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CLARION
Showers 42/29 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, November 21-22 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 45
Question Have you had or do you plan to get a flu shot? 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.
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Emotions rise as immigration plan heard The Associated Press
Thousands of immigrantrights activists, families and elected officials cheered across the country as President Barack Obama announced on television his plan for relief from deportations for about 5 million people. But after the initial burst of emotion Thursday evening at hastily organized watch parties and in living rooms, many said Obama’s plan was just the first step in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform. Immigrant families pointed out the plan would only cover
about 5 million of the 11 million without legal status, leaving many families and individuals in limbo. Republicans slammed the president’s action as an overreach, while advocates — including Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and California Gov. Jerry Brown — praised Obama’s plan. Earlier Thursday, advocates held rallies in support of the plan, including one outside a federal building in Seattle that featured a series of speeches from politicians, activists and immigrants. Not everyone was happy
with Obama’s action. A couple of protesters held “no amnesty” signs outside a New York union office where advocates of the president’s plan watched the speech. A Northern California sheriff harshly criticized the president’s approach after the recent fatal shootings of two deputies by a man with a long criminal history who was in the country illegally. A group of Utah business leaders said Thursday that the country’s immigration system needs to be fixed, but Obama’s plans will hamper any permanent solutions from Congress.
Woman watches as Obama tells her story KIMBERLY PIERCEALL Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Astrid Silva didn’t hear her name when the president of the United States first said it Thursday night. But she couldn’t miss the cheers from a crowded room in Las Vegas where she and others listened to Barack Obama tell a story — her story — about a 4-year-old girl with a cross, a doll and a frilly dress who came to the country illegally with her family. The young woman who has led immigration reform efforts buried her face in her father’s shoulder, standing side-by-side against a wall, as the president mentioned the See REFORM, page A-10
Kenai sees changes looming
In the news Tribes work to create sex-offender registries
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — More than three-quarters of American Indian tribes that have the authority to develop sex-offender registries are well on their way to meeting the legal requirements meant to keep convicted criminals from hiding out on tribal lands, a new report shows. Of the country’s 566 federally recognized tribes, 214 are eligible to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2006 or delegate that authority to a state. The rest of the tribes in Alaska, California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon and Wisconsin are ineligible to develop the registration and notification systems. The report released this week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office said that despite most eligible tribes being on board to track sex offenders within their borders, the tribes face a number of challenges in implementing the law. Those include accessing federal criminal justice databases, paying for startup costs and getting enough guidance from federal agencies.
Correction A Nov. 20 story titled, “Five indicted after escape,” contained inaccurate information about two juveniles, Jackson Dominick and Zachary Nehren. They did not escape the Kenai Peninsula Youth Facility. Also, the four juveniles were transported from juvenile facilities in Anchorage and Mat-Su to the Wildwood Correctional Center after the indictment. The Clarion regrets the error.
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Council talks marijuana regs By BEN BOETTGER Peninsula Clarion
Grants are the association’s main source of funding, Holt said. Much of what work needs to be done on the trails wouldn’t happen with the association’s annual budget alone, he said. For the application the association had to provide four
A municipal reaction to state-level marijuana legislation and the city’s purchasing policy were part of a discussion on long term planning during the Kenai City Council’s Wednesday meeting. Mayor Pat Porter suggested a town hall meeting for Kenai residents to speak their views on how legalized marijuana should be regulated in Kenai. The ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, which passed in the November midterm election, will “allow a local government to prohibit the operation of marijuana-related entities” by passing ordinances to “cover the time, place, manner, and registration of a marijuana entity’s operations,” according to the text of the initiative. Porter said that Kenai should begin thinking of such regulation. City Attorney Scott Bloom said he had recently attended a meeting of the Alaska Municipal Attorney’s Association, where three sessions addressed marijuana legislation. Although Bloom confirmed that the initiative allows for local control options, he said, “For us to have our own regulatory scheme is probably going to be difficult.” Vice Mayor Ryan Marquis agreed. “The state’s going to have the funds and expertise and everything needed to research and come up with regulations,” Marquis said. “I don’t see the city itself being able to do that effectively. I think it would be premature to enact our own legislation before we see what that landscape’s going to look like.“ Although creating a city regulatory body might be difficult, Council member Bob Malloy said that zoning and permitting could be powerful tools for the city to control marijuana production, sale, and advertising. He agreed that city regulation would be premature in the absence of state regulation. “I’m happy to wait,” Porter said, “but I think we need to listen to our citizens in the next few months, and then talk about it again, in maybe March or
See TRAILS, page A-10
See PLANS, page A-10
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion
Fired up Angel Cisneros makes a pumpkin pie latte at Veronica’s Cafe on Thursday, in Kenai. “Coffee sells like crazy when it’s cold out,” Cisneros said. “Typically people buy soups and coffees in the winter to warm their bones.”
Kenai to review purchasing policy By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Two members of the Kenai business community are hoping to see the city choose to use local professionals more often. Thomas Daly and Fred Braun on Wednesday encouraged the Kenai City Council to review its purchasing policy, a topic that was on its agenda, in the hopes that the city would find more ways to buy local. Braun, a realtor and Kenai Chamber of Commerce board member, said it is important for the perception of the public that the city should look at local purchase over anyone else. “All we have ever preached is buy local,” Braun said referring to his 50 years working in Kenai. “I hope you strongly consider a through review of the policy and look beyond price.” Last month, Braun ad-
dressed the council and said he was disappointed that city own vehicles had been purchased in Anchorage when, in his view, Less than $1,000 - No requirement for quotes or the money could have been formal solicitation reinvested at the local Kenai Stanley Ford dealership. $1,000 to $5,000 - A minimum of three verbal quotes, without Daly, owner of HiSpeed the quotes documentation must be provided about why the venGear, a technology supply dor was selected. company, said the city could $5,000 to $15,000- A minimum of three written quotes, withbecome a more sustainable if it out the quotes, documentation must be provided about why the worked to keep money within vendor was selected. the community. $15,000-$25,000 - Require city manager approval if not going “The more dollars you can keep in the local economy and out for a formal bid or solicitation. A written request for exempthe longer you can keep them tion must include justification. there, the more things the comGreater than $25,000 - must go through a formal competitive munity has the ability to do,” he bid. Any deviation of that process must be approved by the city said. “It’s a win-win situation. manager. You don’t have to raise taxes and there is more money to do Information from Kenai Municipal Code section 7.15 things and improve infrastructure. Council member Bob Moland measure how often local uses a joint procurement poliloy initiated the discussion businesses are awarded profes- cy, or one that awards contracts Wednesday and recommended sional contracts. to non-local companies, for the city reassess how the local Kenai City Manager Rick government contracts because, preference ordinance is written Koch said the city sometimes See POLICY, page A-10
Current policy
Tsalteshi seeks funds for trails, outhouse By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
The Tsalteshi Trails Association has identified its next set of priorities to include purchasing a snow grooming snowmobile and a permanent outhouse. The list of priorities also
specifies renovating the Moose and Wolf trails, and will hopefully be funded with a $50,000 Recreational Trails Program grant through the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, said Association Maintenance and Operations Manager Bill Holt.
“The community has been pushing for a restroom facility at the Wolverine-Kalifornsky Beach trailhead for a long time,” Holt said. “We decided to apply for the grant last minute when the Rotary Club of Kenai said they would help with the outhouse project.” C
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