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CLARION P E N I N S U L A
JUNE 22, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 225
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Panel: Alaska’s Don Young violated House ethics BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska — The House Ethics Committee has found that U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska violated House rules by using campaign funds for personal trips and accepting improper gifts.
The committee called on the Republican to repay the value of the trips and gifts, totaling about $59,000, to his campaign and the donors, and to amend his financial disclosure statements to include gifts he had not reported. The committee also issued a “letter of reproval,” or rebuke.
Annual beach walk raises money for Alaska’s evangelicals
Young, who is the longest serving Republican in the House and Alaska’s lone congressman, said in a statement that he accepted the report and regretted the “oversights.” “There were a number of instances where I failed to exercise due care in complying with the House’s Code of Con-
duct and for that I apologize,” he said. Young said he has made the recommended payments and taken steps to strengthen his office’s policies since rules changes went into effect in 2007. “It is through these actions that I show my colleagues and Alaskans that I fully re-
spect the House Rules and will continue to comply with them now and in the future,” he said. Young’s attorney said by email that the financial reports were still being worked on. But the committee said Young’s more recent efforts at compliance, “while commendable,” did not overcome
By RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
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See ETHICS, page A-12
Funny River fire crew works on rehab
On a mission
On a gray, raining morning in Kenai, about 40 people, eight dogs and a handful of four-wheelers parked on Dunes Road in Kenai and headed out into the soft sand of the south beach of the Kenai River. They walked in small groups, huddling together for warmth and dodging the steady, incessant rain under umbrellas, working to raise money for Arctic Barnabas Ministries during the organization’s third annual beach walk. Beka Dillingham, 6, walked close to the water, occasionally dodging waves from the Cook Inlet and pausing regularly to pull a feather, shell or rock from the sand. “I found a purple one,” she shouted as she ran to Abby Peters, 13, who put the find in a plastic bag and goaded Dillingham into walking at a steadier pace. The two eventually climbed onto a four-wheeler with four other kids, and rode up and down the beach for the remainder of the three-mile walk. It’s a fund raiser that attracts support from the local community and from people Outside who donate resources to support evangelical ministry in Alaska. The Kenai-based Arctic Barnabas Ministries is a nonprofit organization that supports evangelical families throughout remote areas of the state through contributing physical labor and work teams, providing equipment,
the need for a rebuke, given that some of the violations occurred after 2007 and were only brought to its attention after the Department of Justice had started investigating. The matter dates to 2010, when Young requested the committee review certain gifts
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Beka Dillingham, 6, walks along the shoreline of the Cook Inlet during a beachwalk to raise funds for Arctic Barnabas Ministries Saturday in Kenai.
organizing retreats giving moral support, and ministering to missionaries and their families. Johnathan Peters, Arctic Barnabas executive director, said the group is raising money to fund flying into Bush communities, which can get costly at about $200 per flight hour. The shortest trips are to communities like Naknek, in Bristol Bay, but the group also flies as far as Kotzebue, a city at the end of the Baldwin Peninsula in the northwest corner of the state. While many of the missionary families are supported through specific churches, Arctic Barnabas is a non-
denominational organization that supports evangelical ministry throughout the state — regardless of its origin. Peters said the group knows of about 125 families ministering in communities throughout the state — Arctic Barnabas supports 74 families in 85 villages. “We fix broken pipes, install boilers, repair four-wheelers, process game, really anything they need,” Peters said. Photo contributed by Ross McElwee “We’ve done complete home remodels before — sending in a team to make a bas provide physical labor and tangible house safer, livable.” While the five pilots, two planes and items to the missionary families scatSee WALK, page A-2 20 families working for Arctic Barna-
Rehabilitation for the 195,858 acres Funny River Horse Trail wildfire firebreaks are complete, almost exactly a month after the blaze was first reported on May 19. A Type 3 Incident Management Team has been working on the environmental repairs, said spokesman Terry Anderson. The crew of 28 personnel worked a minimum of 12-hours a day for more than a week alleviating potential erosion caused by the disturbed soils surrounding the fire lines, Anderson said. Simply driving in equipment had contributed to the damage, he said. “Making sure our natural resources are contained is the priority now,” said Leah Eskelin, Park Ranger at the Kenai See FIRE, page A-12
Seward set to improve Washed out world series attendees play in the rain its dock By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
As Saturday’s rain soaked the Kenai Little League Fields, forming small pools and streams around the bases, it was clear no baseball would be played at the tenth annual Frontier Community Services World Series Baseball. Instead, community members including Gov. Sean Par-
nell packed on their raingear and used tents housing facepainting, barbeque, and cotton candy to the fullest extent. “The rain didn’t stop us,” said event coordinator Kathy Kenner. Everyone still got his or her trophies and medals for participating, she said. Gov. Parnell, flanked by his wide Sandy Parnell and Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, stood in a crowd of players from the Peninsula Oilers as
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he spoke. He thanked Frontier Community Services for creating such a unique, unifying event for the community. Demeetri Earl Pardue watched from just outside the tent, saved from the downpour by a stranger’s umbrella. Pardue said he likes getting out of the house and into the community and enjoying the free food at the Frontier Community Services Event. The Frontier World Series
Question Have you successfully negotiated the new ‘It’s very clear that he was betrayed. We roundabout on Binkley will pin it down until Street in Soldotna? we figure out who did n Yes, worked like a it.’ charm; ... See page A-8 n Yes, but it was not a good experience; Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com n No, I’m avoiding it; To subscribe, call 283-3584. n No, I just haven’t tried yet.
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event is not just an event for the Central Kenai Peninsula, Kenner said. Attendees arrived on busloads from as far away as Seward and Homer. For Homer residents, Ruth Mitchell and Ben Jennings, It was not the first time making the two-hour drive to the event “It is just a good long day of being out,” Jennings said. “Normally its in the sunshine.” Mitchell came as the caregiver, or provider, for Jennings. The two arrived in a soggy yellow school bus with other consumers and providers from the South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services PRIDE Pro-
Sonar estimates Estimated early-run kings in the Kenai River: n Thursday: 93 n So far: 3,995 Russian River reds weir count: n Friday: 2,945 n So far: 17,162 Estimated Kasilof River reds: n Friday: 16,206 n So far: 68,502
Information provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Sonar estimates can be obtained by calling 262-9097.
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ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service - Alaska
gram. After getting his face covered in a thick mask of teal blue and green paint, Jennings dashed off to grab some lunch. Events like the World Series help raise awareness surrounding disability issues in the community, Meyers said. Meyers arrived with his wife Karlene Meyers to spend time
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The City of Seward is ready to jumpstart development that has been decades in the making. When Gov. Sean Parnell signed the fiscal year 2015 capital budget May 28, Seward was officially awarded $5.9 million
See SERIES, page A-2
See DOCK, page A-5
Alaska Journal of Commerce
Kenai woman reported missing A Kenai woman has been missing for nearly a week. Amanda May Guillemette, 35, was reported missing Tuesday after she failed to show up for work Monday, according to Alaska State Troopers. Guillemette is a mother to six children and her family has made several attempts to reach her via cell phone and text with no success, according to a missing person flier. She could be driving a red
2003 Pontiac Aztec with the license plate ELJ231 according to a media release. She is 5-feet 2-inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes according to the release. A flier lists Irene Pipkin as a person to call with information about Guillemette’s location, she can be reached at 907-252-9911. The Soldotna post of the Alaska State Troopers can be reached at 907-262-4453.