Reduce
At bat
Sustainable bags a hit in Homer
MLB division races tighten up
Arts/B1
Sports/A6
CLARION
Breezy with rain 50/40 More weather on Page A2
P E N I N S U L A
Thursday, September 27, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 48, Issue 309
In the news Fairbanks greenlights reality TV show featuring city police FAIRBANKS — Fairbanks officials have greenlighted a contract that could lead to a reality TV show highlighting the city’s police department. The city council approved Mayor Jim Matherly’s request Monday to partner with Engle Entertainment on a show featuring people who moved to Alaska for careers in law enforcement, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. Matherly and Police Chief Eric Jewkes are hoping the TV program can aid the department’s recruitment efforts by increasing exposure to potential applicants. “We can’t just be in the dark anymore. We have to sell our relevance and what we do and who we are — that’s just the nature of the game,” Jewkes said. The only cost to Fairbanks will be the time staff work with producers on the project, according to the city resolution. It notes “considerable staff time is already dedicated to recruitment efforts.”
Army prepares for exercise near Fort Greely ANCHORAGE — The highway leading to an Army training area near Fort Greely will see heavy traffic next week. About 6,000 soldiers and support personnel will descend upon the Donnelly Training Area for a multi-national “forced on force” training exercise. The Army says Arctic Anvil 19-01 is designed to provide the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team with a tough and realistic event. Soldiers from Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will participate. The movement of soldiers will be heaviest Oct. 1-6 as soldiers and supporting units move south in convoys from Fort Wainwright. Military personnel from Hawaii, Canada and the Alaska National Guard will participate. Members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force will observe. The force-on-force exercise will begin Oct. 9 and is scheduled to conclude Oct. 21. — Associated Press
Index Opinion................... A4 Nation..................... A5 Sports......................A6 Arts ........................ B1 Classifieds.............. B3 Comics.................... B6
Soldotna City Council candidates discuss annexation, visitor center sites at forum By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
On Oct. 2, Soldotna residents will be voting for three new candidates for Soldotna City Council. Each opponent is running for their own seat, which means all candidates are unopposed. At Wednesday’s Soldotna Chamber Luncheon, candidates Justin Ruffridge, Jordan Chilson and Paul Whitney stated their views on issues ranging from annexation to new revenue streams and many others. The forum began with candidate opening statements. Ruffridge is a business owner in Soldotna who has been living on the peninsula since 1994. He said running for the city council is an interesting opportunity to continue learning about the city. He was appointed to the city council last year and said he hopes to further educate himself and be a part of the city. Chilson is a lifelong Alaskan and a network administrator for
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the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. He said he’s passionate about the community and has tried to integrate it into his personal life by joining local organizations and boards. He said he wants to continue serving the community and make positive impacts. Whitney has been living in Alaska for more than 40 years. He has a background in criminal justice. He said he and his family love the area and his kids and grandkids have decided to stay in the community. He has served on the city council since 2013. The moderator asked the candidates what qualifications they had. Whitney said his background working on numerous city councils and commissions, including in Fairbanks and Soldotna, has taught him to listen and to study the subject to understand what’s going on in order to make the right decision Chilson said his business process mindset and his back-
Candidates for Soldotna City Council, Paul Whitney, Jordan Chilson and Justin Ruffridge discuss issues Soldotna is facing on Wednesday in the Soldotna Chamber Luncheon. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
ground in business help him see new opportunities and efficiency gains for the city. He also said his position with the school district can directly transfer to public service. Ruffridge said he didn’t know if he had any specific or
grandiose qualifications other than that he is a good problem solver. He said he is a quick learner and likes to think outside of the box. He said he’s excited to engage with and solve problems for the community. Candidates agreed they ex-
Homer makes 2nd attempt at bag ban By MEGAN PACER Homer News
The merits and dangers of single-use, disposable plastic bags are once again up for debate in Homer. Homer City Council member Caroline Venuti sponsored an ordinance that was successfully introduced at the council’s Monday meeting that would ban a certain type of single-use plastic shopping bag. The council voted not only to introduce the ordinance, but to hold an additional public hearing for it before voting. Council member Donna Aderhold suggested the addition to give the council more time to think about the measure and hear from more constituents before deciding whether to pass the ordinance, change it, or scrap it in favor of a ballot proposition for next year’s election. The Homer City Council passed an ordinance to ban sin-
gle-use plastic bags in 2012, but it was repealed through a ballot vote brought forward by a citizen initiative. Homer was the fist city on the Kenai Peninsula to approve such a ban. Now, if it comes to fruition a second time, Homer would be the second peninsula city to enact a bag ban after Soldotna, whose new policy takes effect Nov. 1. There have also been bans passed in several other Alaska cities and villages, including Anchorage, where all soft plastic bags are banned, and Wasilla, which only bans thin single-use bags under 2.25 mils — the same kind of bag Homer banned before. Council members Heath Smith and Tom Stroozas, who voted against introducing the ordinance, and Shelly Erickson, all said they would rather put the issue to a vote than try to pass a bag ban the way the council did in 2012.
Single-use plastic bags litter the side of Lake Street on Tuesday in Homer. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
“I’m not prepared to do exactly what the council did five years ago, and that was pre-propose that they knew better than the people,” Smith said. “… We can come back time and time again, that’s fine. That’s basically what people do when they don’t get what they want, they keep asking. But, I think that we go through the right process.”
“As the policy makers in this community, we owe it to the public to let them make the decision,” Stroozas said. “When I go to the grocery store, more often than not I take my reusable bag with me. I have a bunch of them in the back of my truck, I’m always using them. … But very often too, See BAN, page A8
Fall kicks off with host of community events By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
This year’s fall weather is bringing with it a selection of festivals celebrating the season. The autumnal events kick off with the 2018 Harvest Art Auction at the Kenai Fine Arts Center on Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. The annual event hosted by the Peninsula Art Guild brings together artists from
across the peninsula in a silent auction. The artwork up for bid has been on display at the Arts Center since the beginning of the month, with bidding going until the day of the auction. Tickets for the events are $30 and include appetizers and a dessert buffet, music and door prizes in addition to the auction. They can be bought at the Kenai Fine Arts
Center, Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 5 p.m. On Saturday Oct. 6, the Kenai Wildlife Refuge is hosting a Termination Dust Celebration marking the grand opening of the Marsh Lake Trail on Skilak Lake Road at mile 16.6 with a day of fun, family events. Starting at the trailhead at noon, the Kenai Wildlife Refuge will cut the ribbon on the
new, 6-mile roundtrip trail. At about 12:30 p.m., a guided hike will bring visitors on an exploration of the new trail. There is also a shorter version of the hike, 1 mile in length, that will return on a new loop created this fall. “All are welcome to participate in this guided walk,” according to a news release from the Refuge. “Please See FALL, page A8
Alleged Anchorage bank thief extradited to US By DAN JOLING Associated Press
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ANCHORAGE — A former Alaska bank employee suspected of loading $4.3 million in cash onto a cart seven years ago and fleeing with it to Mexico has been extradited to the United States. Gerardo Adan Cazarez Valenzuela, 33, who was known as Gary Cazarez, was extradited after serving time in a Mexico
prison, U.S. Attorney for Alaska Bryan Schroder announced Wednesday. Cazarez on Wednesday was jailed in Anchorage. His attorney, Wayne Fricke of Tacoma, Washington, said Wednesday he did not want to comment. Cazarez was 26 years old in 2011 when he worked as a cash vault services manager for KeyBank. An FBI agent in 2011 named
Cazarez as the theft suspect based on bank surveillance equipment, interviews with employees and Cazarez’ admissions. The FBI said Cazarez at 6:39 p.m. July 29, a Friday, entered the cash vault with three computer-size boxes on a rolling cart. He turned out the vault light and filled the boxes with cash, according to an investigator. Sixteen minutes later, he was recorded pushing the boxes and a
computer bag out of the vault. He loaded the boxes into a vehicle and was spotted returning the cart to the cash vault room. Prosecutors said Cazarez drove to his home, transferred the cash to duffel bag suitcases and drove to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. With his girlfriend, who was not charged, Cazarez boarded a private charter and flew to Seattle, prosecutors See BANK, page A8
pected annexation to be a challenge within the next term. Chilson said another challenge would be the decline in revenue sharing Soldotna is receiving from state and federal agencies, which the city has See CITY, page A8
Walker declares emergency for native languages JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Bill Walker has declared an emergency for Alaska Native languages, aiming to promote and preserve all 20 recognized indigenous languages in the state. The order signed this week directs the state education commissioner to work with partners to promote indigenous languages in public education, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported. It also directs the state to use traditional Alaska Native place names on public signs. The order instructs state commissioners to designate a tribal liaison tasked with producing a plan to boost collaboration with Alaska Native partners. The governor’s order was prompted by a report this year by the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council, warning that the languages could become extinct by the century’s end. The Legislature also passed a resolution in April urging the governor to make such a declaration. “You know there’s not a lot of times I stand up in front of a microphone and thank the Legislature, and I certainly do on this,” the independent governor said Sunday while signing the order in Juneau with a gathering of language advocates from across the state. Walker acknowledged the state’s role in undermining and discouraging the use of indigenous languages generations ago. “I know we need to celebrate where we are, but boy, if you don’t reflect on where you’ve been, it really is only part of the discussion, part of the celebration,” Walker said. Of the several Alaska Native representatives at the signing was Richard Peterson, president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes. He said he hopes the order will aid communities in reconnecting with their culture in meaningful ways.