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Reunion
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CLARION
Flurries 28/23 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 112
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Wolf recall shot down
Question Do you agree with the governor’s plan to expand Medicaid? n Yes n No 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.
Borough rejects petition
In the news State says Obama is breaking promise on Arctic refuge
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ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska political leaders who believed they had a federal government promise of “no more” wilderness designations in the state kept hammering away at President Obama’s announcement that he will seek that designation for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The president on Jan. 25 announced he would recommend that more than 18,750 square miles of the refuge be designated as wilderness, making all of the refuge’s 29,700 square miles part of the national conservation system and off-limits to petroleum drilling, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. That would include 2,344 square miles of the refuge coastal plain, where the U.S. Geological Survey in 2005 estimated there could be as much as 10 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and more than 37 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Alaska officials for decades have sought unsuccessfully to open the refuge coastal plain to drilling. The desire for new finds has grown more acute with the price of Alaska North Slope crude oil falling drastically and state government facing billions less in revenue. Drilling advocates contend language in a 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) barred the federal government form creating more wilderness, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t see it that way.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Business................ A-5 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-7 Sports.....................A-8 Classifieds........... A-11 Comics................. A-14 Pet Tails............... A-15 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion AP Photo/The Juneau Empire, Michael Penn
Surf’s up
of the Kenai MediCenter said in the past, it wasn’t common for patients to inquire about vaccine information, but now people ask every couple of days. Nationally, vaccination has been a trending topic, especially with the recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland in California. Since the beginning of January, over 120 cases of measles have been confirmed across 17 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. None of the cases have been reported in Alaska.
The recall petition for Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly member Kelly Wolf has been denied. On Thursday, the Borough clerk’s office released the results of the application that was submitted by Kasilof resident Chase Duncan on Jan. 26. Duncan cited “incompetent representation” as the reason he filed the petition. “Kelly Wolf has demonstrated extreme and egregious incompetence in his elected position due to his recent Ordinance 2015-002,” Duncan stated in his petition, but did not go into further detail. The borough’s response stated Duncan’s allegations were not stated with enough particularity, which is a requirement to warrant a recall, according to Alaska statute. “In fact, the substance of the allegation contained in the Application, even if taken as true and assumed to be factually sufficient, appear to voice dis-
See EXEMPT, page A-10
See RECALL, page A-10
Callahan Dillon rides a final wave into Lena Beach after surfing in Juneau on Thursday.
Many exempt from vaccinations 1,060 exemptions logged in Kenai Peninsula Borough schools By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
Despite Alaska state requirements, many Kenai Peninsula school children are not being fully vaccinated. Alaska state law requires that before attending school, children must be vaccinated against a variety of diseases. Those diseases include measles, mumps, polio, varicella (chickenpox), hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. However, any of the district’s nearly 9,000 students
can provide a notarized document exempting them from being vaccinated for religious or medical reasons. There have been 1,060 vaccination exemptions in the Kenai Peninsula School District this school year alone, according to an email from the district’s spokesperson Pegge Erkeneff; 833 exemptions were for religious reasons, while 227 exemptions were for medical reasons. The district doesn’t archive religious exemptions issued in previous years, Erkeneff wrote. The district hasn’t received
concerns from parents about children not being vaccinated against various diseases, according to Erkeneff. “However, as this topic is being discussed nationally, it is likely that there are local parents who are talking, gathering information, and sharing it,” Erkeneff wrote. “All students must have vaccinations up to date prior to attending school, and this is required by Alaska state law.” While the school district hasn’t heard concerns, other professionals around the community have. Dr. Lynn Carlson
Lawmakers see new draft of marijuana bill By MOLLY DISCHNER Associated Press
JUNEAU — Alaska lawmakers are considering a new approach to decriminalizing and regulating marijuana. That approach, which was introduced in a Senate Judiciary Committee bill Monday, would remove marijuana, hash and hash oil from the state’s controlled substance statutes. The 91-page bill would add the drug to laws addressing impairment and misconduct. As of Feb. 24, adults 21 years and older will be able
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to possess up to an ounce of marijuana under a ballot issue passed in November. Lawmakers have been working on a bill that accomplishes that, and also updates other related laws. The prior version of the bill was criticized for providing a defense in court if one was prosecuted for possessing marijuana, rather than legalizing it outright, as the initiative had
DOT proposes ferry service reductions By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — The state transportation department is proposing reductions in ferry service as part of an effort to cut costs. The changes proposed for the next fiscal year include pushing back the start of service by the Taku between Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Juneau; and reducing service to Prince Rupert in the summer. Mainliner service to Sitka and southeast Alaska communities also would be reduced, the depart-
ment said. The Malaspina would not run as a day boat in north Lynn Canal between July and September under the proposal. Instead, service would be provided by mainliners and the LeConte, reducing the weekly number of port calls in Lynn Canal during that period, the department said. The department also has proposed reducing fast-ferry service in Southeast and Prince William Sound. This comes as the department is planning to close bars See FERRY, page A-10
specified. In a written statement, marijuana legalization advocate Tim Hinterberger said the latest version is a “huge improvement” but still does not match the voter initiative entirely. Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, said the newest bill allows adults to possess up to 4 ounces of marijuana. The initiative legalized possession of up to 1 ounce, but a previous court decision allowed possession at home of up to four ounces based on privacy rights. The draft largely treats marijuana like alcohol, Coghill
said. It outlines a wide range of situations where marijuana use is still illegal, including on ski lifts and while driving, and prohibits adults from giving it to youth. The draft also adds marijuana to language revolving around dependency — nurses can lose their licenses for habitually abusing marijuana, and individuals can receive treatment for marijuana abuse. Sen. Bill Wielechowski, DAnchorage, said that because marijuana can be medicinal, it might not be appropriate to apply all of the alcohol prohibi-
tions to marijuana. He also said the penalties for youth possessing marijuana may need to be reviewed. Committee members also noted that the bill would not address retail sales, and those will remain prohibited on Feb. 24. According to the timeline in the ballot initiative, the state has nine months from Feb. 24 to write regulations for the retail and commercial aspects of the industry. Gov. Bill Walker’s administration plans to introduce another bill that would create See DRAFT, page A-10
Bill would let terminally ill make decision to die By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — An Anchorage lawmaker introduced legislation Monday that would give terminally ill patients the right to decide to end their lives with the help of a physician. Democratic Rep. Harriet Drummond said it’s not suicide but rather an option for people who are already dying. She said in an interview that it’s about giving patients and C
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their families peace of mind. HB 99 would allow adults suffering from a terminal illness and deemed capable of making a decision to die to do so. It would allow for the person’s doctor to dispense or write a prescription for medication that would end the person’s life. However, a doctor would not administer the medication; patients would take it themselves, Drummond aide Kristin Kranendonk said. The bill defines a terminal
disease as one that has been medically confirmed, is incurable and will “within reasonable medical judgment” result in death within six months. It provides immunity from civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action for acting in good faith, including being present when a person takes medication to end his or her life. To receive life-ending medication, a person would See DIE, page A-10