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Savory
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Warm stew perfect for winter nights
Big Unit leads 2015 Hall of Fame class
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CLARION
Sunny 20/17 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 83
Question How do you feel about the low price of oil? n I’m worried about the negative impact on the state budget. n I’m happy about the positive impact on my personal budget. n I have a mixed opinion. To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com.
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Sullivan sworn in Alaska’s new junior senator takes oath By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan was sworn in at the start of the new Congress on Tuesday, becoming Alaska’s junior senator. An Alaska contingent that included Gov. Bill Walker and state lawmakers were in Washington, D.C., for the event. Sullivan said he was honored and humbled by the turnout. He
said the joke was that the “Alaska invasion” — which he numbered at more than 200 people — brought with it the snow that blanketed the area Tuesday. Sullivan, a former state attorney general and Natural Resources commissioner, rounds out an all-Republican congressional delegation for Alaska that also includes Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young. Sullivan defeated first-term
incumbent Democrat Mark Begich by about 6,000 votes in November. The race was contentious and closely watched nationally as Republicans sought to wrest back control of the Senate, which they ultimately did. One of Sullivan’s first orders AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin of business was signing on as a co-sponsor to legislation, which Vice President Joe Biden administers the Senate oath to Sen. the White House threatened to Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, left, with wife Julie Sullivan, during a veto, that would approve the ceremonial re-enactment swearing-in ceremony, Tuesday in See SENATE, page A-10 the Old Senate Chamber of Capitol Hill in Washington.
School district sees growth
In the news Gunman, 1 other dead in shooting at veterans’ clinic
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EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a veterans’ medical clinic in West Texas on Tuesday, killing one other person, officials said. The gunman was also killed. Investigators, who took no questions from reporters during a Tuesday night news conference, did not say whether the gunman killed himself or was killed by someone else. They also provided no details on the victim or the gunman and no possible motive for the shooting. Fort Bliss Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty said the shooting happened at the El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System’s clinic, which is in a complex that includes the William Beaumont Army Medical Center. The entire complex was locked down Tuesday as authorities responded to the shooting. “The alleged shooter is dead, and we have one casualty. That casualty is deceased. All other VA patients and staff are safe,” said Twitty, commanding officer of nearby Fort Bliss. “Everything is under control and there is no immediate threat to Fort Bliss or the local community,” Twitty said. The VA clinic will be closed Wednesday, said its acting director, Peter Dancy. The FBI, which is leading the investigation, has hundreds of potential witnesses, many of whom were patients or would-be patients at the clinic, said Douglas Lindquist, special agent in charge of the FBI El Paso office.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation/World . ....... A-5 Sports.....................A-8 Food...................... B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6
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More students expected in coming year By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
fers hard. Fiscal year 2015 revenue, once projected at about $5 billion, is now expected to be about half that, in the $2.5 billion range. For the 2016 fiscal year, which begins July 1, it gets worse; the Department of Revenue is predicted a little more than $2 billion of state revenue in its Fall 2014 Revenue Forecast released in midDecember. Associated General Contractors of Alaska Executive Director John MacKinnon said
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is expecting up to 50 new students to fill seats in district classrooms next year. It would be the first time since 1999 the enrollment count would be higher than the year before. “Next year we project there will be 8,820 students enrolled in the school district,” said Interim Superintendent Sean Dusek. “In the last couple years we have been processing a bigger class than kindergartners coming in.” The actual projection for next year ranges between 40-50 students, Dusek said. The highest membership recorded in the school district was 10,376 students in 1998, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. The school district’s student population has since been on a downward trend, meaning less state funding. This year’s enrollment report revealed average membership is at 8,778 students. At the end of the 2013-2014 enrollment count the school district’s student population was at 8,681,
See YEAR, page A-10
See ENROLL, page A-10
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
All that racquet
Carl Bauman, left, Jeremy Sorhus and Rob Meyer play racquetball at the Kenai Recreation Center Tuesday in Kenai. A group typically meets to play on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Uncertain year for mega-projects By ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service-Alaska/ Alaska Journal of Commerce
How little can the state afford to spend? Gov. Bill Walker halted immediate spending on six of the state’s notable pending megaprojects Dec. 27, part of an effort to scrutinize all expenditures and minimize the fiscal year 2016 budget deficit. Walker’s administrative order stopped work on a road to the Ambler Mining District; the
Juneau access road; the Susitna-Watana Hydro project; the Knik Arm bridge; the Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline; and the Kodiak Launch Complex. “Our budget deficit grows deeper as oil prices go lower. These are large projects that require significantly more state investment to complete,” Walker said in a statement from his office. “I’ve requested that the state agencies not enter into any new contracts until we’ve had a chance to look at the various projects.”
He said it is a way to keep the state from committing to further work on the projects that “may not be continued during this fiscally challenging time.” Walker wants the agencies in charge of the projects to submit reports outlining operating costs, current obligations and the potential consequences of delaying or terminating their work to the Office of Management and Budget by Jan. 5. Alaska North Slope crude prices in the $60 per barrel range are hitting the state cof-
Unoccupied home in Kenai burned
Senate majority office considers former military affairs official
By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
Kenai firefighters responded to a fire in an unoccupied home on Iowa Street in Kenai Tuesday morning. Firefighters were called to the four-bedroom home at about 7 a.m. where they found a large fire behind the home’s heating system, said Fire Chief Jeff Tucker. The house is currently vacant, and a “For Rent” sign stands in the front yard. Tucker said neighbors noticed the smoke and called firefighters. By the time emergency responders arrived, the fire had migrated from the heating system down a wall and into the lower level of the home. Tucker said it took about 30 minutes to contain the blaze. “There’s pretty extensive damage and smoke damage to the house,” Tucker said. He did not have an estimate for the amount of damage done to the home. The fire marshal is still investigating the cause.
By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — A state military affairs official, who was asked to resign as part of a leadership change following problems within the Alaska National Guard, has been offered a contract to work with the Alaska Senate majority press office. In an email to members Monday, Senate President Kevin Meyer said he had decided to hire McHugh Pierre on a four-month contract that Photo courtesy Kenai Fire Department
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would be effective Jan. 15. He said Pierre would primarily work out of his office but would be available to all members to discuss strategy and ways to better communicate the GOP-led majority’s priorities to the public. The majority caucus has 15 members, including one Democrat. Majority press secretary Carolyn Kuckertz said Tuesday that the press shop is down one person from last year and hiring Pierre on See PIERRE, page A-10