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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 258
Question Do you think additional enforcement in area fisheries this season has been effective? n Yes n No 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.
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Wal-Mart shooting suspect denied bail By RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
A woman facing multiple assault and drug-related charges, was denied a bail motion Tuesday that would have put her on an electronic monitoring system and placed her in a Sterling home with her two children and a man who filed for divorce from her in March. Kenai Superior Court Judge Charles Huguelet denied the request to allow Ashley Nelund, 28, to spend time
with her 3-month-old daughter and her toddler-aged son before her trial begins, citing the extensive criminal history of her husband, Dylan Rink, and the circumstances surrounding Nelund’s arrest. “I’m not approving this, Huguelet said during the hearing. “I’m not going to send her back to possibly an estranged husband, when there’s violence like this and drug charges, so the bail motion is denied.” Before the circumstances of the bail request were
discussed, Huguelet said Nelund’s trial call was scheduled to begin Wednesday and that he had denied any further continuances in the case earlier in July. Nelund, whose primary attorney was not present, was represented by attorney Jaffer Khimani who appeared telephonically and told Huguelet he was there to ask for a bail reduction. He said he had limited information about the case. “OK, but I’m telling you that you’re going to trial,” Huguelet said.
Khimani said Nelund’s other attorney was currently in a trail in Ketchikan. Huguelet said the case had already been continued eight times and would not be allowed to do so again. Khimani said Nelund was close to accepting a plea agreement. According to court records, in the case before Huguelet, Nelund is facing five felony charges including attempted Murder 1, stemming from a 2013 shooting in the parking lot of the Kenai Wal-Mart.
ConocoPhillips, Doyon announce new drilling rig
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ANCHORAGE — ConocoPhillips Alaska and oil field contractor Doyon Drilling have announced plans to build a new rotary drilling rig for the Kuparuk River unit on the North Slope. KTUU says the new rig will be the first to be added to Kuparuk’s fleet in 14 years. The companies announced the new contract Monday for construction of the rig, which will be named Doyon 142. Drilling is slated to begin in February 2016. Doyon Drilling is a subsidiary of Doyon Ltd., the Fairbanks-based regional Native corporation.
Children adrift in boat rescued ANCHORAGE — Three children have been rescued after going adrift in their family’s small boat in a southeast Alaska harbor. The Coast Guard says the boys were wearing life jackets and stayed calm after going adrift in the skiff Monday in Saxman Harbor near Ketchikan. Water conditions were calm. Ketchikan police notified the Coast Guard that the parents of the boys reported the children had gone adrift. A Coast Guard response boat crew found the children and safely delivered them to their parents, with the skiff in tow. Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Degnon says the crew was able to arrive at the scene within three minutes. — The Associated Press
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Alaska.....................A-5 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports...................A-10 Food.......................B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
See BAIL, page A-14
Soldotna adopts records retention schedule
In the news
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That case is scheduled to go to trial August 4. Neland is facing two further felony charges of possessing and delivering heroin. That case is scheduled to go to trial August 11. Khimani said the primary reason for the bail reduction request was to allow Nelund to spend time with her children. “She has been in custody since November,” he said. “She’ll be accepting a plea agreement soon and this pro-
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Kaylee Osowski/Peninsula Clarion
Gov. Sean Parnell shakes hands with Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, after signing House Bill 75 on Tuesday at the Snowshoe Gun Club. The bill amends the Pick. Click. Give program to no longer require organizations with a budget of more than $250,000 to be audited. It also allows Alaskans to donate a portion of their permanent fund dividend to sustain the program.
Gov. signs bills at gun club, Tesoro By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Changes to big game hunting regulations, Permanent Fund Dividend donations and Alaska’s refineries tax breaks were finalized Tuesday as Gov. Sean Parnell continues his bill-signing tour of the state. Elected officials, representatives of organizations and companies as well as affected members of the public gathered together to see Parnell sign three bills into law on the
Kenai Peninsula. Parnell visited the Snowshoe Gun Club along the Kenai Spur Highway between Kenai and Soldotna in the morning to autograph Senate Bill 77 and House Bill 75. In the afternoon he made his way to Tesoro Corp.’s Nikiski refinery to sign HB 287.
Hunting time The gun club was a fitting setting for the signing of SB 77, which encourages
big game hunting with children. The bill allows for the Alaska Board of Game to establish annual seasons when only Alaska resident children between the ages of 8 and 17 can take big game when hunting with their resident parents, grandparents or legal guardians. Sen. Peter Micciche, RSoldotna, was one of the sponsors of the bill. He said he became interested in the bill because of the Teens on Target program offered by the gun club.
“In this time where we’re having reduced access to public lands and we’re seeing less and less young people being interested in hunting, I think it was an extremely important bill,” Micciche said.
Giving to Pick. Click. Give. Parnell signed HB 75, which made some amendments to Pick. Click. Give., a program that allows Alaskans See BILLS, page A-14
Considering cannabis Residents talk THC during chamber luncheon By RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
A joint Kenai and Soldotna chamber luncheon was awash in marijuana slang and freshbaked brownies Tuesday as the merits of a ballot measure to legalize the substance in Alaska were debated. About 30 people gathered to hear Taylor Bickford, a representative from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol and Tom Tougas, of Big Marijuana. Big Mistake, discuss Ballot Measure 2, which will allow voters to decide in November whether Alaska should beSee DEBATE, page A-14
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Tom Tougas, a representative from Big Marijuana. Big Mistake, talks about the marketing of marijuana “edibles” Tuesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna. Tougas, whose organization opposes Ballot Measure 2 which would legalize and regulate marijuana use in the state, said the marketing of “edibles” using cartoon characters and candy could be interpreted as targeting children. C
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The City of Soldotna finalized its retention schedule for city records and documents two years after the project was identified as a top priority. The schedule specifies how long a record is stored by the city and when it becomes obsolete, according to the original ordinance. A document is filed as having a certain value such as historical, legal, or financial and the period it will be retained is dependent on its value. “To effectively manage city records a records retention schedule is necessary,” according to a memo from Soldotna City Clerk Shellie Saner to City Manager Mark Dixson. Since the city was already handling it’s records retention procedures in accordance with the State of Alaska Local Government Model General Administrative Records Retention Schedule, the public will not notice any changes to the system, Saner said. However, developing a full scheduling document specialized the scheduling process to fit the needs of the City, Saner said. The local government model recommends a minimum for retention periods, Saner said. The city found that the minimum retention recommended for many records was not long enough to meet the needs of the city. The state model was developed for all types of local governments, so it contains many record types that are not generated by Soldotna, Saner said. Those were left out of the city schedule. The bulk of the work has taken place over the last year, Saner said. City department directors and Deputy Clerk Heather Dukowitz assisted Saner throughout the project. Dixson identified the project as a top priority when Saner accepted the position as city clerk in June, 2013. The original ordinance specifies that 30 days prior to the destruction of an obsolete record the records manager will circulate the records to each department head in city hall for commentary on the listing of all records and the destruction dates. “Destroying records that See CITY, page A-14