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Take a walk ‘Into the Woods’
’Hawks, Pens go to shootout
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Sports/A-6
CLARION
Snow showers 20/15 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 96
Question Which team do you think will win the Super Bowl? n The Seattle Seahawks n The New England Patriots To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com.
In the news
Walker: Pull together, don’t panic Governor delivers State of the State address By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Gov. Bill Walker called on Alaskans to pull together, and not panic, as the state faces multibillion-dollar budget deficits amid a fall in oil prices. Walker struck a hopeful tone in his first State of the State address on Wednesday night, saying that he sees the fiscal situation not as a crisis but as an opportunity to make impactful changes and challenge tra-
ditional ways of operating. “Now is not the time to sound the alarm, my fellow Alaskans. Now is the time to pull together, to make a plan, sharpen our focus and get to work,” he said. “We have the tools. We have the ingenuity. We have the team. And we will work a way out and build an even stronger Alaska,” Walker said to applause. The speech was delivered before a joint session of the Legislature and televised statewide. Walker, in a dark suit and red
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Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation/World.......... A-5 Sports.....................A-6 Arts........................ B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Gov. Bill Walker gives his first State of the State address Wednesday in Juneau, Alaska. Walker called on Alaskans to pull together, and not panic, as the state faces multibilliondollar budget deficits amid a fall in oil prices.
tie, did not get into many specifics on the budget. He plans a separate speech devoted to the topic on Thursday. However, he said he would protect education funding “and insulate it from the state’s fiscal situation to the greatest extent possible.” “We will continue to invest in education as it is one of the highest priorities of this state, but not at the rate we could have when oil was over $100 per barrel,” he said. Tuesday’s
AP Photo/Mark Thiessen
See STATE, page A-8
Assembly hears from public on pot ordinance
Alaska cancels ferry project bids after dispute with Canada JUNEAU (AP) — The state of Alaska on Wednesday canceled bids for a ferry terminal update that the Canadian government threatened to block because of a dispute over the use of American steel. The Canadian government has issued an order Monday that would have blocked the state from doing the project on land it leases at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, unless a resolution was reached. The dispute centered on “Buy America” requirements for steel, iron and manufactured products used in projects funded by the Federal Highway Administration. Much of the construction funding for the project was to come from the federal agency, with the rest coming from the state. Canadian officials called the requirement to only use U.S. steel on Canadian soil unacceptable. They suggested that the state seek a waiver from the federal government of the “Buy America” provision, but Gov. Bill Walker said he had not seen a need for one. Another option would have been for the state to fund the project itself, but Alaska faces multibillion-dollar budget deficits because of the fall in oil prices. It was not immediately clear what Wednesday’s action will mean for the project in the long run. The Prince Rupert terminal is part of the Alaska Marine Highway System. A state transportation department spokesman referred calls to Patricia Eckert, the associate director for international trade within the governor’s office. She did not immediately return an email message sent after business hours.
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Kenai Peninsula residents may have a ballot measure on marijuana cultivation to consider if an ordinance introduced at Tuesday’s Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting is approved next month. A large audience containing of Kenai Community Cannabis Coalition members and residents, mostly from Kasilof, Nikiski and Homer, expressed an overwhelming opposition during two hours of testimony on the introduction of an ordinance that, if approved by voters, would prohibit marijuana cultivation facilities in the rural areas of the borough. Assembly member Kelly
Wolf, who sponsored the ordinance, said he intended to postpone the testimony period a month to allow a constituent in opposition to be able to comment. The body initially came to a consensus that the ordinance should be “kicked down the road” to June, after the state Legislature and Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has worked on the marijuana regulations. That delay would still leave the option for the ordinance to make it on the October ballot, if the assembly passed the ordinance. After hearing from 30 people, three of whom supported the idea of a ballot measure, the assembly voted at about 10 p.m. to introduce the ordinance See POT, page A-8
Area businesses encouraged to review drug policy By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Frosty the ranch hand
A plastic-wrapped snowman cowboy faces Kalifornsky Beach Road in front of the Diamond M Ranch Resort in Kenai. Carrol Martin, who owns the ranch, said he puts up snowmen pretty often. Carrol’s wife, JoAnne Martin, said her husband often puts the snowmen up — but typically uses snow. “He’s built gobs of them over the years,” she said. Carrol said he’d take the hay-filled snowman down in the spring and spread the hay for his livestock to eat.
Companies need to update or review their drug policies. That was the message of Renee Schofield, CEO of The Safety Specialists, who spoke at the Kenai/Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Wednesday at the Kenai Visitor Center. “If you don’t have one, you need to get one,” said Schofield, whose company provides businesses with safety solutions, training and a variety of testing. “If you haven’t looked at it and haven’t reviewed it with your
employees, you need to do that soon. And by soon, I mean this afternoon.” Some jobs, including those within the Department of Transportation, will continue to have a zero tolerance policy toward marijuana. However, many companies will have a choice whether their employees are marijuana-free come Feb. 24. Schofield said that one issue employers might face is edible marijuana in the work place. She said that without a clear drug policy, employees could consume food that was laced with cannabis oils without reSee POLICY, page A-8
Ethics panel looks at how other states collect fines By MOLLY DISCHNER Associated Press
JUNEAU — A legislative committee that can fine Alaska lawmakers for ethics violations now wants a way to collect, but members couldn’t agree on how to do that during a meeting Wednesday in Juneau. The Select Committee on Legislative Ethics has no course of action if a lawmaker decides not to pay a fine. That’s what the committee faces with a former state representative, Alan Dick, who was fined about $18,000 in 2013 for five ethics violations.
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Dick’s violations included using state resources for his personal benefit in 2012, performing campaign activities out of his legislative office and having an aide prepare materials for a debate on government time. It also found violations related to Dick’s 2012 legislative travel. Dick, who couldn’t immediately be reached by The Associated Press for comment
Wednesday, had paid about $5,000 of the fine as of the board’s October meeting, committee records show. Joyce Anderson, the committee’s former executive director, said no payments have been made since then. After hearing several options including asking the attorney general to file a complaint, amending state law, or asking the Legislative Council for help filing a complaint in court, the panel decided to ask other states for more information on how they collect unpaid fines. Rep. Andy Josephson, DC
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Anchorage, said he was concerned that if the committee tried to collect the fines in court, it might open the violations for further consideration. “If you sue someone, you could lose,” Josephson said, suggesting that the committee instead consider amending state law to enable the committee to collect. Sen. Gary Steven, R-Kodiak, questioned the need for a collections process. “Mr. Chairman, I was very surprised at seeing this document,” he said. “As the chairman of leg council, I don’t re-
ally see that it’s our job to be collecting fines or be suing legislators. That’s simply not within our purview.” The committee also recommended introduction of a bill changing the ethics requirements for the legislature’s contractors and consultants. The bill would align the requirements for contractors with those for legislative volunteers and interns. TJ Presley, an aide to Senate Minority Leader Berta Gardner, D-Anchorage, presented the bill to the committee and said that See ETHICS, page A-8