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Classic
Rivals
Italian treat always drew rave reviews
Kenai, SoHi cagers hit the hardcourt
Food/B-1
Sports/A-10
CLARION
Rain 40/33 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 96
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Terrain, climate boosted drone test site choice
Question Which team do you think will win the Super Bowl? n The Denver Broncos n The Seattle Seahawks To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com. Results and selected comments will be posted each Tuesday in the Clarion, and a new question will be asked. Suggested questions may be submitted online or e-mailed to news@peninsulaclarion.com.
By ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
In the news Kodiak police announce $120,000 drug seizure
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KODIAK (AP) — Kodiak police have seized illegal drugs with an estimated value of $120,000. KMXT-radio reports police Sunday seized 76 grams of suspected black tar heroin, 28 grams of Afghan brown heroin, 42 grams of crack cocaine and smaller amounts of methamphetamine and powder cocaine. Kodiak Police Chief Ronda Wallace says the investigation began when officers contacted two people acting suspiciously in downtown Kodiak. She says one was a parole violator from Anchorage. After discovering one person was carrying drug paraphernalia, officers obtained a search warrant and found the drugs in two hotel rooms. Wallace says heroin use is increasing in Kodiak. She says outside sellers have recognized the demand for drugs and are coming to the island with supplies. A second person arrested was from Missouri.
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion
George Pierce of Kasilof holds out the remains of a common garter snake he found in his yard Saturday. The 1 1/2-foot long snake has a nick on the end of his tail which he assumes occured while using a slow blower in his yard. Pierce said he has no idea how the snake ended up on his property and had never seen a snake in Alaska before.
A snake in the snow?
Kasilof resident discovers reptile in his yard By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
While feeding his dogs last Saturday, George Pierce of Kasilof noticed something out of place in his back yard — a garter snake. The frozen reptile, 1 1/2 feet in length, was coiled up uncovered by the melting snow. Pierce, who has lived in Alaska for more than 25 years, said he would never expect to find a snake this far north. “It’s an odd thing to find
‘It’s an odd thing to find here especially this time of year.’ — George Pierce, Kasilof here especially this time of year,” he said. “Like it fell out of the sky. Not something you see everyday.” As for the cause of death of the snake, while the above average temperatures this month might have been warm enough
‘My snowmen ... are made with lots of love and smiles and a pat on the head for good luck and always with the hope that it will make someone smile.’ ... See page B-2
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports...................A-10 Police, courts....... A-12 Food...................... B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
See SNAKE, page A-14
See DRONE, page A-14
Rep. Kerttula announces resignation 2014 20 By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
Inside
for the snake to survive outside, Pierce said the nick on the end of its tail suggests he may have run it over with his snow blower. He said he could only speculate to how the slithering reptile retired in his yard.
Pierce said he lives a block away from Tustemena Elementary School on the Sterling Highway. Perhaps it is an escapee from a classroom show and tell or maybe the snake arrived here through transport from the Lower 48, he said. Tustemena Elementary School Principal Doug Hayman said nobody has reported any missing pet snakes. Alaska Fish and Game wildlife biologist Jeff Selinger
When the Federal Aviation Administration approved the University of Alaska’s proposal to be an unmanned aircraft systems test site Dec. 30, it also approved areas of Hawaii and Oregon, where the university has test range locations. Ro Bailey is deputy director for the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the director of the test sites, which will be known as the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex. Bailey said the university center has partners in Oregon and Hawaii beyond the agreements for range locations and that the Pan-Pacific name is meant to best describe the full range of areas available for testing. “It’s not just about our strategic sites,” Bailey said. “It’s about all that water that’s in between, which gives the opportunity to do some types of test operations that would be more risky than you would want to do over land — very high speed, very high altitude testing for example.” Additionally, the locations outside Alaska give the complex members the option to test unmanned aircraft systems,
JUNEAU — Rep. Beth Kerttula announced Tuesday that she is resigning from the Alaska Legislature for a fellowship with her alma mater, Stanford University. Her resignation will take effect Friday. She stepped down as minority leader Tuesday, which was also the opening day of the new legislative session. The Juneau Democrat has served in the House since 1999 and as minority leader since 2007. She hadn’t drawn a general election opponent since 2004 and would have been up for re-election again this year.
28th LEGISLATURE
2nd SESSION
Rep. Chris Tuck of Anchorage, who had served as minority whip, succeeds Kerttula as leader. Minority Democrats plan to ask that Rep. Scott Kawasaki of Fairbanks be allowed to replace Tuck on the House Resources Committee, given Tuck’s new role. The resignation will leave the caucus with just nine members in the 40-member House until a new member is appointed. Ten is the minimum number of members required for a
formal minority for purposes of committee assignments. House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, said he planned no changes in the number of minority members on committees, saying a change in committee makeup, pending appointment of a replacement, would just cause disruption. Under state law, when a vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a replacement within 30 days. The law calls for the appointee to be a member of the same political party as the predecessor. The appointee is subject AP Photo/Mark Thiessen to confirmation by a majority of House Democrats. That would House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, left, talks with a staff include the four Democrats who member during a recess on Tuesday during the first day of the See JUNEAU, page A-14 Alaska House of Representatives’ session in Juneau.
Sterling man pleads guilty to child porn charge By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
A Sterling man charged with 25 counts of child pornography charges pleaded guilty to one consolidated count at a change of plea hearing Tuesday at the Kenai Courthouse. A Kenai Grand Jury indicted Michael Padilla, 56, in March 2013 with 21 counts of distribution of child porn, class B felonies, and four counts of possession of child porn, class C felonies. Padilla was also charged with three misdemean-
or counts of failure to register as a sex offender and one misdemeanor count of improper use of vehicle plates and registration. Padilla accepted a deal to plead guilty to one count of possession of child porn. Sentencing calls for 20 years with eight years suspended and 12 to serve followed by six years of probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his lifetime. Sentencing is scheduled for April 23. The maximum penalty for a
class C sex felony is 99 years. The mandatory minimum is 12 years with a sentencing range of 12 to 20 years. Public Defender Bill Taylor said Padilla did have some concerns about two conditions of probation — maintaining employment and the possibility being requested to take classes other than sex offender treatment. “When he gets out he’ll likely be over 65 years old and it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to find meaningful full-time employment,” Taylor said. C
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Superior Court Judge Charles Huguelet said he has never seen a probation violation filed for not going to work, especially for someone 65 years old. According to an Alaska Bureau of Investigation report, in September 2012 Investigator Terrence Shanigan began conducting an online investigation of the distribution and possession of child porn on a file-sharing network. Throughout his investigation, Shanigan tracked a nickname of a network user, which during his arrest Padilla admitted belonged to him. The
investigator accessed, through the user’s IP address, multiple videos depicting child porn many of which involved men raping children. In an affidavit, Shanigan wrote that he served a search warrant to a Sterling house, where Padilla was living in February 2013. Padilla told the investigator he keeps his room locked, his computer is password protected and he is the only one with access to it. Investigators found more than 20 movies containing child porn See PLEA, page A-14