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Vol. 49, Issue 279
In the news
Area burn suspension lifted The burn suspension on the Kenai Peninsula was lifted Monday, following moderating weather and precipitation. Earlier this summer, Alaska’s wildland fire season was extended from Aug. 31 to Sept. 30, so burn permits are still required for any open burning or use of burn barrels until the end of the month, the Department of Natural Resources said in a Monday release. Permits can be obtained online at forestry.alaska. gov/burn and at local fire departments on the Kenai Peninsula.
Big city
More bodies found in wreckage left by Dorian
Ostrander nabs 16th at 5th Avenue Mile
Nation & World / A5
Sports / A7
CLARION
60/43 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
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Tuesday, September 10, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Permanent fund grew by $1.4B in last fiscal year ANCHORAGE — Despite a large transfer of funds to the state treasury, the Alaska Permanent Fund has grown by $1.4 billion, a report said. The fund earned enough from investments to grow by 2% in the fiscal year that ended June 30, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. The Permanent Fund Corporation’s board of See news, Page A3
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District performance above state average By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Kenai Peninsula students scored on average higher on English, math and science than students did statewide, according to results released last week from annual statewide performance assessments. The assessments are used to provide data for parents, educators, policymakers, communities and businesses about how Alaska schools are performing. Students score on a rubric
of four levels — advanced, proficient, below proficient and far below proficient. The student scores are then used by the state to assess whether students are proficient or not proficient. On the Kenai Peninsula 47.6% of students were proficient in English, compared to the state average of 39.2% of students. In math, 40.9% of peninsula students were assessed as proficient, compared to 35.7% of students statewide. In science, 54.9% of peninsula students were assessed as
proficient, versus the statewide average of 44.6%. The assessments took place this spring, with about 76,400 students across the state participating. The Performance Evaluation for Alaska Schools assessment, or the PEAKS assessment, tests students between third and ninth grade on current English and math standards. The Alaska Science Assessment focuses on state science standards for students in fourth grade, eighth grade See assess, Page A3
Victoria Petersen / Peninsula Clarion
Students in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District performed better than the state average on statewide assessments, based on statistics released last week.
Community applauds firefighting crews Ground gained on fire
Grizzly with cubs mauls hunter; sow shot by partner ANCHORAGE — An Alaska hunter is recovering from a mauling by a grizzly. Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain says the injured hunter was with a partner Friday in the Eureka area when they surprised a sow with two cubs. Eureka is about 110 miles northeast of Anchorage. The sow attacked and seriously injured one hunter. The second hunter shot and killed the bear. The hunters made it on their own to a cabin. A Lifemed Alaska helicopter flew to the cabin and transported the injured man to an Anchorage hospital. The injured man’s name was not released. DeSpain says other hunters confirmed the sow had died and the bear kill was reported to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Showers
Public lands reopened as crews make progress on Swan Lake Fire, which is 37% contained. Victoria petersen Peninsula Clarion
■■ Did you know 1 million seabirds are killed by plastic bags annually? ■■ Did you know the average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year? Plastic bags are used an average of 12 minutes. “We can do better by our community,” said Venuti. The Homer Community Food Pantry might well be a bellwether for the vote. About two years ago, Cook InletKeeper gave the pantry several dozen reusable bags for their clients. The pantry started offering a special treat — something as simple as a jar of mayonnaise or a roll of crackers — to those who would bring back their reusable bags, said Pat Boone, vice president of the pantry’s board of directors. She is leading the effort to move the pantry away from plastic bags to reusable bags made of cloth or some other long lasting material. The treats work, said Boone. Eightyfive percent of the food pantry clients use a reusable bag or something other than a plastic bag — a tub, a box, a backpack. “Everybody likes to get a treat. … People are willing to help, if we just give them an opportunity and remind them of what needs to be done,” said Boone. Still, the food pantry continues to need plastic bags and other plastic
There was minimal fire activity on the Swan Lake Fire Sunday, according to the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Office of Emergency Management Monday fire update. The Swan Lake Fire is measured to be about 163,686 acres and is 37% contained, according to the update. Sunday saw light winds and temperatures in the 60s, while crews continued to look for hot spots. On Monday, crews continued mop-up efforts and patrol control lines near Sterling, Fuller Lake, Resurrection Trail, the Sterling Highway and Skilak Lake. Firefighters were also slated to cut down hazardous trees, repair dozer lines and reinforce the east flank of the fire. In Cooper Landing, firefighters will work on structure protection measures. A Burned Area Emergency Response Team has been deployed to assess the potential post-wildfire hazards that could arise in the area of the fire. “After a fire, the first priority is emergency stabilization in order to prevent further damage to life, property or natural resources on public lands,” the update said. More than $42.8 million has been spent to combat the fire, according to Monday’s National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report. At 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the Northern Rockies Team 4 will begin to take over the Swan Lake Fire from the Great Basin Team. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks announced Monday that previously closed public lands would be open beginning 12:01 a.m., Tuesday. A portion of the Upper Kenai River, which was
See ban, Page A3
See fire, Page A3
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Peninsula residents and firefighters enjoy a meal together during the first responder appreciation barbecue at Soldotna Creek Park on Monday.
Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
On just a weekend’s notice, hundreds of peninsula residents visited Soldotna Creek Park on Monday night to show their support for the first responders and the fire crews that have been battling the Swan Lake Fire. Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, put the word out about
the event on Thursday and said he had no trouble finding the sponsors and volunteers for the event. “I made four phone calls and it was on,” Micciche said on Monday. The event featured free hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled salmon and homemade desserts donated by sponsors including Pacific Star Seafoods, Inc., Hilcorp, Marathon, Conoco Phillips Alaska, the City of
Soldotna, Coca-Cola and KSRM. The Malone and Mabrey Brothers Band volunteered their time and talent on stage, and each crew of firefighters was greeted with applause and handshakes as they arrived. The line for food spanned the length of the park, but Micciche said they had a “contigency plan” in place in case they ran out that included trips to Safeway and Fred Meyer.
electon 2019
Homer bag ban proposition back on ballot By Lori Evans For the Homer News
Homer City Council member Caroline Venuti saw plastic bags floating in the ocean and hanging in the trees. A lifelong Alaskan and a teacher, Venuti saw an opportunity to teach, while helping the environment and her community. In September 2018, she introduced a measure at the city government level to place a question on the Oct. 1 ballot asking Homer voters if they want to prohibit retailers from providing thin, single-use plastic bags, those bags under 2.5 mils, or .0025 inches, thick. In a 4-2 vote the following month, the council agreed to ask voters what they wanted to do. A “yes” vote in the upcoming election on Oct. 1 will amend city code and prohibit retailers from providing those bags. “It’s not a ban on all plastic bags — only on the lightest, most flimsy, most impractical bags,” said Venuti, who readily admits her reliance on other plastic bags, most notably the resealable kind. She thinks times have changed since former city council member David Lewis introduced an ordinance banning the same kind of plastic bags in 2012. The measure passed the council, but was later overthrown by voters in a special election. Opponents of the measure said the council had overreached its authority.
Proposition A On Oct. 1, Homer voters will decide Proposition A, which reads as follows: Should the City of Homer: Amend Homer City Code to add chapter 5.42 single use plastic carryout bags the purpose of which is to prohibit a seller from providing a buyer a single use plastic carry out bag under 2.5 mils thick? ( ) Yes ( ) No
Venuti believes voters will approve the measure next month because they have far more knowledge about what plastics are doing to the environment, to seabirds, to fish, to marine and land mammals, and to humans. “People are more aware. The timing is right,” she said. Other Alaska communities — including Anchorage, Soldotna, Kodiak, Hooper Bay, Bethel, Palmer, Unalaska and Wasilla — have already banned the bags, and Venuti doesn’t miss an opportunity to share informational tidbits with the public and council members about why a “yes” vote is the right thing to do. Some examples: ■■ Did you know Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year?