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CLARION
Sunshine 69/46 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 250
Question Should the City of Kenai regulate electronic cigarettes in restaurants and healthcare facilities the same as smoking tobacco? n Yes, they release toxin in the air; n No, the vapor is less harmful than smoke; n The city should wait until more conclusive studies are complete.
State takes on Eagle Rock Boat Launch By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
Twice a day, at least during the fishing season, Tracy Poore leaves his house, walks to he end of his driveway and then down the long, deeply sloped road to the Eagle Rock Boat Launch. It’s a deeply ingrained habit, the Poore’s have owned the boat launch site since the 50s, and he can keep an eye on things now that the Alaska Department of Natural Resources operates the boat launch and parking area. The site is now owned by the state, purchased through money from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, and operated by the state’s division of parks. The council, or EVOS, has purchased
at least 5,100 acres on the Kenai River, at a cost of more than $12.3 million, primarily to enable habitat restoration and provide more recreational and sport fishing access, according to its website. On a recent Friday, the boat launch was busy, though Poore said he’s seen much larger crowds. More than 50 trucks and boat trailers parked in two adjacent gravel lots near the boat launch — while dozens more parked along the access road and then along a utility road near the Kenai Spur Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Highway. Trailers backed down the launch, usu- The Eagle Rock boat launch saw moderately heavy use, primarily by personally in pairs, and boats shoved-off into al-use fishermen launching to head downstream and fish Friday in Kenai. The the calm waters of the slough before an- Alaska Department of Natural Resources — Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation took over managment and operations of the boat launch and 2014 See LAUNCH, page A-7 is its first season being state run.
Incoming art
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. C
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Iowa-based artist works on raven sculpture for Dena’ina Wellness Center By MITCHELL SCHMIDT Iowa City Press-Citizen
In the news Cyclist killed in Anchorage identified ANCHORAGE — A cyclist killed in a collision with a pickup truck in Anchorage has been identified. The Alaska News Dispatch reports the bicyclist was identified as 51-year-old Jeffery Dusenbury. Dusenbury died shortly after being struck by a Chevy pickup truck in southeast Anchorage. A 17-year-old girl driving a black Chevy pickup was detained Saturday. Charges are pending. The girl will not be identified because she’s a minor. The driver left the scene of the collision before police tracked down the vehicle a few blocks away. — The Associated Press
Correction In the Sunday article “Man found dead after barn fire” the deceased man’s name, Othaniel Cooper, was misspelled. The Clarion regrets the error.
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Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion
Just for kicks
Jake Wilkinson, 26, of Kenai, tries to get past his niece Hailey Wilkinson, 14, in a friendly soccer match Sunday at the Kenai Middle School field. Kids from the Boys and Girls Club took on adults in the game.
It has been almost two years since local artist John Coyne crafted six aluminum alloy caribou, boxed up the 16 sculpture pieces and transported them nearly 4,000 miles from Iowa City to Nome, Alaska. Constantly striving to push his artistic skills to the limit, Coyne is at it once again with a three-dimensional cast aluminum sculpture destined to be displayed later this year the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska. Coyne recently was in his Iowa City workshop — tucked away on Reno Street just south of Oakland Cemetery — constructing the five ravens and woven fish trap that will make up his latest sculpture. Through his research of Dena’ina culture and natural interest in ravens, Coyne knew combining the iconic birds with the tribe’s words would make for the perfect sculpture. The Dena’ina people were the original inhabitants of south central Alaska. “The raven brought the Dena’ina people stories and songs and poetry,” Coyne said. “It all seemed to fit together, and plus I love ravens.” Phil Young, the wellness center’s construction manager and owner’s representation on the project, said the use of ravens was specifically sought for the art project. “Ravens have a big history with the natives up here,” Young said. Young said he was surprised
to learn that Coyne’s work on the project will be taking place in Iowa City. “I just assumed that he would be building the sculpture (in Anchorage),” he said. When finished, the project will include items commonly found in Dena’ina culture, including ravens, a fish trap and plaques engraved with various words of the Dena’ina people including “Ida” and “Yaghanen,” meaning “friend” and “good land,” respectively. Coyne, a native of Fairbanks, said the sculpture will be transported later this fall to Kenai, more than a three-hour drive south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, and reassembled in the Dena’ina Wellness Center. Although Coyne transported his caribou sculpture to Alaska in 2012 via truck, ferry and plane, he’s going to take an easier route this time and fly the pieces to Anchorage and have them delivered the final 150 miles to Kenai. “Because I’m making really good time, I think I’m just going to crate these up and have them shipped to Kenai,” Coyne said. “It was great to do it that way last time, and it was an adventure, but this might be a little more expedient and certainly a lot cheaper.” As with his last sculpture, Coyne’s project was cast by Max-Cast in Kalona. Welding will be completed by Rob Brown in Lisbon, and Coyne’s friend and assistant, known simply as Blue, is helping Coyne craft his art. See RAVEN, page A-7
Making grocery Scores dead in battle in Gaza store trips easier By KARIN LAUB
and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press
By SHANNON HAUGLAND Daily Sitka Sentinel
SITKA — A trip to the grocery store can be a big ordeal for parents of children with disabilities. “It can be challenging, because I have two other kids as well,” said Jaime Bentley, whose middle child, Jema, has intractable epilepsy and cerebral palsy. But the members of Girl Scout Troop 4140 are hoping
to turn the trip to the store into a better experience for Jaime, Jema - and other children and parents - by purchasing three grocery shopping carts that can carry a person with disabilities weighing up to 200 pounds. “Wash Away Hunger,” the fundraiser for the carts, was scheduled Saturday at the Sitka Fire Hall. The event included a car wash to raise funds for the See CARTS, page A-7
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The first major ground battle in two weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting exacted a steep price Sunday: It killed 65 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers and forced thousands of terrified Palestinian civilians to flee their neighborhood, reportedly used to launch rockets at Israel and now devastated by the fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive would continue “as long as necessary” to end atC
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tacks from Gaza on Israeli civilians. But Hamas seems defiant, international cease-fire efforts are stalled, and international criticism is becoming more vocal as the death toll among Palestinian civilians rises. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called Israel’s latest incursion “atrocious,” and said it must do far more to protect civilians. The U.N. Security Council was holding an emergency session Sunday night at the request of council member Jordan on the situation in Gaza. In Israel, public opinion will struggle to tolerate rising
military losses in an open-ended campaign. Already, Sunday’s deaths marked the highest number of soldiers killed on a single day since Israel’s war in Lebanon in 2006. The ferocious battle in Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood came on the third day of Israel’s ground offensive, which had been preceded by a 10-day air campaign. In all, at least 432 Palestinians were killed and more than 3,000 wounded in the past two weeks. The overall death toll on the Israeli side rose to 20, including 18 soldiers, along with dozens of wounded See GAZA, page A-2