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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 56
In the news
Anchorage felt quake that hit Cook Inlet region TYONEK — People in Anchorage and Eagle River reporting feeling a small earthquake that struck the Cook Inlet region on Saturday, the Alaska Earthquake Center said. The magnitude 3.1 earthquake hit at 3:23 p,.m. and had an epicenter that was 17 miles northeast of Tyonek, a village of about 170 people, and 29 miles west of Anchorage. The earthquake had a depth of about 32 miles.
Grand jury indicts pickup driver in fatal crash WASILLA — A grand jury has indicted a driver involved in a crash that killed a retired Alaska State Trooper. Jacob Moreland, 22, of Wasilla was indicted on counts of criminal negligent manslaughter and driving under the influence. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was taken into custody Saturday night at a home, Alaska State Troopers said Sunday. Online court documents do not list Moreland’s attorney. Troopers shortly after 6 p.m. Sept. 26 were notified of a crash west of Wasilla. Investigators determined that Moreland’s pickup had struck the driver’s side of a pickup driven by Dallas Massie, 72, Both drivers were taken to an area hospital but Massie, the former state trooper, did not survive.
Fire displaces four U.S. Army families FAIRBANKS — A fire in housing on a U.S. Army post in Alaska has displaced four families. The fire broke out just after 11 p.m. Sunday in a four-unit housing structure on Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. A military police officer who responded to the fire was injured, according to an Army announcement. He was treated and released at the post hospital. None of the residents living in the complex
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Storms bring all kinds of chaos Area residents dealing with floods, power outages, emergency declarations after days of snow and rain By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
A series of winter storms bringing heavy snow, rain, ice and high winds to the peninsula have sparked emergency disaster declarations in the city of Seldovia and at the borough level. The Kenai Peninsula Borough, through Mayor Charlie Pierce, declared an emergency disaster Friday, Dec. 6, after the city of Seldovia declared their own the same day due to power line damage and extended power outages caused by gale force winds. The borough’s declaration cites several weather-related events that have caused damage across the entire peninsula. In Seldovia, high winds brought down trees and caused power outages across the city and in nearby villages, impacting backup generators, too.
Power outages In other parts of the peninsula, heavy snowfall around Dec. 2 left thousands of residents without power, primarily in Kenai and Nikiski. Monday afternoon Homer Electric Association updated residents via their Facebook page. In Monday’s
Michael Armstrong / Homer News
Mud and debris is washed up at Bear Creek near East End Road on Monday afternoon in Homer. Bear Creek crosses East End Road near Bear Creek Drive and overflowed the creek banks.
post, they said four crews are working on restoration and a crew is responding to outages from Homer. Their post said restoration efforts are taking time because of multiple trees on the lines. As of Monday evening, approximately 1,220 members in the Soldotna, Sterling and Funny River areas were waiting for their power to be restored. In
their post, Homer Electric said there are reports of downed power lines and are urging residents stay away. Homer Electric is also urging residents to not cut trees off lines in case those lines are still live. Residents without power or who want to report trees on lines or downed power lines can call 800-478-8551 to
speak with a representative.
Flooding The declaration is also gearing up for an imminent threat of flooding on the eastern peninsula. The National See storms, Page A2
Dems poised to unveil 2 impeachment articles By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick Associated Press
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are poised to unveil two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump over his actions in the Ukraine matter, with an announcement expected early Tuesday. Democratic leaders are expected to announce the formal charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress against the president, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions but unauthorized to discuss the proceedings and granted anonymity. Speaker Nancy Pelosi convened the House chairmen leading the impeachment inquiry in her office late Monday after a daylong Judiciary
Committee hearing where Democrats laid out the case against Trump, warning of the risk his actions toward Ukraine now pose to U.S. elections and national security. Pelosi declined to discuss the articles or the coming announcement during an evening event, but when asked if she has enough votes to impeach the president, the Democratic leader said she is letting House lawmakers vote their conscience. “On an issue like this, we don’t count the votes. People will just make their voices known on it,” Pelosi said at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. “I haven’t counted votes, nor will I.” The House chairmen involved in the impeachment inquiry left her office at the the Capitol as the articles See impeach, Page A13
J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., joined at right by Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., the ranking member, convenes the panel to hear investigative findings in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
Nikiski fire station project funds approved By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved additional funding for the construction of a third Nikiski fire station at its Tuesday meeting. The approved ordinance appropriates $1.5 million to be taken from
the Nikiski Fire Service Area fund and made available for the project. “The men and women of the Nikiski Fire Service Area have put a lot of thought, time and effort into this project to build fire station number three in Nikiski,” assembly member Jesse Bjorkman said at Tuesday’s meeting. “They have been through many
scenarios working out how this will better serve the people of Nikiski and portions of the fire service area where response times are very slow, sometimes 20 minutes or possibly more.” In 2003, the Nikiski Fire Service Area spent funds to acquire property and design a new fire station at the corner of Holt Lamplight Road
and Escape Route Road. In FY 2019, $3.2 million was appropriated to update design documents, complete construction and purchase the necessary equipment for the new station. At the Nov. 5 assembly meeting, Mayor Charlie Pierce introduced an See station, Page A2
See news, Page A3
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UA Regents look ahead at reductions, tuition hikes By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
In just under an hour, the University of Alaska Board of Regents approved the draft version of their work plan for 2020 in a brief meeting Monday afternoon. The plan outlines the regent’s meeting schedule for the coming year and the topics to be taken up at each meeting. The university is facing $70 million in cuts over three years following an agreement with Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed in August. Dunleavy has said the reductions
are necessary in light of the state’s $1.6 billion deficit and had originally proposed cutting $136 million from the university budget. The university went through one round of reductions already this year and has more lined up for next year, according to the draft version of the work plan. Also on the plan are proposed tuition increases for fiscal year 2021 and 2022. Regent Sheri Buretta said in the meeting those increases were a difficult decision that needed to be looked at seriously. During the meeting, regents were
careful to discuss how to be inclusive with their policymaking. Though it was never mentioned specifically, the university received a letter in September from the regional accrediting agency the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The letter expressed the commission’s concern with how the UA restructuring process was taking place. The letter raised concerns university leaders were not taking into account feedback from stakeholders such as students and faculty, as required by NWCCU guidelines. Any policy decisions made by the
regents will be audited by the regent’s Governance Committee in consultation with UA General Counsel Mike Hostina. Hostina said that a review of policy decisions by the general counsel would give his office a lot of authority over which policies are ultimately adopted. Regents would need to carefully consider the “allocation of authority,” Hostina said, in light of concerns about stakeholder involvement. Regent Mary Hughes said she anticipated meeting with stakeholders See regents, Page A3