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Vol. 49, Issue 259
In the news Dunleavy says he’ll support funding for senior benefits JUNEAU — Gov. Mike Dunleavy says he will support funding for a program that provides cash benefits to lowerincome older Alaskans. He made the announcement Monday at a Chugiak senior center. In June, Dunleavy’s administration announced more than $400 million in vetoes, including funding for the senior benefits program The Legislature, unable to override the vetoes, instead passed legislation restoring much of the vetoed money — including funding for senior benefits. Dunleavy said he will finalize the budget this week. He said the budget still must be reduced, and spokesman Matt Shuckerow said “significant vetoes” are yet expected. But Dunleavy attributed his shift on senior benefits to “fantastic feedback” he said he had received. Public outcry over Dunleavy’s vetoes has fueled a recall effort.
Anchorage police release name of man killed in fiery crash ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police have released the name of a man who died in a fiery crash on the city’s south side. Police say 36-year-old Gilbert Naomoff died last week on Arctic Boulevard at west Dowling Road. Police took a call on the crash just before 6 p.m. Friday. They determined that Naomoff’s compact sedan had been southbound at high speed on Arctic and hit a bridge near railroad tracks. The car rolled multiple times and caught fire. Responders pronounced Naomoff dead at the scene. The crash closed Arctic Boulevard for about four hours.
Flood watch issued for Denali, nearby areas FAIRBANKS — Heavy rain is forecast for Denali See NEWS, Page A2
New rules could deny green cards to immigrants
Young, old sling dirt at raceway
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Warning: Way too many pink salmon By Dan Joling Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — Biological oceanographer Sonia Batten experienced her lightbulb moment on the perils of too many salmon three years ago as she prepared a talk on the most important North Pacific seafood you’ll never see on a plate — zooplankton. Zooplanktons nourish everything from juvenile salmon to seabirds to giant whales. But as Batten examined 15 years of data collected by instruments
on container ships near the Aleutian Islands, she noticed a trend: zooplankton was abundant in evennumber years and less abundant in odd-number years. Something was stripping a basic building block in the food web every other year. And just one predator fit that profile. “The only thing that we have in this whole area with an up and down, alternating-year pattern is pink salmon,” said Batten of Canada’s Marine Biological Association. Pink salmon are wildly abundant in odd-number years and less abundant
in even-number years. They comprise nearly 70% of what’s now the largest number of salmon populating the North Pacific since last century. But an increasing number of marine researchers say the voracious eaters are thriving at the expense of higher-value sockeye salmon, seabirds and other species with whom their diet overlaps. In addition to the flourishing wild populations of pink salmon, Alaska hatcheries release 1.8 billion pink salmon fry annually. And hatcheries in Asian countries contribute an additional 3 billion-plus fish.
“We’re putting too many mouths to compete with the wild fish out there,” says Nancy Hillstrand, owner of a fish processing company near Homer, Alaska, who has been lobbying Alaska wildlife authorities to reduce hatchery output. A 2018 study estimated 665 million adult salmon in the North Pacific. Pink salmon dominated at 67%, followed by chums at 20% and sockeye at 13%. Salmon abundance since the late 1970s has been enhanced by See salmon, Page A3
Filing ends Thursday for potential candidates By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Jeff Helminiak / Peninsula Clarion
Kids burst from the start of the Brewery to Bathroom .5K “The race for the rest of us” in Soldotna on Sunday.
Brewery to Bathroom .5K winner? Fight against cancer By Jeff Helminiak Peninsula Clarion
The Brewery to Bathroom .5K “The race for the rest of us” is the perfect satire of the typical fundraising 5K, right down to organizer Alana Martin herself. Before the Kenai Peninsula Relay For Life event Sunday morning, like any good organizer, Martin inspects the 326-foot course, which goes from Kenai River Brewing Company to the bathrooms at Soldotna Creek Park, and back. Martin has planted demotivating signs along the route such as, “Look, you can’t make everyone happy. You are not bacon,” and, “If we’re not meant to have midnight snacks why is there a light in the fridge?”
Thinking up those signs must have taken effort, right? “I’m not that smart,” Martin demurs. “I got them from the internet.” She does get serious when she arrives at the turnaround spot, a refueling station operated by Kenai Lions Club that includes doughnut holes, cookies, strudels and Peeps. “Worst-case scenario, we don’t want them to do more than .5K,” Martin instructs. “Turn around and go back.” Like any satire, though, once the cheekiness and laughter is brushed aside, something serious lies beneath. Since it was started last year, the .5K has quickly become the second-biggest fundraiser for Kenai Peninsula Relay For Life. The relay event on the first
Saturday in June raised $38,000 toward the $55,000 goal, while the .5K raised $5,700 by the start of the race. The relay fiscal year ends Aug. 31. Kristin Mitchell is a physician who has lived on the central peninsula for 20 years. She crossed the finish line with Geri Ransom, a Kasilof nurse who has two brothers battling cancer. Mitchell said she has taken care of more people than she can count with cancer and the .5K event suits that group. “When people are dealing with life-threatening illness, there’s a lot of seriousness, but there’s also a lot of laughter, celebration and fun,” she said. This year, the event had 164 preregister for the recommended See race, Page A3
Residents in Soldotna and Kenai who want to get more involved in their local governments will have several opportunities this upcoming election season. Those interested in running for a city council position or a mayoral spot can contact their local city clerk to file for candidacy. Candidates must be 21 or older, a qualified voter in the state of Alaska and have lived in their respective city for one year prior. The filing period for city and borough elections ends Thursday, Aug. 15. Election Day is Oct. 1.
Kenai The city of Kenai has two open seats on the city council, which are currently held by Glenese Pettey and Jim Glendening. Kenai will also be electing a new mayor this fall. The city’s current mayor is Brian Gabriel. The mayoral position and the city council positions are all three-year terms, ending October 2022. All candidates for Kenai office will need to file with the Kenai city clerk by 5 p.m. on Aug. 15. Reach the Kenai city clerk 907-2838231 or go to www.kenai.city.
Soldotna The city of Soldotna has two open seats on the city council, which are currently held by Tim Cashman and Lisa Parker. To be eligible to run for the city council, candidates must be a registered voter in the city and a resident of the city for at least one year, preceding the date of declaration. Candidates must file with the Soldotna city clerk before 4:30 p.m., Aug. 15. Reach the Soldotna city clerk 907-262-9107 or www.soldotna.org.
Researchers receive federal funds to study Cook Inlet belugas By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
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Scientists studying belugas in Cook Inlet received federal funds to continue research on the endangered species. Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been awarded $1.7 million in three grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Species Recovery Grants to States Program. The program is designed to support management, research and outreach campaigns for the conservation of wildlife on the endangered species list, a Friday press release from Congressman Don Young, who voted in support of the funding, said. A $443,579, three-year award goes toward research for adult female
Inside ■■ President Donald Trump moves to overhaul landmark endangered species protections. Page A3 Steller sea lions in western Alaska. The goal of the research is to provide updated, fine-scale, understanding of adult female Steller sea lion foraging habitat, and to determine the environmental factors influencing the timing and location of foraging behavior, thus providing better information to meet management needs, according to NOAA. The other two grants help fund research for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population. The grants are $850,641 and $409,802 and See study, Page A3
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Beluga whales arch their backs through the surface of the water in September 2017. Of Alaska’s five distinct beluga whale populations, only Cook Inlet’s is listed as endangered.