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Vol. 49, Issue 204
In the news Trump wishes ‘Happy Memorial Day’ to US, Japanese troops ABOARD THE USS WASP (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday wished “Happy Memorial Day” to U.S. service members aboard an American assault ship docked in Japan. They shouted “U.S.A. U.S.A.” Trump called them a “tough bunch of people” and dubbed them “daring and mighty warriors in the Pacific.” The president treated his appearance aboard the USS Wasp as a Memorial Day event because it was still Monday in the United States when he addressed hundreds of members of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet. “I have to wish you all a very happy Memorial Day,” Trump said. “On this Memorial Day evening in the United States, Americans are concluding a sacred day of remembrance, reflection and prayer.” Before appearing on the USS Wasp, Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited a Japanese destroyer, the J.S. Kaga, docked nearby. Standing alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump delivered the same “happy Memorial Day” message to the Japanese forces. Some veterans and their families don’t like the phrase “Happy Memorial Day.” They say they prefer that the federal holiday remain a somber occasion for the nation to honor those who gave their lives in service to the United States. “Our republic endures because of brave men and women who are willing to lay down their lives to defend us all,” Trump said. “Our freedom is earned through the blood and sweat and toil and sacrifice of great American patriots just like you.” Trump has come under sharp criticism for skipping ceremonial visits to cemeteries to honor America’s war dead on designated national holidays. Since then, the White House has been careful to show the public that he is marking occasions like Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Before leaving for Japan, Trump placed small U.S. flags near headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Remembering the fallen Community gathers to observe Memorial Day By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Dozens of residents and veterans gathered Monday at Kenai’s Leif Hansen Memorial Park to recognize Memorial Day. For Al Helminski, a Vietnam veteran, Memorial Day is both a solemn and joyous occasion. “It means on one hand, a sad time for all those that we’ve lost, but a happy time that we have survived to be able to honor them and remember them,” Helminski said. The Memorial Day ceremony was hosted by the Veteran’s Coalition of the Kenai Peninsula. American Legion Post 20 Commander Gregory Fite, who served 23 years in the Army National Guard, said Memorial Day means everything to him. “We would not be the country we are today if people weren’t willing to sacrifice for our country,” Fite said. “We wouldn’t
Mostly cloudy
Magnitude 5.8 quake strikes south of Homer
HOMER (AP) — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck southwest of the Kenai Peninsula Monday morning, but no damage has been reported. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake hit around 1:50 a.m. at a depth of 40 miles. A dispatcher with the Homer Police Department said there were no reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which hit 55 miles southwest of Homer. There were more than 1,000 reports of people feeling the earthquake on the Geological Survey website. Devon Hilts, a clerk Families were invited to place flowers and wreaths in remembrance of fallen service at the Land's End Resort members at Kenai’s Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, at Leif Hansen Memorial in Homer, said that she Park. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion) slept through the temblor but that it woke up some have the freedoms like we speakers Sen. Dan Sullivan reminded the crowd that guests. She says nothing broke do today. It means a lot to and Alaska World War II “freedom is not free.” me.” veteran Robert Harrison. “We continue to lose he- and she has not heard of Fite welcomed guest In his remarks Harrison See DAY, page A3 any damage.
Day at the beach Mouth to Mouth Wild Run and Ride celebrates communities, watersheds By JEFF HELMINIAK Peninsula Clarion
Many take the opportunity to recreate at the Kenai beach for granted. Not Will Steffe. Steffe attends Montana State University in Bozeman and recently arrived in the area to intern for Marathon Oil for the summer. He jumped at the chance to participate in the sixth Mouth to Mouth Wild Run and Ride on Monday. The event, put on by Cook Inletkeeper, offers a 10-mile run or fat bike ride from the mouth of the Kasilof to the entry to the Kenai beach off Cannery Road. There is also a 3-mile run that runs from the entry to the mouth of the Kenai River and back. The event drew 136 participants, just off the record high of 143 two years ago.
Chloe and Elijah Deatherage of Kenai race in the 3-mile run of the Mouth to Mouth Wild Run and Ride on Monday. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
“I’m in a land-locked state, so running on the beach for 10 miles defi-
nitely appealed to me,” Steffe said after winning the men’s 10-mile run. “It
was a great way to enjoy the long weekend.” Last year, 10-mile run-
ners and bikers got a luxurious tailwind and stiff sand on a day when life truly was a beach. “Last year, it was a freeway,” said Jen Showalter, who won the women’s 10mile ride. Monday, competitors were greeted with a headwind and sand that started firm for the first 6 miles or so, but then had some extremely soft spots. There was also a smattering of rain that was, for the most part, respectful. “This much rain is fine,” said women’s and overall 10-mile run winner Megan Youngren. “Driving sideways rain is no good.” Tyle Owens of Sterling cruised to victory in the 10mile bike in 44 minutes, 51 seconds. Last year, his time was 32:34 and Owens said he was sick that day. Owens See RUN, page A3
Fairbanks contemporary artist sells across nation, world By SAM FRIEDMAN Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FAIRBANKS — From his attic studio on the third floor of Fairbanks’ CoOp Plaza, Tanner Jackson Rhines makes contemporary art with his trusty G2 Pilot pen. On any given day, his work could be sold at a local
First Friday event or at a studio in New York or Europe. Rhines, 23, grew up in Fairbanks. In an interview, he discussed his journey from West Valley high school student to internationally exhibited artist. Rhines is an Alaska artist, but is by no means an Alaskana artist. He takes inspiration
from modern artists such as abstract expressionists Mark Rothko and Jeff Koons, the artist famous for his stainless steel balloon animals. Cartoons such as Pokemon and Mario also influence Rhines, along with dozens of his own characters, such as a bombthrowing economics professor superhero, and Inky, his
Southeast Alaska experiences 1st recorded extreme drought FAIRBANKS (AP) — The wettest region in Alaska is experiencing the first extreme drought recorded by the U.S. Drought Monitor, officials said. Scientists say the southernmost portion of Southeast Alaska has been in a drought for the last two years, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. The drought was up-
graded last week to an extreme, or D3, drought, according to climatologists at the Fairbanks-based Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. The designation is the second-highest category measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor — a national map updated weekly — and the first time that mark has been recorded in Alaska, officials said.
The extreme drought area includes Ketchikan, Prince of Wales Island, Wrangell, and Metlakatla, officials said. Areas experiencing lesser “severe” and “moderate” droughts have also expanded. Droughts are different in the rainforest climate of Southeast Alaska than in other global locations, but See 1ST, page A3
take on a Sumarian god of creativity and fertility. Many of Rhines’ drawings are tiny cartoon details contained in a simple silhouette of an image such as a skull or a Pokemon character. He calls this approach “condention,” a word he made up when he was in high school. It’s based on the
word “compression,” and Rhines defines it as a “psychological labyrinth of characters and life energies.” Rhines took out one of his condention drawings to demonstrate as he explained the idea. Each detail has a storyline in Rhines’ mind. “I know every line that I See ART, page A2
Delta Junction wildfire grows in high winds FAIRBANKS (AP)— A wildfire that has been burning in Alaska since April grew in high winds, and firefighters were working to protect homes, officials said. The Oregon Lakes Fire in the Delta Junction area expanded along its western perimeter Saturday night, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Sunday. The blaze spanned 27
square miles as of Sunday, officials said. People are believed to have caused the fire April 30, but it’s still under investigation. Fire crews are trying to protect cabins and homes on private land in surrounding communities including Whitestone, South Bank and RichardsonClearwater, officials said. Firefighters have See WIND, page A3