Sued
Cheer
OxyContin maker faces lawsuit
Seward, Kenai excel at state
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CLARION
Mostly cloudy 46/28 More weather on Page A2
P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 49, Issue 153
In the news PFD applications due Sunday Applications for this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend check are due by March 31. Residents who have lived in the state at least one calendar year can apply online at pfd.alaska. gov. The Kenai Legislative Information Office will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to assist residents who still need to apply. — Victoria Petersen
Tariffs force Alaska seafood industry to look beyond China KODIAK (AP) — Chinese tariffs are forcing Alaska’s seafood industry to look for markets beyond the Asian giant, according to an industry marketing organization. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is exploring how to expand the state’s seafood brand in response to a 25 per cent tariff on Pacific Northwest seafood imposed by China in summer 2018, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Wednesday. Alaska’s seafood sales are off by more than 20 per cent so far this year and could take a big hit in China, said Jeremy Woodrow, the institute’s interim executive director. “Because of the conflict, it makes our product less competitive in that marketplace,” Woodrow said. A $5.5 million, threeyear federal agricultural trade promotion grant awarded in January will be used to develop nontraditional markets such as Japan, Southeast Asia and parts of South America, according to Woodrow. The funds will also aid continued marketing in China and other established markets such as Germany, he said. In a survey of Alaska seafood businesses, 65 per cent reported they immediately lost sales due to the tariff increase, 50 per cent had sales delays, and 36 per cent lost Chinese customers, Woodrow said. China is the largest export market and reprocessor of Alaskan seafood, according to the institute.
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A sit-down with the governor By VICTORIA PETERSEN and BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
Ahead of his Monday night forum in Kenai, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and his team sat down with Clarion reporters Brian Mazurek and Victoria Petersen to discuss his recently proposed budget, education, local industry, public safety and more. The Clarion will publish portions of the interview over the next few editions. In the first part, we look at the governor’s approach to public safety and his take on the Alaska LNG project. During his campaign, Dunleavy committed to being tough on crime. Since the Legislature began in January, he has filed four crime bills that look to slow down Alaska’s rise in crime. Three such bills repeal portions of SB 91, which was criminal justice legislation passed in 2016. The last bill looks to tighten laws related to sexual
Prosecutor says no charges after woman confronts governor By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
The Alaska LNG Project is currently undergoing an economic analysis by the Alaska Gasline
JUNEAU — The district attorney for Nome said Thursday that he would not file charges against a woman taken into custody after police say she confronted Gov. Mike Dunleavy at an airport and refused to leave when asked. John Earthman said by email that he told the court no charge would be filed against Brenda Evak. That decision also was announced during an afternoon court hearing. An effort to reach Evak Thursday wasn’t immediately successful. Dunleavy was in Nome Wednesday to pro-
See GOV, page A14
See NO, page A2
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks with Clarion reporters Brian Mazurek, foreground, and Victoria Petersen on Monday in Kenai. The governor answered questions on a wide range of topics, including public safety, education, industry and his proposed budget. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
crimes. In his budget, Dunleavy proposes costsavings by shipping 500 prisoners to facilities out of state and shutting down
Kenai’s Wildwood Correctional Facility’s sentencing wing, which will lay off more than 40 local employees.
Alaskans show up in force to oppose governor’s budget By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
On Thursday, the House Finance Committee released details about the concerns Alaskans brought forth during their community meetings across the state. A thousand Alaskans in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks, Kenai, Ketchikan, Juneau, Mat-Su and Sitka provided feedback during the meetings. An additional 784 people across the state called in, emailed or spoke to the House Finance Committee meeting on Monday. “The outpouring and the passion from Alaskans has been incredible,” Speaker Bryce Edgmon said in a press release. “We’ve heard from Alaskans who would
Kenai Peninsula College Director Gary Turner speaks to the House Finance Committee members in against cuts to the University of Alaska on Saturday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
lose access to healthcare if Governor Mike Dunleavy’s budget passes as-is. We’ve
heard from teachers who don’t know if they’ll have a job this fall, elders on
a fixed income who fear they’ll lose senior benefits, and people in communities
at risk of losing their only highway.” On the peninsula, more than 230 attended Saturday’s community meeting, with over 60 people speaking to Rep. Gary Knopp, RKenai/Soldotna, Edgmon and House Finance Committee Vice Chair Jennifer Johnston. Public feedback from community members on the Kenai Peninsula was overly opposed to the governor’s proposed budget cuts, with education funding dominating the conversation. Across the state, sentiments from Alaskans were much the same, with 990 people opposing the budget and 839 people speaking against cuts to education, See SHOW, page A3
Experts: Why are salmon dying at sea? By ALEX MCCARTHY Juneau Empire
Under the heading of “marine survival” in his slideshow, Phil Richards put a photo of the Grim Reaper walking along a beach and looking out over the ocean. Richards, the Southeast chinook salmon stock assessment supervisor for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, was presenting to a crowd of about 80 people at a Territorial Sportsmen King Salmon Symposium on Wednesday night. The image of the
Ed Jones, of the Alaska Department Fish and Game, speaks at a King Salmon Symposium at Centennial Hall on Wednesday, in Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Grim Reaper looking out niscent of what Richards over the ocean was remi- had said at the beginning
of his presentation about what to expect from chinook salmon returns. “For the next one to two years, it looks pretty grim,” Richards said. Projections for chinook (king) salmon returns in the next couple years continue to be low — the Department of Fish and Game’s forecast for this season is the secondlowest since 1995, but is slightly better than last year’s forecast. Richards said the main problem is that when salmon head out into the ocean, fewer and fewer of them are coming
back. This low marine survival rate is baffling and frustrating fish experts. Presenters and attendees at the annual symposium Wednesday exchanged theories. One attendee asked about who is trying to solve what he called “the mystery of ocean survival.” Ed Jones, the chinook salmon research initiative coordinator for ADF&G, said the University of Alaska and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are leading research into the isSee SEA, page A14
Kenai man charged with stealing Trial begins for Alaska man accused of killing officer cellphones from Nikiski Pool By BRIAN MAZUREK Peninsula Clarion
A Kenai man has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing several cellphones from the locker rooms at the Nikiski Pool, according to an af-
fidavit filed at the Kenai Courthouse on March 19. On Feb. 2, troopers got a call from the Nikiski Pool that several cellphones had been stolen from the family changing room. According to the affidavit, three people re-
ported that they left their cellphones in a locker while they swam in the pool, and after swimming had discovered that their phones were missing. One victim was missing her debit card and driver’s
See POOL, page A2
FAIRBANKS (AP) — Testimony has begun in the trial of a man accused of fatally shooting an Alaska police sergeant. The murder trial of 31-year-old Anthony Jenkins-Alexie opened with viewings of body camera and dashcam footage
taken before and after the Oct. 16, 2016, shooting of Fairbanks Police Sgt. Allen Brandt, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Wednesday. The attack was planned as revenge for a friend of Jenkins-Alexie who was See TRIAL, page A2