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Debate
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GOP Senate hopefuls clash
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CLARION
Showers 65/54 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 269
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
DOT battles Sterling Highway erosion
Question Have you ever taken a class at Kenai Peninsula College? 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.
By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
In the news Mat-Su man dies after being thrown from packraft
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COPPER CENTER (AP) — The body of a man has been recovered after a rafting accident in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. National Park Service officials in a release identified the victim as Rob Kehrer. His body was recovered Sunday afternoon. Kehrer was thrown from his packraft on the Tana River inside the park and last seen by his rafting partner Saturday afternoon. Officials were notified Sunday morning, and ground and aerial searches were conducted. An Alaska Air National Guard helicopter found the body about 2 1/2 miles downstream from where he was last seen.
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion
Enstar employees picket in front of Enstar Natural Gas Company on the Kenai Spur Highway Monday in Soldotna. The 20 field workers and supporters from the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 367 are part of a regional strike over failed negotiations for pension and health benefits.
Enstar employees strike By ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
Enstar Natural Gas Co.’s Alaska operations employees went on strike Monday morning. The striking workers are at Enstar’s Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula and Matanuska-Susitna area branches, according to a release from the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Lo-
cal 367 that represents the Enstar employees. The union and the natural gas utility have not been able to settle differences over retirement benefits, and Enstar has not negotiated fairly, the union claims. “Enstar has refused to provide information to the union, it has intimidated witnesses for reporting Enstar misconduct, it has lied about the funding level of the pension plan, it has denied leave cash in requests of union employees, and
it has threatened employees with the loss of health benefits,” UA 367 alleges in an official statement. The union says it has filed four unfair labor practice complaints regarding Enstar’s conduct and it expects to file more. About 150 employees are involved in the strike, union counsel Chuck Dunnagan said. The union represents both Enstar’s clerical and operations workers. Enstar spokesman John Sims said he See STRIKE, page A-6
Correction The prep football preview story in Sunday’s Peninsula Clarion had an error in the section about the Kenai Central Kardinals. Chase Logan, Kyle Foree and Chase Gillies will be featured in the backfield this season for the Kards. The Clarion regrets the error.
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Crews are working to stop the Kenai River from threatening the integrity of the Sterling Highway at Mile 57 west of Cooper Landing. Department of Transportation & Public Affairs spokesperson Jill Reese said Tutka LLC, which has locations in Wasilla and Anchorage, began work to lay riprap — rocks — along the Kenai River bank last week. The Kenai River along the highway has been changing its course lately, which has been causing roadside erosion, Reese said. The riprap should keep the erosion from worsening. “(Crews will) always be checking on it to make sure that it’s working and it’s not getting any worse, but it should pretty well cap it,” Reese said. According to the National Weather Service, the Kenai River at Cooper Landing was observed at 11.9 feet at 3 p.m. on Monday. Flood stage is 13 feet. Reese said while it’s easier to work when water levels are lower, the department decided to begin the project. “I think (department officials) just felt that it was imperative enough to get this See ROAD, page A-6
ATM burglarized Hoping for the future at Nikiski market Agency raising funds to construct new building By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Nikiski resident Felix Martinez received an early morning wake up call Sunday from Alaska State Troopers who notified him that his business, M&M Supermarket on the Kenai Spur Highway in Nikiski, had been burglarized. The break-in occurred before the store opened Sunday at about 6 a.m. Martinez said burglars broke into the store, tied chains around an Automatic Teller Machine and used a truck to drag it outside. The ATM machine was left mangled, evidence that the thieves attempted to pry it open, he said. Martinez said video surveillance shows after the alarm went off; the suspects panicked and took off. He said the truck was set on fire a mile down the road. Troopers spokesperson Me-
gan Peters said the truck was believed to be stolen but could not confirm where or who it belonged to. The case is under investigation and troopers are reviewing video footage of the break-in. No suspect or suspects have been identified, she said. It is unclear if any money was stolen from the ATM, but Martinez estimates the damage to his business to be about $15,000. He said a couple local residents helped board up the broken windows and the door had to be bent back in shape so the door could be closed up to set the alarm. Martinez, who was in Anchorage visiting family at the time, said he rarely ever leaves town. He said he believes the culprits planned the heist and wondered if word got out that he went out of town. See ATM, page A-6
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai Peninsula’s Hope Community Resources Inc. is within reach of breaking ground on a new building to facilitate its rapidly expanding clientele base and services. The new 4,500-square-foot community recreation center, which will be located next to the current Hope facility on Kalifornsky Beach Road, could be in operation as soon as next spring, said Hope Development Director Jennifer Harrington. However, the project needs funding for the construction costs, which will mostly likely have to come from the public, she said. Right now, in the midst of the summer months, Hope has been focusing on outdoor
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activities, including yoga, the mats for which are piled high in the office of Kenai Peninsula Director of Community Support Holly Scott. Advocacy for the expansion began three years ago, Scott said. The number of clients served every year has increased by 11 percent, she said. Organizations and community members that work closely with Hope were asked to provide letters of support to assist in getting funding. “The growth rate has been pretty enormous,” Harrington said. “The Kenai Peninsula Hope serves 150 people right now.” That number is projected to grow by 34 percent over the next four years, Harrington said. Scott said beyond just their clients, Hope has many part-
nerships throughout the region, and puts on large community events annually. Part of the goal in developing strong relationships with other organizations is to bolster awareness within the community about the services and activities Hope provides to its clients. Hope clients have access to creative activities such as building massive papiermâché masks and theater set design to beading and pottery classes, Scott said. But she said, walking into the building and strolling from room to room, you can tell the current space is getting a little crowded. Hundreds of clients and community members attended the fifth annual Hope Prom in March at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. The See HOPE, page A-6