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P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 196
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
School funding lawsuit heads to court
Question Should the Kenai Peninsula Borough collect a bed tax to fund tourism promotion efforts? 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.
By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
In the news TSA reminds tourists: No ulus on flights
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FAIRBANKS — The summer tourist season is about to arrive in Alaska, and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration is reminding passengers that a popular Eskimo-style, halfmoon-shaped knife isn’t allowed in carry-on bags. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that visitors to the state often forget that the knife, known as ulu, is banned like all other knives. The TSA has gone so far as to create special placards for the Fairbanks International Airport, displaying a picture of an ulu with a line through it. Fairbanks daily air traffic is expected to jump from about 1,000 to 1,500 people in the next few weeks. Although it’s early in the season, the local TSA collection already has four ulus, all new in their original packaging. — The Associated Press
Inside ‘We announce to the world that the country can’t be a breeding ground or an incubator for terrorism.’ ... See page A-7
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-7 Sports.....................A-8 Schools...................B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Clamoring for razors
Ted Nichols, 12, and his father, John Nichols, of Chugiak, dig for clams at Whiskey Gulch on Saturday in Anchor Point. The two were targetting razor clams.
JUNEAU — A borough that sued the state over public school funding says municipalities are “coerced” into contributing to local districts, but Alaska compares it to other programs requiring local matches for state dollars. Arguments are scheduled for June 2. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough sued in January, arguing a required local contribution for schools is unconstitutional. The borough claims the mandated payment constitutes a dedicated tax or dedicated fund and that it violates the Legislature’s appropriation powers. It also says municipalities are under threat of otherwise receivSee SUIT, page A-5
Beaver Loop residents pack road meeting By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Kenai resident Tom Potton would like to see safer conditions on Beaver Loop Road for his children’s sake. The 3.75-mile stretch of road that connects the Kenai Spur Highway to Bridge Access Road does not have a shoulder or bike lane, despite many bikers using the road as a connecting route during the summer, he said. “My biggest concern is how to keep my kids safe and provide a bike path to connect the loop,” he said. Potton was one of more than 50 residents from Beaver Loop Road that packed the Kenai council chambers for an open house Thursday to provide
feedback on the Beaver Loop Road Improvement and Pathway Project. Representatives from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities along with consultants from Kinney Engineering shared their design plans, answered questions and received feedback from residents. The proposed improvements include a widening of the road’s shoulders, raising the roadway surface, constructing a pathway off the road, replacing culverts and reconstructing ditches, according to a DOT&PF document. The current right of way is 100 feet with two 12-foot lanes with a deteriorating surface and no shoulders or pathway. John Pekar, project engineer with Kinney Engineering,
shared the scope of the plan and highlighted some of the challenges of the project. More than 100 properties use Beaver Loop Road, and, with nine connecting roads, multiple driveways, culverts and utilities would need to be moved for the pathway to be constructed. As a result, many property owners could lose some frontage, based on what compromises are made, Pekar said. “It is important to bring in the local perspective to any project,” he said. “This roadway, the residents see it everyday and know about the drainage issues.” Pekar, along with Tom Schmid, DOT&PF project manager, suggested design See ROAD, page A-5
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion
An all-terrain vehicle trail and utility boxes line the side of Beaver Loop Road near the Dolchok Lane intersection. The road that connects Bridge Access Road and the Kenai Spur Highway is slated for improvements. A pedestrian pathway is also in the construction plans. Local residents shared feedback at a open house on Thursday for the project, which is in the preliminary design process.
Village of Kake pins hopes on oyster farming By MARY CATHARINE MARTIN Capital City Weekly
KAKE — Timber, construction and commercial fisheries are down, the cannery closed decades ago, and the salmon hatchery here is closing next month. The Organized Village of Kake, the Hoonah Indian Association and organizers across Southeast have another hope: oyster farming.
Oysters aren’t native to Southeast Alaska, and oyster farming isn’t new here, but Alaskan oysters have advantages over those grown in warmer climes, oyster bars are ever popular, and teamwork, say farms’ proponents, can help make it a lucrative effort. Other kinds of shellfish farming provide even more opportunities. The Southeast Soil and Conservation District, a recently
created entity that aims to become a clearinghouse for information and opportunities across Southeast Alaska, hosted a workshop on shellfish farming in Kake at the beginning of this month. Along with the Soil and Water District, representatives from the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, the Organized Village of Kake, the Hoonah Indian Association and
the Alaska Department of Fish and Game attended the workshop. Haa Aaní, Sealaska’s rural economic development limited liability company and the creator of OysterFest, is an important backer of the cause. “We all have the same challenges and opportunities,” said soil and water district manager James Marcus. “Working together, we’ll save wasted time and energy.”
Alaskan opportunities and efforts “Frankly, we’re not the first ones to do this,” Ray LaRonde, a long-time mariculture researcher with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, said in Kake. “Your ancestors did it thousands of years ago.” Forty-nine farms already See KAKE, page A-10
Statue defaced, to be replaced By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Damage to the vandalized Les Anderson statue is so extensive it will need to be replaced. Soldotna Chamber of Commerce executive director Michelle Glaves originally believed the life-size wooden carving would need a fresh fish figure at the most. The statue’s carver Scott Hansen said large chunks have Photo courtesy Michelle Glaves been cut from the base and the The fish was found ripped from the hands of Les An- shoulders and fish have partialderson and placed on a bench 30 feet from the stat- ly rotted. It makes more sense ue on May 9 at the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce. to make a new one, he said. C
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Glaves said an employee passing by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce May 10 originally noticed the destruction. The fish had been ripped from the grasp of Les Anderson, taking with it the long thin strips of metal bolting it to the statue. It was found resting 30 feet away on a bench, Glaves said. Deep gashes were chopped from the large circular foundation of the statue with an axe. The figure is attached to cement, and someone tried to hack the entire figure from the it, she said. At first there was some con-
fusion because Hansen was scheduled to do maintenance repairs and restorations later that week. Hansen picked up the pieces the next day and hauled them to his shop. The statue originally cost the city a little less than $4,000, Glaves said. She said it was also notable because it was damaged one week from the 29th anniversary of when Les Anderson originally caught the record breaking 97-pound-4ounce salmon, which is on display in the Soldotna Chamber See STATUE, page A-5