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Vol. 50, Issue 22
In the news
Guilty plea to fatal stabbing at Alaska Zoo ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage man has pleaded guilty to seconddegree murder in the stabbing death of the head gardener at the Alaska Zoo. State prosecutors say Clayton Charlie, 34, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to killing 45-yearold Michael Greco on the grounds of the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage on Nov. 4. Greco had worked at the zoo since March 2014. A witness shortly after 7:30 a.m. Nov. 5 found Greco’s body in the lower parking lot of the zoo and called police. Charlie in his plea agreement admitted stabbing Greco multiple times and running him over with a vehicle. The plea agreement requires a sentence of 35 to 55 years in prison and restitution.
Report: No definitive reasons for post suicides FAIRBANKS — A study by a military behavioral health team has failed to pinpoint definitive reasons for soldier suicides at Fort Wainwright, but it found possible risk factors. A report obtained by KTVF-TV outlines steps taken by the team that responded to the post after U.S. Rep. Don Young asked for medical professionals to examine the situation. The review took place between March and September. Since May 2018, nine Fort Wainwright soldiers have died in cases not attributed to accident or other known cause. Four have been confirmed as suicides. The review identified 11 suicides between January 2014 and March of this year. Risk factors identified in the suicides included issues with pain, sleep and relationships, according to the executive summary of the report. It says its findings are consistent with past similar reviews. In the Fort Wainwright review, more than 4,000 soldiers also were surveyed. Among the findings, one out of every five soldiers feared being seen as weak for seeking behavioral-health care. About one-third of them described their recent sleep as poor. Of those, 41% said too much light See news, Page A2
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Wednesday, October 30, 2019 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Drivers beware: Moose out and about By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
As winter approaches, bringing with it shorter days and hazardous weather conditions, Alaskans are reminded to drive carefully and watch for dangers on the road — namely, grazing moose. “Moose are dark-colored animals and, with no snow yet on the ground for contrast, seeing them at night can be next to impossible,” Alaska State Trooper Captain Rick Roberts said in an Oct. 3 post on the Troopers Facebook page. Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist for the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge John Morton said that
moose tend to congregate along the roadside in the winter months for two main reasons: the roads being plowed make them easier for calves to navigate, so the cows will bring their offspring to graze, and the salts used to keep the roads from freezing provide a tasty snack. This year, the Swan Lake Fire burned more than 160,000 acres of the Refuge, with much of that being moose habitat. Morton said that although there might be a slightly higher concentration of moose in the areas that weren’t burned, drivers should not expect any significant uptick in roadside moose sightings See moose, Page A3
Photo courtesy Laurie Speakman
Laurie Speakman updates a moose crossing sign in Soldotna on Oct. 10.
‘I was concerned by the call’
Alexander Vindman, a lieutenant colonel, listened in on President Donald Trump’s July 25 conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy By Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Colleen Long Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Defying White House orders, an Army officer serving with President Donald Trump’s National Security Council testified to impeachment investigators Tuesday that he twice raised concerns over Trump’s push to have Ukraine investigate Democrats and Joe Biden. Alexander Vindman, a lieutenant colonel who served in Iraq and later as a diplomat, told House investigators behind closed doors that he listened to Trump’s July 25 call with new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and reported his concerns to the NSC’s lead counsel, according to his prepared testimony. His arrival in military blue, with medals, created a striking image as he entered the Capitol and made his way to the secure briefing room. “I was concerned by the call,” Vindman said, according to his testimony obtained by The Associated Press. “I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine.” Vindman, a 20-year military officer, was the first official who
Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press
Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a military officer at the National Security Council, center, arrives Tuesday on Capitol Hill to appear before a House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Committee on Oversight and Reform joint interview with the transcript to be part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
listened in on the phone call to testify as the impeachment inquiry reaches deeper into the Trump administration and Democrats prepare for the next, public phase of the probe. He was also the first
current White House official to appear before the impeachment panels. With the administration directing staff not to appear, he was issued a subpoena to testify. The inquiry is looking into Trump’s
call, in which he asked Zelenskiy for a “favor” — to investigate Democrats — that the Democrats say was a quid pro quo for military aid and could be See call, Page A14
Pledge gives $5.7M to improve rural health care By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
Health insurance company Premera Blue Cross has pledged $5.7 million in grants to promote rural health care in Alaska. “Rural clinicians often do not have the resources to provide (certain) services,” said Jeff Roe, president and CEO of Premera
Blue Cross at a press conference in Anchorage Tuesday. “It is critical to invest in effective, long-term solutions to close the growing gap between urban and rural health care access.” The money from Premera will be split between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), the University of Alaska Anchorage with a grant-making
fund administered by the Rasmusen Foundation in partnership with the Alaska Community Foundation. T h e g ra n t- m a k i n g f u n d , known as the Rural Health Care Fund, will receive $3 million, the largest portion of Premera’s pledged money. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 will be given to rural outpatients
clinics, community health centers and hospitals for small capital improvement projects and medical equipment, according to Roe. UAA will receive $1.77 million to expand its nursing programs at all four of its campuses. Grant money will be used to expand the university’s Recruitment and Retention See care, Page A3
Soldotna, Seldovia vote to support climate change plan By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
The Soldotna and Seldovia city councils voted to support a climate change adaptation plan at the borough level. The Soldotna resolution, passed at the Oct. 24 Soldotna City Council meeting, supports the “inclusion of climate adaption and mitigation measures in the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan.”
The Seldovia resolution, adopted at their Monday, Oct. 28 city council meeting, supports “the inclusion of practical climate adaption and mitigation measures” in the borough’s comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan is used to continue developing the borough and is updated to reflect changing conditions, trends, laws, regulations and policies, according to the Kenai Peninsula Borough ordinance asking the assembly to approve the 2019
comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan includes details on how climate change may impact the borough and strategies the borough can implement to combat and adapt to warming climate impacts. The last Kenai Peninsula Borough Comprehensive Plan was updated in 2005. The social, economic and environmental conditions of the Kenai Peninsula Borough have changed over the past 14 years, the ordinance said. Soldotna City Council member
Jordan Chilson introduced the resolution supporting a comprehensive plan that includes an outline for how the borough should address changes to the climate. The Kenai Peninsula Borough issued three disaster declarations this summer in response to wildfires and droughts caused by increased and unprecedented heat and dryness. The city of Seldovia and local See plan, Page A3