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Packers, Patriots go down to the wire
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CLARION
Mostly cloudy 29/26 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 53
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 Minor earthquake felt in Prince William Sound communities ANCHORAGE (AP) — Seismologists say a minor earthquake was felt in Alaska’s Prince William Sound area. The Alaska Earthquake Center says the 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck at 3:10 p.m. Sunday. It was located 18 miles southwest of Valdez, where it was felt. The quake also was felt in Cordova, 45 miles southeast of the epicenter. There were no immediate reports of damage.
Inside ‘Continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance I cannot allow.’ ... See page A-5
That is why hope is so important. It keeps humans going, which is the greatest miracle in all of our lives. ... See page B-1
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation/World.......... A-5 Sports.....................A-6 Schools.................. B-1 Classifieds............. B-4 Comics................... B-8 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
School trouble on the decline
In on the deals Shoppers keep Kenai Peninsula merchants hopping
District sees decrease in disciplinary action By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
By BEN BOETTGER and DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
charge of the Senate following the 2012 elections, putting the GOP in control of the Legislature and governor’s office. Walker is a Republican-turned-independent. His lieutenant governor, Byron Mallott, is a Democrat. Parnell was serving as Sarah Palin’s lieutenant governor when Palin stepped down in 2009. He was seen as a calm, stabilizing force after the legislative fights that marred Palin’s final year in office following her failed 2008 vice presidential bid. He won the office in his own right in 2010. As governor, he championed a state-sponsored scholarship program as a way to set higher expectations for high school students and help transform the education system. He supported hiring more village public safety officers, who serve as first responders in rural communities, though turnover remains high. He made record vetoes to budgets he considered bloated, jumpstarted efforts to advance
Reported crimes on Kenai Peninsula Borough School District campuses are on the decline. The Quarterly Discipline Report for the 2015 school year shows the annual number of student offenses in need of disciplinary action by administrators or city law enforcement officers has dropped. The report compared data going back to the 2008 school year. “Across the board the pace of discipline in the schools is down,” said Assistant Superintendent Sean Dusek. Looking at the report each quarter helps predict what the number will look like at the end of the school year, Dusek said. He said the district does not break the reports down by individual school until at least the end of the first semester. In the first quarter, only one incident of a student under the influence of alcohol on campus was reported in the district, and if the trend continues that number will be less than 50 percent of the 2014 school year’s reports. There have been only three incidents of drug possession, which amounts to less than 10 percent of last year’s reported numbers and 25 cases of fighting were reported, which amounts to less than 25 percent of last year’s reported numbers. Fighting, insubordination, harassment and especially tobacco use, are becoming less common, Dusek said. The only area he said was on, or above pace with previous school years is disruptive behavior. The report also shows inappropriate computer use, profanity and use of knives are on pace with last year’s reports. When the discipline report illuminates a consistent problem in peninsula schools such as disruptive behavior, the district can then determine the best way to address it, Dusek said. Drug and alcohol related offenses are more frequently
See PARNELL, page A-10
See SCHOOL, page A-2
The Kenai Peninsula was full of opportunities for bargain-seeking residents this weekend. While chain stores in Walmart and Fred Meyer attracted crowds with Black Friday deals, other customers preferred to start their holiday shopping at smaller businesses. According to Wallethub, the National Retail Federation estimates total retail sales in November and December will reach more than $616 billion, an increase of more than 4 percent from last year. Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion The one item that seems to Soldotna resident Veronica Delgado and her mother Mary Delgado look for ornaments at be on everyone’s list: socks. See SHOP, page A-10 Donna’s Gifts store on Black Friday in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna.
Parnell says serving was an honor By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Over the last five years, Gov. Sean Parnell has left his mark on education, oil tax policy and efforts to advance a long-hoped-for natural gas pipeline project. He made the scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska part of the public conversation through the “Choose Respect” initiative. It is a legacy he is proud of, one he hopes endures after he leaves office Monday. “I really had, and have, a vision of a brighter future for Alaska and articulated that as economic growth and economic opportunity and stronger, safer families,” he said. In a recent interview, he recalled telling his staff that they have left the state better than they found it. His advice to the incoming governor, Bill Walker: “Continue the path of growing economic opportunity for Alaskans, continue the path
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File
In this Nov. 3 photo, Gov. Sean Parnell speaks at a campaign rally in Anchorage.
of respect for all people in the state and take each day and each challenge and do your best.” The 52-year-old left open a possible return to public office but said his immediate plans include spending time with his grandson, born about two weeks after the election. Parnell said the results were too close to draw any clear messages from voters, but crit-
ics believe resentment from the rollback of oil production taxes and his handling of allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct within the Alaska National Guard contributed to his loss. Parnell ran with Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan. Sen. Bill Wielechowski, DAnchorage, also said state government lost some checks and balances when Republicans took
EPA vessel discharge exemption still in limbo By MOLLY DISCHNER Morris News Service-Alaska/ For the Alaska Journal of Commerce
The fishing vessel exemption to existing Environmental Protection Agency vessel discharge regulations regarding is due to expire in December, and Alaska’s senators are supporting differing solutions. Two bills filed this month could extend the exemption, which expires Dec. 18 either permanently or temporarily. Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill offering a one-year extension in conjunction with
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Nov. 19. The next day, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, introduced a bill with a permanent exemption; Sen. Mark Begich is a co-sponsor on that bill. Both bills are standalone, and don’t have any other issues added. Also currently in the Senate is the version of the Coast Guard reauthorization already passed by the House. That includes a permanent exemption, and could also still pass before Dec. 18. This isn’t the first time those same players have tried
to solve the issue. Begich and Rubio introduced legislation last spring that would provide a permanent exemption for fishing vessels, and also streamline other water discharge standards. The proposed Vessel Incidental Discharge Act would apply the Coast Guard’s 2012 ballast water treatment requirements as the general national standard for ballast water discharge. Fishing vessels, however, would be permanently exempt. Incidental discharges by commercial vessels less than 79 feet, fishing vessels including seafood processors and rec-
reation vessels, as well as discharges for research, safety or similar purposes, would all be exempt. That stalled in committee, and Rubio has said that his new temporary exemption would allow additional time to negotiate the larger bill during the new congress. Murkowski said she supported the temporary extension to provide time for the rest of the package to be finished. “This one-year extension is an imperative for Alaska’s fishing communities,” said Murkowski in a formal statement. During a February Sen-
ate subcommittee hearing, representatives from United Fishermen of Alaska, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association said that a permanent fix is needed. At the hearing, United Fishermen of Alaska Executive Director Julianne Curry said tighter regulations would be extremely impactful for commercial, and some recreational, vessels in Alaska and throughout the country. Parts of the regulations are “so draconian that they’re almost absurd to be able to follow,” said UFA’s Julianne Curry.