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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 23
Question
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Feds, public weigh in on Susitna studies
Has your opinion of the candidates for U.S. Senate changed over the past few months? n Yes, I’ve learned more about their positions on issues important to me; n Yes, the steady stream of political ads has influenced my views; n No, I feel the same now as I did at the start of campaign season.
By MOLLY DISCHNER Morris News Service-Alaska/ Alaska Journal of Commerce
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. C
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In the news Parnell, Walker trade barbs during debate JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Sean Parnell and independent candidate Bill Walker traded barbs during a televised debate late Sunday. Walker sought to cast Parnell as slow to respond to allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct within the Alaska National Guard, a characterization that Parnell vigorously disputed. Parnell, meanwhile, asked Walker what deal he cut with Democrats to have Bryon Mallott join Walker’s ticket. Mallott, who won the Democratic primary for governor, later became Walker’s running mate as part of a “unity ticket” widely seen as providing a tougher challenge to Parnell. Walker said there was no deal, and said he was sorry that Parnell couldn’t fathom him and Mallott agreeing to put party interests aside for the good of Alaska. The debate was one of the last before the Nov. 4 election.
Ghostly gallop
Top: Dozens gathered for the Tsalteshi Trails Association Spook Night Fun Run Sunday in Soldotna. Above: Otis Magness, 6, aims a bow and arrow during the Tsalteshi Trails Association’s Spook Night Trick-or-Treat Trail.
Above: Dylan Hogue, 11, pulls ahead of his father Doug Hogue, both of Soldotna, during the Spook Night Fun Run. Right: From left, Penelope Priest, 3, Marie Priest and North Priest, 3, walk down a hill at the Tsalteshi Trails after trick-or-treating. Photos by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
See HYDRO, page A-10
Henrichs challenges Stevens in Senate District P Henrichs’ focus on spending By McKIBBEN JACKINSKY Morris News Service-Alaska/Homer News
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation/World.......... A-5 Sports.....................A-6 Schools.................. B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6
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A proposed hydro project on the Susitna River is the impetus for substantial fisheries research, but state and federal interests have disagreed on components of the first year of work. The Alaska Energy Authority held a meeting on the fisheries studies Oct. 15, and provided an opportunity for federal scientists and members of the public to comment on the work that has been done so far, and what is planned for the second year of studies. Federal energy regulators will be tasked with sorting out the disagreements regarding the work that has been done, and must approve of the secondyear plan before it can begin. The proposed Susitna-Watana project would be a 735-foot dam, with a 600-megawatt capacity, expected to supply about half of the Railbelt energy demand, according to AEA. As part of the licensing process for the proposed dam, the energy authority has had to study the various resources that could be impacted by such a project, including fish. The first year of studies was conducted in 2013, and AEA filed its initial study report regarding that work in June 2014. Under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s timeline, the second year of studies will be conducted in 2015, although research was conducted this past summer. AEA said at the October meeting that it would provide more information on some studies by the end of November. Over the winter, AEA and the licensing partners, including
With less that two weeks left until the Nov. 4 general election, Cordova-born Robert “Moose” Henrichs is busy spreading the word that he is running as a candidate for Senate District P against Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak. “Things are going well,” Henrichs, who describes himself as a “conservative Democrat,” told the Homer News by phone last week. He just finished a visit to Stevens’ home turf in Kodiak to attend a U.S. Coast Guard appreciation dinner. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that my father came to Alaska in the Coast Guard,” said Henrichs of his father, the late Hollis Henrichs, who settled in Cordova and was that city’s postmaster for 35 years. His mother, Rose Metvetnekoff, was born in Nuchek. In addition to attending the Coast Guard function, the visit to Kodiak was
an opportunity for Henrichs to leave his mark. “I think (Stevens) was shocked when he returned to Kodiak because I had signs at the airport,” said Henrichs. It also was an opportunity for the two candidates to meet. “I’ve got nothing against Gary. I think he’s a good man, but I think we need to ratchet back on the spending or we’re going to go broke,” said Henrichs. This isn’t the first election in which the two candidates have run against each other. In the 2012 general election, Henrichs and Stevens vied for the District R Senate seat. Stevens won with 69.76 percent of the vote and Henrichs drew 29.79 percent. A former Cordova City Council member, Henrichs has served as president of the Native Village of Eyak for 20 years. He is a founding director of the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation, a director of Chugachmiut and a former chairman of Chugach Alaska. He serves as a director of the See HENRICHS, page A-10 C M
Stevens familiar to Peninsula By McKIBBEN JACKINSKY Morris News Service-Alaska/Homer News
Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, was in Homer recently to meet with voters of the recently formed Senate District P, a product of redistricting. While the district’s boundaries may be new — they encompass House Districts 31 and 32, including the southern Kenai Peninsula and stretching southwest to Kodiak and southeast to Prince William Sound — Stevens is a familiar face. He represented the southern peninsula until 2012. “The district has a lot more in common,” said Stevens of District P. “From Kodiak through Homer, including Seldovia, and into the Prince William Sound area it’s all coastal, all fisheriesoriented.” District P stretches up to the central Kenai Peninsula, including Kasilof. Stevens served in the House of Representatives from 2001-2003. He has served in the Senate since then and was Senate President from 2009-2012. Of the long list of committees on which
he has served, Stevens’ most recent assignments include the World Trade Committee, the Legislative Council Joint Committee and the Education Committee. “Education is right down my alley,” said Stevens, retired after 25 years as a University of Alaska professor of history and communications. He emphasized the importance of early education, specifically pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, reading and the pupil-to-teacher ratio. Although Alaska has not accepted “Common Core,” an initiative that sets nationwide standards for language and math, the state has developed its own version that attempts to address specific state needs. “The reason to have standards is to make sure kids who graduate from high school in Alaska are capable of being competitive with anyone else anywhere in the world, making sure our kids are ready to go out to college or the job market and are up to speed.” See STEVENS, page A-10