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CLARION
Showers 68/48 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 257
Safety first?
Question Do you think additional enforcement in area fisheries this season has been effective? n Yes n No
Motorist gets rude awakening at rest stop By McKIBBEN JACKINSKY Morris News Service-Alaska Homer News
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.
In the news Eagle causes power outages in Ketchikan
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ANCHORAGE (AP) — Ketchikan utility officials say power was temporarily knocked out in some areas of town out after a bald eagle struck a power line. Ketchikan Public Utilities Electric division manager Andy Donato says the eagle carcass was recovered after the incident. The Ketchikan Daily News reports the bird strike occurred shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, knocking out power to Bear Valley, Point Higgins and Mountain Point sections of town. Crews restored power by 8:23 p.m. Sunday. Donato says the eagle carcass is being entered into a federal chain of custody. Possessing any part of a bald eagle is illegal without a permit.
Sonar estimates Estimated late run kings in the Kenai River: n Sunday: 252 n So far: 10,657 Estimated Kenai River reds: n Sunday: 22,073 n So far: 700,635 Russian River reds weir count: n Sunday: 501 n So far: 3,812 Estimated Kasilof River reds: n Sunday: 4,218 n So far: 390,922
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-5 World..................... A-6 Sports.....................A-8 Classifieds........... A-10 Comics................. A-13 Pet Tails............... A-14 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
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Book nook
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
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Sonja Kjostad, 8, of Wasilla digs into a book Monday at the Soldotna Public Library in Soldotna.
Long hours of fishing near the Barren Islands over the Fourth of July weekend and a 4 a.m. arrival back in the Homer Small Boat Harbor meant a late — or early, as the case may be — start time for Mike Flyum to get on the Sterling Highway and head back to his home in Wasilla. By the time his boat was loaded on the trailer and Flyum and his fishing partner were leaving the harbor, it was about 5 a.m. “We’d been out all day and all night fishing. ... Both of us were tired,” said Flyum. At the top of Baycrest Hill, Flyum decided for safety’s sake he’d take advantage of the pullout to get a nap before continuing on. He parked his Ford F-250 pickup, trailer and boat on the highway-side of the pullout, away from the parking spots offering views of Kachemak Bay and beyond, and he and his friend quickly fell asleep. According to information provided by the Alaska State Troopers, “driving while drowsy, DWD, is possibly one of the most under-reported causes of highway crashes and fatalities.” Some sources estimate as many as 50 percent of all crashes are due to driver fatigue. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate as many as 7,500 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States each year might involve drowsy driving. However, what seemed like the right thing to do became
‘I think an officer would say it’s better to be safe than sorry and would be glad you pulled over.’ — Lt. Will Hutt, Homer Police Department an eye-opening experience for Flyum. “About 7 a.m. this dude … was tapping on the window. He said, ‘Hey, there’s no camping here. You guys have got to leave,’” said Flyum. “I said we had just got back from fishing and he said, ‘Well, you’ve got to leave,’ and he took off.” Judging by the vehicle driven by the individual telling Flyum to move, Flyum determined it was someone working for the city of Homer Parks and Recreation Department. “He got into his truck, went over to another vehicle, a car, and told that guy the same thing. Woke him up, told him he had to get going,” said Flyum, who took exception to being awakened from his safety nap and told to get back on the highway. “His job was to go up there and pick up trash, not to be worrying about who’s parking there, who’s camping there. Just pick up trash and stop harassing people.” Flyum said he was aware the pullout wasn’t a camping area. “But it was a safety thing. See SAFETY, page A-7
Thornton20challenges Olson in District 30 14 By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories looking at area candidates for the Alaska Legislature.
2014 While Olson currently represents District 29, the Alaska Redistricting Board tightened the district boundary encompassing Soldotna and Kenai, and renumbered it from District 29 to District 30.
One brings experience and the other offers a fresh perspective. Incumbent Rep. Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna, and Shauna Thornton, a Democrat from Kenai, are vying for the District 30 House Kurt Olson of Representatives seat representing the Kenai-Soldotna Olson, 66, has lived in the area. Both names appear on the central Kenai Peninsula since ballot for the Aug. 19 primary 1982. He was first elected to the election. house in 2004 and said he con-
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tinues to run for the position because he still has work to do. “I think I’m pretty persistent,” Olson said. Kurt “I’ve had Olson bills that will take three or four years to get through and I’m still not done on several issues. But I think there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” Some of the issues Olson said he will continue to work on if re-elected are the Alaska LNG project and workers com-
Shauna Thornton
pensation. When Olson decided to make his first race for the seat in 2004, it was because he felt his views were lined up with those of
the district. With many district residents working in the oil and gas industry or who have family who work in the industry, he said the majority of the district is prodevelopment. “Pretty much the whole time I’ve been in Alaska, one way
or another, I’ve been on the peripheral of the oil and gas industry,” he said. “I was a commercial insurance broker for 25 years and a good portion of my business was related to oil and gas at that point in time.” During his 10 years as a representative, Olson said one of the most frustrating issues he has faced is the oil tax structure changing so often. With oil and gas revenues supplying about 90 percent of the funds to run the state, Olson said, it’s an important industry, but diversifying the economy is desirable. Some industries that might See VOTE, page A-7
Governor delves into energy, elections, economy By MATT WOOLBRIGHT Morris News Service-Alaska Juneau Empire
Editor’s note: This is the second article in a two-part series detailing Republican Gov. Sean Parnell in his roles as an Alaska resident, governor and candidate for office. The first pasrt ran in Monday’s Clarion. Republican Gov. Sean Parnell is all smiles over the Alaska liquefied natural gas project that proposes to build a second major pipeline in the state connecting North Slope resources to market. The hope is that the AKLNG project will become a second
lifeline for the state both in revenue and in affordable energy, particularly in the Interior where costs skyrocket during the cold winter months. That hope has existed for decades, but it came one step closer to becoming a reality last week when the project partners, including the state, filed for an export permit with the federal government. “It is an unprecedented step in that the state and these companies are aligned in moving Alaska’s gas to Alaskans,” Parnell said in an interview with the Empire last week. “When an export license application like that is filed, that’s another significant step toward getting
mented by former Gov. Sarah Palin at first. But over time, he says, problems began to surface in increasing frequency. Eventually it became apparent to the governor and his administration that change was needed. “It’s about the long term,” Parnell said in describing his thinking behind SB21. “It’s not about getting as much as we can right now and sacrificing our kids and their future by riding production down at 6 to 8 percent like we were. The governor’s “Alaskans deserve better oil solution than that,” he added. Like many Alaskans, ParSo Parnell’s team crafted a nell was a believer in the package designed to both inACES tax structure imple- crease the volume of oil proa gasline.” But it’s not one of the first steps. While talks about a gasline have risen and fallen in intensity a number of times over Alaska’s history, this latest effort started accelerating about 14 months ago after the 2013 Legislature approved Parnell’s hallmark legislation — SB21. “It takes a healthy oil industry to give us a shot at a gasline,” Parnell said.
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duced and shipped through the pipeline and to attract new investment from the current producers so the trend of declining production is reversed. “There’s a lot more oil in the ground in this state than we have recovered or that we can recover in your lifetime or mine,” Parnell said. Democrats and others have dubbed the proposal “The Giveaway,” however, saying it was a favor to oil companies that gives away the state’s resources without extracting adequate taxes and fees. Enough Alaskans agreed with that thinking that an initiative effort to get a See PARNELL, page A-7