THE
Mourning Virginia Beach reels after 12 shot dead Nation/A5
d Rea er v by o
0 7,47ple a peo y! da
Vol. 49, Issue 208
ANCHORAGE — Four Homer men convicted of illegal commercial fishing last year have been fined. Alaska State Troopers say the men in July fished illegally in closed waters of Dog Fish Bay or drove salmon from closed waters to open waters. District Court Judge Margaret Murphy on Wednesday found 66-year-old Mark Roth and 63-year-old Eric Winslow guilty of driving salmon from closed waters and failing to provide information to a fish transporter. She fined Roth $11,000 with $7,500 suspended and Winslow $11,200 with $7,500 suspended. Thirty-six-year-old Paul Roth and 40-yearold Robert Roth were convicted of commercial fishing in closed waters and other misdemeanors. Paul Roth was fined $4,000 with $2,000 suspended and Robert Roth was fined $4,000 with $2,500 suspended. The fishermen forfeited 10,000 pounds of salmon to the state.
State forgives legal debt for man attacked as a child ANCHORAGE — Alaska’s attorney general says a man injured in a knife attack as a child is no longer liable for legal fees associated with the case. Stephen Hansell was 8 years old when the 2001 attack occurred. The Anchorage Daily News reports his parents sued the following year but eventually lost and were ordered to pay more than $24,000 in attorneys’ fees. Hansell, as a plaintiff, shared liability in the debt. Recent news articles highlighting his case caught the attention of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Attorney General Kevin Clarkson. — Associated Press
Index Local................A3 Opinion........... A4 Nation..............A5 World.............. A6 Police...............A7 Weather.......... A8 Sports..............B1 Homes............ C1 Community..... C3 Crossword....... C4 Classifieds...... C6 TV Guide........ C7 Mini Page........ C8
Grounds create family atmosphere Sports/B1
W of 1 inner Awa 0* 201 Exc rds f 8 o e Rep llence r i or ti * Ala n n ska Pres g! s
CLARION P E N I N S U L A
Club
Sunday, June 2, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Hitting the trails
In the news 4 Homer men fined for illegal commercial fishing in 2018
Sunday
Rodeo
Feds to investigate spike in gray whale deaths
What to do at the refuge this summer By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
As Alaska basks in the summer weather, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is set to have a busy couple of months. The first day of June — which is National Trails Day — kicked off the summer events at the Refuge with two guided hikes, one along Centennial Trail at the Refuge’s Visitor Center and one going out to Marsh Lake at the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area. David Fink is an environmental education intern at the Refuge and led the guided hike from the visitor’s center along Centennial Trail. Fink had never led a hike before Saturday, but his experience leading field trips and going into classrooms to teach students Environmental education intern David Fink answers questions from the hikers during about the Refuge came a guided hike on Centennial Trail in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. See TRAIL, page A2 (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
volved from the beginning and currently serves as vice president. She said Salvage Art is one of the events that the group looks forward to each year to get the community actively involved in recycling. The creations that designers come up with? That’s a bonus in itself. “People come up with the most incredible kinds of things,” Wallace said. “You never know what’s going to show up, but it’s intriguingly incredible.” Wallace recounted several past entries, including standing robots made of metal crates, a Van Gogh painting reconstructed from colored rope, a flower bouquet composed of pieces from old kitchen appliances, and a dress made of plastic bags. Wallace said anything goes, as long as its not dangerous or toxic.
SEATTLE — U.S. scientists said Friday they will investigate why an unusual number of gray whales are washing up dead on West Coast beaches. About 70 whales have been found dead so far this year on the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, the most since 2000. About five more have been discovered on British Columbia beaches. That’s a very small fraction of the total number of whales believed to have died, because most simply sink and others wash up in such remote areas they’re not recorded. NOAA Fisheries on Friday declared the die-off an “unusual mortality event,” providing additional resources to respond to the deaths and triggering the investigation. “Many of the whales have been skinny and malnourished, and that suggests they may not have gotten enough to eat during their last feeding season in the Arctic,” agency spokesman Michael Milstein told reporters during a conference call. The eastern North Pacific gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994, after recovering from the whaling era. The population has grown significantly in the last decade and is now estimated at 27,000 — the highest since surveys began in 1967. That has raised questions about whether their population has reached the limit of what the environment can sustain. Another theory suggests that the loss of Arctic sea ice due to global warming is a culprit. The whales spend their summers feeding in the Arctic before migrating 10,000 miles to winter off
See ART, page A3
See FEDS, page A2
Giving trash a second life Salvage Art Exhibit to return to Kenai River Festival By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion
Someone’s trash is another’s art. That’s the idea behind the Salvage Art Exhibit that will be on display at the Kenai River Festival from June 7 to 9 at Soldotna Creek Park. The show is in its fifth year and event organizer Jan Wallace said she expects another turnout of real “garbage.” “It’s amazing to see the potential in things you throw away and make something creative and share it with the community,” Wallace said. In an effort co-sponsored by ReGroup Recycling and the Kenai Fine Art Center, the Salvage Art Exhibit challenges young and old artists alike to engage their creative side while using only recycled materials. Wallace said entries must be composed of no less than
A Vincent Van Gogh display sits at the 2018 Salvage Art Exhibit in Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna. (Photo provided by ReGroup Recycling)
ReGroup is a community 90% recycled items, with only additions like glue, nonprofit organization that tape and fasteners being al- has been in operation since 1989. Wallace has been inlowed.
Food bank gives back with picnic BP, ExxonMobil to invest $20M in LNG project By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Cars were packed in the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank parking lot Friday afternoon. The food bank’s Spring Festival and Fundraiser served primarily as a way to say thank you to the community, Randi Smith, who works in donor relations for the food bank, said. “It was our opportunity to give back to the community and have a little free picnic, and See FOOD, page A2
Matthew Martinelli, a volunteer at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank Spring Festival and Fundraiser, helps cook brats and hot dogs for the event’s free picnic Friday near Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska oil producers will invest $20 million to advance the state’s $43 billion Alaska gas line project, officials said. The investment by BP and ExxonMobil is intended to help the Alaska LNG project achieve a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, The Anchorage Daily News reported Thursday. Republican Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer announced the investment Thursday at an oil and gas conference
19th Annual
Kenai Peninsula Air Fair June 8th, 2019
www.ci.soldotna.ak.us
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (907) 283-7951 OR (907) 262-4672
www.KenaiAirport.com
in Anchorage. ExxonMobil and BP would each contribute $10 million as the project continues seeking authorization from regulators, Meyer said. The state plans to pay the remaining $10 million of expected costs before the energy commission’s decision, which is expected next year. If approved, the natural gas would not flow before 2025. The project would transport North Slope natSee LNG, page A3
PUBLIC WELCOME