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Vol. 49, Issue 250
In the news
Kenai Public Health hosts measles clinic today Kenai Public Health will be holding a walkin measles clinic today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. offering the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. The clinic is in response to a recent case of measles that was identified in Soldotna. The clinic is open to all ages. Anyone interested can call the Kenai Public Health Center at 907-335-3400. The Kenai Public Health Clinic is located at 630 Barnacle Way, Suite A in Kenai.
Deals
A chocolate cake recipe with a twist
MLB teams move at trade deadline
Food / A7
Sports / A9
Fishing operations resume at dock hit by explosion WHITTIER — Ships are returning with their catch to Whittier, where an explosion and dock fire temporarily halted much of its commercial fishing industry. KTVA-TV reported Monday that investigators are still seeking the cause of the July 7 explosion on the Delong Dock in Whittier. See news, Page A3
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Board votes to consolidate UA system By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
The University of Alaska Board of Regents voted to begin a plan to move the University of Alaska towards a single accreditation model. The Board met in Anchorage Tuesday to discuss what the future of the university would look like, joined by the chancellors of the three universities, students and representatives from the Office of Management and Budget. After nearly six hours of deliberation, the Regents voted 8-3 to authorize University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen to begin creating a plan to convert the
Dan Joling / Associated Press
From left, University of Alaska Fairbanks Chancellor Daniel White, UA Anchorage Chancellor Cathy Sandeen and UA Southeast Chancellor Rick Caulfield speak at a UA Board of Regents meeting, Tuesday, in Anchorage.
university to a single accreditation model. Johnsen said that in his
view, “the house is on fire,” due to state budget cuts and when looking to re-
model, you have to know how many rooms you can afford. Examples of other single accreditation models include the University of Washington, Pennsylvania State University and Kent State University. The single accreditation model, according to a presentation created by university officials, provides the advantage of directing more resources to academics and less to administration. Research institutes would be able to operate with a systemwide scope. The motion passed by the Board of Regents authorized Johnsen, with the help of the subcommittee,
to create an alternative administrative structure, reduce duplicative services and prepare a plan to move to a single accreditation university and to consult with student representatives. However, the system runs the risks of losing differentiation between the various locations and diminishing connections with local communities. One major reason for arriving at this decision was accreditation. If UA had kept its current structure and implemented cuts across the system, the financial viability of an individual location could See system, Page A3
Borough candidate filing period looms
EPA withdraws proposed mining restrictions JUNEAU — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn proposed Obama-era restrictions on mining activity in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, angering opponents of the Pebble Mine project. EPA says the proposed restrictions were based on hypothetical scenarios and are outdated now that the Pebble Limited Partnership has submitted project plans. The agency says other processes are better suited for working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the corps seeks to finalize an environmental review of the project. A regional EPA official earlier this month said the corps’ draft review likely underestimates impacts the project could have on fish and other resources. Bristol Bay is home to a major salmon fishery. Critics of the mine see the decision as a step backward. The Pebble partnership’s CEO hailed EPA’s action.
Clouds, sun
Begins Thursday and ends at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 15. The deadline to register to vote in regular municipal elections is Sept. 1. By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Mark Thiessen / Associated Press file
U.S. Attorney General William Barr (standing greets participants at a roundtable discussion May 29 at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage.
Villages get $5M to stem violence By Rachel D’Oro Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — Rural Alaska Native villages will receive nearly $5 million from the U.S. Justice Department to combat numerous public safety problems, including no law enforcement presence in some communities, the agency announced Tuesday. The award comes nearly two months after Attorney General William Barr met with tribal representatives who told him about slow emergency responses by authorities, violence against women and abuse of alcohol and drugs, including opioids, in remote communities. The money is for hiring additional village and tribal officers and to pay
for equipment and training. The grant funding couldn’t come at a more crucial time for Sharon Williams, the tribal administrator in the southwest Alaska village of Napaskiak, one of three communities Barr visited in May. The Yup’ik community of 450 is just 7 miles from the hub town of Bethel, whose voters lifted a decades-long ban on alcohol sales in recent years. Napaskiak and other villages ban alcohol, but Williams said the new supply of readily available booze purchased nearby is bringing more alcohol-related problems to the village, including many intoxicated people boating on the Kuskokwim River. Since 2016, there have been 11 alcohol deaths in Napaskiak alone, including a 14-year-old boy who
died of alcohol poisoning in February, Williams said. The community currently has four village and tribal police, but sometimes there are none because of sometimes high turnovers, she said. “There’s more public safety needed because there’s so many intoxicated people,” she said in a phone interview. Williams said she gave Barr a tour of the community during his hours-long visit in May. He also visited Bethel and the rural community of Nenana. “He was very attentive,” Williams said. “He was just soaking everything in.” In June, Barr declared a law enforcement emergency in Alaska. See villages, Page A2
No further growth expected for Swan Lake Fire; local team to take control By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
No increase in fire activity is expected for the Swan Lake Fire for the remainder of the season, the Eastern Area Incident Management Team said in an update Tuesday. The team, which has been monitoring the Swan Lake Fire, has completed 80% of its objectives as of Tuesday, and is transitioning control to a local Alaska Interagency Management Team, which will continue repair work and monitor the wildfire for any significant change in activity. This week, crews are using helicopters to remove hoses, pumps,
sprinklers and other equipment from remote locations in and around the fire area. This work is expected to be finished in the next few days. The majority of suppression repair work, including chipping brush piles and repairing containment lines, has already been completed. Within the last week the fire area received more than 2 inches of rain, which saturated the upper layers of duff on the forest floor. According to Tuesday’s update, significant drying would have to occur before any increase in fire activity could take place. Some areas within the fire’s perimeter are expected to continue smoldering
into the foreseeable future, but the fire has not experienced any growth in acreage since July 22. Fire managers will continue to monitor the area by air until they are certain it poses no danger to any infrastructure. As of Monday, the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in the area has been lifted. Construction zones, fog, and smoke along the Sterling highway could continue to cause delays in traffic, and motorists can find current road conditions at http://511.alaska.gov. Although the management team will no longer be releasing daily updates, people can still call 208-391-3488 with any questions regarding the Swan Lake Fire.
Interested in running for the assembly, school board or one of the many services area boards? The candidate filing period begins Aug. 1 and lasts until Aug. 15. Several positions will be up for election this year on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. The districts of Nikiski, Soldotna and the central peninsula will have vacancies that need to be filled. These positions are currently held by Wayne Ogle, assembly president; Dale Bagley, assembly vice president; and Paul Fischer, respectively. Assembly members serve three-year terms. There will also be three positions open on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education. The Kalifornsky, east peninsula and south peninsula districts have openings. The Kalifornsky position is currently held by Dan Castimore. Lynn Hohl holds the east peninsula position and Zen Kelly represents the southern peninsula district. School board members serve three-year terms. There are three open seats on the Bear Creek Service Area Board and two open seats on the Joint Operations Board for Central Peninsula Emergency Medical and Central Emergency. The Nikiski Fire Service Area Board has three open seats. There are two open seats for the Nikiski Senior Service Area Board and two open seats for the North Peninsula Recreation Service Board. The Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area Board has three open seats and there are three open seats for the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board. Service area board members serve three-year terms. Candidates must be 18 years of age, a qualified voter in the state of Alaska and a 180-day resident of the borough and district or service area at the time of filing. All candidates must file a declaration of candidacy form, with either the borough clerk at the borough Soldotna building, or at the borough annex offices in Homer or Seward. Candidates may also file by fax. The candidate filing period begins Aug. 1 and ends at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 15. The deadline to register to vote in regular municipal elections is Sept. 1. Absentee in-person voting begins Sept. 16 through Election Day, Oct. 1. Candidates and voters can find out more information by visiting the boroughs website, at www.kpb.us.