Peninsula Clarion, June 29, 2014

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Treasures? Garage sale deals can be too good to pass up Community/C-1

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Fast finish Skyview grad caps UAA track career Sports/B-1

CLARION P E N I N S U L A

JUNE 29, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska

Vol. 44, Issue 231

50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday

Disclosure Freezin’ rules on for a city ballot reason By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion

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This fall, Soldotna residents will decide if their public officials should move to a more localized filing system for disclosing personal finances. The passage of Soldotna’s Proposition 1 on the municipal election ballot, October 7, would exempt elected and appointed candidates from the Alaska State Public Official Financial Disclosure law. More than 200 communities statewide have chosen to opt out of the state filing system, City Manager Mark Dixson said. The number of applicants for local commissions and those looking to involve themselves in the public process has diminished, Dixson said. He attributes this to the availability of financial records. Currently the Alaska Public

Offices Commission requires that all submitted elected and appointed official financial disclosure statements be published online, according to a memo from the city manager. Dixson said the invasive requirements make it possible for anyone to see, for example, the revenue of a local business owner who is also in office. “Quite frankly I think it has a chilling effect on people wanting to get involved,” Dixson said “It can have a detrimental effect on those people who do get involved.” Dixson said the public still has the right to know the financial interests of their commission and council members. Public access would still be an option, Dixson said. The process would include physically filling out a document at the City Hall to receive them. See BALLOT, page A-2

More ad buys in Senate race Photos by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion

Above, Jessica Bookey films her firefighter husband Terry Bookey as he prepares to jump off of the Kenai City Dock as part of a Cold Water Challenge for charity. Top, Terry Bookey grins after his plunge. Bookey and several other area firefighters have participated in a Cold Water Challenge which has spread, primarily through social media, nationwide and resulted in more than $85,000 being raised for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Firefighters take icy plunge to support charity By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion

Brett Bishop, a lieutenant in the Astoria, Oregon fire department, accepted the challenge and passed it along to Jason Dunagen who jumped into the Pacific Ocean near Warrington, Oregon. Dunagen tagged Central Emergency Services firefighter Josh Thompson who jumped off the Kenai City Dock into the Kenai River after tagging fellow CES firefighters Terry Bookey, Daniel Jensen and Kenai firefighter Jeremy Hamilton.

The game, to donate $10 to charity and jump into a body of cold water or skip the dunk and donate $100 — has captured the imagination of several hundred firefighters and emergency services personnel nationwide. The Cold Water Challenge videos posted online range from obviously cold and brief dips in the Kenai River and the Pacific Ocean on the western seaboard, to questionably cold jumps into swimming pools and makeshift tubs in South Carolina and Texas, to the absurd, such as the video firefighter and blogger Rhett

Building sector maintains gains By ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce

Crews are busy across Alaska as the summer building season is in full swing. With the exception of Fairbanks, year-to-date building activity in the state’s largest cities has been comparable to the first months of 2013, a rebound year for construction in much of Alaska when employment returned to its pre-recession peak. In the Municipality of Anchorage, more than $301.6 million worth of residential, commercial and government property building permits were applied for through May 31, nearly identical to the $302.8 million in permits through May of last year. Of that, roughly $160 million was commercial

permit applications, compared to $187.8 million for the same period of 2013. While the value of commercial applications in Anchorage declined so far this year, the number of permits has increased by 11 percent from 457 to 508 for new construction and existing alterations or additions combined. The municipality received building permit applications valued at about $240 million through the first five months of 2012, making the last two years a 25 percent improvement. Activity bottomed out in recent years in 2010 when permits totaling $144 million were applied for through the spring. One of the bigger projects in Anchorage, Cook Inlet Region Inc.’s new home, the Fireweed Business Center, is ahead of See BUILD, page A-2

Fleitz posted on his site, firecritic.com, which featured a shower-cap clad, beerdrinking, cigar-smoking, mostly-naked man dumping bags of ice into a bathtub before challenging several of his friends. Silly or not, firefighters participating in the challenge had raised more than $150,000 for the National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation, said Ronald Siarnicki, executive director of the foundation. “It started as a grassroots effort in the fire service and has gone viral,” wrote

Inside today Passing showers 66/50 For complete weather, see page A-12

Obituaries..................... A-3 Opinion......................... A-4 Alaska........................... A-5 Nation........................... A-6 World............................ A-8 Police/courts............... A-10 Sports........................... B-1 Community................... C-1 Dear Abby..................... C-2 Crossword..................... C-2 Horoscope.................... C-2 Classifieds................... C-3 Mini Page...................... C-9 TV...................... Clarion TV Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.

See COLD, page A-2

By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press

JUNEAU — Two third-party spending groups this week announced dropping more than $900,000 for ads in the Alaska U.S. Senate race. The buys — in addition to the millions that groups have already spent or are expected to spend on the election — underscore the intense interest in the race, which could help determine which party controls the Senate. The Karl Rove-affiliated American Crossroads, which has supported Republican Senate hopeful Dan Sullivan, in its latest ad suggests Democratic Sen. Mark Begich takes credits for things he didn’t do, at least on his own. It draws from comments made by Re-

publican Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, in a video orchestrated by American Crossroads strategist Art Hackney. Hackney has said the video and his work with American Crossroads are different. Begich’s campaign on Friday labeled the ad another “desperate” attack. American Crossroads and its affiliated nonprofit previously announced they had reserved $5.5 million in air time in Alaska. Hackney initially said the latest buy was part of that but later corrected that, saying the $5.5 million refers to ad time reserved after Labor Day. He said this latest buy is in addition to that. Meanwhile, the pro-Begich Put Alaska First PAC reported nearly $500,000 for an ad that See ADS, page A-2

Another first for college Residence hall hosts wedding By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion

Venue availability and a limited budget were two rigid factors Kristin Siter could not ignore while planning her wedding. Surprisingly, it led to what Siter’s husband, Brent Tri, said was an ideal location for the couple. Strings of purple and white paper hearts, bulging flowers and handmade garland, crafted from scratch by Siter, adorned the exterior of the Kenai Peninsula College residence hall multipurpose room, its wide doors agape to house the 100 expected attendees. It will be a first for the 1-year-old residence hall, said Kenai Peninsula College AsC

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Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion

Jamie Moorhead, photographer for Kristin Siter’s wedding, takes pictures of Siter’s daughter Angel Sisneros helping her mother put on high heels Saturday at the Kenai Peninsula College Residence Hall.

sociate Director of Residence Tri said it was fresh and new, Life Tammie Willis. and that suited them. In fact, it will be the first Siter was her own planner wedding Willis has seen a resi- for the wedding, Tri said. The dence hall host in her 15-year pair enlisted a troupe of family career in residence life. See VOWS, page A-5


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