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Golf
Going back President authorizes air strikes in unstable Iraq
McIlroy one shot off top spot at PGA
World/A-7
Sports/B-1
CLARION
Cloudy, showers 64/54 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, August 8-9 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 266
Question Do you think victims of the Ebola virus should be transported into the United States? n Yes; or 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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AK salmon harvest surpasses 104 million By MOLLY DISCHNER Morris News Service — Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
The statewide commercial salmon catch has topped 100 million fish. Through Aug. 5, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or ADFG, estimated that commercial fishermen had landed 104.7 million salmon, including 40.7 million sockeyes, 54 million pinks, 1.5 million cohos,
8 million chums and 401,000 kings. Sockeye catches have slowed —about 40.1 million sockeyes were caught through July 29 — and the climbing salmon catches are driven largely by pinks. Between July 30 and Aug. 6, commercial fishermen reported landing about 16 million pink salmon, as well as 1 million chums. Prince William Sound fishermen have landed the largest portion of the state’s pinks,
about 35.4 million. Those were caught primarily by seiners, who have also harvested about 347,000 chum, 49,000 sockeye and 12,000 cohos. The total Sound salmon harvest through Aug. 5 was 39.9 million salmon. At Bristol Bay, fishermen have landed about 98,000 pinks, and a total 29.3 million salmon. Kodiak fishermen have harvested about 5.6 million pinks, slightly edging out the region’s
total sockeye catch of 5.3 million fish. The chum catches came largely from Southeast Alaska and the northernmost fisheries. Southeast Alaska fishermen have harvested a total of 18.3 million fish, including 11.8 million pinks, 4.3 million chums and 1 million cohos — the largest coho catch in the state. Those were caught primarily by the summer troll fleet, which landed about 292,000 cohos between July 30 and Aug. 5.
Federal data outlines spending in Alaska, Hawaii
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Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports.....................B-1 Classifieds............ C-3 Comics................... C-9
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See CATCH, page A-12
2nd Binkley roundabout opened
In the news
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Residents in Alaska and Hawaii probably always felt they paid more for their food, and now data from the government proves that’s true. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released data Thursday showing where consumers spend the most money in each of the 50 states from 1997 to 2012. Here are trends from the data as it applies to the nation’s only two states not connected to the mainland: 1) Food is expensive when it has to be shipped. In 2012, Alaska led the nation for percapita spending for groceries. Alaskans spent an average of $3,852 per person. 2) When the weather is good and you live on an island, things are good for thepocketbook. Hawaii residents spent the least of anyone in the nation when it comes to gasoline or energy, at $882 per person. Alaska — considered to be the nation’s coldest state — didn’t crack the top four highest expenditures. 3) It’s expensive to live in Hawaii. The survey says residents of the 50th state spent $10,002 annually on housing and utilities in 2012. 4) Alaskans shell out a lot for health care. The data puts Alaska into third place for highest per capital spending in 2012 for health care, at $8,173, putting the Last Frontier only behind the District of Columbia and Massachusetts for out-of-pocket expenses.
The troll fleet was scheduled to close from Aug. 10-13, although trollers would still be allowed to fish for chums. The entire fishery was set to reopen Aug. 14 for a two-day king retention period. ADFG managers said in an update that they planned to keep areas of high king abundance closed during the openings, as the remaining available harvest was estimated at about 36,051 kings.
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion
At the races
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Landin Stonecipher yells at Scott Ralston as Ralston beat him around the final turn of a lap Thursday at the Go-Kart Race Track in Soldotna. Thursday was Stonecipher’s birthday and Ralston said the two would have raced regardless of the weather.
Racing for20 Senate 14 District O By DAN BALMER and RASHAH MCCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories looking at area candidates for the Alaska Legislature. The battle for Senate District O will be fought by two men with very different visions for the future of Alaska and the district, which includes Nikiski, Soldotna and Seward. Incumbent Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, has been heavily involved in politics for several years, working his way up boards and commissions in Soldotna, to a seat on the Soldotna City Council, to becoming the city’s elected Mayor, then de-
2014 feating a longtime Republican senator for a seat in the state’s Legislature in 2012. Challenger Eric Treider has been less involved in politics. The longtime oilfield worker lists his time as a campaign director in Green Bay, Wisconsin, working for Sen. Edward Kennedy’s 1980 presidential campaign as his only political position, according to his
2014
Eric Treider
Peter Micciche
campaign bio. Treider, is running for Alaska State Senate as a non-affiliated candidate. Micciche, as a Republican — meaning that Micciche will be on the Aug. 19 primary ballot, but the race between the two will not be decided until the Nov. 4 general election. See O RACE, page A-5
LNG review board has 1st meeting By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Despite fears that their voices would not be heard, at least one borough mayor returned from the inaugural meeting of the Municipal Advisory Gas Project Review Board with more faith about the input local governments will have in the development process of a proposed gasline project. Discussions at the two-day meeting of the new, governor-created board which seeks to review and understand the potential impacts the Alaska LNG Project LLC could have on local governments, has reassured Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre about the board’s role. “I have a better comfort level,” he said. … “Obviously, we’re going to have to wait and see as things go along and what happens when legislation is actually introduced before the legislature, but at least I
feel like we’ll have an opportunity to provide input into the process and certainly during our meetings of this board.” The board is primarily made up of borough mayors throughout the state. The meeting was Mike Navarre held in Anchorage Tuesday and Wednesday. Presentations were given about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, oil and gas property tax and global liquefied natural gas markets among other topics. “There was a lot of good information that was put out about global markets, what we’re competing with, the window of opportunity that comes and goes with major gas projects and which other ones are on the horizon around the world that are being considered,” Navarre said. C
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The second in the series of three roundabouts constructed on Binkley Street in Soldotna is now open. The intersection of Redoubt Avenue and Binkley has seen thru-traffic since Wednesday afternoon, said project manager Lee Frey. People began driving through almost immediately, he said. Construction has now begun between the intersections of Corral Avenue and Marydale Avenue. Work is continuing between Shady Lane and Park Street, he said. “We are right where we thought we would be,” Frey said. The only way to access the U.S. Post Office is by entering the parking lot by way of Corral. See TRAFFIC, page A-12
Judge orders NMFS observer program By MOLLY DISCHNER Morris News Service - Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
Navarre said the board discussed the studies that must be done when Alaska LNG Project sends its application to FERC, which, according to presentation documents, starts with pre-filing. Alaska LNG plans to do this year, according to documents. Pre-filing includes an environmental impact statement, and resource reports that cover air and noise quality; reliability and safety; cultural resources; fish, wildlife and vegetation and socioeconomic, among other reports. “All of that was really interesting and gave me … complete comfort that the socioeconomic impacts will be considered and evaluated,” he said. “But it’s also important that local governments who will be impacted by it pay attention to what’s written in those studies and weigh in on it with information of their own of what they see as impact so that they can be included.”
A federal judge ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service to prepare a supplemental environmental assessment for the revised marine observer program that was implemented in 2013, although no immediate changes to the program will be made. The Boat Company, a nonprofit that operates marine tours in Southeast, along with fishing opportunity and conservation education, sued federal fisheries managers in U.S. District Court in Anchorage over the revised at-sea observer program in December 2012.The revised observer program was implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, in 2013. It was intended to increase the statistical reliability
See LNG, page A-12
See NMFS, page A-12