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P E N I N S U L A
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 48, Issue 302
In the news Former youth hockey treasurer sentenced for embezzlement ANCHORAGE — The former treasurer for an Anchorage youth hockey association has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for embezzlement. Thirty-four-year-old Jennifer Suchan, also known as Jennifer Kerr, was sentenced for embezzling more than $150,000 from the Mustang Hockey Association in the Eagle River area. Suchan had pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. She agreed to pay more than $170,000 in restitution. Suchan in 2015 began forging the signature of another board member and wrote checks to herself. She falsely claimed the money was spent on association expenses. Prosecutors say she spent the money on family trips, car and mortgage payments, and a $1,500 chicken coop. Prosecutors say she forged more than 140 checks over two and a half years and withdrew $14,000 in association cash.
Bethel DMV office to close until new worker is hired BETHEL — The Division of Motor Vehicles office in Bethel will be closed for more than a month following a worker’s transfer. KYUK-AM reports the office will close after Friday for up to eight weeks until a new employee is hired to fill the position. DMV Manager Janice Torsen says the state will send a worker every few weeks to operate the office for a week at a time, beginning Oct. 8. The closure will make certain services unavailable to area residents, including the issuance of original driver’s licenses or ID cards, permits, and road testing. Other services will remain available online or over the phone. The town, which is about 400 miles (644 kilometers) west of Anchorage, serves as a hub community for smaller villages in the region. — Associated Press
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Community takes action against hunger By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Community members have rallied around the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank this month after local municipalities proclaimed September as Hunger Action Month. The food bank has had many local groups, business and individuals step up throughout the month to help fight hunger on the Kenai Peninsula. “It’s been wonderful,” said Kenai Peninsula Food Bank Executive Director Gary Meyer, who recently took over the position after Linda Swarner’s retirement in March. “Everyone has been so friendly and kind,” he said. “The thing that struck me when I first went out on pick-ups was not just the generosity of the stores, but how friendly and helpful the staff is. And we’re getting support from farmers and different growers. It’s great.” Meyer highlighted several events this month, including the
The Kenai Peninsula Food Bank’s greenhouse is photographed on Tuesday near Soldotna. The food bank grows fresh produce and offers it at a weekly farmers market. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
annual Soup Supper which was held on Sept. 15 at the Soldotna Sports Center. “We had a great turnout,”
Meyer said. “…We have such The event brought together a supportive community and local vendors for a night of obviously the community was homemade soups, desserts, there helping.” wine and beer and an auction.
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Last Wednesday, members of the cannabis industry gathered to discuss concerns they wanted to raise at the upcoming October Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office meeting, which is going to be held in Kenai for the first time. The Clarion reported many concerns that rose from the group, like video retention to
wait times for license applications. Chairman of the Marijuana Control Board, Mark Springer said he hears concerns like this quite often. “I think most of the industry understands the constraints in time to renew an application,” Springer said. “There’s a lot of back and forth. As one application gets completed, they are able to move on to the next one.
We’ve tried our hardest to explain that.” Springer said the wait times aren’t exclusive to applicants of the Kenai Peninsula. During the Wednesday meeting, host Dollynda Phelps expressed frustrations with application wait times. She said she submitted an application on March 30 and is still in the queue for review. She suggested the office hire
By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
The lawsuit between the City of Juneau and the cruise industry has hung heavily over the city for more than two years, and it won’t be resolved any time soon. Attorneys from both sides
argued their cases in front of U.S. District Judge H. Russel Holland at the Robert Boochever U.S. Courthouse in Juneau on Tuesday morning, but Holland declined to make any decision on the case. “We will be a while in getting you a decision,” Holland said after about two hours of ar-
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The school year has begun; the leaves are changing colors and every morning’s just a little bit colder than the last. It’s time for the Kenai Performers season to begin. Every year for more than 20 years, Kenai Performers welcomes winter with a dinner theater performance. This year it’s a girl’s night out turned murder mystery. Donna Shirnberg plays Victoria in the small cast play and is the coordinator for the event. “(The play) is funny, cute and it’s interactive with the audience,” Shirnberg said. “The audience needs to watch for clues.” Shirnberg said the theme and play changes every year. Sometimes the director picks a play they like or even ones
they’ve written. This year’s play, by D’Ann and Rick Artis, is a story about four women on a girl’s night out. Someone they all know is murdered, and each character has a reason for wanting the person gone, Shirnberg said. The cast is small, with four women and a man. In the past, the Kenai Senior Citizens Center has provided the dinner. Shirnberg said the center wasn’t able to provide catering this year, so Joe Spady of Joe’s Meatball Shoppe, a Soldotna-based food truck, is working with chef Jodene McAuliffe to provide the dinner. The meal includes an antipasto platter, salad, pasta with beef meatballs, dessert and drinks. There will also be gluten-free and vegetarian options available. Spady said he is making more than 900 meat-
rodent on rat-free Bering Sea island
additional staff to manage the influx of applications. Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office Director Erika McConnell said that application review time is a huge issue right now. “The time it is taking to review applications is a huge JUNEAU (AP) — Wildlife issue, which we are working to address,” McConnell said officials are working to capin an email. “Unfortunately, it ture a rogue rodent sighted on is not as simple as just add- a rat-free island off the coast See POT, page A6 of southwest Alaska. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local authorities have set up a camera and traps on St. Paul Island after a rat was spotted late last month, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported. guments. “This is not a simple fees and port development fees The Pribilof Islands in the decision.” — taxes that each passenger Bering Sea have maintained a The lawsuit began in April pays for coming to Juneau. rat prevention program, help2016, when Cruise Lines InterThese fees, CLIA asserted, ing to keep the islands rat free national Association’s (CLIA) were being used for CBJ proj- for more than two decades. Alaska affiliate announced it ects that did not directly ben“They maintain yearwas suing the city. CLIA’s law- efit the cruise ships coming round, 365-day-a-year traps suit alleged that the City and through Juneau. In court Tues- in strategic locations near the Borough of Juneau misused See SHIP, page A6 docks at St. Paul, so if a rat funds from marine passenger comes off a boat hopefully it will be captured right away,” said Steve Delehanty, manager of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Six rats have been killed since the program began, but the rat was seen could have been the first to sneak past traps near the docks, Delehanty said. Authorities are hoping to quickly find the rat before it breeds. “If there’s more than one rat there and they are breeding, then they’re already having babies,” Delehanty said. “We want to get at it when there are two rats on the island, or six or eight rats, not when there’s 56 rats or a 1,000 rats.” Invasive rats on the islands could pose serious harm to the environment, Delehanty said. “They damage people’s Cast of “Girls Night Out” gathers for rehearsal at the Kenai Se- property. They damage food nior Citizens Center on Tuesday in Kenai. (Photo by Victoria storage. They damage ship Petersen/Peninsula Clarion) and boat electronics. They damage wildlife,” Delehanty balls for the event. high school, and acted earlier said. “They eat birds, they Spady was an actor with Ke- this year in their performance eat bird eggs, they eat chicks. nai Performers while he was in See MURDER, page A6 They can also transmit diseases.”
Juneau cruise ship lawsuit ruling in limbo
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Opinion .................. A4 Nation .................... A5 Food ...................... A7 Sports .....................A9 Classifieds ........... A10 Comics................. A14
See FOOD, page A6
State marijuana control office responds Authorities to cannabis industry concerns search for
A whodunit it with dinner: Kenai Performers opens season with murder mystery Index
This year’s theme also helped the Food Bank celebrate it’s 30th year in operation. “It was a great birthday party,” Meyer said. Despite the added attention of Hunger Awareness Month, the food bank is still in need of donations according to Meyer. “I think it’s important to give a big thank you to everyone who has donated. If people are still thinking about hunger this month, we are in desperate need of canned items, like canned veggies or tuna, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter,” he said. In 2017, the Food Bank processed over 1.2 million pounds of food, according to their website. The Soldotna location serves the entire Kenai Peninsula Borough, with a population of over 58,000 and about nine percent of that population living below the poverty level. “The Kenai Peninsula Borough is committed to working with the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank in educating people about the role and importance of food