d Rea er v by o
7
,740
a ple o e p ! day
Vol. 49, Issue 255
In the news
2 student join school board
Soldotna High School senior Cameron Blackwell was chosen as this school year’s Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education student representative. River City Academy student Kaegan Koski was chosen to be a student representative on the board’s information committee. “We’re always proud when students stand up and lend their voice to the process,” Superintendent John O’Brien said at Monday’s school board meeting. The students were selected as representatives at the April districtwide student council meeting. The students will have the opportunity to be part of school board discussions and decisions. Student representatives are offered a vote, however it is only an advisory vote.
Red flag
Debut
Politicians look for ways to curb gun violence
Greinke makes Astros debut and wins
News / A5
Sports / A9
CLARION
JUNEAU — The special Alaska legislative session that began cloaked in drama is ending quietly. Tuesday marks the 30-day session limit. No floor sessions were planned to mark the official end, which comes more than a week after lawmakers finished their work on issues Gov. Mike Dunleavy asked them to consider. The Legislature approved restoring much of the operating budget money Dunleavy vetoed. The level of support needed for that was far less than what was needed to override the vetoes, which lawmakers failed to do amid a dispute over the session’s meeting location. Dunleavy has the option to cut again. He also has a say on the dividend residents get from Alaska’s oil-wealth fund. He wanted lawmakers to approve a roughly $3,000 dividend but they approved one of about $1,600.
Man charged in cold case enters pleas of not guilty ANCHORAGE — A Maine man has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and murder charges in the death of a woman at the See news, Page A2
Index Local . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Nation . . . . . . . . . A5 World . . . . . . . . . A6 Food . . . . . . . . . . A7 Sports . . . . . . . . . A9 Classifieds . . . . . . A12 Comics . . . . . . . . A14 Public Safety . . . . . A15 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
73/53 More weather, Page A2
W of 1 inner Awa0* 201 Exc rds fo 8 e r Rep llence i o n rt * Ala ska P i n g ! res
P E N I N S U L A
s Clu
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
b
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Recall campaign makes progress By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
Michael Penn | Juneau Empire
Monika Kunat (left) signs an application petition to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday with others at the Planet Alaska Gallery in Juneau.
The Recall Dunleavy campaign is planning to release the number of signatures gathered on Thursday but its promoters are enthusiastic about the results so far. “We’re making history at this point,” campaign spokeswoman Meda Dewitt said by phone Tuesday. She said that many of her campaign colleagues who had worked on political campaigns in the past have
said they’ve never seen a turnout like this. “None of them have seen this level of signature gathering,” she said. Dewitt said that the campaign had held over 40 events statewide with another 20 planned. That was not counting door-to-door canvassing or ad hoc events, but events scheduled to the campaign’s website. In the city of Cordova with a population of roughly 2,300, Dewitt said that the campaign there had already collected 560 signatures.
“Little communities are really coming out in force because rural Alaska is going to be hit hardest by Dunleavy’s cuts,” Dewitt said. Juneau, she said, collected over 2,000 signatures on the first day of signing. Both Anchorage and Fairbanks had each had collected over 3,000, Dewitt said. In Juneau, Vivian Mork, one of the owners of the Planet Alaska store on Ferry Way where Juneau’s initial See recall, Page A3
Final bill to go to governor; unclear if Dunleavy will sign By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
The last piece of legislation to come out of the special session will go to the desk of Gov. Mike Dunleavy Wednesday. HB 2001, which contains
—Victoria Petersen
Special session ends; questions unresolved
Partly sunny
money for the state’s operating budget but also appropriates an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend of $1,600, will either be signed or vetoed by Dunleavy in the coming weeks. The state constitution gives the governor 20 days, not
including Sundays, to take action on the bill. Thursday, Aug. 29, marks the end of that period. Wednesday at midnight also marks the end of the special session. If Dunleavy lets the bill become law, the Legislature will not meet again
until January 2020. However, if the governor does veto the bill, that would leave holes in the budget and still no amount allocated for the PFD. The Legislature can be called into yet another special session either by the governor or by two-thirds vote of the
Legislature, or 40 votes. Once that happens, the five-day clock to override a veto begins. It is not yet clear what the governor will do once the bill reaches his desk, but the governor has made a $3,000 PFD a priority for his administration.
Students give back Three peninsula teenagers honored with Summer of Heroes scholarships By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Three teenagers from the Kenai Peninsula received awards as part of this year’s Summer of Heroes scholarship program. Carlee Rizzo from Nikiski, Zachary Halsstead from Kenai and Anna DeVolld from Soldotna were honored at Monday’s Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meeting. Six youth from across Alaska were celebrated for their community service efforts. The honorees receive a $1,500 scholarship for their work in the community. Summer of Heroes is a partnership program between Alaska Communications the Boys & Girls Clubs of Alaska. At the age of 14, DeVolld created the Promote our Pollinators program, to help educate the public about the importance of pollinators, while providing information on how to support pollinators. She created a children’s activity book, flyers, and presentation material that have been shared with her community and school. She is also a mentor to elementary students. “Anna is showing others it’s cool to be smart, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) can be exciting for everyone and age doesn’t matter in order to make a positive impact in the community,” according to the Summer of Heroes website. DeVolld will be collaborating with the city of Soldotna and Parks and Recreation Department to create permanent signs and labels about
Photo courtesy of Pegge Erkeneff / Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Heather Marron, of Alaska Communications, presents the $1,500 awards to three Peninsula teens (from right) — Anna DeVolld, Zachary Halstead and Carlee Rizzo — who were honored in the Summer of Heroes program Monday in Soldotna.
pollinators for the city’s public gardens, parks and visitor’s center. Halstead, who is 15, serves in the Help a Veteran Experience Alaska program. “He’s helped chop wood, build a handicapped ramp, serve and clean
up meals, and write articles for his school newspaper to raise awareness about the program,” the program’s website said. “He can be found helping families in need at the food bank or through his local church.” Every Tuesday, Halstead wakes
up early to make breakfast for students at Kenai Alternative High School, which he’s done since he was in first grade. Halstead also helps cares for cares for his See teens, Page A3
Hip-hop, classical infusion to headline concert By Joey Klecka Peninsula Clarion
Week 10 of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series will showcase another spin on music culture for audiences on the peninsula. Philadelphia-based MC Kuf Knotz and New Jersey’s Christine Elise form a rare musical duo that puts a twist on hip-hop and classical melodies. Knotz combines his lyrical penchant for poetry and songwriting
to produce words for the classically trained Elise to pluck the harp to. Tonight’s show will be the central peninsula debut for Knotz and Elise, who are making their second trip to Alaska. “We’re excited. We’ve heard a lot of good stuff about this event,” Knotz said. The duo previously performed in Alaska on a winter solstice tour last December, where they made appearances in Anchorage, Palmer,
Talkeetna, Fairbanks and Homer. “When I’m not rapping, she’s singing,” he said. “It’s cool. It’s not a common collaboration, but it works decently.” This time, the two are joined by Trap Rabbit, a Philadelphia-based jazz duo comprised of Arjun Dube and Logan Roth. The two frequently partner with Knotz and Elise to form a full band that they hope will thrill audiences with an upbeat, spunky setlist.
Born in Philadelphia, Knotz was heavily influenced in his songwriting career living in Brooklyn, but has since returned to his Philly roots. Elise is classically trained on the harp, guitar and piano, and has spent much of her career working as a music therapist. Elise said joining Knotz in a musical partnership has given audiences a thrill. See concert, Page A3