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Cloudy, then clear 21/7 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, January 30-31, 2015 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 103
Question Should portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil exploration? n No, the refuge should be protected as wilderness. n Yes, exploration should be allowed to proceed right away. n Exploration shouldn’t be banned forever, but now is not the right time. To place your vote and comment, visit www. peninsulaclarion.com.
In the news New scam targets HEA customers By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
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Homer Electric Association customers are currently being targeted in a telephone scam that has made its way to the Kenai Peninsula. In recent days, HEA personnel learned of a phone scam in which a person has claimed to be an HEA representative. The scammer proceeds to ask the victim for immediate credit card payment or else risk having their service shut-off within an hour. “Someone is trying to get credit card info and they’re trying to get immediate payment,” said Joe Gallagher, director of member relations for HEA. Gallagher said that HEA would never threaten to shut off service in such a manner. The current scam is sophisticated. According to the press release, scammers are capable of having HEA come up on a victim’s caller ID. Gallagher said that these types of scams have been seen in Anchorage and in other parts of the country. He recommends that if any customers receive suspicious calls, they should immediately hang up the phone and call HEA. This will enable HEA to inform other customers of potential dangers. “The best thing Homer Electric can do is to regularly get the word out that this is a scam,” Gallagher said. “There are scams out there and we just want people to be aware.”
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports.....................B-1 Classifieds............ C-3 Comics.................. C-8
Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
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Non-profit seeks money to buy Birch Ridge By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
The Central Peninsula Health Foundation has requested $350,000 from the city of Soldotna in order to help purchase the land currently occupied by
the Birch Ridge Golf Course. Board members of the CPHF made the request at a work session preceding the Soldotna City Council meeting on Wednesday at Soldotna’s City Hall. According to a document
provided by the CPHF, the donation would be half of the required money needed to purchase the 92-acre lot. The other half of the money would come from money received from a charitable organization such as the Rasmuson
Foundation. The money from a charitable foundation was contingent on the City Council approving the donation. If the city council members agreed on the proposal, they would be allowed to assist the CPHF write the grant applica-
Missing pilot, plane found
See GOLF, page A-12
Leg. told to revisit Cook Inlet tax credits
By Rashah McChesney and Dan Balmer Peninsula Clarion
A pilot and plane that have been missing since Wednesday evening have been found near Chakachamna Lake at the base of Mt. Spurr north of the Cook Inlet. A spokesperson for the Kenai Civil Air Patrol said four private planes left Soldotna early Thursday morning to search for the missing pilot, he said the plane was found on the ice of the lake. “The airplane apparently had broken through the lake ice, the pilot was found at the site,” said Chief of the Alaska Regional Office of the National Transportation Safety Board Clint Johnson. The red and white Cessna 180 left Soldotna for the lake on Wednesday and was scheduled to return by 4 p.m., but did not, according to a KTUU news story. The plane was found at about 11 a.m. on Thursday, said Henry Knackstedt of the Civil Air Patrol. A Black Hawk helicopter was sent to rescue the pilot who was transported to Central Peninsula Hospital with minor or no injuries, Johnston said.
tions. The property would be used “as a revenue source for the (the CPHF) and community nonprofits” and be “a potential year round recreational venue for the residents of the community, according to the document.
By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Best Transit Mix owner Terry Best looks at the wreckage of one of his company’s cement mixers on Thursday in Kasilof, Alaska.
Truck overturns in Kasilof Driver hospitalized after ‘mechanical failure’ By Rashah McChesney Peninsula Clarion
A cement mixing truck overturned on the Sterling Highway in Kasilof on Thursday sending the injured driver to the hospital. Long, dirty grooves in the snow marked where the southbound Best Transit Mix truck narrowly missed a large wooden sign for the Kasilof Community Church as it
crossed the northbound lane and overturned in the ditch at Mile 109 of the highway. Alaska State Troopers identified the driver as David Raines, of Kasilof. Raines, 54, lost control on a curve due to mechanical issues, according to a trooper report. Company owner Terry Best was on-scene cleaning pieces of debris from the road and laying pads to catch the few
See PLANE, page A-12
fluids leaking from the engine as he photographed the wreckage. Water spilled from a tank on the truck, but no other fluid were actively leaking into the ground. Best said the accident happened at about 9:45 a.m. and the driver had broken a few ribs but had no life-threatening injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the accident, he said. See WRECK, page A-12
JUNEAU, Alaska — Legislative consultants this week suggested that it may be wise for lawmakers to examine their approach to creating incentives for oil and gas development from Cook Inlet. The issue of oil and gas tax credits received renewed attention earlier this month, when Gov. Bill Walker wrote an opinion piece that said Alaska is projected to pay about $100 million more in oil and gas production credits this year than it collects in production taxes. State revenue officials have said the $625 million in socalled refundable credits referred to in that piece are primarily for small explorers or those developing new oil and gas fields that have no tax liability. Revenue Commissioner Randall Hoffbeck has said the credits are split pretty evenly between the North Slope and Cook Inlet. Consultants from the firm Enalytica, in a report accompaSee TAX, page A-5
Uncertainties surround Soldotna’s home rule vote By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
On Tuesday, February 3, the city of Soldotna will hold a special election that could have a major impact on the city. But whether residents know what they are voting on, or are even aware of an election remains to be seen. Soldotna City Council members discussed voter education on Wednesday. On Tuesday’s ballot, the question posed will read: “Shall a charter commission be elected to prepare a proposed charter?” If approved, members of the commission would also be elected. A charter commission is a group of seven elected officials given the task of writing an official list of powers and duties of the city. If a charter commission is elected, they will then have one year to draw up the charter, and the public will then vote on it. If the voters reject the charter, Soldotna will remain a first class city, and many of the city’s powers will be determined by the borough or state. Should the charter pass, Soldotna would become home rule, giving the city more autonomy. “(Home rule) just means that the city council and people who live in the city can make decisions that affect the city,” said council member Linda Murphy. “Those decisions will not be made by people living outside of the city limits. We get to choose our own destiny. That is what happens when you’re home rule.” On Tuesday, the public will not be voting on
Powers and Duties of Cities Soldotna is a first class city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. If voters were to decide to approve a charter commission and then a change to being a home rule city, some key changes to city operation could be imposed.
Property Tax Both first class and home rule cities may tax up to 30 mills except in situations where a higher tax levy would be necessary to avoid defaulting on a debt. In a first class city, voter approval of the property tax levy is not required by statute however some city governments have more restrictive limitations imposed. Some home rule charters may require voter approval to authorize the levy of property taxes. Continued on page A-5
whether Soldotna will be a home rule city; rather, whether a committee should form to make up a potential charter that would later be voted on. Despite the importance of the election, some Soldotna citizens fear that the city’s population is insufficiently educated about what is being voted on. At the city council meeting on Wednesday, some, including Fred Sturman, were critical of how the city has prepared for the election. See HOME RULE, page A-5 C M Y
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Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
In this April 18, 2014 file photo a chocolate lab mix puppy looks through his cage at the Kenai Animal Shelter in Kenai. The shelter will be microchipping stray animals and those that are turned over and up for adoption.
Kenai Shelter to microchip animals By BEN BOETTGER Peninsula Clarion
Employees at the Kenai Animal Shelter are preparing for a new policy requiring that identifying microchips be implanted in all animals adopted from the shelter. The microchips are unpowered electronic devices similar in size and shape to a grain of rice. When read with a radio scanner the microchip will return a number between nine and 15 digits, depending on the brand. In a database maintained by the chip’s maker this number will be linked to contact information for the animal’s owner. See PETS, page A-5