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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 149
In the news Unalaska expects record number of cruise ships UNALASKA — A record number of cruise ships are expected this year in Unalaska, in the Aleutians. Carlin Enlow, executive director of the local convention and visitors bureau, says 20 ships are scheduled, a big jump from past years. There were eight last year. Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the first ship is scheduled to arrive May 6. The season extends through September. The challenges of more visitors include coordinating buses from the port, extra pedestrian traffic and managing greater demand at stores and restaurants. Enlow says there also is a lack of infrastructure to handle a large influx of people and that the visitors’ bureau doesn’t solicit ships. The Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association has invested in local ventures that would provide bike rentals and offer tours and recreational equipment.
Search suspended for pilot missing northwest of Anchorage ANCHORAGE — Search efforts have been suspended for a singleengine aircraft that went missing in south-central Alaska earlier this month, authorities said. Timothy D. Twohy has been missing since March 5 after his Cessna 172 was reported overdue northwest of Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday. The 61-year-old pilot had taken off from Farewell Airport and was headed to Wasilla — a flight that usually takes 60 to 90 minutes, search officials said. His plane is believed to have gone missing in the Rainy Pass area. Rescuers were unable to pinpoint his location through radar data because of the area’s rugged terrain, Alaska Air National Guard Lt. Col. Keenan Zerkel said. A signal from the plane’s electronic locator transmitter has also not been detected. — Associated Press
Monday, March 25, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Barr reports no collusion with Russia By ERIC TUCKER, MICHAEL BALSAMO, CHAD DAY and JULIE PACE Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller did not find evidence that President Donald Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election but reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, Attorney General William Barr declared Sunday. That brought a hearty claim of vindication from Trump but set the stage for new rounds of political and legal fighting. Trump cheered the outcome but also laid bare his resentment after two years of investigations that have shadowed his administration. “It’s a shame that our country has had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Sunday, at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Fla., en route to Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
through this,” he said. Democrats pointed out that Mueller found evidence for and against obstruction and demanded to see his full
report. They insisted that even the summary by the president’s attorney general hardly put him in the clear. Mueller’s conclusions,
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summarized by Barr in a four-page letter to Congress, represented a victory for Trump on a key question that has hung over his presi-
dency from the start: Did his campaign work with Russia to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton? That was further good news for the president on top of the Justice Department’s earlier announcement that Mueller had wrapped his investigation without new indictments. The resolution also could deflate the hopes of Democrats in Congress and on the 2020 campaign trail that incriminating findings from Mueller would hobble the president’s agenda and re-election bid. But while Mueller was categorical in ruling out criminal collusion, he was more circumspect on presidential obstruction of justice. Despite Trump’s claim of total exoneration, Mueller did not draw a conclusion one way or the other on whether he sought to stifle the Russia investigation through his actions including the firing of former FBI director James See BARR, page A2
‘Immoral’, ‘sickening’
House Finance holds 1st community meeting on budget in Juneau By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
As dozens of Juneau and Douglas residents spoke to the House Finance Committee on Friday night, there was fear in many of their voices — but there was hope in others. The meeting was the first in a series of community meetings the committee is holding around the state to gather Alaskans’ thoughts on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget. While many of the 68 people who testified said they were scared or used words like “immoral” and “sickening” to describe the budget, many of them said they were heartened by
Members of the public wait to share their thoughts on the governor’s budget to the House Finance Committee at the Alaska State Capitol on Friday. (Alex McCarthy/ Juneau Empire)
the number of people who showed up to share their thoughts. A few main themes
stood out during the comments. Principally, many who spoke said they would either take a smaller Per-
manent Fund Dividend or would pay a state income tax to help the state raise revenues so it wouldn’t have to slash spending as much as the governor has proposed. Douglas resident Laura Steele summed up many of the comments as she spoke about the impact that a $3,000 PFD could have on the state. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love the idea of having an extra $3,000,” Steele said. “I’d love it. It would be great for me. But I love my neighbors, their children, our elders and our state so much more than I love that idea.” While many people said they’d gladly give up get-
ting a PFD, some of them acknowledged that there are many people throughout the state who depend on the annual payments to support their families. Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, said in an interview after the meeting that she was impressed with the way people showed up and expressed a willingness to help out. “I think Alaskans are ready to contribute to the revenue stream and are asking for an income tax,” Hannan said. “Of course, there are people who mentioned and talked about the significant impact of cutting the PFD harms the people who have less financial stability See HOUSE, page A3
Kodiak man dives into scallop fishery By ALISTAIR GARDINER Kodiak Daily Mirror
KODIAK — With regards to scallops, Tom Minio could accurately be described as erudite. On Thursday afternoon, Minio sat in the galley of his vessel, the Provider, explaining what makes the best product, while the metallic screeches of boat work drifted
in from other parts of the vessel. “The market really loves the big stuff, which I don’t understand. I don’t like eating big scallops,” he said. “It’s just like old halibut, you know: the bigger they are, the older they are and the tougher they are.” Younger, smaller scallops, Minio said, “don’t look as impressive,” but are much sweeter and more succulent.
For those in the industry, scallop size is referred to on a scale that indicates how many scallops make up a pound of meat. “You get a big scallop like that — a 0/10,” Minio said, holding his hands in a circle to illustrate a circumference of several inches, “I mean, they look beautiful, but they’re old. I always tell everybody, buy the 20/30. But those fancy
River City Books goes solar By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
Index
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Construction is underway on the new River City Books location in Soldotna, and owner Peggy Mullen has taken the change in location as an opportunity to make her business solar-powered. With the help of Ben May, owner of Anchorage Solar, Mullen invited the community to a presentation on Saturday about the potential of solar energy on the peninsula. Those who attended were able to hear from May how solar technology has advanced in the last few years, and he broke down the financial
A technician from Anchorage Solar installs vertical solar panels at the new location for River City Books in Soldotna on Saturday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
details of investing in solar technology for homes and businesses. May also touched on the environ-
mental benefits of solar power — a 20-panel system could see a carbon
See SOLAR, page A2
restaurants, they want real big ones and they’re willing to pay a lot more money for them.” Mino said he tries to sell only 20/30s locally — if you order scallops at Henry’s or at the Kodiak Inn, chances are you’re eating product that Tom Minio caught. Minio has been fishing scallops out of Kodiak for 40 years. He started when he
was 18 years old and doesn’t know anyone who’s been doing it longer than he has. With a small number of limited entry permits available and the quota around Kodiak decreasing, other fishermen and vessels dropped out of the fishery — but Minio held on. During the most recent season, the Provider was the only vessel fishing scallops in the Kodiak See DIVE, page A3
Man who tracks down stolen vehicles enters plea deal ANCHORAGE (AP) — An Alaska man has agreed to a plea deal that includes a promise to stop chasing after stolen vehicles. Officials said that 54-year-old Floyd Hall pleaded guilty to one count of reckless endangerment resulting in a 30-day suspended sentence and a $500 fine, the Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday. The terms of Hall’s three-year probation sentence include a pledge to refrain from chasing anyone driving a suspected stolen vehicle, officials said. The newspaper reports that Hall can remain in-
volved with a citizens’ group calling itself the “A Team” that relies on tips from social media to recover stolen automobiles. Hall engaged in a 19-month court case resulting from an August 2017 charge of reckless driving for what police say was a high-speed chase but Hall contends only involved following the vehicle. Joshua Fink, Hall’s attorney, said prosecutors initially requested that Hall not be allowed to “chase, follow or otherwise pursue” suspected stolen vehicles during his probation, but agreed to scale it back to simply “chasing.” The See PLEA, page A3