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Grads
Kicks
Local students look toward future
Area teams compete at NLC tournament
Grads/A-5
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CLARION
Sunny 61/36 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, MAy 22-23 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 200
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Pebble sues the EPA
Question Are you planning to do any traveling this summer? n Yes, we’ll be visiting other places in Alaska; n Yes, we’ll be traveling Outside; n No, there’s no reason to leave the Kenai Peninsula in the summertime. 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 C Y
N. Korean shelling M a likely warning, not K attack HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s artillery shelling near a South Korean warship patrolling disputed waters was likely a warning, not an attack attempt, Seoul officials and analysts said Friday. On Thursday, the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire along the poorly marked western sea boundary. South Korean officials say the exchange started after two North Korean artillery shells fell in waters near a South Korean navy ship on a routine patrol of the area. The South Korean ship wasn’t hit but fired several artillery rounds into waters near one of several North Korean warships near the sea boundary, South Korean defense officials said. The North Korean ship also wasn’t hit. The North doesn’t recognize the Yellow Sea boundary, which was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said Friday that South Korean officials suspect the North Korean shells came from a land-based artillery system, but they haven’t officially pinpointed the origin.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports.....................B-1 Classifieds............ C-3 Comics.................. C-9
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Court case centers on attempts to veto the mine By ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service/Alaska Journal of Commerce
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Above: Josh Thompson, firefighter with Central Emergency Services on the Kenai Peninsula, throws brush into a fire along Funny River Road Thursday as the group works to control the burning Funny River wildfire which has consumed more than 63,000 acres of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge land. Bottom right: Suwannee Chapman, 8, watches one of her family’s goats eat at the Soldotna Rodeo Grounds where the animals are being temporarily housed as crews fight the Funny River Wildfire which threaten’s Chapman’s home.
Planning the escape As Funny River wildfire grows to 63,425 acres, residents look for exit options By RASHAH MCCHESNEY and DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Did you know?
One by one, planes arrived Thursday to fight the Funny River Horse Trail wildfire that inched closer to homes in Kasilof. As the threat looms, residents on the Kenai Peninsula have watched warily as the fire grew from its initial reported size of 5 acres to a 63,425-acre behemoth according to the interagency team that has moved into the area to manage the blaze. As firefighting crews from Delta, the Mat-Su Valley and Fairbanks have joined in efforts to keep the fire away from homes, residents have evacuated animals, prepared contingency plans and stayed with friends and relatives to keep away from the heat. Now, more than 170 crew mem-
The Funny River Horse Trail fire has burned more than 99 square miles, or just over 3 percent, of the 1.92 million acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. bers are on the ground, most camped at Skyview High School in Soldotna where the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team has set up its operation headquarters. State and federal agencies including State Parks, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Central Emergency Services and the Alaska State Troopers have helped keep an eye on stray burn-
ing slash piles, directed traffic on Funny River Road and the Sterling Highway and giving information to news-hungry locals.
Funny River News travels fast in Funny River where word of an informational meeting had spread to many of the residents who were out and about early Thursday, though the official notice had been put up just a few hours previous. The community, which sits just to the east of the horse trail where the Funny River wildfire was sparked, is at the north end of the massive blaze. It is one of the two residential areas firefighters have labeled as priority areas to protect since the fire began. In the community center, tucked away on a gravel road shooting off from main See FIRE, page A-12
The Pebble Limited Partnership took the Environmental Protection Agency to court May 21 and claimed the agency is illegally overstepping its bounds by attempting to block a mine before the permitting process begins. In a statement released in conjunction with Pebble’s complaint filed in U.S. District Court of Alaska, company CEO Tom Collier said the suit is not an intent to strip EPA of its regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act, but rather an attempt to ensure guidelines set by Congress are followed. “Simply put, EPA has repeatedly ignored detailed comments that we, the State of Alaska, and others have made about this massive federal overreach and continues to advance an unprecedented pre-emptive regulatory action against the Pebble project that vastly exceeds its Clean Water Act authority,” Collier said. “If EPA ultimately vetoes Pebble before a development plan is proposed or evaluated through the comprehensive federal and state permitting processes, the precedent established will have significant, long-term effects on business investment in this state and throughout the country. Litigation is necessary in order to get the agency’s attention and bring some rational perspective back to the U.S. permitting process.” In February, the EPA said it would initiate a seldom-used Clean Water Act process to block large-scale surface mining in the Bristol Bay region to protect the region’s robust salmon fishery. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy referenced the 1,000-plus page Bristol Bay watershed assessment released a month before as reason to block Pebble, stating a large, open-pit mine in the reSee PEBBLE, page A-5
Celebrating those who served Last class of grads Memorial Day events: at Skyview cope Monday noon Saturday 9 a.m. Remembrance conwith loss of school Memorial Day proference at the First By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
A handful of events are happening on the Kenai Peninsula this Memorial Day weekend to honor U.S. troops, veterans and fallen heroes. For those planning to head out of town for the weekend, there is a morning event on Saturday. At the end of the long weekend, all day Monday, veterans organizations will be hosting programs.
Marine, wife to share experiences Beginning Saturday at 9 a.m. the public is invited to the First Baptist Church of Kenai for free conference. The conference kicks off with breakfast and two simultaneous presentations, which will
Baptist Church of Kenai, 2815 Kenai Spur Hwy.
Monday 10:30 a.m.
gram at Leif Hansen Memorial Park, 10959 Kenai Spur Highway. Monday 2 p.m.
Memorial Day proAvenue of Flags at the gram at Soldotna Kenai City Cemetery, Memorial Park, 600 1st Avenue and Coral West Redoubt Ave. Street. begin at 10 a.m. Lt. Col. Gerald Murphy, U.S. Marine Corps, who has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, will share experiences and challenges he has faced during his years of
service. His wife, Robyn Murphy, will be speaking about overcoming brokenness. Pastor Al Week said she will answer questions and talk about See EVENTS, page A-5 C
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By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
At Skyview High School’s final graduation ceremony, every student crossing the stage was cheered for. But students say that is just how Skyview operates. Kierstyn Mathews said she entered Skyview as one of the shiest students, and came out with confidence. Anyone should have the opportunity to graduate from Skyview, Mathews said. While getting to graduation was easy, for her the next step is still up in the air.
“I am extremely scared,” Mathews said following the ceremony. “I have no idea what I am going to do.” Nerves weren’t uncommon that evening. “I am happy, I am sad, I am terrified,” Matthew Ryan McDowell said. However, his future is slightly more defined. Throughout the last two years, McDowell has been completing college level prerequisites at Kenai Peninsula College. Next fall he is slated to enter the nationally recognized Emergency Medical See GRADS, page A-5