C
M
Y
K
Annexed
Hoops
After Crimean vote, Russia takes over
Seldovia boys fall during state semis
World/A8
Sports/A-10
CLARION
Sunny 30/8 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 144
Question
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Talking trash
Do you think marijuana should be legalized in the state of Alaska? n Yes; or n No.
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.
In the news Senate Finance considers bill to make certain criminal records confidential C
M
Y
K
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Senate Finance Committee has advanced legislation that would make confidential criminal court records in which prosecutors dropped charges or the defendant was acquitted. SB108, from Sen. Fred Dyson, also would make confidential 120 days after dismissal or acquittal criminal court records in which a defendant was acquitted on some charges and others were dropped. Dyson says the bill strengthens the idea of presumption of innocence. The director of the Alaska Office of Victims’ Rights had raised concerns, saying in written testimony that there are many reasons prosecutors dismiss cases and there’s a difference between “innocent” and “not guilty.” The bill would allow access to a limited group of individuals, including state health department employees responsible for the safety or placement of children or persons with disabilities or mental illness.
Inside
“If it wasn’t there before, it’s certainly clear now why the nation’s super-rich oligarchs work relentlessly to sabotage the Obama presidency” ... See pageA-4
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports...................A-10 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-7 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Louis Cassens, a project engineer with Heartland Technology Partners, works on a leachate thermal evaporation unit Monday at the Central Peninsula Landfill in Soldotna.
Landfill gets incineration machine that manages constant garbage goop By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Leachate. A liquid that forms when rain or snow comes in contact with waste and, if it isn’t collected and disposed of, can seep into the environment. While the Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Management team at the Central Peninsula Landfill, or CPL, has had a leachate program in place for nearly 10 years, this week it finished assembling a leachate thermal evapo-
ration unit which will turn the liquid into water vapor. Robin Davis, project manager, said CPL expects to conduct a preliminary start of the unit Wednesday and a water vapor plume may be visible. Jack Maryott, director of solid waste, said the thermal evaporation unit, which is the first in Alaska, was chosen to manage CPL’s leachate because it was the most economically feasible in capital and operational costs, of the five options the landfill considered.
The process of converting leachate into water vapor begins by firing natural gas into a stack on the right side of the unit to produce hot air. Leachate is then pumped into the machine. When the computer operated unit senses that leachate is flowing and the air has reached about 800 degrees, a valve on the stack shuts. The leachate is sprayed into the 800-degree air, and it evaporates. The vapor is sent through filters in the unit and any solids travel down into a sump, Davis said. “When it’s done with the process
it’s around 160 to 180 degrees when (the vapor) leaves the stack,” Davis said. “It’s just harmless vapor.” Davis said the vapor is odorless. However, Maryott said the slurry that comes out of the bottom of the machine, where solid material and any non-water liquids are collected, will stink. That material will be reapplied to the landfill. Maryott said the CPL doesn’t accept hazardous material and its leachate primarily consists of precipitation along See GOOP, page A-12
Leif Hanson religious symbol up for debate By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
After nearly a year of debate about the design of a monument in Leif Hanson Memorial Park, the Kenai City Council will hear from the public for the first time during tonight’s meeting. One month after the park memorial was installed last summer, creator Scott Hammond received word that some city council members had raised concerns to administration about a cross displayed on the statue. The 12-foot monument shows a soldier kneeling in front of a cross with the inscription, “Never Forgotten.” Kenai resident Bob Myles, a member of the National Veterans of Foreign Wars Committee, will give a 10-minute presentation to the city council addressing the complaints from
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion
The veteran’s memorial at Leif Hanson park has been the subject of a debate over the city’s liability when displaying religious symbols.
his perspective. Myles, who served six years in the Marine Corps and fought in Vietnam, said he expects to see a large turnout of veterans at the meeting.
“The symbol does not represent religion, it is a memorial tomb for a fallen soldier,” he said. “I do not want it changed and I have talked to a number of people who have the same
view as me.” Kenai city council member Terry Bookey said he heard from a couple citizens last summer who were concerned about the statue as a potential liability to the city. Relating to the separation of church and state, Bookey said he was made aware of a similar memorial monument with a cross was proposed in Lake Elsinore Calif. The city was threatened with a lawsuit and eventually prohibited the statue from being built. Bookey and council member Ryan Marquis brought the concerns from the public to the attention of city administrators and city attorney Scott Bloom. Bookey said he asked if the city would be open to a liability because of the depiction of a cross on the monument. “As a council we have to look out for city not based on what our personal beliefs are,
but for what is best for city as whole,” Bookey said. “Right now the monument is not an agenda item and has not been discussed by council.” Hammond, owner of Metal Magic, said the council members concern of a religious symbol on city property is hypocritical. The City of Kenai has the Russian Orthodox Church on its seal, he said. Hammond said the design is in respect to the Vietnam War veterans and the cross is recognized as a memorial tomb for fallen soldiers. When asked by city administration if he would compromise and consider moving the statue to in front of the VFW building, refused because it was built specifically for the memorial park, he said. Hammond said he has contacted the Organization of See LEIF, page A-12
New guides ready to fish, but focus shifts from kings BY RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
During the seven-year period that the Kenai River Guide Academy has been mandatory for Kenai River guides the changing fishery has affected what people fish for, how they fish and when they fish, but the one constant has been that people still want to fish glacial blue waters Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion of one of the most popular sport fisheries in the Kenai Peninsula College Kenai River Campus biology pro- state. fessor David Wartinbee teaches during a session of the KeThe five-day academy covers everything nai River Guide Academy, Thursday in Soldotna. from proper licensing, angler ethics and fishing C
M
Y
K
regulations to river history, wildlife behavior and stream ecology. Each of the 20 guides who registered for the course passed. Their reasons for taking course ranged from needing a backup river to take fishing clients on to following in the footsteps of a family member. But, several said, whatever they fished for, they were uninterested in guiding for the Kenai River king salmon. The demographic of guide hopefuls who take the course has changed in recent years, said Gary Turner, director of Kenai Peninsula College Kenai River Campus. See GUIDE, page A-12