Go vote!
Elements
Today is Election Day
Rain, wind test marathon runners
Polling places / A2
53/38 More weather, Page A2
Sports / A6
g atin f r b e Cel years o 50 insula Pen ws! ne Vol. 50, Issue 1
In the news
Utqiagvik to vote on first state tax on soda, sweet drinks ANCHORAGE — Residents of a northern Alaska community are set to vote on whether to impose the state’s first tax on most sodas and other sweetened drinks. Voters in Utqiagvik are scheduled to vote Tuesday on the proposed tax on drinks sold in the city, the Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. The proposed ordinance would impose a 1-cent tax per 1 ounce of soda, energy drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages sold in the community at the state’s northern tip. The tax on a 12-ounce can of soda would be 12 cents. A bottle holding 20 ounces would be taxed 20 cents. A 2-liter bottle of soda would cost 67 cents more, while a 12-pack of cans would cost $1.44 more. Fountain drinks also would be taxed by volume, officials said. The tax does not cover 100% fruit or vegetable juices, milk products, medicinal drinks, baby formula, weight-loss drinks, or alcohol. Qualifying beverages must have at least 2 calories per ounce, which disqualifies zero-calorie sodas and bottled water. The ordinance states that 75% of the tax proceeds would be reserved for youth programs and activities sponsored or conducted by the city. If Utqiagvik imposes the tax, “to our knowledge, this is the first official ‘soda tax,’” state tax assessor Marty McGee said in an email. The Alaska Beverage Association opposes the tax, according to campaign finance reports. The association has sent flyers to North Slope Borough residents and is placing an ad in the Arctic Sounder newspaper. Utqiagvik’s city council voted unanimously to place the measure on the ballot. Utqiagvik Councilwoman Megan Edwardsen proposed the measure but said persuading the 4,500 residents to vote for it may be difficult. “I hope it’s implemented,” Edwardsen said. “I’m not going to hold my breath, though.” See news, Page A3
Local . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Nation . . . . . . . . . A5 World . . . . . . . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . A6 Classifieds . . . . . . . A8 TV Guide . . . . . . . A10 Comics . . . . . . . . A11 Pets . . . . . . . . . . A12 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
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
s Clu
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
b
$1 newsstands daily/$1.50 Sunday
Giuliani subpoenaed; inquiry heats up By Jonathan Lemire, Matthew V. Lee, Mary Clare Jalonick and Emily Swanson Associated Press
WASHINGTON — At one end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the president raged about treason. At the other, the methodical march toward impeachment proceeded apace. Democrats on Monday subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer who was at the heart of Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family. That
was after one of Trump’s staunchest defenders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said he would have “no choice” but to consider articles of impeachment if the House approved them. With Congress out of session for observance of the Jewish holidays, Democrats moved aggressively against Giuliani, requesting by Oct. 15 “text messages, phone records and other communications” that they referred to as possible evidence. They also requested documents and depositions from three of his business associates. Meanwhile, the circle of officials with
knowledge of Trump’s phone call to Ukraine’s president widened with the revelation that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened in on the July 25 conversation. Pompeo’s presence on the Ukraine call, confirmed by two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal matter, provided the first confirmation that a Cabinet official heard Trump press President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Hunter Biden’s membership on See inquiry, Page A3
Toxic PFAS found in many water supplies
Spin city in Soldotna
The toxins, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have not been found at unsafe levels in Kenai drinking water. By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
fill the void left by the absence of the Moose Is Loose. “I can’t eat donuts from other places,” Aldridge said. “After you’ve eaten here, it’s just not the same.” “Every birthday from
A new report showed the prevalence of toxic chemicals in the drinking water of several Alaska towns — but so far the toxins have not been found at unsafe levels in Kenai. The report, published by nonprofit Alaska Community Action on Toxics, explores the prevalence of the toxins, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in Alaska’s drinking water. At airports and military facilities, PFAS is often found in firefighting foam, which can leach into the ground when used. PFAS contamination was confirmed at nearly every site investigated, the report said. In December 2018, six wells near Kenai Airport were sampled for 14 different PFAS compounds. Tests did not detect unsafe PFAS levels above the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation August 2018 Action Levels — health advisory levels set by Gov. Bill Walker’s administration. Valdez and Cordova airports similarly showed little to no PFAS contamination. Two wells in Kenai did show levels of perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) at levels below 1 part per million, the report said. The PFAS exposure is linked to adverse health outcomes, including liver and kidney damage, reproductive and developmental harm, immune system impairment and certain cancers, according to the report. PFAS contamination and impacts to the safety of drinking water have been found originating from the Fairbanks, Utqiagvik, Gustavus, Dillingham, King Salmon and Yakutat airports, the report said. Preliminary sampling at Anchorage International Airport indicates the need for further testing, and results are pending for Juneau International Airport, according to the report. PFAS contamination at the Homer Airport has not been tested and is unknown. Under Walker, the state tested for several different kinds of chemicals. In April 2019, Gov. Mike Dunleavy lowered standards for testing, and now, the state Department of Conservation only tests for two of those chemicals. “In choosing to limit future testing of PFAS compounds to only PFOS and PFOA, the Dunleavy Administration acted against the
See moose, Page A3
See water, Page A2
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Cole Harmon shows off his great wheel — also known as a muckle wheel — during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Saturday. Harmon spins with qiviut, which is the inner wool of the musk ox and is harvested by Alaska Native elders in Nome. Harmon discovered recently that his wheel was built in the 1750s out of salvaged shipwreck wood by Quakers on the East Coast. The wood itself is about 900 years old and was originally harvested in Scotland.
Shelter says it beat back transgender rule By Rachel D’Oro Associated Press
ANCHORAGE— A faith-based Anchorage women’s shelter claimed victory Monday in a lawsuit against the city over a requirement that it accept transgender women. The city has agreed to make permanent a judge’s recent order affecting the downtown Hope Center shelter, conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom and city
attorneys said in documents filed Monday in federal court. In August, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason issued an injunction preventing the city from applying its gender identity law to the shelter. The injunction showed the city it was unlikely to succeed in further litigation, Anchorage Municipal Attorney Becky Windt Pearson said. The consent decree filed Monday treats the shelter as a private accommodation, which means public protection
law does not apply to it, she said. “We had a fairly clear message from the federal court through Judge Gleason’s order that she did not think that we would prevail in our argument that downtown Hope Center fell within the definition of public accommodation,” Windt Pearson said. As part of the consent decree filed Monday, the city also has agreed to pay the shelter $1 in damages and See rule, Page A3
Moose Is Loose serves up its final pastries By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Index
Rainy
Saturday marked the end of an era for a beloved Soldotna bakery. The Moose Is Loose was open for the last time on Saturday after 18 years of business. People flocked from all over the peninsula and beyond to enjoy one last maple bar or moose snack before it was too late. The line outside the bakery was wrapped around the building, and people easily waited up to three hours to get their favorite pastry. Aleshia Quennell and her son Lucas were
returning from a bathroom break after standing in line for about an hour — luckily someone was willing to hold their spot in line. The Quennells live in Wasilla and visit the Moose is Loose every time they make it down to the peninsula, so when they heard the news of its closing they knew they had to make one last trip. “We’ve had a lot of the different stuff, but we always get at least one of the moose snacks,” Quennell said. Tabetha Aldridge is a Soldotna resident and remembers her mom bringing her snacks from
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
The line outside of the Moose Is Loose can be seen Saturday on the popular bakery’s last day of business.
the bakery any time she was having a rough day. “My mom was like, freaking out when she saw that they were closing,” Aldridge said. “She came three days in a row and got four boxes worth of donuts.” Aldridge said that she doesn’t know how she’ll