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Vol. 49, Issue 193
In the news Homeless camps put Anchorage creek cleanup future in question ANCHORAGE — An Alaska environmental cleanup event is considering whether the safety of its volunteers is being put at risk by homeless encampments, officials said. The Anchorage Waterways Council is considering the effects of the makeshift camps on the annual Creek Cleanup event, The Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday. In the last two years a growing number of homeless camps have created an increasing safety risk. Volunteers, including children, have encountered far more human waste and syringes along their cleanup routes than in the past, according to the council. “It is definitely exploding,” said Executive Director Cherie Northon. The cleanup collects an estimated four to five tons of trash each year from waterways throughout Alaska’s largest city, officials said. The municipality of Anchorage keeps track of homeless camps through an online reporting system. But because the data is not made public there is difficulty in knowing exactly how many camps exist, officials said. The waterways council would consider halting the cleanup program in the future due to potential hazards. “I think people’s safety is above and beyond what happens in the creeks,” Northon said. The council advises volunteers not to approach homeless camps and to give them a wide berth, even if that means not cleaning the creek nearby, Northon said. —Associated Press
Correction The article “Soldotna advocate fights for Alzheimer’s awareness” printed in the Thursday, May 9 edition of the Clarion contained inaccuracies. The golf course which hosts the annual Golf Fore a Cure tournament is the Bird Homestead Golf Course in Funny River. This year will be the fourth year of the golf tournament, and the tournament takes place on June 23. Cindy Harris’ mother passed away in 2010. The Clarion regrets the errors.
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House refuses to accept crime bill By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — The Alaska House refused to accept sweeping legislation aimed at cracking down on crime and passed by the Senate Tuesday, setting the stage for negotiations on the contentious topic with an adjournment deadline looming. On Tuesday, the Senate voted 19-0 to pass the bill, a rewrite of a crime package that previously passed the House. The measure was sent back to the House, which had to decide whether to accept the Senate version. It did not. While some House members cast the Senate version as a response to public out-
Alaska House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, center, speaks to reporters after the House failed to accept a Senate rewrite of a crime bill, Tuesday, in Juneau. Also pictured are state Reps. Matt Claman, left, and Chuck Kopp. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
cry over crime and a further step toward rolling back a 2016 criminal justice overhaul, others said they want-
ed to understand what was in the bill and not rush action on it. Republican Rep. Chuck
Kopp, a member of leadership in the House majority coalition, said the Senate See BILL, page A2
By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
See RIOT, page A14
School district, employee associations continue contract talks By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Spring Creek riot investigation ongoing The Spring Creek Correctional Facility in Seward is still in cleanup mode after an overnight riot occurred last week. On Tuesday, May 7, 62 inmates in the Hotel Mod housing unit barricaded the entryway to their unit and began damaging everything from security cameras and fire suppressant systems to sinks and toilets. Public Information Officer Sarah Gallagher said that inmates caused an estimated $100,000 in damages. Some initial reports suggested that one correctional officer was inside
Partly cloudy
The Hotel Mod Housing Unit at Spring Creek Correctional Facility as seen after an overnight riot took place on Wednesday, May 8. (Photo courtesy Sarah Gallagher/ DOC)
In an all-day collective bargaining meeting on Monday, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District rejected one proposal from two employee associations, and is currently analyzing another, a press release from the district said. The associations also rejected a district proposal offered during Monday’s meeting. President of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, David Brighton, said the negotiations are heading in the right direction. For the last year, contract negotiations between the school district and two employee associations, Kenai Peninsula Education Association and Kenai Peninsula Support Association, which represent non-tenured teachers and support personnel, have snagged on the rising cost of health care. A previous agreement effective through June 2018 remains in use for the employees without contracts. After months of negotiations, district and employee associations could not come to an agreement, so in February, an arbitrator held a hearing to help guide contract negotiations. The school district has offered proposals for each employee association, based on
See TALKS, page A2
Search continues for floatplane passengers By Ben Hohenstatt and Alex McCarthy Juneau Empire
A search continues near Ketchikan while a community tries to respond to tragedy. While press conferences and a vigil were held, search efforts continued Tuesday for two people who were aboard a de Havilland Beaver floatplane during what preliminary reports indicate was a mid-air collision with a de Havilland Otter floatplane A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk heliat 12:21 p.m. Monday near copter crew hovers while searching for a survivor from Ketchikan. a report of two aircraft colliding in the vicinity of George “We’re still holding out Inlet near Ketchikan on Monday. (Courtesy photo/Ryan a little hope that we will Sinkey) find those two people,” The planes were carrysaid U.S. Coast Guard He was unable to say Chief Petty Officer Mat- when the search would ing 16 people — a mix of cruise ship passengers and thew Schofield. conclude.
pilots consisting of one Australian, one Canadian and 14 Americans — at the time of the crash. Four people were confirmed dead after the crash. The Otter was owned and operated by Taquan Air, and the Beaver was owned and operated by Mountain Air Service. Five people including a pilot were aboard the smaller plane and 11 people including a pilot were aboard the larger plane. The Taquan plane was heading southwest toward Ketchikan at about 140 mph, and the smaller plane was heading west-southwest toward Ketchikan at about 125 mph, and the two planes converged at about 3,200 feet, according to preliminary information
shared by and Jennifer Homendy, board member on the National Transportation Safety Board. The missing passengers were both aboard the smaller plane, said Jerry Kiffer of Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad during a teleconference held Monday afternoon. He did not provide additional identifying information about the missing people. While names of passengers and pilots have not been released or confirmed by the U.S. Coast Guard or Alaska State Troopers, social media posts shared Tuesday indicate pilot Randy Sullivan of Ketchikan, owner and operator of Mountain Air See PLANE, page A14
Food Hub to host open house Kenai council to vote on
budget, borough bed tax
By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai Peninsula’s virtual farmer’s market is celebrating its fourth year in operation with an open house at its new central pickup location in Soldotna. Alaska Food Hub, which is organized by Cook Inletkeeper, will be hosting an open house today at Cook Inletkeeper’s new office in the old Mattress Ranch in Soldotna. The open house will take place during the first official pickup of the 2019 season, allowing guests to get an idea of how the food hub works, ask questions of
By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Alaska Food Hub customer Roger Clyne picks up his order at one of the Food Hub’s designated locations in this undated photo. (Photo courtesy of Robbi Mixon/ Alaska Food Hub)
the staff, and see what products are available this year.
Alaska Food Hub is an online marketplace that See HUB, page A14
The Kenai City Council will vote on the 2020 annual budget at their meeting Wednesday night. The budget, which goes into effect July 1, 2019, appropriates over $16 million in general fund spending. The proposed budget includes $500,000 committed to renovations and improvements to city facilities. They have also included a 2% pay increase to the city’s salary schedule, which would go into effect July 1. The resolution to estab-
lish the 2019 mill rate at 4.35 mills is also scheduled for adoption on May 15. Kenai Municipal Code requires that both the budget and mill rate be adopted by June 2019. The council will also decide if the City of Kenai will support the proposed Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly bed tax. The tax would establish a 12% sales tax on temporary lodging and will allow for an exemption in cities that apply a separate temporary lodging tax of an amount equal to the city’s See VOTE page A14