Peninsula Clarion, June 30, 2019

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Swan Lake Fire grows to more than 60,000 acres

In the news Authorities: Fairbanks residents should prepare to evacuate FAIRBANKS — Fairbanks emergency officials are warning some residents to be prepared to flee as a wildfire burns nearby. The Daily NewsMiner reports that the Fairbanks North Star Borough Department of Emergency Service says residents of a neighborhood in northwest Fairbanks have been advised that they need to be ready to evacuate, but no evacuation notices have been issued as of Saturday night. Emergency officials say residents should assemble a kit of important items to take in the event of an evacuation. Wildfire smoke is degrading air quality throughout the region.

Troopers: 3 dead, 1 critically injured in plane crash MOOSE PASS — Three people died and a fourth was severely injured in a plane crash in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, authorities said. The small plane crashed Friday into a mountain on the north side of Tern Lake near Moose Pass, Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain told the Anchorage Daily News. Three people were killed in the crash, but one person was airlifted to Providence hospital in critical condition. The Daily News reported that family members said the survivor, 28-year-old Joy Cooper of Paris, Texas, was on vacation in Alaska with friends when the plane crashed. Cooper suffered multiple broken bones and a partially collapsed lung, but was responsive in the hospital Saturday, her family told the newspaper. A team was expected to be airlifted to the crash scene Saturday to recover the bodies. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. — Associated Press

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By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion

Tucker Challans, left, and Logan Amaya, right, advertise their lemonade business along the Kenai Spur Highway during Lemonade Day in Soldotna on Saturday. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Sidewalk entrepreneurs set up shop By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion

In the heat of the summer, even Alaskans need a way to cool off. On Saturday, as temperatures reached nearly 80 degrees, dozens of resourceful kids from around

the peninsula parked their roadside stands all over Soldotna for Lemonade Day and offered fresh-squeezed lemonade and homemade snacks to thirsty residents and tourists. Organized annually by the Kenai and Soldotna Cham-

bers of Commerce. Lemonade Day is aims to give young entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of running a small business — from idea to execution, Sara Hondel, tourism and education director for the Soldotna Chamber of Com-

merce, said. To get involved, parents register their kids online either at the chamber websites or on the Lemonade Day Alaska website and receive a yellow backpack from the chamber full of information See LEMON, page A3

The Swan Lake Fire grew to more than 60,000 acres over the weekend, with the blaze at 62,840 acres as of a Saturday morning update by the Alaska Incident Management Team. Firefighters spent Friday reinforcing fire lines along the Sterling Highway and East Fork Moose River, according to the update. There are currently 489 personnel managing the fire from various local, state, and federal agencies. On Friday, a hotshot crew was repositioned to protect infrastructure to the northeast of the fire, including a public use cabin, the Moose Research Center and a portion of the ENSTAR gas pipeline. The fire continues to spread primarily to the northeast through thick strands of black spruce. Two-way traffic along the Sterling Highway has resumed, but motorists should expect a reduced speed limit as firefighters are working along the road. Smoke conditions on the peninsula are expected to remain the same as a highpressure weather system moves over the area. See FIRE, page A3

Reaching new heights Seward’s Moore celebrates 50 years of running Mt. Marathon By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion

Seward stalwart Fred Moore may not reside in the public eye of the Alaska mountain running scene as those that have blazed to new records up and down the famed Mount Marathon trail, and he’s never been as fast as those names either. But one thing he holds over them — over everyone, in fact — is how many times he’s returned to conquer the famous peak standing guard over the fishing town at the head of Resurrection Bay. The 79-year-old Moore will attempt to complete his 50th Mount Marathon race Thursday in Seward, extending the all-time race record that he owns for consecutive races, which stretches back to his rookie year in 1970. “I never did run as racing, until Mount Marathon,” Moore said of his early days. “And then it was even a couple of years before I started running. I

Seward’s Fred Moore stands at the base of Mount Marathon in Seward on Monday. Moore will run in his 50th consecutive Mount Marathon race on July 4. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

just ran as much as I had to to get to the mountain and back.”

The Mount Marathon race is celebrating its 92nd year, dating back to the

Dunleavy vetoes more than $400M By Ben Hohenstatt Juneau Empire

Gov. Mike Dunleavy unveiled more than $400 million in cuts to the Legislature-approved budget in the form of line-item vetoes, and said more are on the way. Dunleavy and Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin discussed the 182 items vetoed by the governor during a press conference Friday

at the Capitol that doubled as an announcement of the budget’s signing. Dunleavy said reductions in spending on the University of Alaska, Medicaid, senior benefits, school bond debt reimbursement, public broadcasting, village public safety office program, the Ocean Ranger program and more are the first half of an envisioned two-year process. “This is a difficult situa-

tion, but I believe everyone realizes something has to be done,” Dunleavy said. The $409 million in vetoes coupled with about $270 million in cuts previously approved in the Legislature’s budget adds up to almost $680 million less in spending than last year, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The biggest chunk of the $409 million came from the University of Alaska at See VETO, page A2

first competitive race up the mountain in 1915. The

legend goes that the competition sprouted up as a bar bet between two old sourdoughs, who wagered that the 3,022-foot peak could not be climbed and descended in less than one hour, with the loser buying the house a round of drinks. Ultimately, it was James Walters who made it to the finish line first, albeit two minutes over an hour, but the seeds were planted for what has become a globally sought-after event. In his 50 years running, Moore has always finished the race to the applause of locals and visitors alike. Fellow Seward runner Erik Johnson, who at age 42 has a pedestrian eight Mount Marathon’s under his belt but a high finish of second place in 2017, said the the culture and the people who understand the history of the event know what Moore is doing belongs up there among the iconic records of the race. “People here want to celebrate the people that See 50TH, page A2

Feds allocate $10M to combat violence in rural communities By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr declared a law enforcement emergency in Alaska on Friday, clearing the way for the Justice Department to award more than $10 million to combat crime in rural communities. The announcement comes a month after Barr visited the state and met

with Alaska Natives, who described disproportionately high rates of violence and sexual assault in Native communities and other problems, including not having any law enforcement presence in some villages. It is the first time that Barr has personally declared a law enforcement emergency since he assumed the top post at the Justice Department in February. The See FEDS, page A3


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