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Vol. 49, Issue 251
In the news
German man dies in crash with semi ANCHORAGE — Alaska State Troopers say a man from Germany died in a crash on a remote stretch of highway. Troopers say 58-year-old Jurgen Klos of Dortmund died early Tuesday night in a crash at Mile 95 Parks Highway. The crash site is about 3 miles south of the turnoff to Talkeetna in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Troopers say the cause of the crash is undetermined but that a compact sport utility vehicle driven by Klos may have crossed the centerline. The SUV crashed into a tanker truck driven by 60-year-old Dale Ax of Big Lake. Klos died at the scene. A passenger was flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center for evaluation. The driver of the semi was not injured.
Playoffs
Dems square off in night 2 of debates
Oilers ready for ABL postseason
News / A2
Sports / A6
Sentence reduced to 24 years KETCHIKAN — An Alaska man’s prison sentence for murder has been reduced to 24 years, a report said. Devin Rossiter, 26, was originally sentenced to 36 years, The Ketchikan Daily News reported Tuesday. The full sentence handed down Monday is 40 years with 16 years suspended, while the original sentence was 45 years with 10 years suspended. The Alaska Court of Appeals reversed Rossiter’s 2012 seconddegree murder conviction in September 2017. — Associated Press
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Recall effort seeks to oust Dunleavy By Becky Bohrer Associated Press
JUNEAU — A group that includes a coal company chairman and a framer of Alaska’s constitution is launching an effort aimed at recalling Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, weeks after his far-reaching budget vetoes prompted public outrage. In late June, Dunleavy announced vetoes of more than $400 million, affecting health and social service and other programs and prompting the university system to begin making plans for a transition to a single institution. Lawmakers, unable to muster sufficient votes to override the vetoes amid
Michael Penn | Juneau Empire
A ridicule pole carved by Sitka artist Tommy Joseph stands in front of the Planet Alaska Gallery on Ferry Way on Wednesday in Juneau. The pole includes likenesses of Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and President Donald Trump.
a dispute over the special session’s proper meeting location, this week passed legislation restoring many of the cuts, including $110
million of the $130 million Dunleavy vetoed for the university. He still can cut any spending with which he doesn’t agree.
“People from all regions of Alaska have had enough,” Joseph Usibelli and Peggy Shumaker, his wife, said in an opinion piece published by Alaska newspapers. The so-called Recall Dunleavy group lists Usibelli; Arliss Sturgulewski, a former Republican lawmaker ; and Vic Fischer, the lastliving surviving delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention, as co-chairs. Scott Kendall, who was a chief of staff to Dunleavy’s predecessor, independent Bill Walker, said he provided legal counsel and other advice to the group. Kendall said supporters must clear a high bar but said it’s not impossible. Kendall was involved with Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa
Murkowski’s successful 2010 write-in campaign, after her primary loss to Tea Party favorite Joe Miller. Kendall likened what’s happening now to then, when he said “we were faced with a really stark ideology, and Alaskans kind of rose up and did something people said was impossible.” Usibelli is chairman of the board of Usibelli Coal Mine and a prominent supporter of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He said Wednesday that he voted for Dunleavy but has been disappointed in his actions. Shumaker, a former Alaska State Writer Laureate, said Dunleavy has destabilized much of the economy. See recall, Page A3
Groups sue for data on lease sale
shop talk | Compass Youth Center
Report: Plane in deadly crash hit swell or wave ANCHORAGE — Federal investigators say a surviving passenger of a deadly floatplane crash at the mouth of Tutka Bay south of Homer reported the aircraft nosed over abruptly after hitting a swell or wave during takeoff, causing the cabin to quickly fill with water. A preliminary report of the July 19 crash released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board says a witness reported the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver seemed to accelerate slowly. According to the report, the witness said the plane climbed up to 100 feet before descending and cartwheeling onto the water upside down with seven people on board.
Clouds, sun
By Dan Joling Associated Press
Brock Van Eaton lines up his shot on July 24 at the Compass in Nikiski.
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Empowering kids, teaching life skills
Compass Youth Center offers after-school activities in Nikiski By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Encouraging, equipping, and empowering the youth of Alaska: that’s been the mission of Nikiski local Todd Brigham since around this time last year. Last summer he and his family acquired a location in the Nikiski mall that he hoped to turn into a youth center for the kids in the community. Today, the Compass operates as a combination coffee shop and faith-based
youth center with a mission of empowering kids by building healthy relationships, teaching practical life skills and sharing the love of Jesus. The Compass features a number of games like ping-pong and foosball and a shop where kids can practice anything from pottery to auto repair. There is also a quiet room reserved for homework sessions and bible study, and during the school year volunteers offer tutoring sessions and
workshops that give kids the opportunity to learn a new skill. The Clarion sat down with Brigham to talk about the first year for the Compass and what it’s like to run a nonprofit for the first time. Clarion: When did you officially open your doors? Todd Brigham: Last year, Sept. 5, we opened for drop-in. So in August we had a little open house, invited the community and had See compass, Page A3
ANCHORAGE — An Alaska Native organization and three environmental groups sued the U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday, claiming its agencies withheld information regarding preparations for the sale of oil and gas leases in the massive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit filed in Anchorage claims the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not provide public information in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. The groups sought information on an application by a company to conduct three-dimensional seismic exploration using 90,000-pound vibrator trucks and mobile camps that could disturb denning polar bears. The groups also requested information regarding Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s order to limit an environmental review to one year and 300 pages unless an agency requested an exemption. The requests also targeted agency consultations with a joint U.S.Canada advisory board on the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which migrates between the two countries and uses the coastal plain of the refuge for calving. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the plain holds 10.4 billion barrels of oil. Interior Department spokeswoman Molly Block said in an email that the department could not comment on pending litigation.
Election stakeholders group publishes recommendations By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
A borough group seeking to increase voter participation and accessibility recently approved their final report and recommendations. The Election Stakeholders Group was established Jan. 8, and tasked with researching ways to increase voter participation by developing sustainable election processes that maximize accessibility and
inclusivity while conserving public resources, according to the report. “The ESG spent many hours discussing voter engagement, cost, collaboration and efficiencies,” the report said. The report addresses several aspects of the voting process, including upgrading to equipment that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, vote-by-mail and ranked-choice voting,
guidelines for the voter pamphlet, public outreach methods and how Area Service Board positions are filled.
Voter accessibility The Human Rights Commission declared current borough accommodations and equipment for voters with disabilities, especially those who are visually impaired, as “significantly
discriminatory,” the report said. The report said the hardware used by the borough is owned by the state, is at the end of its life, and does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The stakeholders group recommended that the assembly transition the election process from the current polling site structure to a vote-by-mail hybrid structure. A subcommittee of the
group traveled to Anchorage to see its Vote by Mail Election Central in action. The methodology of the hybrid structure has been used by the borough for over 20 years in the communities of Cooper Landing, Hope, Fox River, Moose Pass, Seldovia/ Kachemak Bay and Tyonek. The structure has proven to be more efficient and effective, the report said. See election, Page A3