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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 168
Editor’s note Due to technical difficulties, the Monday edition of the Clarion was delayed in printing. The issue will be delivered Tuesday morning. Tuesday’s edition also had to be printed early, so some results and scores were not able to be included. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In the news Alaska ice melt guessing game ends on earliest date recorded NENANA — Early ice melt has provided a record finish to an annual Alaska guessing game that’s been going on for 102 years, officials said. The 2019 Nenana Ice Classic finished Sunday at 12:21 a.m. when a tripod mounted on the frozen Tanana River fell over as ice on the river broke up, marking the end of the contest, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. April 14 is six days earlier than the previous record of April 20 set in 1940 and in 1998, according to the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Residents since 1917 have purchased tickets recording guesses of the exact day and time when the melting ice would separate and cause the marker to fall. The event began as a bet among railroad engineers and has paid out more than $14 million in its history. This year thousands paid $2.50 per ticket, with unusually warm spring temperatures across Alaska causing a rush of last-minute purchases. A store and gas station in Nenana each sold at least 2,000 tickets and ordered extras, according to reports. — Associated Press
Correction The article “Community discusses consolidation of SoHi, SoPrep” published in the Sunday edition of the Clarion stated that River City Academy is a charter school. River City Academy is a noncharter public school within the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. The Clarion regrets the error.
Sourdough stories Local bakers discuss keeping an Alaska tradition alive By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Sourdough starters — which are used to make bread, pancakes and more — is a quintessential Alaska food. A sourdough refers to both old, hearty Alaskans, and to the starters nearly every early settler brought with them on their trek north. Sourdough starters — a fermented mixture of flour, water and a little sugar — were relied on to leaven bread before commercial baking powder and yeast were available in the Last Frontier. The use of sourdough dates much further back than Alaska’s early Klondike gold-seekers and adventurers. It’s the oldest form of leavened bread in existence and is believed to have been used as far back as ancient Egypt. Once a starter is made, a short fermentation process
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Biennial science symposium begins this Thursday By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
their starters with equal parts
The Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership is, once again, hosting a science symposium to discuss the healthy future for fish, and all things impacted by fish, on the Kenai Peninsula. The biennial symposium, taking place this Thursday, April 18 at the Cannery Lodge in Kenai, is free with open registration to the public. “We’re looking for as many diverse perspectives as we can get,” said Branden Bornemann, coordinator for the Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership and executive director of the Kenai Watershed Forum. “We’re hoping to have robust con-
See SOUR, page A11
See FISH, page A3
Local sourdough enthusiasts Lacy Ledahl, Maria Nolas and Elizabeth Cox pose with homebaked bread on Saturday in Kenai. The bakers taught a class at Maggie’s General Store about the benefits and baking opportunities of sourdough. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
is required before it’s ready. But, once it’s ready, the start-
er can be maintained. Families have been replenishing
Believers in the power of music By JEFF HELMINIAK Peninsula Clarion
Joe Rizzo has been the president of Triumvirate Theatre since the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1998, so he knows a thing or two about what days and times of the year draw the biggest crowds in this area. Thursday at 7 p.m. is not one of those times. That’s when Bernie and the Believers will be putting on a concert at Triumvirate North. Rizzo hopes the powerful story behind the band is enough to overcome the difficulty of getting a crowd out on a Thursday night during a spring packed with entertainment options.
Bernie and the Believers will play Thursday at Triumvirate North. The band is Danny Uzilevsky, Daniel Berkman, Essence Goldman and Kevin Glaz. (Photo by Steve Jennings)
“This is a very special thing,” Rizzo said. “All somebody has to do is get on and watch the NPR Tiny
Desk concert to want to come to this thing. “It’s very moving and it’s kind of Alaskan in the way
we help each other out. On top of being a great story, these guys are amazing musicians.”
Rizzo was watching the National Public Radio Tiny Desk concert shortly after it was released Nov. 13, 2018. After playing two songs, singer/songwriter Essence Goldman told the band’s story. Goldman, a sixth-generation San Franciscan, came back from a tour to a divorce. The mother of two children, she needed extra income and placed an ad on Craigslist offering voice lessons in January 2016. One of the first to respond was Bernie Dalton, a 46-yearold who enjoyed surfing and made a living cleaning pools. Dalton showed his dedication by driving 90 minutes each way for the lessons. AfSee BERNIE, page A11
There could be a new, quick way to send PFD money to state By Ben Hohenstatt Juneau Empire
Alaskans who want to give their Permanent Fund Dividend money to the state could have an easier way to do so. State Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, spoke Monday morning during a Senate Fi-
nance Committee meeting about Senate Bill 92, which would allow people to choose to contribute $25 or more in PFD money to the state during the electronic application process. “If you want to donate to the general fund, that’s your choice, feel free to do so,” Wilson said. “If you choose
to keep your PFD, that is also your choice. We just believe Senate Bill 92 is all about freedom to make decisions and not have the government make that decision for you.” He said the bill was based on input from people around the state, including his constituents, who wanted to use the PFD to help fund state
Rural troopers attend specialized training By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Index
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
At the beginning of April, the Department of Public Safety conducted a weeklong training for Alaska State Troopers centered around combating sexual assault and domestic violence in rural areas. According to an April 9 press release from DPS, 10 State and Wildlife Troopers from the communities of Anchor Point, Bethel, Cordova, Kotzebue, Nome, Prince of Wales, St. Mary’s and Togiak attended the training. The first day of training consisted of tactical response exercises at the Palmer PD gun range, with See RURAL, page A11
State and Wildlife Troopers participate in tactical training at the Palmer PD Range in Palmer on Monday, April 1, as part of a weeklong training on sexual assault and domestic violence. (Photo courtesy of Megan Peters/ Department of Public Safety)
government due to the state budget crisis. “We’ve heard from many, many Alaskans who are interested in donating all or a portion of their PFD to the general fund to help support government to help increase services,” Wilson said. “We’ve received plethora of testimony over the past few
days. We’ve heard, ‘Take my PFD. I’m willing to receive reduced PFD.’” The bill generated questions from fellow senators, but no members of the general public spoke about the potential bill. Sen. Bert Stedman, RSitka, asked if people facing See PFD, page A3
Kenai man charged with vehicle theft, burglary, forgery By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
A Kenai man has been charged with vehicle theft and forgery after an investigation into a burglarized residence, according to an affidavit filed at the Kenai Courthouse on Saturday. Andy Campos, 57, allegedly stole a vehicle and other valuables from a vacant Nikiski residence and later rented the residence out to a third party under the false pretenses that he was the property owner. According to the affidavit, troopers had received a call on April 11 about a possible burglary and vehicle theft at a residence on Littmitz Avenue in Nikiski. Troopers con-
tacted the property owner who said that she had not been at the residence for about two years and that the buildings and vehicle — a tan Toyota Sienna minivan — had been secured prior to leaving. The property owner gave troopers a list of valuables that were in the residence, including four TVs, two Xbox One gaming consoles and 4 DVD players valuing approximately $2,056. There was also a backpack with important documents including birth certificates and vehicle titles in the back of the minivan, according to the affidavit. When troopers investigated the residence in question on April 12, See THEFT, page A3