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Vol. 49, Issue 257
In the news
Division of Forestry suspends burn permits The Kenai-Kodiak Area Office of the Alaska Division of Forestry has issued a general burn permit suspension due to hot and dry conditions in the region. The suspension includes the burning of debris, brush piles and burn barrels. The suspension is in effect as of 9 a.m. on Aug. 8, according to a release from the Division of Forestry. Cooking and warming campfires are allowed but must be kept smaller than 3 feet in diameter. The Division of Forestry urges campers to have plenty of water on site to control and extinguish fires, and to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished before leaving a site. — Staff
Open
After raid, immigrants rally around detained
Area hiking trails return with new changes
Nation / A5
Sports / A8
73/52 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
CLARION P E N I N S U L A
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Friday, August 9, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Murder suspect arraigned on child porn charges ANCHORAGE — A 21-year-old Indiana man suspected of orchestrating the death of an Alaska teenager was arraigned in federal court on child pornography charges. Anchorage television station KTVA reports Darin Schilmiller of New Salisbury was extradited Monday and arraigned Wednesday in Anchorage. He will be arraigned
Capital budget is signed into law Sweep is reversed but Dunleavy uses veto pen on $34 million in spending. By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed Senate Bill 2002 into law Thursday afternoon during a press conference at the offices of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska in Anchorage. According to a press
release from the governor’s office, the bill, “properly captures nearly $1 billion in federal transportation and infrastructure funding, provides necessary resources to enact public safety legislation, and reinstates funding for various programs such as the Alaska Performance Scholarship, WWAMI and Power Cost Equalization.” While the bill does provide funding for a number of state programs, the governor vetoed $34,732,800 in total from
the appropriations made in the bill. Among the items vetoed were $10 million for statewide addiction treatment facilities, $500,000 for emergency medical services for Code Blue Project — the program meant to provide medical equipment for rural areas — and $1 million for public and community transportation. Dunleavy said at the signing that he knew that cuts would be difficult for many See budget, Page A2
courtesy photo
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at the signing ceremony at the Alaska Association of General Contractors in Anchorage on Thursday.
Strike looms as talks continue With negotiations ongoing, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District details impact of work stoppage. By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
event for a theater group? Ridgeway Farm, which sits off the Kenai Spur Highway, is owned by Harry and Abby Ala, close friends of Rizzo. After knocking around the idea for a few years, Rizzo said he told the Alas that this summer would be the best time to put it together. “I grew up on the Alas’ farm,” he said. “Harry and Abby are very close friends of mine, and they have a
The school district and two employee associations will be meeting Aug. 13 to continue bargaining for a new contract. If an agreement can’t be reached, the associations have voted to strike. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is hopeful an agreement will be reached next week, a Wednesday press release from the district said. The Kenai Peninsula Education Association and Kenai Peninsula Education Support Association are also hopeful the district can work with them to settle a contract, Kenai Peninsula Education Association President David Brighton said. “Health insurance is still unaffordable,” Brighton said. “We hope the school district can work with us to settle a contract.” After contract negotiations with the district hit a standstill, peninsula educators and staff voted May 22 to strike, with more than 75% of certified staff voting “yes” on a walkout. The associations planned to choose a strategic time to start the strike. For over a year, contract negotiations between the borough school district and the associations have snagged on the rising cost of health care. A previous agreement effective through June 2018 remains in use for employees without contracts. District employees cannot be fired for participating in a legal strike. What happens if a contract can’t be settled and employees go on strike? In the district’s press release, communications liaison Pegge Erkeneff said a work stoppage would result in an emergency closure of schools. If and when the associations decide to call a strike, they are required to notify
See holes, Page A2
See school, Page A3
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Kids attempt to travel through a “space portal,” also known as a hula hoop, during the last day of the Kenai Community Library’s summer reading program at the Kenai Park Strip on Thursday.
A universe of stories Kids wrap up summer of reading, fun and imagination By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
On a sunny Thursday next to the softball fields on Main Street, the Kenai Library wrapped up its Summer Reading Program with an afternoon of games, prizes and cupcakes. Since June 6, James Adcox, Bethany McMilin and the other Kenai librarians have been hosting weekly activities and encouraging the local kids to read as much as they can. The annual Summer Reading Program revolves around a different theme every year, and this year the kids explored outer space to discover “A Universe of Stories.” Adcox said that the
summer started off with a lesson in growing food hydroponically, and the kids got the opportunity to grow chocolate mint and strawberries. Every week brought a different activity, whether it was making flying saucers out of pie tins, learning how to draw aliens with Adcox or getting a crash course in physics from Kenai Peninsula College Professor Andreas Veh. There were also periodic puppet shows put on by Adcox and McMilin that showcased the adventures of Eugene and Beatrice as they built a rocket ship and searched the solar system for signs of aliens. To encourage reading throughout the summer, each child was given the
opportunity to pick up a folder with a time log. For every hour spent reading or being read to by a parent, the kids could get a raffle ticket to win one of the many prizes at the end of the summer. More hours of reading meant more tickets, and more tickets meant more of a chance to win a lightsaber or a stomp rocket. Adcox guessed that about 5,000 raffle tickets had been given out, which means that the approximately 550 kids who participated spent, collectively, about 5,000 hours reading. “The idea is that if we can keep them reading and studying, maybe doing a little math or other activities, when they go to the
next grade level the teachers don’t have to backtrack as much,” Adcox said. Adcox provided a suggested reading list, but the kids were free to read anything they wanted. When asked what his favorite part of the summer reading program, Silas Doss from Kenai had an easy answer. “The astronaut!” Doss said, and he had the space suit to prove it. Silas’s mom, Tera Doss, said that her favorite part was how much her kids ended up reading throughout the summer. The Doss kids logged about 40 hours between the four of them. A week before the summer See stories, Page A2
See news, Page A3
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U.S. jets escort Russian bombers over Bering Sea MOSCOW — The Russian military says two of its nuclear-capable strategic bombers have flown a patrol mission over the Bering Sea, where they were escorted by U.S. fighter jets. The Defense Ministry said two Tu-95 bombers flew Thursday over international waters during a 10-hour mission that was part of the Ocean Shield exercise. It said U.S. F-22 and F-18 fighters escorted the Russian bombers at certain parts of their flight. Russia has significantly increased the number and scope of its military drills amid tensions with the U.S. and its NATO allies that followed Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.
Sunny
Triumverate gets creative to fill funding holes By Joey Klecka Peninsula Clarion
The recent slashes to the state budget have the potential to affect nearly every corner of the state, including the arts and humanities. To meet these challenges, the Triumvirate Theatre troupe in north Kenai have taken matters into their own hands — and have something special growing for locals. The group will host Farm
Fest 2019 this Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at Ridgeway Farms on Strawberry Road, just off the Kenai Spur Highway. The fest will benefit the theater group, which lost about 10% from its operating budget this year, according to event organizer Joe Rizzo. Rizzo said the loss of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, a victim of the recent budget cuts, hit Triumvirate significantly. The theater company received about
$10,000 to $15,000 of its total operating budget of around $130,000 from the council. “Triumvirate took a big hit when they wiped that out,” Rizzo said. “We worked with those guys a lot … We’re having to make up for it.” In order to make up the deficit, Rizzo said he came up with the idea of Farm Fest, which he hopes can be an annual event. “I’ve been thinking of doing this for years,” he said. So why a farm-themed