Peninsula Clarion, November 28, 2014 by Sound Publishing

Hockey

Landed 600 migrants on disabled boat land in Greece

Bouvet to play in U20 World Championship event

World/B-1

Sports/C-1

CLARION

Cloudy 29/24 More weather on Page A-2

P E N I N S U L A

Friday-Saturday, November 28-29 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Vol. 45, Issue 51

Question What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food? n Turkey n Stuffing n Potatoes n Vegetables n Pie n Leftovers 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.

In the news Alaska Airlines adds inauguration day flight C

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Airlines will be adding a flight to Juneau to accommodate the number of travelers who will be attending the upcoming gubernatorial inauguration. The added flight will depart Anchorage at 8:30 a.m. Monday, arriving in Juneau on 10:10 a.m. The return flight will depart Juneau at 5:15 p.m. and arrive in Anchorage at 7 p.m. Gov.-elect Bill Walker says he’s honored by the number of Alaskans traveling to the state capital for the event. He says he appreciates the airline’s effort to accommodate the travel demand. Reservations are required for the flight. One-way fare is $116 before taxes and fees. The inauguration will take place 11:30 a.m. Monday at Centennial Hall.

Inside ‘Mexico cannot go on like this.’ ... See page B-1

‘One way or another, people have been making fish since early Man drew them on the walls of caves.’ ... See page D-1

Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... B-1 Sports.................... C-1 Classifieds............ D-3 Comics.................. D-7

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For the 13th year, Salvation Army opens doors, kitchen for Thanksgiving By BEN BOETTGER Peninsula Clarion

At 3 a.m on Thursday morning Jeannie Fanning went to the kitchen beneath the Kenai Salvation Army church to began preparing turkey for the Kenai Salvation Army’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner. At 7 a.m she was joined by students from Cook Inlet Academy who peeled potatoes and carrots. By 11 a.m the meal, consisting of the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, vegetable trays, and pie, was ready to serve to anyone who came through the doors of the church. This year’s Salvation Army dinner was the 13th that Jeannie, her husband Pastor Craig Fanning of the Salvation Army church, and congregation members Debbie and Paul Canevan, have organized and executed since 2001. “When it started, we just gave out food boxes,” said Debby Canevan, who also manages the Salvation Army’s Family Services Center in Kenai. “But we wanted it were people who didn’t have anyone else to spend (Thanksgiving) with could come visit and enjoy a good meal. Anybody and everybody who wants to be with somebody, if they’re alone, or don’t have the means to get food, or a way to fix it -they can come and enjoy everybody’s company. I come every year so I can visit with the people that I see a lot of times through my work.” Attendee Annie Lee agreed. “This is nice to have here, for people who don’t have family,” she said. “It’s not just a free meal. That’s what this is really about -- people

The Kenai Senior Center hosted an early Thanksgiving potluck “dinner” Thursday morning. Locals who attended have been celebrating the fall holiday on the central peninsula for decades. At a table within earshot of the kitchen, where clinks and clangs sounded regularly, sat two of the area’s original homesteaders. Jim Evenson and Nedra Evenson have observed the traditional meal in Kenai for more than 55 years, Nedra Evenson said. To their right were Phil Nash and Peggy Nash, who moved to Nikiski in 1975, and were attending the potluck for the first time. “Isn’t this a better idea than standing around the kitchen cooking?” Peggy Nash

See ARMY, page A-10

See MEMORIES, page A-10

Spreading the love Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion

Top: Darcy McCaughey and her four children Malakai, Kobe, Kallie and Skylynne delivered meals to David Neirstheimer and his wife, and other Nikiski residents on Thanksgiving day Thursday, in Nikiski. The family volunteered at Charlie’s Pizza in Nikiski, which makes free dinners for families on the holiday. Below: Dalton Goodnight serves up mashed potatos during a free Thanksgiving meal at Charlie’s Pizza.

Early Thanksgiving dinner brings longtime friends, generations of memories to senior center By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion

Kenai Senior Center gets Group petitions extra funding from the state borough to rezone By BEN BOETTGER Peninsula Clarion

This year the Kenai city council expected to recieve a state grant of $169,584 for funding the Kenai Senior Center. Instead, the state gave Kenai $186,099, an increase of $16,515. Senior Center director Rachael Craig said that these funds will help meet the operating cost of the two meal programs she administers at

the center: a group meal held in Kenai’s Vantage Point on Monday and Friday, and a meal delivered to the client’s home through a project known as Meals on Wheels. The nutrition, transportation, and services grant (NTS) is given by the State of Alaska every year. According to Alaska Health and Social Services website, the NTS grant allows senior organizations provide their clients with “meals (in

groups and in private homes), nutrition, and health education,” as well as “transportation services that enable seniors to maintain mobility and independence.” In addition to the two food programs, Craig said she uses NTS money to distribute information about healthcare and benefits available to seniors. “The whole idea of this grant comes from the Older AmeriSee FUNDS, page A-10

Two injured in plane crash By Rashah McChesney Peninsula Clarion

A plane went down on the west side of Cook Inlet sometime before noon on Thursday, according to Alaska State Troopers. Two people were rescued via helicopter, said Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain. “The plane crash was seen from the air, pretty much across the inlet from Nikiski and they could see two people,” DeSpain said.

It is unclear which organization’s helicopter rescued the two after they were spotted. “It may have been a private company,” he said. The two people rescued from the downed flight were both injured and taken to Central Peninsula Hospital where CES firefighters helped to offload them into the facility, said Central Emergency Services Capt. Lesley Quelland. She didn’t know much about the crash. “We were notified of it when we got dispatched to a heli-

copter coming into Soldotna airport with two victims from the crash,” she said. “We asked dispatch to have them redirect to the hospital landing.” DeSpain said he did not know the identities of the two injured people. No one from the National Transportation Safety Board office in Anchorage was available to talk about the the crash. Reach Rashah McChesney at rashah.mcchesney@peninsulaclarion.com C

K-beach subdivision By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion

After extensive discussion, the Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly postponed an ordinance that delayed the rezoning of a Kalifornsky neighborhood to address a gravel pit that area residents say have affected their quality of life. Property owners in the Diamond Willow-Fairfield subdivision off Ciechanski Road who petitioned for a local option zoning district and requested the ordinance move forward left the assembly meeting Tuesday frustrated after the ordinance was postponed to a March meeting. Travis and Crystal Penrod, homeowners on Virginia Drive, have been fighting for greater land use restrictions in the neighborhood for 15 years. The Penrods have spent countless hours in an effort to change the zoning in their subdivision from rural to single-family residential that would force the owner of a gravel pit at the corner of Ciechanski Road and Virginia Drive to fill the hole that have become an “eyesore” to surrounding neighbors, he said. The borough’s local option zone ordinance provides property owners in rural districts an opportunity to petition the assembly for greater restrictions on land use than otherwise provided under the borough code. Travis Penrod submitted two petitions to the borough using a local option zoning district to change the zoning from rural to a single-family residence. Penrod needed to collect signatures from 75 percent from the 72 parcels in the area. Owners of 55 parcels signed the petition. “It is ridiculous,” Penrod said. “The amount of effort we have put in to follow their rules and jump through hoops for nothing.” Sean Cude, is the latest owner of the gravel pit that has See PIT, page A-5