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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 144
In the news Rural school district buys hotel for student housing ANCHORAGE (AP) — A rural Alaska school district has purchased a former hotel to allow students to take classes in the state’s largest city. The Lower Yukon School District paid $2.7 million in February for the former Long House Alaskan Hotel in Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. Officials say the partnership with the Anchorage School District will allow junior and senior high school students from 10 villages to stay and study for nine weeks at a time. Students in the voluntary program will be able to take medical, electrical, aviation, hospitality and other courses at King Tech High School in Anchorage when the program begins in the fall. Purchasing the 54room hotel is a cost-effective way to provide high-quality education compared to investing in trade programs that would struggle to keep instructors in the remote region, District Superintendent Andrew Anderson said. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has called for more than $300 million in cuts to kindergarten through grade 12 funding. Under the plan, Anderson said the Lower Yukon district would lose $8 million, a quarter of its state funding. But the district board decided to prioritize career and technical education by sticking with the Anchorage program, which he said was in the works before Dunleavy’s budget announcement. “We’d have to lay off staff,” Anderson said. “So we certainly see the need to restructure the way we deliver our educational services to accommodate for those layoffs. Part of our restructuring involves maintaining this plan for our kids.” A spokesman said the governor supports collaborative ideas like the Yukon-Anchorage initiative.
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‘Right to an affordable education’ Students protest proposed budget cuts to university By MOLLIE BARNES Juneau Empire
Students from the University Alaska system held a rally Monday in protest of the governor’s proposed budget cuts. “We wanted to use this opportunity to have everyone all together, because we’re all spread out across the state,” said Teresa Wrobel, a student at UA Anchorage who is also a senator in the UAA student government, in an interview with the Empire. “I think we hear a lot from a lot of different groups about how education is important, but I think we need to focus as well on the student voices — those who will be affected.” Wrobel was part of the group that led a rally in front of the Capitol on the unusually warm afternoon. There were about 50 people attending the rally, but some people on Twitter noted that the university’s spring break schedule might have
House Finance Committee to visit the Kenai, hear testimony By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Students from the University of Alaska system pose for a photo after a rally at the Capitol on Monday, in Juneau. (Mollie Barnes | Juneau Empire)
affected attendance. The university is facing a 41 percent reduction to its budget due to state budget cuts proposed in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s fiscal year 2020 budget. University System
President Jim Johnsen said he would have no choice but to propose to the Board of Regents deep cuts for every UA campus including community campuses, major reductions to faculty and staff,
and reduction and elimination of educational programs and services across the state if this operating budget passes as is. “We don’t have to acSee RALLY, page A2
The Alaska House Finance Committee has planned a series of public meetings across the state to better understand how Alaskans feel about upcoming budget decisions. The committee typically holds public input hearings at the state capitol in Juneau. The proposals contained in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget could fundamentally change life for many Alaskans, a press release from the Alaska House Majority said. “Given the historic nature of the decisions See HOUSE, page A13
Those in re-entry world preach patience for SB 91 By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
While much of the public conversation about criminal reform measure Senate Bill 91 comes from politicians, a talk Saturday night featured a different demographic — those who have been in the system and who have benefited from the bill. At an event called “Stories of Hope,” organized by students at the University of Alaska Anchorage Master of Social Work students, a small group of attendees gathered at Northern Light United Church and listened to the accounts of three people who had firsthand experience with the criminal justice system. The stories were raw as they
JAMHI Health and Wellness employees Carrie Amott and Mike Van Linden, both of whom are in long-term recovery, speak about their experiences and views on Senate Bill 91 at Northern Light United Church on Saturday, in Juneau. (Alex McCarthy/Juneau Empire)
SB 91 helped them all delved into their childhood traumas and adult strug- get back on their feet sooner gles, but all three tales led than they otherwise would have, they said. Mike Van to optimistic endings.
Linden, a reentry case manager for JAMHI Health and Wellness, was able to get a temporary driver’s license after his felony DUI as part of SB 91, he said in his talk. Being able to get that, he said, helped him get a job and function better than he otherwise would have. Van Linden, who is in long-term recovery, has become a prominent figure in town when it comes to re-entry and recovery. He’s aware of the criticisms of SB 91 and the strong emotions behind property crime in the state, but he’s also had a front-row seat to ways the bill is helping reduce recidivism rates in the state as well. SB 91 has been a hotbutton issue since it was signed into law in July 2016.
Social media feeds light up with images of crimes and complaints about how the bill is at fault. Many politicians, including Gov. Mike Dunleavy, have called for a full repeal of the bill. Other politicians have called for changes to the bill and not a sweeping repeal. To the people who are calling for a repeal, Van Linden preached patience. “I would say give it a chance and look at the numbers,” Van Linden said. “Look at the data without being emotional.” It’s proven difficult to tie statistics, positive or negative, to SB 91. Proponents have said it takes time for criminal justice reform bills to really start paying dividends. See SB 91, page A13
New state revenue forecast slightly more positive for 2020 Now that the oil market has stabilized, the revenue forecast for the state has changed slightly. The Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Bruce Tangeman released the spring 2019 revenue forecast Friday, which includes a lower prediction for Fiscal Year 2019 and higher prediction for FY 2020 than the fall forecast. “When the Legislature passed the budget last spring, they were estimating $63 (a barrel) oil and projected about a $700 million deficit for the year,” Tangeman said at a Senate Finance meeting
Commissioner Designee Bruce Tangeman presents the state’s revenue forecast to the Senate Finance Committee at the Capitol on Jan. 16. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)
Monday morning. “We now see that the price of oil has been well about
$63 (a barrel). … We are forecasting about $69 (a barrel).”
Sterling man allegedly steals gun, shoots himself with it By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
A Sterling man has been charged with burglary after accidentally shooting himself with a stolen revolver, according to an affidavit filed by State Troopers at the Kenai Courthouse on March 12.
According to the affidavit, on Jan. 29 troopers received a complaint of a burglary in Soldotna. A man reported that he had come home that night to discover his house at been broken into and several firearms were missing. When troopers responded, the man told troopers that he believed
Travis Lindley, 18, was involved in the burglary. According to the affidavit, the man had allegedly arranged to meet with Lindley in Soldotna at the time of the burglary and Lindley never arrived to meet him, leading the man to believe Lindley had set him up. See GUN, page A13
The spring forecast includes the department’s updated FY 2019 budget, FY 2020 budget, as well as long-term forecasts for oil price, oil production and state revenue. Not counting transfers from the Permanent Fund, the department is forecasting unrestricted revenue of $2.7 billion in FY 2019 and $2.3 billion in FY 2020, according to a press release from the DOR. Additionally, the Permanent Fund is expected to transfer $2.7 billion to the general fund in FY 2019 and $2.9 billion to the general fund in FY 2020. These amounts are
available both for payment of Permanent Fund Dividends and for general government spending. However, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed paying a larger PFD out to residents rather than using it for government spending like in previous years, which would trigger large cuts in government spending to balance the budget. • FY19 unrestricted revenue forecast is reduced by about $89 million compared to the fall forecast, despite higher forecasted near-term oil prices, according to the See 2020, page A13
Soldotna caregiver accused of stealing client’s medication By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
A Soldotna woman has been charged with stealing her client’s anti-anxiety medication, according to charging documents filed at the Kenai courthouse on March 11. Jessica Huff, 44, was employed as a personal care assistant and was assigned a
client in February of 2018. According to the charging documents, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) received a report in November 2018 that Huff had allegedly picked up her client’s prescription of Lorazepam – an anti-anxiety medication – on March 9 of that year, but never delivered the medication to her client. See MEDS, page A13