Whodunit?
d Rea er v by o
8
,000
a ple o e p ! day
Vol. 49, Issue 291
In the news
Minimum wage to rise to $10.19 Alaska’s minimum wage is set to increase 30 cents on Jan. 1, 2020. The wage will increase from $9.89 an hour, to $10.19 an hour. In 2014, Alaskans voted to raise the minimum wage by $1 in both 2015 and 2016, and required the rate to be adjusted annually for inflation, according to an October press release from the Office of the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Tips do not count toward the Alaska minimum wage. To adjust for inflation, the state uses the previous calendar year’s Consumer Price Index for urban consumers in the Anchorage Metropolitan Area. The index is a measure of the average change in prices paid by urban consumers over time. Last year, minimum wage rose 5 cents, from $9.84 to $9.89. In 2017, 2018 and 2019 the minimum wage only rose 5 cents. By law, Alaska’s minimum wage must remain at least $1 per hour over the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25. Alaska is among 30 states with minimum wages above $7.25. Washington state, California and Massachusetts have state minimum wages of $12 and Washington, D.C., offers workers a minimum of $14 an hour.
Fishing disasters declared for 7 states, 3 coasts NEW ORLEANS — U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has declared fishing disasters for seven states on three coasts. “Fishing is the cornerstone of countless coastal economies and has been a way of life for generations of Americans,” he said in a brief news release Wednesday. “This determination acknowledges the critical role fisheries play in our communities, and the risks they face from natural disasters and other causes beyond their control.” Ross’ action makes people and businesses eligible for NOAA fisheries disaster assistance. Congress has See news, Page A6
Index Local . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Nation & World . . . . A5 Public Safety . . . . . . A6 Sports . . . . . . . . . A7 Arts . . . . . . . . . . A9 Classifieds . . . . . . A11 TV Guide . . . . . . . A13 Comics . . . . . . . . A14 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Pick ‘Em
Performers put on dinner theater mystery
NFL Week 4 arrives with hopes of improvement
Arts & Entertainment / A9
Sports / A8
CLARION
53/29 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
Thursday, September 26, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Sunny
s Clu
b
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Swan Lake Fire boosts power rates for some By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
A transmission line damaged by the Swan Lake Fire is causing power costs to rise for residents living north of Sterling, Julie Hasquet, corporate communication manager for Chugach Electric said. The peninsula communities of Cooper Landing, Hope, and Moose Pass — which are serviced by Chugach Electric — and Seward,
which is serviced by the city, will see power bills go up, but communities south of Cooper Landing will not be impacted. The power cost increases — which are expected to be 3% to 6% higher than normal, until the transmission line is back in service — will be noticed by customers in the next few months, a Monday press release sent by Chugach Electric said. South of Sterling, power from Bradley Lake remains available in
communities serviced by Homer Electric Association, Bruce Shelley, Homer Electric Association director of member relations said. Earlier this summer, the Swan Lake Fire damaged a transmission line connecting the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project to the Chugach power lines, and connecting power lines in the Matanuska Susitna Valley and Fairbanks. The Bradley Lake Hydroelectric
Project is the largest of seven hydroelectric facilities in the state, and produces up to 10% of the energy needs along the rail belt, the release said. The project provides power to Chugach Electric, the city of Seward, Homer Electric Association, Municipal Light and Power, Matanuska Electric Association and Golden Valley Electric Association. Hasquet said See rates, Page A3
D.C. delves into impeachment probe By Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Julie Pace Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pressed the leader of Ukraine to “look into” Joe Biden, Trump’s potential 2020 reelection rival, as well as the president’s lingering grievances from the 2016 election, according to a rough transcript of a summer phone call that is now at the center of Democrats’ impeachment probe. Trump repeatedly prodded Volodymyr Zelenskiy, new president of the East European nation, to work Inside with U.S. Attorney General ■■ House Speaker William Barr and Nancy Pelosi’s Rudy Giuliani, path to saying “yes” to starting Trump’s personal lawyer. impeachment At one point in inquiry. Page A5 the July conversation, Trump said, “I would like for you to do us a favor.” The president’s request for such help from a foreign leader set the parameters for the major U.S. debate to come — just the fourth impeachment investigation of an American president in the nation’s history. The initial response highlighted the deep divide between the two parties: Democrats said the call amounted to a “shakedown” of a foreign leader, while Trump — backed by the vast
Evan Vucci / Associated Press
President Donald Trump listens Wednesday during a multilateral meeting on Venezuela at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel during the United Nations General Assembly.
majority of Republicans — dismissed it as a “nothing call.” The call is one part of a whistleblower complaint about the president’s activities that have roiled Washington and led Democrats to move ahead with an impeachment
inquiry of the Republican president on the cusp of the 2020 campaign. After being stymied by the administration, members of the House and Senate intelligence committees took their first look at the complaint late Wednesday. Republicans kept largely
quiet, but several Democrats, including Intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, called the classified account “disturbing.” Some from both parties want it to See probe, Page A2
Borough accepting invocation applications By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Applications to offer invocations during Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meetings are now open on the borough’s website. Any Kenai Peninsula Borough resident can sign up to provide an invocation, which is described on the borough’s website as a short prayer or a solemnizing message offered
at the beginning of each assembly meeting for the benefit of the assembly, accommodating for the spiritual needs of the public officials. Any person wishing to provide an invocation must submit a dated, written request to the clerk’s office. Residents approved to provide invocations will be scheduled on a firstcome, first-served basis. Each resident may only ask to provide one invocation at a time,
and no one will be schedule to offer an invocation at consecutive assembly meetings, or at more than four assembly meetings in any calendar year. The assembly requests by the language of its policy that no invocation should proselytize or advance any faith, or disparage the religious faith or non-religious views of others, the borough’s website said. For the remainder of 2019, four
more assembly meetings are scheduled. Angela Roland will be providing an invocation Oct. 8. George R. Holly Jr. will provide an invocation Oct. 22. Assembly member Willy Dunne will provide an invocation at the Nov. 5 borough assembly meeting. On Dec. 3, Tom Anthony will provide the assembly meeting invocation. The borough’s invocation policy See invocation, Page A3
Citizen scientists catch site of belugas By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Citizen scientists from around the state scanned the waters of the Cook Inlet last weekend for the third annual Belugas Count! event. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 15 public viewing stations were set up around Cook Inlet, from Tyonek to Goose Bay to Homer, where people could come and assist the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in their annual tally of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale. One station was set up in Kenai at Erik Hansen Scout Park, which overlooks the mouth of the Kenai River as it flows into Cook Inlet. Volunteers Grace Kautek and Ed Schmitt staffed the Kenai station and provided beluga-watchers with information
about the animals as well as extra binoculars, hot coffee and snacks. Schmitt is the president of the board for the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, of which Kautek is also a member. Both were involved in the Kenai count last year, and Kautek took a break from her day job at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage to visit family and help with the count. By noon on Saturday, belugawatchers had already spotted 14 belugas that had made their way up the Kenai River. Locals have reported beluga sightings on the Kenai River for decades, and sightings are highest in the spring and fall for one reason: fish. “They use the river as a funnel,” Kautek said. “They’re coming when the tide is lower and there’s less water in the river so the fish are channeled See belugas, Page A3
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Alaska Wildlife Alliance member Grace Kautek looks out over the Kenai River for signs of belugas during the third annual Belugas Count! event at Erik Hansen Scout Park in Kenai on Saturday.