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Vol. 49, Issue 275
‘Apocalyptic’
Level up
Hurricane Dorian brings utter devastation to the Bahamas
Peninsula alum makes strides in college
Nation & World / A5
Sports / A8
CLARION
63/41 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
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
District Board to take new vote on finfish meeting leader: Plan for strike By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
School district Superintendent John O’Brien told parents and guardians in a Friday letter to prepare for a strike by educators and staff. “Please know that I have directed the school district’s negotiation team to work tirelessly to engage the unions to find a fiscally responsible compromise to reach a tentative agreement,” O’Brien said in the letter. “However, in the unfortunate event that a few union leaders call for a strike, you as parents must be prepared and ready.” O’Brien’s letter asks parents and guardians to prepare contingency plans for children. “The strike will cripple the school district’s ability to continue its critical and core reason for existence — the education of our students,” O’Brien said. “As a result, I will have no option except to initiate a closure of all schools and all school activities.” The emergency closures also includes Boys and Girls Clubs activities in any district school or facility. President of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association David Brighton said he was disheartened to read the letter when it was issued on Friday. “It had a divisive tone, which I thought was unfortunate,” Brighton said. The Kenai Peninsula Education Association and the Kenai Peninsula Education Support Association announced Wednesday, Aug. 28 a potential strike date of See strike, Page A2
correction A Saturday, Aug. 31 story regarding the upcoming vote to establish the Kalifornsky Advisory Planning Commission, said the Funny River Advisory Planning Commission is inactive. The Funny River Planning Commission reactivated in August and its first organizational meeting is 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 5 at the Donald E. Gilman Kenai River Center.
The Alaska Board of Fisheries will hold a new vote on the location of the 2020 Upper Cook Inlet Finfish meeting, following an investigation by the state ombudsmen that found that the board violated the Open Meetings Act. Alaska State Ombudsman Kate Burkhart found in a final Aug. 29 report that the Board of Fisheries violated the act when they decided in January 2019 to relocate the finfish meeting from the Kenai/ Soldotna area to Anchorage, according to a Tuesday release from the
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Board of Fisheries Chair Reed Morisky announced the board would likely be considering the Upper Cook Inlet meeting location at the end of the meeting. On Friday, Jan. 18, the board reversed their March 2018 decision with a 4-3 vote, moving the 2020 meeting back to Anchorage. In May, Burkhart received a confidential complaint alleging the board violated the Open Meetings Act — a state law that requires public entities to provide reasonable and consistent notice of its meetings — by not providing advance notice of their intention to take up the issue of moving the meeting back to
Anchorage. The ombudsman investigation found that while the board had provided notice of its January 2019 meeting, the notice did not include the board’s intent to revisit the issue of where the 2020 finfish meeting would be held. During a break in the Jan. 18 meeting, Morisky told stakeholders from Kenai the board would not take up the issue of the location of the 2020 meeting, and those stakeholders left the meeting based on Morisky’s advice, the ombudsman’s release said. See meeting, Page A2
Cooper Landing, Sterling alert levels lowered By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Evacuation statuses in Cooper Landing and Sterling have been scaled back and normal highway operations have resumed after another night of rain hit the Swan Lake Fire. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, Cooper Landing is at level 1 “READY” status instead of the level 2 “SET” status, and the Sterling neighborhoods east of Feuding Lane and east of Adkins Road are no longer in “READY” status, according to an update from the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Office of Emergency Management. The fire showed no growth Monday night, and the latest mapping from Great Basin Incident Management Team still estimates the size at 162,179 acres. On Monday night, the area of the Swan Lake Fire received 1/5- to 1/2-inch of rain. Intermittent rain is possible for the rest of the week, and significant precipitation is likely to occur this weekend. Season-ending precipitation has still not hit the area of the Swan Lake Fire, but light precipitation is forecast through mid-September, and humidity has returned to relatively normal levels. These changes along with cooler temperatures are
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Cars can be seen traveling west along the Sterling Highway between Sterling and Cooper Landing on Friday.
expected to mitigate further fire activity. Several inches of rain across the Swan Lake Fire are still needed before fire managers identify the blaze as “contained.” Normal operations for the Sterling
Highway have resumed without pilot cars. Construction along the highway has also resumed, so pilot cars may be present in areas of construction. Motorists on the Sterling Highway are advised to use caution while
driving, as fire-weakened trees still present a hazard. Motorists should drive with headlights on at all times and be aware of fire vehicles and See fire, Page A3
Oregon man arrested in 1978 death of Alaska teen By Rachel D’Oro Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — A 62-yearold Oregon man is under arrest in connection with the 1978 rape and death of teenage Anchorage girl, Alaska State Troopers announced Tuesday. Gresham, Oregon, police assisted in the arrest Friday of Donald F. McQuade in connection with the
death of 16-year-old Shelley Connolly, troopers said at a news conference. Genetic DNA testing linked McQuade to the girl’s death, and he was never a suspect before that match. The teenager’s body was found in a ditch along the Seward Highway, about 15 miles south of Anchorage, by a group of people at a roadside pullout taking photographs of the view. Troopers Director Col. Barry Wilson said he wanted to offer his
condolences to the girl’s family and friends. “I can’t imagine how painful it’s been over the years knowing what happened to Shelley and for her case to remain seemingly unnoticed,” Wilson said at a news conference. “While I can announce this outcome today, it does not make up for the years of pain they faced.” The teen’s mother, Judy Connolly, attended the announcement. Afterward, she said she was flabbergasted
when she heard from Alaska State Troopers about the arrest. She noted it had been 41 years since Shelley’s death, which completely altered her family’s lives. “I’d never thought I’d see this day in my lifetime,” she said. “It means a lot.” The teen’s stepfather was shown photos of the victim and identified her after hearing media reports of the See Arrest, Page A3
shop talk
Coffee, blended well with a side of conservatism
Index
By Brian Mazurek
Local . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Nation . . . . . . . . . A5 World . . . . . . . . . A5 Food . . . . . . . . . . A6 Sports . . . . . . . . . A8 Classifieds . . . . . . A11 Comics . . . . . . . . A13 Public Safety . . . . . A14
Ammo Can Coffee in Soldotna is no Starbucks. In fact, owner Jason Floyd has described it as “the conservative response to Starbucks.” “You see a lot of hipster places, socially progressive or environmentally progressive brands that are all about recycling or being stewards of the environment,” Floyd said. “But where’s the advocate for the shotgun-carrying, chainsaw-operating, four-wheel driving, blue-blooded American son and daughter that love their country and have served their country?” The windows are adorned with posters and stickers supporting President Donald Trump, the NRA
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ombudsman’s office. Burkhart said the board should hold another vote on the location of the 2020 meeting location, after providing notice. In an unexpected vote in January, the Alaska Board of Fisheries decided to move the 2020 regulatory meeting from the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage. The meeting was originally going to be held in Anchorage, but a March 2018 vote moved the 2020 meeting to the Kenai-Soldotna area, and established a policy that rotated the Upper Cook Inlet Finfish meetings between Anchorage, Kenai/Soldotna and Palmer/Wasilla. At the start of the Arctic-YukonKuskokwim finfish meeting on
Peninsula Clarion
and the anti-abortion movement. Floyd said that he doesn’t try to hide his conservative beliefs and wants his business to be a place where other people can be free to express those beliefs. He has been running the business his wife and their five kids since June of 2015. Over the years the store has grown from a coffee cart at local festivals to a permanent location on the Kenai Spur Highway. They used to be set up at the Peninsula Center Mall in a small location next to Sportsman’s Warehouse, but moved into a shopping center on the Kenai Spur Highway — near Joann Fabrics and across from the Best Western King Salmon See AMMO, Page A3
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Ammo Can Coffee owner Jason Floyd (left) and his son, Liam, are seen here Aug. 16 at their coffee shop in Soldotna.