Peninsula Clarion, July 20, 2014

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100-miles Columnist chronicles adventures in lycra and a century bicycle race

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Sunday

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Sweep Twins take 2 league games from Bartlett

CLARION P E N I N S U L A

JULY 20, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska

Vol. 44, Issue 249

50 cents

To

tax a

bed Lodge owners consider proposed fee, opinions vary Photos by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion

Above and right: A wraparound porch provides several idyllic spots for guests of the Grouchy Old Woman Bed and Breakfast on Daniels Lake Friday in Nikiski, Alaska. Owner Sharon Brower said she supports the idea of a bed tax and thinks its an appropriate amount to charge travellers. About half of her guests are Alaska-residents, she said.

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By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion

Some say it’s time, others say it’s not the way to go. But it’s up to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly whether the voters will decide this Oct. 7 if a 4 percent accommodation tax should be implemented borough-wide to be used for tourism marketing purposes. At the 6 p.m. assembly meeting on Tuesday at the George A. Navarre Borough Administration Building, a public hearing will be held on the proposed bed tax ordinance, which, if passed, would put the question to the voters. Accommodation managers and owners throughout the peninsula have various reasons for or against the proposed tax and thoughts on how it will affect their businesses. Sharon Brower, owner of Grouchy Old Woman Bed and Breakfast on Daniels Lake in Nikiski, said the proposed 4 percent tax is appropriate. “I think that a … 4 percent additional sales tax or a bed tax is probably long overdue,” Brower “I would like to see it all go to advertising because it’s a pittance compared to what other portions of the country have.” See TAX, page A-2

‘Swank’ shopping debuts in Soldotna By RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion

The incessant noise of the crowded Sterling Highway faded quickly in a gravel lot behind Pizza Boys and the Shops Around the Corner Saturday where a group of five white tents clustered around a makeshift courtyard. Ella Fitzgerald sang about bringing her sweet daddy home as dozens of shoppers moved among tables stacked with a mix of antiques and art in a flea marketstyle shopping experience. At the center of it all, a tall, white elegantly stylized sign marking the new Swank Street Antiques & Art Market rose above tables and benches pointing toward a stage where several musicians have played throughout the market’s opening weekend. Shoppers, primarily women, have been treated to an eclectic mix of vintage-inspired art and

true antiques, next to handmade art and upcycled home decor Friday and Saturday as organizers debut a shopping experience designed to be unlike any others on the Kenai Peninsula. “I wanted to keep it so that it wasn’t just another craft fair,” said organizer Jenny Smithwick. Each of the large tents, at 44676 Sterling Highway, contained at least two vendors, there were nine total — each required to build a unique shop to display their wares. The resulting blend is one that provides a bit of something for a broad range of shopping interests. Mixed among the $5 vinyl records stacked in front of a $650 Monarch brand iron range stove, were birch bowls, stained glass and linens. “It (has) been very good,” Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion said Shari Blackman, whose Margo Bouchard checks the price of a hanging basket at the new Swank Street Antiques & Art See MARKET, page A-2 Market Saturday in Soldotna.

Kenai cadets fly in WWII-era plane By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion

Sitting in the rear cockpit of a gleaming metallic Advance Trainer Aircraft Kenai Civil Air Patrol Cadet Lucas Cragg adjusted

the white World War II aviator scarf wrapped around his neck, Saturday at the Kenai Municipal Airport. Pilot, Alex Roesch, a volunteer with the Alaska Wings Commemorative

Air Force, switched on the planes thundering engine, and Cragg flashed a thumbs-up at Jan Bobek. “That guy is such a cool kid,” Bobek said. “He is unreal.” Bobek stood and

Today’s Clarion Sunny 67/43

Sonar estimates Inside

‘These tunnels aren’t for hiding. They are intendMore weather on page A-12 ed for large attacks in Opinion......................... A-4 Israeli communities and Alaska........................... A-5 army bases.’

Nation........................... A-6 World............................ A-8 Cops/courts................ A-10 Sports........................... B-1 Community................... C-1 Weddings...................... C-1 Dear Abby..................... C-2 Crossword..................... C-2 Horoscope.................... C-2 Classifieds................... C-3 Mini Page...................... C-9 TV...................... Clarion TV

watched as the 71-yearold aircraft rolled down the runway and out of sight, until it reappeared above the Civil Air Patrol hanger, and headed toward the Kenai River. This year five local

... See page A-8 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.

Estimated late-run kings in the Kenai River: n Thursday: 502 n So far: 3,960 Estimated Kenai River reds: n Friday: 39,024 n So far: 382,494 Russian River reds weir count: n Friday: 306 n So far: 1,117 Estimated Kasilof River reds: n Xxxday: 21,720 n So far: 311,495

Information provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Sonar estimates can be obtained by calling 262-9097.

cadets flew in the aircraft commonly known as AT6 brought to the Central Kenai Peninsula by members of the volunteer driven Commemorative Air Force for the Civil Air Patrol’s annual rides program, said Alaska Wings volunteer Jeff Dietz. The aircraft is one of the few of its make left

in the world, Dietz said. It is one of three types of planes used to train World War II fighter pilots. First was the Primary Trainer, followed by the Basic Trainer, and then after mastering the Advanced Trainer aviators would step right into the cockpit of the fighter plane they See FLIGHT, page A-2

Man found dead after barn fire By RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion

Central Emergency Services firefighters found a dead man after putting out a fire in a barn on Olivia Street in Kenai. Alaska State Troopers identified him as O’Thaniel Cooper, a 29-year-old man from Kenai. Cooper’s death was unrelated to the fire, however CES spokesperson Brad Nelson said investigators believe he set the fire intentionally. Foul play is not suspected in the man’s death. Cooper is a former Air Force National Guard veteran, according to Department of Defense records. He is listed as the owner of the property, according to Kenai Peninsula borough assessment records. The barn, built near the back of a property at 39902 Olivia Street also contained several animals, none of whom were harmed, Nelson said. CES was called to put out a fire in the barn at 11:45 a.m. Saturday and when firefighters arrived, the fire had been largely extinguished by neighbors using a garden hose to spray the barn. See FIRE, page A-2

Southeast Alaska bat tests positive for rabies JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — State officials have confirmed rabies in a bat in southeast Alaska. The state health department said biologists on Prince of Wales Island last Sunday trapped several Keen’s myotis bats, one of which was acting more aggressively and seemed C

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possibly sick. It was euthanized and tested for rabies. The test came back positive Thursday. The two prior cases of confirmed rabies in bats in Alaska were in 1993 and 2006, both in Southeast. Louisa Castrodale, an epidemiologist with the state, says

Alaska doesn’t have a huge bat population. She says it is assumed there is bat rabies in southeast Alaska but the extent is not known. She says the department wants to ensure anyone who may have been bitten by a bat doesn’t discount their possible risk of exposure.


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