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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 31
In the news
Avalanche season prep is underway By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
While the central peninsula has yet to see significant snowfall, November marks Avalanche Awareness Month, and the Chugach National Forest is preparing for avalanche season in Alaska’s backcountry. “Our goal is to increase avalanche awareness on the Chugach National Forest through advisories and public outreach to reduce avalanche accidents and fatalities by providing information and advice on how to manage avalanche concerns on any given day,” Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center Director Wendy Wagner said in a Monday press release. “We tend to focus on slab avalanches, as they are the main type of avalanche that causes the most harm to people.” Observations, forecasts and daily advisories for the backcountry will be available from the Information Center from November to April. Forest Service avalanche specialists work out of the Chugach National Forest Glacier Ranger District in Girdwood. Snowboarders, skiers, snowshoers, snowmachine riders, hikers, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts can stay safe by being prepared and avoiding dangerous situations. To stay safe, the Chugach National Forest recommends avalanche awareness training, knowing and understanding the conditions, carrying rescue gear like an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. Most people caught in an avalanche actually trigger the slide as they travel on or beneath unstable snow, the release said. Free information is provided by the Chugach National Forest to the public with the goal of reducing and preventing backcountry avalanche accidents. Resources are available online at www. cnfaic.org.
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Recall Dunleavy application denied By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
The Recall Dunleavy campaign’s application for a petition in the recall process was denied Monday, according to a press release from the Department of Law. While the application had enough valid signatures and met all the technical requirements, DOL found in its review that the application was “both factually and legally insufficient to meet the statutory grounds for recall,” the release said.
“As a matter of law, recall cannot be premised upon disagreements with the elected official’s policies,” Attorney General Kevin Clarkson said in a statement. Shortly after Clarkson made his announcement, the Recall Dunleavy campaign released their own statement saying they would challenge the rejection in court. “This rejection is without basis, and we will now turn to the courts for a remedy,” said Jahna Lindemuth, one of the lawyers for the campaign and former attorney general.
“We disagree with the attorney general’s decision,” said Claire Pywell, campaign manager for Recall Dunleavy. “We’re appealing the decision tomorrow,” she told the Empire in a phone interview Monday afternoon. The governor released his own statement on the decision praising Clarkson’s opinion. “As I have always said, the allegations by the recall group are not legitimate reasons to overturn the outcome of the statewide election held barely a year ago,” the governor’s statement said. “My priorities
continue to be making Alaska safer for all Alaskans, growing the economy and enacting a solution to the state’s budget deficit.” In addition to gathering enough signatures, a successful recall application must demonstrate an elected official has shown neglect of duties, incompetence or lack of fitness. In its application, the Recall Dunleavy campaign stated that Dunleavy had violated Alaska law by not appointing a judge to the Palmer Superior Court within the
allotted 45 days following nominations. The campaign also accused the governor of violating state law and the constitution by using public funds for partisan purposes in the form of electronic advertisements and direct mailers. The governor also, the campaign alleges, violated the separation-of-powers clause by using line-item vetoes to “attack the judiciary and the rule of law” and “preclude the legislature from See recall, Page A2
Staffing issues hit Public Defender Agency By Michael Lockett Juneau Empire
Photo courtesy of Jenny Neyman
Dr. Alan Boraas leads a tour of Kalifornsky Village, a former Native settlement, in April 2014. Boraas was a professor of anthropology at Kenai Peninsula College, an honorary member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the driving force behind the creation, maintenance and expansion of the Tsalteshi Ski Trails.
KPC professor Boraas dies at 72 By Jeff Helminiak Peninsula Clarion
Dr. Alan Boraas, professor of anthropology at Kenai Peninsula College, died early Monday morning from a stroke at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, according to a post from his family on his Facebook page. He was 72. “He passed peacefully with family by his side,” the post read. “We will remember his rich life and tireless work to make our world a better place. Thank you, Alan, we love you so much.” According to “Keeping the Fire Burning: A 50-year history of Kenai Peninsula College,” Boraas, who
grew up on a Minnesota wheat farm, fell in love with Alaska while working on his master’s degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and came to the Kenai Peninsula in 1972. He went on to carve out a wide legacy as a college professor, an honorary member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the driving force behind the creation, maintenance and expansion of the Tsalteshi Ski Trails. “Extreme depression,” said Gary Turner, director/ CEO of Kenai Peninsula College since 2002, when asked about the mood at the college Monday. “There’s been a lot of tears and a lot of storytelling. We had
a number of faculty, staff and Native elders come in for a few hours, sit down in a circle and talk about him. “They told stories, and laughed and cried. We’re all trying to work through the grieving process.” Mary Ann Mills, a Tribal Council member with the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, said she had known Boraas since about 1975. According to “Keeping the Fire Burning,” Boraas became an honorary member of the tribe in 2000. “One of the things Alan did was to encourage and assist in the preservation of the Dena’ina language,” Mills said. “That’s really sacred to us as language is embedded in our DNA.
“He was a strong advocate for Athabascan people even when it wasn’t popular. He stood his ground not only for us but for humanity. His due diligence on Pebble Mine was just one example. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.” Just as he played a pivotal role in preserving the Dena’ina language, Boraas also was a major part of making Tsalteshi Trails happen. According to a 2012 article by Clark Fair in the Redoubt Reporter, the popularity of cross-country skiing was flagging in the late 1980s due to the lack of a good
Peninsula Clarion
An ordinance changing service board elections to appointments will be voted on at Tuesday’s Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting. The ordinance was postponed in October to allow for local service area boards to make recommendations on the ordinance. At Tuesday’s public hearing on the ordinance, a teleconference site will be established at Homer City
Hall to take public testimony. During their monthly meeting on Sept. 12, the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board voted to oppose the passage of the ordinance that would appoint board members rather than elect them. The borough has 12 service boards, of which seven boards include elected positions. The North Peninsula Recreation Service Area voted unanimously to oppose the ordinance, as well. In an Oct. 28 letter to the
assembly, the service area says they strongly recommend maintaining the voting rights of the citizens in the Nikiski Service Area. The Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area Board, the Nikiski Senior Service Area Board and the Nikiski Fire Service Area Board also unanimously opposed the ordinance. The Bear Creek Fire Service Area board voted to support the ordinance. The Joint Operating board for the Central Emergency Service Area and the Central
See PDA, Page A3
Envoy lays out efforts to oust her By Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro and Nancy Benac Associated Press
Peninsula Emergency Medical Service Area unanimously voted to support the ordinance. Historically, it has been difficult to find qualified candidates willing to run for service board seats, an Aug. 22 memo to the assembly from assembly members Willy Dunne and Brent Hibbert said. “The borough is one of the few boroughs, if not the only, in the State of Alaska with elected service area boards,”
WASHINGTON — It started with a warning to watch her back, that people were “looking to hurt” her. From there, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch told House investigators, it escalated into a chilling campaign to fire her as President Donald Trump and his allies angled in Eastern Europe for political advantage at home. Testimony from Yovanovitch, released Monday, offered a first word-forword look at the closed-door House impeachment hearings. Inside, Democrats and Republicans are waging a pitched battle over what to make of Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine’s leaders to investigate political rival Joe Biden, Biden’s son and Democratic activities in the 2016 election. The transcript came out
See Board, Page A2
See Envoy, Page A3
See boraas, Page A11
Assembly to decide service board selection By Victoria Petersen
Alaska’s commissioner of the Department of Administration acknowledged staffing and workload issues for the state’s Public Defender Agency and highlighted the administration’s commitment to fixing them in a teleconference Monday. “We found the PDA has been budgeted sufficiently but it has significant recruiting and retention issues,” DOA Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka said. The data comes from a report by the Oversight and Review Unit, a brand new part of the DOA. The report, which was released Monday, was created with cooperation from the PDA to address issues and streamline efficiency. Some of those issues