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Vol. 49, Issue 199
NHL
Grannie Annie’s wild encounters
Blues to play for Stanley Cup
Food/A6
Sports/A8
CLARION
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Regulations for shortterm rentals on Soldotna council agenda
In the news Man dies during Exit Glacier Race A man collapsed and died during the annual Exit Glacier Race near Seward on Saturday. The man was running a 10-kilometer race along Herman Lehrer Road just outside of Seward and collapsed during the second half, according to Alaska State Troopers. He was pronounced dead at Providence Seward Medical Center Saturday night. The man has not been identified at this time.
By Kat Sorensen Peninsula Clarion
— Kat Sorensen
3 rescued after plane crashes in Prince William Sound ANCHORAGE — The Coast Guard says a plane has crashed in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Officials say all three people on board the Cessna A185F Skywagon were picked up Tuesday by good Samaritans following the crash. Two of the people were being flown by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital. The other person was being transported by boat for treatment in the community of Whittier. Officials say the extent of injuries was not immediately known. The Coast Guard says Cordova police reported at 2 p.m. that the Cessna crashed into Cascade Bay. The incident comes one day after a passenger and the pilot of a Beaver floatplane were killed when the aircraft crashed in Metlakatla Harbor on Monday afternoon. — Associated Press
Inside “What I’m interested in more right now is what the administration’s strategy is — if they have one — to keep us out of war.” ... See Nation, A5
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Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Valedictorian Garrett Ellis gives his speech during the 2019 Nikiski High School graduation at Nikiski HIgh School on Monday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Don’t forget the small town of Nikiski’ Nikiski grads say goodbye, look to future By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
For Nikiski High School’s graduating class of 2019, the excitement of being done with high school was palpable. Some are leaving the state to pursue further education, some
are heading north to the oil fields and others are sticking around to join the local workforce. And even though their futures might look very different, these kids have spent years together inside the classrooms and out, and the thought of no longer see-
ing their friends every day made the evening a little bittersweet for many of the 54 seniors who graduated on Monday night in front of a packed gymnasium. During her speech, class salutatorian Bethany Carstens spoke about staying in touch with her class-
mates as they enter the next chapters of their lives. “It is sad that we will go our separate ways, but I’m excited for each of you and excited to see where life takes us,” Carstens said. Carstens also talked about the uncertainty of See GRAD, page A14
Kenai’s historic chapel gets makeover By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Visitors to Kenai’s Old Town may have noticed some construction at the Saint Nicholas Memorial Chapel. Restoration efforts are underway. At the beginning of the month, restoration experts began patching up and waterproofing the roof of the iconic chapel in Kenai’s Old Town, which sits across the street from the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church. Dorothy Gray is the treasurer of the nonprofit group Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska, the secretary and treasurer for Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church in Kenai and a lifelong member of the church. She said the chapel is in great need of repair. The restoration efforts are broken up into three phases. The first is to repair the roof, and to waterproof it for years to come. The origi-
John Wachtel, a former National Parks Service employee, places new cedar shingles on the roof of the Saint Nicholas Memorial Chapel as part of new restorative efforts, on Tuesday, in Old Town Kenai. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
nal cedar shakes will be replaced with cedar shingles, slowing the wood’s deterioration at the walls and corners of the building. Gray said the roof phase should be finished soon. The sec-
ond phase should begin later this summer, with an assessment of the condition of the chapel’s logs. The third phase, which will come at a later date, will address the church’s foundation and
District employees take vote on whether to strike By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
School district employees are voting on whether or not they plan to strike after contract negotiations were left unresolved last week. Since May 8, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and two employee associations, Kenai Peninsula Education Association and Kenai Peninsula Education Support Association, have been negotiating a
contract in several collective bargaining meetings. Thursday’s session ended with no contract, and no plans for further meetings. “Negotiations between teachers and classified school employees, including classroom paraeducators, custodians, secretaries, nurses and food service staff working for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District have deteriorated leaving both unions looking at a possible strike,” a Thursday
press release from the Kenai Peninsula Education Association said. Before last week’s contract negotiations ended in a standstill, the associations took a soft survey to gauge members’ willingness to strike if their most recent proposal was rejected by the district. David Brighton, president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, said around 84% of their certified members See STRIKE, page A3
fence. The chapel received two grants to help renovate the National Historic Landmark. In 2017, the chapel received a $13,000 donation See CHAPEL, page A3
Soldotna City Council will hold a public hearing on proposed regulations for short-term rentals in the city Wednesday night at their council meeting. The ordinance aims to regulate short-term rentals in residential dwellings, like Airbnb and VRBO. Currently, Soldotna requires a conditional use permit for traditional bed and breakfast accommodations, but has no provisions for the type of short-term rentals growing more popular in the city. The new ordinance was drafted after two work sessions, one in February and one in June. The ordinance starts by replacing the term “bed and breakfast” with “short-term rental unit,” and then creates two classes — owner occupied and non-owner occupied. The new codes will allow for owner occupied shortterm rentals to operate within residential zoning districts. This is a departure from the current standards that require traditional B&Bs to obtain a conditional use permit prior to operating. See B&B, page A3
House panel refuses to move Dunleavy schools bill JUNEAU (AP) — The fight over whether the Legislature legally funded public education in Alaska for next year may be headed to the courts. The Legislature says it appropriated funding for the next fiscal year in last year's budget in a process called forward funding. But the Dunleavy administration says that was unconstitutional, backed up by an opinion from the attorney general. The House Finance Committee on Tuesday refused to advance a bill from Gov. Mike Dunleavy, which the administration says is vital to ensure schools are funded. Legislative Legal Services Director Megan Wallace told the committee Monday she and other attorneys in her division believe the appropriations made last year are valid and would withstand any constitutional challenge. Rep. Gary Knopp said the issue presents a question the courts should answer.
Air carrier suspends operations after 2nd crash By RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — An Alaska air carrier involved in two deadly floatplane crashes in a week has voluntarily suspended operations, federal officials said Tuesday. The halt of flightseeing and commuter flights is in place indefinitely, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The action comes after the passenger and the pilot of a Beaver floatplane
operated by Taquan Air were killed when the single-engine aircraft crashed in Metlakatla Harbor on Monday afternoon during a 22-mile commuter flight from Ketchikan. Witnesses reported to federal investigators that one of the two floats on the plane dug into the water during landing, causing the right wing to hit the water and then the aircraft to cartwheel several times, according to Clint Johnson, chief of the NaSee AIR, page A14