so taxes are lower under high oil prices, but higher under low oil prices. Bruner said the passage attracted many new investments to the state. Another factor in the transformation is the introduction to the new technology and innovation, she said. “Through that, we’ve undertaken, and built, seven new
Lisa Bruner presents at Wednesday’s Joint Chamber Luncheon on Wednesday in Kenai. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
rigs,” Bruner said. “We have one under construction now. We’re continuing to push the envelope with technology and innovation. We’re continuing to unlock the potential that we
see.” Looking forward, Bruner said the future for Conoco development in Alaska is looking bright, and could potentially provide thousands of jobs for
residents. Majority of the work on the North Slope happens in the winter when the ice roads are able to carry equipment to remote See OIL, page A8
Homer’s Light the Night highlights recovery Index Opinion .................. A4 Nation .................... A5 Sports .....................A6 Arts ........................ B1 Classifieds ............. B3 Comics................... B6
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By MEGAN PACER Homer News
A few dozen residents and their children worked to shine a little brighter light on substance abuse Saturday at Homer’s first Light the Night march. Hosted by The Bearded Sister, Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, and the Southern Kenai Peninsula Opioid Task Force (which is a group within MAPP), the event involved a gathering at WKFL Park followed by a march through town. “We meet together once a month and we’ve become friends throughout that any-
way,” said Kerri-Ann Baker, of The Bearded Sister, a nonprofit dedicated to addiction recovery efforts. “We knew that we wanted to really do a bunch of stuff for Recovery Month, because it’s really easy. Nobody’s against recovery.” Other communities, like the Mat-Su have held Light the Night events, but they are usually held later in the season, Baker said. The Homer groups chose to hold the march while it was still September, National Recovery Month. The choice was also a personal one for Baker. Baker’s brother, for whom The Bearded Sister was Children prepare glow sticks to walks with before a Light the Night march Saturday at WKFL named, died from addiction Park in Homer. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News) See LIGHT, page A8