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CLARION P E N I N S U L A
OCTOBER 26, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 22
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Troopers nab Nikiski man Convicted thief AJ Duvall evaded capture for a month After evading police for nearly a month, Aaron “AJ” Duvall, of Nikiski, was arrested Friday by Alaska State Troopers. Duvall, who had a $3,000 warrant out for his arrest for a parole violation, was arrested shortly before 5 p.m. Friday after a short foot chase with troopers, according to an arrest affidavit. Residents of Nikiski, wary after a rash of recent burglaries, put wanted posters for Duvall throughout the community. In addition to the warrant, Duvall was charged with fourthdegree misconduct involving a controlled substance, a class C felony and resisting arrest, a class A misdemeanor once Troopers found him. The felony can result in up to five years in prison, however Duvall has a prior felony conviction which could result in a prison sentence of between two to four years, according to Alaska statute. A class A misdemeanor can be punished by up to one year in prison. He was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility where he is currently being held without bail. -Staff Report
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Christian de Schweinitz, of Anchorage, talks to a friend about trapping gear during a break from a class on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge for prospective trappers seeking permits on Saturday in Soldotna.
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Parnell, Walker Teaching trapping technique outline views on Refuge class trains sportsmen seeking Peninsula wildlife Alaska Natives By BEN BOETTGER Peninsula Clarion
Fur-trapping in Alaska will officially begin in three weeks, November 10th when wolverine comes into season. In preparation for the season, the Kenai Wildlife Refuge held its annual orientation class on Saturday for fur trappers intending to use its land. The 40 trappers who gathered in the Environmental Education Center were briefed on the refuge’s special regulations as a requirement for their trapping permits. Refuge biologist Nate Olson, who lead sections of the class, said that trappers in the Refuge have to follow rules beyond those set by the state of Alaska. For instance, traps must be tagged with the owner’s name, and trappers must check their traps every four days. Additional reporting is also required at the end of the season, when permit holders complete a summary of every animal they’ve captured. This helps the refuge maintain data on its animal population and on the recreational usage of its resources. Another purpose of the refuge’s increased regulation is to prevent non-target animals from being trapped. See TRAP, page A-2
Two candidates jousted during AFN convention RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Nate Olson, wildlife biologist and pilot for the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge displays the pelts of several animals he successfully trapped at the refuge’s Environmental Education Center during a class for trappers seeking permits on the refuge.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Republican Alaska incumbent Gov. Sean Parnell and independent challenger Bill Walker weighed in on various issues Friday during a candidate forum at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage. Parnell told the audience that his administration has worked hard on improving education opportunities in rural Alaska, including efforts to equalize school construction across the state. Walker, whose running mate is an Alaska Native, said he would push to develop opportunities through technical training that could create more opportunities for local hires. The candidates gave different views on health care. Walker said he would expand Medicaid, saying it’s something See DEBATE, page A-5
New law establishes AK standard for restraint in schools week establishes, for the first time, statewide standards for the use of physical restraint and ANCHORAGE, Alaska — seclusion on students in Alaska A law that went into effect last public schools. MICHELLE THERIAULT BOOTS Associated Press
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Before House Bill 210, which Gov. Sean Parnell signed into law in July, became effective Oct. 14, Alaska statutes were vague, allowing teachers and other staff members to use “reasonable and necessary” physical restraint in emergencies but offering no details on what was permitted and what was not. In practice, that meant individual school districts were left to formulate their own policies on restraint and seclusion -- or operate without one at all, said Don Enoch, the state’s special education administrator. In Alaska and nationally, physical restraint “holds” and seclusion in “safe rooms” have been used on students whose behaviors are violent or out of control and disruptive. Often
those students have documented disabilities that cause or contribute to the behavior. After a report that accused the Anchorage School District of overusing restraint and seclusion was released last fall, some parents pushed for more regulation. “The new law is a big deal,” said Ashley Dunks, a mother of three who says her son, who has autism, was secluded against her wishes at an Anchorage elementary school. She started the Facebook group Ban Seclusion Rooms in Alaska and collaborated with Rep. Charisse Millett, RAnchorage, who introduced the bill. Dunks testified at legislative hearings held in the spring. “I told them what had hap-
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pened to my son,” she said. “I let (the legislators) know that this is happening in schools.” The new law defines terms like “seclusion” and “restraint” and bars methods such as sedating any student with drugs or placing them in restraint chairs or in positions where the child’s airway might be compromised. It also requires that staff members be trained in safe restraint techniques and mandates that parents be told after an incident where a child is restrained or secluded. Schools will have to report data on seclusion and restraint incidents to the state for the first time. “What it does is set some standards,” said Ron Cowan, an investigator with the Alaska Disability Law Center. “We re-
ally had nothing that was enforceable up to this point.” Last year, a report by the Anchorage-based Disability Law Center charged that the Anchorage School District was restraining and secluding students far too often at Mt. Iliamna Elementary, a school for children with serious behavioral or emotional problems. Much of the new policy mirrors rules the Anchorage School District already had in place, wrote assistant superintendent Linda Carlson, who oversees special education, in an email. “However, as a result of some of the language in the new laws, our School Board policy on restraint and seclusion is being revised so that it is much See RESTRAINT, page A-5