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Teen gunman kills 2, shoots self on birthday
Homer, Kenai, SoHi, Nikiski volleyball play
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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 39
In the news
Search continues for missing woman Another canvas is set for this weekend in the ongoing effort to find missing Homer woman Anesha “Duffy” Murnane. Volunteers will meet in Anchor Point in the parking lot of Champan Elementary School on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. Flyers and maps will be provided and individuals will head out in groups of two to four in cars to canvas predesignated areas. Questions specific to the canvas can be directed to Tela O’Donnell Bacher at 907-399-9854 or telaodonnell@gmail.com.
Friday-Saturday, November 15-16, 2019 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Interim head of pot, alcohol agency named ANCHORAGE — A new interim director has been named to lead the combined agency that regulates alcohol and legal marijuana in Alaska. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office announced Thursday that Glen Klinkhart would be interim director following the firing Wednesday of Erika See news, Page A3
correction In the Wednesday edition of the Peninsula Clarion, the caption for the photo “Bush doctors take their place in history” contained an incorrect date. Dr. Peter Hansen moved to Kenai in 1967. The Clarion apologizes for the error.
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‘Only unprecedented until it’s not’ Officials discuss fire management strategies for a changing climate in the aftermath of the Swan Lake Fire. By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
A changing climate is forcing fire managers to reevaluate their approach to battling disasters — according to a group of local, state and federal agency representatives
gathered on Wednesday in Soldotna to discuss agencies’ response to the Swan Lake Fire. Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Kenai/ Soldotna, called the meeting to discuss management strategies in the wake of the fire, which burned more than 160,000 acres and threatened
the communities of Sterling and Cooper Landing. Micciche said the purpose of the meeting was to learn more about how decisions were made in managing the fire and whether those decisions were based on outdated strategies that hadn’t taken into account the unprecedented hot and dry conditions of the summer. “If climate change continues its
current path, what’s unprecedented is only unprecedented until it’s not,” he said during the meeting. “If this weather becomes more normalized, will that change the decisions being made in the future when it comes to managing similar fires?” Variations of Micciche’s question came up throughout the meeting as See fire, Page A2
Parker appointed to Soldotna council By kat sorensen
Man dies in shooting at commercial property FAIRBANKS — Alaska State Troopers say a man died in a shooting at a commercial property just south of Fairbanks. Troopers identified the man killed as 24-year-old Peter Horace-Wright of Fairbanks. Troopers shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday received a report of the shooting off Peger Road near the southwest edge of Fairbanks. Troopers released few other details. Troopers say they are investigating.
Showers
Peninsula Clarion
Victoria Petersen / Peninsula Clarion
Bridge Access Road was among the roads that were left slushy and wet after early morning snowfall Thursday.
‘Wintry mix’ to follow storm By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Kenai and surrounding areas were covered in a blanket of snow Thursday morning after winter storm system moved into the western Kenai Peninsula. Pam Szatanek, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Anchorage, said snow was predominately falling in the city of Kenai and nearby areas. She said more snow and precipitation is expected Thursday night. Another storm system is expected to move into the area again late Monday, she said, which will provide the area with what meteorologists refer to as a “wintry mix,”
consisting of snow, sleet, rain and freezing rain. Many Alaskans have been waiting for snow. Average temperatures have been warmer than normal, with October being 5 degrees warmer than normal. October’s average temperature in Kenai is 40.2 degrees. The northern half of the Kenai Peninsula is still recovering from an unprecedented drought that began earlier this summer. Thursday’s updated U.S. Drought Monitor map shows that the entire northern half of the peninsula is experiencing a level zero drought, characterized as abnormally dry. The peninsula’s northwestern portion, near where the Swan Lake Fire burned
over 160,000 acres this summer, is still considered to be in a level one drought, which is considered a moderate drought. The levels of drought on the peninsula have not changed since Oct. 1. The U.S. Drought Monitor — produced in partnership with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of NebraskaLincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — measures droughts using five levels — level zero being abnormally dry conditions with no drought, and the fourth level being an exceptional drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor Map is updated every Thursday.
Pamela Parker of Soldotna was unanimously appointed to a vacant Soldotna City Council seat. The seat, Seat B, was vacated when Tyson Cox was elected to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, according to City Clerk Shellie Saner. Parker ran for Seat D during the regular election held on Oct. 1, which was previously held by Tim Cashman. She lost the seat to Dave Carey by 66 votes. “I did run in October for Seat D, but I am still interested in serving on the city council,” Parker said before her appointment at the Soldotna City Council meeting Wednesday night. “I love living in the city and am very passionate about where the city is heading and the future that we have for us here in Soldotna. I want to make sure Soldotna continues to be the best place for its residents.” Parker, the owner of Everything Bagels in Soldotna, said she is looking forward to support small See council, Page A16
Applicants chosen for court Pelosi deems Ukraine actions ‘bribery’ vacancies By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Claire Jalonick
evening and tweeted along with a Fox News morning recap Thursday. The president flatly denied the latest revelations. During Wednesday’s hearing a diplomat testified that another State Department witness overheard Trump asking about Ukraine investigations the day after his phone call with Kyiv. “First I’ve heard of it,” he said,
The Alaska Judicial Council has chosen a list of qualified applicants to fill the Kenai District Court vacancy. The Judicial Council, a citizens commission created by the Alaska Constitution to investigate and evaluate judicial applicants, met earlier this month to interview applicants for positions on the Palmer and Kenai District Courts and the Homer and Valdez Superior Courts. Nominated applicants for the Kenai District Court vacancy are Amanda Browning, Craig S. Condie, Martin C. Fallon and Kelly J. Lawson, the council announced in a Nov. 12 press release. Nominated applicants for the Homer Superior Court vacancy include Craig S. Condie, Kelly J. Lawson and Bride Seifert, the release said. The council nominates the most qualified applicants for each vacancy. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has 45 days to choose from nominated applicants and make appointments. Browning is a magistrate judge in Sitka who has been an Alaska
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Associated Press
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are refining part of their impeachment case against the president to a simple allegation: Bribery. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday brushed aside the Latin phrase “quid pro quo” that Democrats have been using to describe President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine. As the impeachment hearings go public, they’re going for a more colloquial term that may resonate with more Americans. “Quid pro quo: Bribery,” Pelosi said about Trump’s July 25 phone call in which he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a favor. Trump says the call was perfect. Pelosi said: “It’s perfectly wrong. It’s bribery.” The House has opened its historic hearings to remove America’s 45th president, with more to come Friday, launching a political battle for public opinion that will further test the nation in one of the most polarizing eras of modern times. Democrats and Republicans are hardening their messages to voters,
J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks to reporters on Capitol Hill on the morning after the first public hearing in the impeachment probe of President Donald Trump on his effort to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents.
who are deeply entrenched in two camps. Trump continued to assail the proceedings as “a hoax” on Thursday, and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy dismissed the witness testimony as hearsay, at best secondhand information. The president, who said he was too busy to watch the initial hearing as it was televised, caught up in the White House residence Wednesday