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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 55
Question Did you go shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend? n Yes, we hit the Black Friday sales; n Yes, we shopped at some local small businesses; n Yes, we visited craft fairs/bazaars; n All or a combination of the above; n No.
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
School healthcare changes on horizon Board, district administration examine options for employee coverage By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
As structural changes to health care insurance delivery continue to roll out under the Affordable Health Care Act implementation, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District faces several
big changes in its self-funded plans. The district’s Board of Education met Tuesday to discuss options for some of the largest changes on the horizon — including a mandate set to roll out in 2015 that will require the district to offer some type of coverage to all employees who work more than 30 hours a week.
For schools, the mandate means that temporary and variable hour employees, like substitute teachers, will have to be offered health insurance coverage. The district has already implemented several changes to its health insurance plan. Nearly 100 people were added to the
plan when the ACA mandated that dependent children had to remain eligible for coverage up to age 26, said Colleen Savoie, principal account executive at Parker, Smith and Feek, the Anchoragebased brokerage used by the district. In addition, the district eliminated
Q&A session for school board
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.
Members get speaker’s view on upcoming Legislature
In the news M K
State board of education to meet JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska’s board of education is scheduled to meet this week in Anchorage. Agenda items include the consideration of regulations to go out for public comment regarding the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the state assessment system. The board also is set to consider adopting regulations related to charter schools, correspondence programs and restraint and seclusion of students. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Inside ‘After reviewing the best available information, our scientists identified the habitat features that are essential for sustaining Arctic ringed seals — a species that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future due to climate change.’ ... See page A-5
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Alaska.................... A-5 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports...................A-10 Food...................... B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
See HEALTH, page A-12
By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Giddyup
Ryan Buchanan, 7, gets a tow from Soldotna Parks and Recreation employee Trevor Baldwin during a power hockey class on Tuesday in Soldotna. Buchanan was the only student who attended the class and got a private lesson for the evening.
Halibut quota cuts on the table By MOLLY DISCHNER For the Alaska Journal of Commerce
Pacific halibut fishermen could have a reduced catch next year if the International Pacific Halibut Commission opts to go with the “blue-line” projection released Dec. 2, but Alaskan fishermen in some areas may see a slightly higher quota than in 2014. The blue-line projection calls for a coastwide catch of about 25.02 million pounds million pounds, and total fishery removals of 38.72 million pounds. The coastwide catch figure includes commercial wastage but not the sport fish-
ery; in 2014, the comparable blue-line recommendation called for a coastwide catch of 24.45 million pounds, but the commission ultimately opted to set the limit slightly higher, at 27.52 million pounds. Alaska’s portion of the blueline projection would be about 19.32 million pounds, compared to about 19.7 million pounds in 2014. IPHC Quantitative Scientist Ian Stewart presented the results of the 2014 stock assessment and possible 2015 harvests at the commission’s interim meeting taking place Dec. 2-3 in Seattle. The blueline recommendation matches
the current harvest policy with the most recent stock assessment, and is typically similar to the catch limit set by the sixmember commission of U.S. and Canadian members. Pacific halibut harvests are set under a treaty between the U.S. and Canada, with an equal number of members from each nation. The commission is not required to go with the blue-line, however, and will make a final decision on the 2015 limits at its annual meeting in January. As he did for the 2014 limits, Stewart provided information about a range of 2015 harvests and the effects they might have
Kenai Peninsula Board of Education members sat down with Rep. Mike Chenault, RNikiski, to ask him about the upcoming legislative session — set to convene on Jan. 21. The following are paraphrased questions from school board members and Chenault’s answers. Q: What are we looking at this year? “I don’t know, it’s a new administration with new people.”
on the stock. Under the blue-line information Stewart provided, the catch in Southcentral Alaska, or Area 3A, and Southeast Alaska, or Area 2C, would increase slightly. Area 4A, or part of the Bering Sea at the end of the Alaska Peninsula, would also increase compared to 2014, but the rest of the Bering Sea would have a decreased catch. The projection called for a charter catch, including wastage, of about 790,000 pounds in Southeast and 1.89 million pounds in Southcentral. The commercial catch would be about 3.4 million pounds in
Q: Is there anything, in specific, that we’ve been lacking in the past years that you’d like to see from us? “No, what’s lacking is the legislature’s ability to decide what they want to do. In all reality, we beat you guys up because we want higher graduation rates, you give us higher graduation rates and you want more money. We can’t tell you what we want to see and that’s a big one. We can’t tell you what we want and until we can tell you what we want, how can we hold you responsible for achieving those goals with whatever money happens to be
See HALIBUT, page A-12
See SCHOOL, page A-12
Man indicted for Marijuana law draws concerns Nikiski burglary ‘All I’m saying is before we get into a By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
An Anchorage man was indicted Monday on 10 charges of alleged theft and burglary of a Nikiski home last month. Michael Stanford, 38, was arraigned in Kenai Superior Court Tuesday on charges of burglary in the first degree, burglary in the second degree and eight counts of theft in the second degree. Burglary in the first degree is a class B felony and if convicted carries a maximum 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 fine. Nikiski resident Jennifer Colton reported the theft to Alaska State Troopers at her home on Nov. 22. Colton also
posted photos of her stolen firearms and power tools on Facebook. Among the stolen firearms were two Colt AR-15s, two revolvers, a Winchester .243, and a 12-gauge shotgun. Colton posted the photos and described the missing items on the Kenai Peninsula Crime Talk page. “Looks like I have been taken to the cleaners,” the post read. “Please keep an eye out. … Shows you who your friends are!” Stanford was arrested the next day after a man who purchased the firearms from Stanford contacted troopers after he saw the Facebook post. See THEFT, page A-12
FAIRBANKS (AP) — Alaska Native municipal leaders are worried that a state law legalizing recreational use of marijuana could lead to more substance abuse and make it difficult for employers to keep drug-free workplaces. They discussed their concerns during a recent meeting sponsored by the Alaska Municipal League. North Slope Borough Assemblyman Forrest Olemaun told KUAC that opposition by him and other Native leaders stems from the damage substance abuse has inflicted on indigenous people over the years. He worries legalized pot may lead to more use and abuse. Matt Singer, an Anchorage attorney who has researched C
M
commercialized industry that’s still federally illegal, we need to understand and make sure there’s no federal impacts when it comes to millions of dollars in transportation dollars.’
— Anchorage Assembly member Amy Demboski the law, said it won’t change drug-free workplace policies but said employers will have to make clear that the law doesn’t exempt workers from those policies. The law, approved by voters in November, is set to take effect early next year. Authorities have nine months after
the effective date to come up with rules for implementing the law. Anchorage Assembly member Amy Demboski believes Anchorage, the largest potential market in the state, could help develop pot regulations in Alaska by initially See LAW, page A-5