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P E N I N S U L A
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 138
Iditarod 2019 Peninsula mushers’ progress as of 8:01 p.m.
Monday: 7. Mitch Seavey, Seward, out of Shaktoolik 9. Travis Beals, Seward, out of Shaktoolik 33. Sarah Stokey, Seward, out of Kaltag 35. Ryan Santiago, Sterling, into Kaltag Find more Iditarod coverage on Page A6.
In the news Kodiak city councilman charged with assault counts KODIAK — A Kodiak city councilman is free on bail after he was charged last week with six counts of felony assault, including assault with a weapon. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports 31-yearold Randall Bishop also is charged with seven misdemeanor assault counts. Charging documents were not immediately available. Online court documents do not list Bishop’s attorney. Bishop did not immediately respond Monday to an email request for comment. According to the city website, Bishop won a three-year term to the council in 2011 and was re-elected twice. Magistrate Judge Dawson Williams set bail at $5,000. He told Bishop that under state law, hands used with the intent to cut off air or blood to the brain constitutes assault with a deadly instrument. Bishop faces a preliminary hearing March 18. — Associated Press
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Schools face drastic cuts under budget plan Legislature District would see increased class sizes, school closures
By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Increased class sizes, no more sports and the closure of several schools are just a handful of the steps the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District would have to take to meet Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed reduction to state funding for education, according to a news release from Pegge Erkeneff, communications liaison for the district. Should the governor’s proposed budget pass through the state Legislature, the district would face a $22.4 million cut. Erkeneff said nothing on the list is set in stone, but it paints a picture of what could happen if funding is cut. To meet the reduction, class size would increase, the district said in the release. Educators could expect
By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
the changes that have already been made to the ordinance and consider any further changes before authorizing the land sale. The largest parcel of land being considered in the ordinance is 120 acres and is located in the Murwood neighborhood off Kalifornsky beach road. During Tuesday’s meeting, several Murwood residents voiced their concerns about the potential impact of a DEC-registered contamination site that sits just south of the parcel in question. One resident was worried about the area being
It’s more than half way through the session and the Legislature finally passed the first resolution. The Alaska Legislature hoped to make its position on oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge clear, with Senate Joint Resolution 7, which passed Monday, the 56th day of session, in both the House and Senate. “The opportunity to generate over $100 billion of state, federal and local government revenues… this will enhance life for all Alaskans,” said Rep. Sara Rasmussen, R-Anchorage. “At a time when we currently face drastic cuts to Medicaid expansion, education, including Pre-K, K-12 and the university system, we need to find other options to bring fiscal stability back to Alaska.” It passed 36-3 in the House, with Reps. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, Adam Wool, D-Fairbanks, and Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, holding the dissenting votes. The resolution then passed 18-1 in the Senate, with Anchorage Democratic Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson carrying the dissenting vote. Tarr said she opposed the resolution due to the environmental risks oil drilling poses. “Because of the thaw-
See LAND, page A3
See ANWR, page A3
Teachers and support staff from across the Kenai Peninsula fill the Betty J. Glick Borough Assembly Chambers during the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Education Board meeting in Soldotna on Monday, Feb. 11. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/ Peninsula Clarion)
to see seven additional students in their high school classes, six additional stu-
dents in middle school classes, two extra students in elementary classes and
two to three additional students at K-12 schools See CUTS, page A3
Borough postpones decision on land sale By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
The assembly postponed voting on an ordinance that would authorize the sale of several parcels of borough land at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s meeting on Tuesday, March 5. Following a significant number of public comments, specifically concerns about a contamination site located near one of the parcels in question, Assembly Vice President Dale Bagley moved that the vote on ordinance 2019-03 be postponed until the assembly meeting on April
passes resolution urging lease sales in ANWR
Assembly members Kenn Carpenter and Brent Hibbert discuss Ordinance 2019-03 at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Meeting in Soldotna on Tuesday, March 5. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
2. His motion was passed unanimously. Bagley said during the meeting that
this would give residents and the planning commission more time to review
Former Anchorage judge urges passage of crime bill By KEVIN BAIRD Juneau Empire
The former Anchorage judge who presided over a sexual assault case that ignited outrage in the state provided testimony at the
Capitol on Monday to urge passing of a crime bill. Former Anchorage Superior Court Judge Michael Cory, who lost his seat on the court in a November ballot, appeared by phone at the Senate Finance committee
meeting Monday to talk to lawmakers about Senate Bill 12, which aims to close the “Schneider Loophole.” “I followed the law as it was. Quite frankly I was crucified for it,” Cory said of his role in Schneider’s criminal
case. “I support SB 12. … I was not the problem. The law was the problem.” Justin Schneider, 34, kidnapped a woman from an Anchorage gas station in 2017, strangled her until she passed out, and ejaculated on her. He
was later caught by authorities and pleaded guilty to a single felony charge, but was not sentenced to serve additional jail time. His crime fell outside the criminal code’s definition of sexual assault See BILL page A2
Senate Finance working on Alcohol licenses in limbo ‘step-down’ approach to cuts as changes considered By KEVIN BAIRD Juneau Empire
The two Republican co-chairs of the Senate Finance Committee announced Monday they want to take a multi-year “step-down” approach to cutting the state budget. The goal of the new approach would be to lessen the “shock” that Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget cuts could have on the econo-
See STEP, page A2
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, Co-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, speaks at the Capitol on Feb. 19. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)
JUNEAU (AP) — Some Alaska businesses that have been allowed to sell alcohol for years are finding that the state is denying their license renewals. Taku Lanes, the only bowling alley in Alaska’s capital, has been warning customers that no alcohol is available for purchase after the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board recently denied its license renewal, KTOO Public Media in Juneau
reported Friday. The bowling alley has been serving alcohol for over a decade without problem. “We’ve been losing a lot of customers,” said Kenny Paquin, the manager of Taku Lanes. Venues like bowling alleys and ski areas are not included in a provision of state law that outlines the recreational places or events where alcohol sales are permitted. See LIMBO, page A2
Legislature to hear public testimony on ferry system, PFD By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
The House Transportation Committee will take public testimony on the Alaska Marine Highway System Tuesday from 1:303 p.m., and then again from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The Senate State Affairs
committee is also hearing testimony on the Permanent Fund Dividend payback plan starting at 6 p.m. The ferry system is facing a $97 million cut — 75 percent of its budget — under Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget for fiscal 2020. The ferry system may only operate seasonally in-
stead of year-round. The AMHS has stopped taking reservations after Oct. 1. The AMHS could be facing up to 253 union job losses under Dunleavy’s proposed budget, according to Robb Arnold, a member of the Inland Boatman’s Union. The IBU is one of three unions that work with
the ferry system. That job reduction would include 100 jobs in Juneau and 81 in Ketchikan, Arnold said. Arnold said he and other union members learned that during a meeting in February with Department of Transportation officials. For those wanting to testify, please go to your local
Legislative Information Office (LIO) either between 1:30-3 p.m. or between 5:30 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The LIO in Kenai is located at 145 Main Street Loop, Suite 217. People who live in villages or other rural areas without an LIO can call 844-586-9085.