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Hiker plans for Strange Loop
NBA awaits James’ decision
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CLARION
Clouds, showers 63/49 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, July 11-12 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 242
Question Do you plan to participate in one of the Peninsula’s dipnet fisheries? n Yes n No n I’m going to wait and see 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.
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KPB threatened with lawsuit over flood By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
An Anchorage-based attorney sent a letter dated June 27 on behalf of his Kalifornsky Beach Road area client threatening a lawsuit if the Kenai Peninsula Borough doesn’t take action to mitigate floodwaters. In the letter, attorney Mario Bird of the Ross and Miner law firm, hired by David Yragui, requested the borough ditch Buoy Street or hold a meeting with his office and affected landowners to discuss potential solutions within 15 days. Within 30 days, Bird requested the
borough produce a long-term drainage plan to be reviewed by Yragui’s hydrologist, the borough hydrologist, a third-party hydrologist and a drainage engineer. “There needs to be production and execution of a long-term drainage plan,” Bird said. “The fact that it hasn’t happened even though the borough apparently has been looking at this for quite some time, that’s a cause of concern.” In a Thursday afternoon interview with the Clarion, Borough Mayor Mike Navarre said the borough was finalizing a response to be sent later Thursday or Friday. He said the letter from Bird shows
a lack of understanding of what the authorities and responsibilities are for second-class boroughs. “The borough doesn’t have the authority and it would be irresponsible to do a drainage plan in the time frame that they’ve asked us to do it,” he said. More information needs to be gathered over a long period of time to properly do a drainage plan, he said. “That’s impossible and it’s a ridiculous request. It cannot be done,” Navarre said about the request to produce a long-term drainage plan in 30 days. Navarre said the borough attorney advised him not to send a copy of the borough’s response to the Clarion.
Bird said based on Alaska’s constitution and borough code, the government is obligated to make a plan and take action. If that happens, he said he doesn’t see the need for his firm’s involvement. “We’d much rather find some sort of solution that is amenable to not only our client but to the borough to the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources,” Bird said. Navarre said the borough has done drainage improvements to protect road infrastructure. The borough is working with a resident to acquire an easement or some of the property on the corner of See FLOOD, page A-12
Soldotna airport continues to expand
In the news Anchorage woman arrested on sex trafficking counts
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ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska State Troopers have arrested an Anchorage woman on charges she trafficked women for sex in Alaska’s largest communities. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports 39-yearold Amber L. Batts was arrested Wednesday on four counts of sex trafficking. She was being held on $15,000 bail. Online court records didn’t list an attorney for her on Wednesday. Troopers allege Batts supervised an online system that marketed women for sex acts in Anchorage, Fairbanks Juneau, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Kenai Peninsula. Authorities say money was exchanged for sex acts, and they allege Batts got a cut of it. Troopers served two warrants Wednesday, one at Batts’ home and the other at an apartment where sex acts are alleged to have taken place between the women and their customers.
Sonar estimates Estimated Kenai River reds: n Wednesday: 24,201 n So far: 150,927 Russian River reds weir count: n Wednesday: 546 n So far: 42,819 Estimated Kasilof River reds: n Wednesday: 11,052 n So far: 212,521
Information provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Sonar estimates can be obtained by calling 262-9097.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Religion.................A-10 Sports.....................B-1 Recreation............. C-1 Classifieds............ C-3 Comics................ C-13 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion
Fish on!
Monet Barbee talks to Joe Henn who is filleting her first fish of the season. The two came from Wasilla and caught four red salmon on opening day, Thursday, on Kenai Beach. The season opener was met with heavy rains and wind, but didn’t deter handfuls of dipnetters.
After strong years of expansion, rehabilitation and construction projects the Soldotna is planning to devise a new list of improvements for its airport. This summer, the city received a Federal Aviation Administration grant for updating the list of capital projects with a new master plan. Soldotna Municipal Airport Manager Kyle Kornelis said the appropriations will fund initial studies to layout a plan for future projects. The process will take about two years. Kornelis said the 50-yearold airport is in a very active phase. He met with the FAA Wednesday to discuss pending grant money for future projects and progressing the scope of the master plan. The airport is between phase See AIRPORT, page A-5
Family holding out hope as search continues By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Lanell Adams misses her best friend. She misses making funny faces with her two nieces when they talked via Skype and would do anything to see their smiling faces again. While search efforts have been taking place nearly everyday since a Kenai family of four went missing six weeks ago, Kenai police and volunteers have not found anything to pinpoint their location. Volunteer numbers have dwindled in recent days with searches competing with people’s work and recreation schedules, said volunteer search organizer Katherine Covey. Despite not hearing from her sister Rebecca Adams, 22, nieces Michelle Hundley, 5, and Jaracca Hundley, 3, and
Brandon Jividen, 37, Rebecca Adams’ boyfriend, Lanell Adams remains determined to find out what led to their disappearance. “The story seems to be dying down and people have to move Rebecca on but that’s my sister Adams and nieces out there and I don’t want them or (Jividen) to be forgotten,” Lanell Adams said. “I am motivated to find out what happened. That keeps us pushing everyday.” Organizers have planned another large-scale ground search for 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday starting at the end of California Avenue. The last line search on June 28 brought out more than a 100
Michelle & Jaracca
Brandon Jividen
people and covered a lot of ground, Covey said. “We would like to get as many people out as possible,” she said. “If and when one day we have to call it off, we want to let (the family) know we did everything possible and expanded every resource.” Covey said volunteers should come with a charged cell phone, protection
from bears and dress for unpredictable weather. Anyone interested in joining the search no matter how long is required to check in and out at the command center at the end of California Avenue to ensure everyone is safe and accounted for, she said. After the police stopped their coordinated searches two weeks ago, the family of the missing was the only ones searching for a week, Covey said. Since then volunteers have scoured the woods, waterways and trails around Wildwood Drive on all-terrain vehicles, horseback, boat and plane, she said. “They were exhausted and beat down,” she said. “Their spirits have been lifted by everyone who has come out even without success.” See SEARCH, page A-5
Strong sockeye returns highlight salmon season By ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal Of Commerce
The Bristol Bay sockeye run continues to exceed expectations. Prior to the season, the Alaska Department Fish and Game forecast was for a sockeye run of 26.6 million fish. A run of that size would have allowed a commercial harvest of 17.9 million fish, leaving about 8.7 million fish for escapement. All of those numbers have already been surpassed.
Through July 7, ADFG counted a total salmon run of 30.88 million in the region. The commercial harvest through that day was 21.14 million fish. The run has also well surpassed the 2013 run of 23 million fish. The 20-year average run is approximately 36 million sockeyes for Bristol Bay. Strong red returns in the Wood River drainage pushed ADFG to increase the sport fish limit from five to 10 reds per day on July 4. The Wood River run was more than 1.9 million
through July 2, far greater than the upper escapement goal of 1.5 million fish. An early and now waning king salmon run on the Nushagak River forced the department to halve the daily bag limit — from two to one — for sport caught kings in the large Bristol Bay watershed July 7. As of that day, 59,539 kings had passed the Portage Creek sonar on the Nushagak, well off last year’s total of 86,054 kings for the same day. The total Nushagak king run in 2013 was 113,743 fish. C
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According to a July 3 ADFG release, the run is expected to fall within the escapement goal range of 70,000 to 90,000 kings.
Southcentral Upper Cook Inlet sockeye returns continue to outpace historical averages as well. Through July 8, 42,273 earlyrun sockeyes had passed the Russian River weir, exceeding the runs upper-end escapement goal of 42,000 fish with six days of counts to come. The
traditionally larger late run officially begins July 15. Those late-run reds are on their way up the Kenai River, too. Nearly 127,000 fish had passed the sonar at Mile 19 of the Kenai by July 8. By comparison, 50,100 late-run reds had passed the counter in the same period last year. The Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery begins July 10. King salmon caught in the fishery must be released. Sport king fishing opened See RUN, page A-12