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Autumn
For real?
Season leaves lasting images
Prognosticators try to sort out NFL
Tight Lines/A-12
Football/A-11
CLARION
Rainy 55/45 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 301
Question Do you think this winter will be: n Milder than last winter; n More severe than last winter; or n About the same as last winter? To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com.
In the news Lawsuit claims state erred in campaign action
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ANCHORAGE (AP) — A civil lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell erred in issuing an emergency order that ultimately allowed two gubernatorial campaigns to merge. The lawsuit filed in Anchorage Wednesday challenges Treadwell’s Sept. 2 order, which permitted independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Byron Mallott to join tickets to provide a stronger challenge to Republican incumbent Sean Parnell. Frank McQueary, the rules chair for the Alaska Republican Party, told reporters Wednesday that the lawsuit wasn’t politically motivated. Plaintiff Steve Strait, a district chair in the Alaska Republican Party, said the goal of the lawsuit is to return the ballot to people who were legitimately on it and went through the process. Before Treadwell’s order, Mallott had been on a ticket with state Senate minority leader Hollis French, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Walker was on a separate ticket, running with independent lieutenant governor candidate Craig Fleener. Treadwell’s decision allowed French and Fleener to be removed from the ballot. Mallott has since dropped his Democratic bid for governor and is now running for lieutenant governor on Walker’s ticket. To join campaigns, Walker dropped his membership in the Alaska Republican Party and reregistered as undeclared, a stipulation made by an Alaska Democratic Party committee when it voted to endorse the ticket.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Business................ A-5 Nation/World.......... A-6 Sports.....................A-9 Arts........................ B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-7
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Report on Soldotna crash released Investigators say Rediske Air flight may have been overloaded By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
After more than a year of investigation, the National Transporation Safety Board released the details of its investigation into a July 2013 plane crash that killed 10 people, including Nikiski pilot Willy Rediske. While the NTSB hasn’t released its official finding of cause for the accident, several hundred pages of documents, including photos and descriptions of passenger cellphone video documenting the crash — have been released to the public. A final report will be
issued by the NTSB at a future date. The single-engine De Havilland Otter, Registered to Rediske Air Inc., of Nikiski, had nine passengers and one pilot aboard when it crashed late on a Sunday morning — killing all aboard. While there were no witnesses who saw the crash, the NTSB report contains interviews with witnesses who described the engine as having a high-pitched whine and one who said he saw black smoke coming from the plane’s exhaust plane as it took off. One witness, Janet Pope, said she heard a loud explosion after the plane took off and saw
the airplane engufled in flames. Pope called 911 and tried to get to the airplane, but was unable to do so because of the heat, according to her testimony. Three videos were recovered from cell phones belonging to victims of the crash. One video, at just over 3 minutes long, shows the craft taxiing down the runway, lifting into the air and crashing about 15 seconds later then catching fire about a minute later, according to the report. The cell phone video does not record any abnormal Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion engine sounds, according to the Investigators look at the wreckage of a fixed-wing aircraft that report. The plane was rated to carry crashed July 7, 2013 at the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna. The See REPORT, page A-8 NTSB has released a report on the crash.
$1,884 Residents have plans for dividend checks By DAN BALMER and KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Book ‘em
Barb Christian, of Kenai, arranges a box of books while setting up for the Friends of the Kenai Library book sale at The Home Gallery in the Old Carrs Mall Wednesday in Kenai. The sale begins Thursday at noon.
Gov. Sean Parnell on Wednesday announced the 2014 Permanent Fund Dividend would be $1,884 — more than double last year’s amount. The first dividends will be paid Oct. 2 for the approximately 510,731 applicants who signed up to receive direct deposit into their bank account. Another 88,186 residents will be mailed a check, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor. A total of 674,538 Alaskans applied for the dividend this year, which means a total distribution of $1.1 billion. The state saw an increase of approxiSee PFD, page A-8
Assembly candidates make their cases Candidates for Kenai district Sterling/Funny River, Homer highlight healthcare issues candidates discuss priorities By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
With the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 2 seat up for grabs, candidates Grayling Bassett, Blaine Gilman and Jake Thompson made their case for the position at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center, Wednesday. The candidates are vying for the seat currently held by Hal Smalley, who will be term-limited out. The municipal election is Oct. 7. In their opening statements, Bassett, Gilman and Thompson iterated their close ties with the central Kenai Peninsula. Gilman, a local attorney, said raising his four children with his wife, Margaret Gilman, in Kenai, is responsible for what he hopes to accomplish through the Kenai assembly seat if elected. He emphasized his belief that developing stronger family units in the area will in turn build a stronger community. Thompson, who works for KSRM Radio Group as program director, also said his family has given him a sense of responsibility to create a better future for his two children and increased his desire to run of public office. He said he hopes he can assist in the borough’s fiscal responsibilities.
Bassett said his experience working within the local economy that includes the commercial fishing and oil and gas industries contributed to his specific political concerns over erosion abatement and “finding cost-effective solutions to local problems.” The first issue the candidates addressed was the viability of the current operating policy at Central Peninsula Hospital. Gilman said the current policy “needs to be tweaked.” Refusing to enter a transfer agreement with the Surgery Center of Kenai is minimizing the potential for other competition within the Kenai community, he said. Health care in the area needs a place for private sector competition, he said. Thompson said the current CPH policy is creating a monopoly. The hospital is operating more as a business concerned with profits and expenditures and less as a community hospital. Competition means better services and lower costs, he said. Bassett said he was unclear of the intricacies of the situation, but that there seemed to be misunderstandings among the public that should be cleared up. The candidates were asked for their responses to Proposition A, concerning borough animal control, and ProposiSee KENAI, page A-8 C M Y
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By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
With the election for Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly members less than three weeks away, two of the three candidates for the Sterling and Funny River district provided their insight on local issues Wednesday. The three candidates for District 5, LaDawn Druce, Stan Welles and Marty Anderson, have a combined 73 years of Alaska residency. The Sterling residents are running for the seat currently held by Charlie Pierce, who has termlimited out. Druce and Welles participated in a candidate forum at the Kenai and Soldotna Chambers luncheon Wednesday. Anderson did not attend. Druce brings a background of public school educator to the race. She is currently a school counselor at Ninilchik School, River City Academy and Soldotna High School. Druce was most recently president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, a position she held since 2008 before stepping down last July. She said the opportunity to travel to different schools throughout the borough gave her a unique perspective of the area. A couple years ago, Druce and her husband, Michael Druce, bought a
15-acre farm on Robinson Loop Road and started a family business, Alaska Summer Peonies. “I like to be involved and make a positive difference in the community,” Druce said. “I bring enthusiasm, energy and incredible work ethic. I support public schools and listen to all perspectives to make a good decision.” Welles, a retired Boeing aerospace engineer, said he would bring a lot of real world experience to the borough assembly along with experience in agriculture and erosion control. He said he is looking forward to celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Nikki Welles, in December. He said being a good assemblyman means stewardship of other people’s assets. “From an engineering background, I tend to be more analytical, looking for metrics to measure productivity as opposed to throwing more money at the issue,” Welles said. The candidates were asked if they supported or opposed the borough’s funding of non-departmental, or nonprofit, organizations. Welles said as a second class borough its function should be to determine what services are needed and justify for See STERLING, page A-8