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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 160
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
House panel version of gas-line bill takes shape
Question Do you think the Legislature will complete its work by Easter Sunday? n Yes; n No, they’ll need to extend the regular session; n No, they’ll need to call a special session.
By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
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. Photo by Kaylee Osowski Peninsula Clarion
In the news Name of trooper involved in fatal arrest attempt released C
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The Alaska State Troopers released the name of the trooper involved in the fatal arrest attempt in Homer on April 2. Trooper David G. Chaffin, a five-year veteran of the AST currently stationed at the Anchor Point Post, responded to a domestic violence call on East End Road when he got into a struggle with the suspect identified as 24-year-old Michael Rael-Catholic, according to a trooper dispatch released Saturday. A civilian witness at the scene of the event observed Rael-Catholic shoot himself with the trooper’s pistol during the struggle, according to the trooper report. On April 4, State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Rael-Catholic died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation is continuing and when completed will be passed on to the Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals for review. — Staff report
Inside ‘The Interior Ministry will not shoot at people, at this gang of paid-up provocateurs.’ ... See page A-7
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-7 Sports.....................A-8 Schools...................B-1 Classifieds............. B-4 Comics................... B-8 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Rebecca Lopez (far right), Individual Assistance Branch Chief with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, along with representatives from other state and Kenai Peninsula Borough agencies wait to answer questions from people affect by central peninsula flooding at the borough sponsored Flood Aware Fair on Friday at the Donald E. Gilman River Center in Soldotna.
High water, low turn out Flood Aware Fair sees little public interest
By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
The first Kenai Peninsula Borough sponsored Flood Aware Fair for the central peninsula didn’t draw many people out on Friday. Borough Community and Fiscal Projects Manager Bren-
da Ahlberg wrote in an email that while she didn’t have a count for how many people attended the fair, it was lower than expected. Shortly after noon Department of Natural Resources Division of Mining Land and Water Chief of the Water Resources Section David Schade
said he expected to see a lunchtime crowd, but that didn’t happen. Multiple representatives speculated that the low turn out during the day was likely due to people having to work and expected to see more flood victims after 5 p.m. The fair brought together
representatives from multiple state and borough departments at the Donald E. Gilman River Center in Soldotna from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to answer questions for residents affected by flooding and rising water tables throughout the peninsula. See FLOOD, page A-10
JUNEAU — The House Resources Committee version of a bill to advance a major liquefied natural gas project was starting to take shape Saturday, as members dug into a thick stack of proposed changes. The committee, with a reputation for finely parsing language, was making slow but steady progress in an amendment process that began Friday. The panel planned to resume work Sunday, after making a slight dent in the stack after hours of meeting Saturday. Changes that had been approved included a provision to require negotiated contracts that must get legislative approval, such as marketing and transportation-services agreements, to be made public at least 90 days before the proposed effective date for the contract. Co-chair Rep. Eric Feige, R-Chickaloon, said the idea is to ensure there is adequate time to vet proposed contracts, months instead of a few days. The committee also approved allowing for certain legislative staff members and legislative consultants to be part of confidential briefings on negotiations rather than only See GAS, page A-10
Education supporters rally amid funding talks By MATT WOOLBRIGHT Morris News Service-Alaska Juneau Empire
JUNEAU — More than 150 students, teachers, parents and other Alaskans chanted “BSA! Raise today!” on the steps of the Capitol Friday as the House of Representatives considered the merits of the omnibus education bill.
Dubbed the “Education Session” by Republican Gov. Sean Parnell earlier this year, the governor’s education reform bill has stayed center stage since the Legislature convened two and a half months ago. “Because of excellent support from my teachers, counselors and family, I’ve been able to achieve all of my goals,” said Ruby Steele, a senior at Ju-
neau-Douglas High School and student representative to the Juneau School Board. Steele said she’s concerned for students following in her footsteps due to the state of education funding here. “The schools in our state may not have this opportunity in the future,” she said. Within the bill is a proposed increased funding to the base
student allocation, a component of the state funding formula for education, but lawmakers and the public have said it was not enough. Great Alaskan Schools organized the rally with some supporters flying to Juneau from Anchorage for the event. Their request is for a per-pupil increase, known as the Base Student Allocation or BSA, of
$400 this year and $125 in each of the following two years. “It’s filling back what we lost; it’s not asking for more,” said Alison Arians with Great Alaska Schools. “It’s just, basically, keeping up with costs.” She said having a physical event like a rally at the Capitol was about drawing connections between the decisions being See RALLY, page A-10
VA partners with Kenai adjusts dipnet fees Anchorage clinic
$55. Combining vehicle park- ery users over because of the ing and camping fees into one confusion with fees. fee is expected to eliminate the One of the proposals the council were at odds with was As the Kenai River person- confusion, he said. Eubank said he saw the the addition of a $10 vehicle al use fishery has grown over the years, the City of Kenai young adults who operated See FEES, page A-10 the fee shacks bullied by fishhas had to adapt with it. In an effort to clarify confusion on the fishery use fee structure, the Kenai City Council amended and approved a resolution to enact fee changes for the 2014 personal use fishery at the April 2 meeting. Finance director Terry Eubank said one of the biggest misunderstandings people had last year was how a vehicle parking fee was not included in the camping fee. For parking at both the north and south beaches users paid $20 from midnight to midPhoto by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion night. For participants with a The view of north beach from Erik Hansen Scout Park in vehicle or two all-terrain vehi- Kenai Sunday. The city council amended and passed a resocles, camping is now defined as lution for fee charges to the dipnet fishery for the north and overnight parking with a cost of south beaches. By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
By TEGAN HANLON Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — Veterans began filtering into the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center this month as part of a recent deal with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ease medical access. The overrun Alaska VA Healthcare System sends about 25 new patients to the Midtown health clinic each week, a routine that started March 17, officials said. The clinic is prepping for nearly 2,000 veterans during the next year, said Kimberly Cohen, the executive director of the health clinic. “We’re fine because we have the physical capacity to expand,” she said. The clinic, on C Street, currently has about 14,700 active patients and will serve as the primary care provider for the veterans, in place of the Alas-
ka VA Healthcare System. For now, two main doctors, who specialize in family medicine, and a physician’s assistant will handle the new case load, referring veterans out for speciality care, Cohen said. Over at the Alaska VA, the administration is struggling with a shortage of physicians, one factor behind the new partnership, said Samuel Hudson, spokesman of the Alaska VA Healthcare System. Alaska has one of the fastest growing veteran populations in the country and has long been the state with the most veterans per capita. More than 71,000 veterans lived in Alaska in 2012, according to U.S. Census data. To serve the veteran population, the VA has health clinics in Anchorage, Fairbanks, KeSee CLINIC, page A-5
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