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CLARION P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 47
Offices closed The Clarion will be closed Thursday and Friday in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, and will reopen Monday.
In the news
Federal, state aid after quake could top $400M JUNEAU — Alaska officials estimate state and federal assistance following the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that rocked parts of Southcentral Alaska last year will top $400 million. The state emergency management department says the Nov. 30, 2018, quake was the largest natural disaster in Alaska since the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday earthquake in 1964. Spokesman Jeremy Zidek cited the large geographic area affected, estimated cost of state and federal assistance and number of applicants to a state individual assistance program. Zidek says about $110 million in state and federal individual assistance has been provided. Costs to address damaged infrastructure are estimated at more than $275 million, with the funding process expected to play out over several years. Zidek says about $9.3 million has been paid so far for public infrastructure projects.
JUNEAU — An official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the agency is not under pressure from anyone to deliver by a certain time a final environmental review on the proposed Pebble Mine project. Sheila Newman, deputy chief of the corps’ regulatory division in Alaska, says the corps is working through its process and determining whether it needs to revise its schedule. She says a decision on that could come by mid-December. The existing schedule targets early 2020 for release of a final environmental review. Critics of the proposed See news, Page A14
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Wednesday, November 27, 2019 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Bill crafted to keep prisoners in state By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
A group of state legislators is preparing a bill that would prevent the Department of Corrections from sending Alaska prisoners to facilities out of state. In October, DOC Commissioner Nancy Dahlstrom announced
Alaska’s prisons were at 97% capacity and the Department would be looking at out-of-state prisons to house Alaska inmates. Alaska’s prison population had risen, Dahlstrom said, following the passage of the “crime bill,” House Bill 49 which implemented stricter sentencing for crimes. That announcement was met with
pushback from legislators. On Oct. 23, a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to Dahlstrom to reverse its decision to send prisoners out of Alaska and to reopen the Palmer Correction Center. The Palmer Center was closed in 2016 because of budget cuts and in June, the Legislature removed language from the capital budget
that would allow sending prisoners out of state. That vote passed the House 29-6 Despite the protest, DOC has been moving ahead with its plans to contract out of state. The Department of Corrections could not immediately be reached for comment. See bill, Page A2
Vigil held for missing woman By Michael Armstrong Homer News
Photo courtesy Kathy Fitzgerald
Residents of the Kenai Intentional Neighborhood celebrate the completion of their clubhouse with friends, family and Hope Community Resources board members in Soldotna on Friday.
A space all their own
Kenai Intentional Neighborhood celebrates new clubhouse By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Official: Corps looking at possible Pebble timeline revision
Snow
In between Sterling and Soldotna is a unique neighborhood made of individuals who face challenges living independently, but who still seek a place to call their own. Last Friday, Hope Community Resources celebrated the completion of Phase Three of their Kenai Intentional Neighborhood — a community of people living with various developmental
disabilities taking charge of their own lives. Bob Owens, vice president of the Board of Directors for Hope Community Resources, said they manage another intentional community ranch in Willow, so the idea wasn’t completely new to the organization. “It’s intended to be a close-knit community of people with facilities that encourage and enable the community to mix and mingle and thrive together,” Owens said. Phase Three involved the construction of a central
clubhouse in the neighborhood, known by residents as “The Gathering Place.” On Friday, the residents, their families and Hope employees hosted an open house in the newly finished clubhouse, complete with food, drinks and music. Kelda Barstad is a program officer with the Alaska Mental Health Trust, which provided some of the funding for the neighborhood. She attended the open house on Friday as well. See space, Page A14
Enforcement campaign starts today By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Alaska State and Wildlife Troopers will be paying close attention to the roads and highways for Thanksgiving. Troopers will be conducting a high-visibility enforcement campaign from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1. During the campaign, troopers will be enforcing safe seat belt usage and watching for motorists who are speeding, driving impaired, driving aggressively or driving while
distracted, according to a Nov. 26 press release from the Department of Public Safety. “The intention is to reduce the number of major-injury or fatal collisions on Alaska roads to zero,” B Detachment Deputy Commander Lt. Freddie Wells said in the release. “Thanksgiving is a time for people to gather with family and friends. We want to do our part to ensure Alaskans reach their destinations and make it home safely, too.” Troopers encourage motorists to
always wear seat belts and never drive impaired. Those who choose to celebrate with alcohol or marijuana should arrange to have a designated driver, stay the night or call a cab. Motorists should report every dangerous driver immediately by calling 911. Funding for increased highway patrol efforts come from the National Click it or Ticket High Visibility Enforcement Campaign with funds issued through the Alaska Highway Safety Office.
About 50 people held signs and candles last Saturday afternoon at WKFL Park at a vigil for missing Homer woman Anesha “Duffy” Murnane, 38. Murnane has been missing since Oct. 17 after she was last seen leaving her Main Street apartment. “One of the things we can do is hold out hope,” said Lisa Talbott, pastor of Homer United Methodist Church, in a prayer for Murnane. Talbott asked people to speak their expressions of hope for Murnane. “I hope she’s comfortable, that she’s safe,” one person said. “That’s she home by Thanksgiving,” said another. “Maybe hope for relief of our fear that this could happen in our town,” Talbott said. “Thank you all for the hope you hold out for Duffy and the love for family and friends.” Organizer Shelby Sinn held a sign that said “We (heart) Duffy.” Others held signs that said “Duffy Plz Come Back,” “Help Duffy Home” and “Bring Duffy Home.” Sinn said she doesn’t know Murnane, but she was born and raised in Homer and has sympathy for Murnane’s loved ones. “If it were my family, I would want as much support as possible,” she said. Others who didn’t know Murnane had similar thoughts. “I don’t know Duffy, but she’s on my mind constantly,” said Martha Roderick. On Sunday, friends and family did another canvass for Murnane, going through neighborhoods, knocking on doors and passing out fliers. Since she went missing, a group of volunteers has been not only spreading the word, but contacting people in the hope that someone will remember seeing her around when she went missing. “The more we can hold this light for her, the greater the chances of bringing her home,” said Murnane’s childhood friend, Tela Bacher, at the vigil. Homer Police Lt. Ryan Browning said there is no new information in the case. “We’re chasing leads that come in See vigil, Page A2
Task force on missing American Indians created Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday creating a White House task force on missing and slain American Indians and Alaska Natives. The task force will be overseen by Attorney General William Barr and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. It will develop protocols to apply to new and unsolved case and create a
multi-jurisdictional team to review cold cases. Trump called the scourge facing American Indian women and girls “sobering and heartbreaking.” “We will leverage every resource we have to bring safety to our tribal communities, and we will not waver in this mission,” Trump said. “We’re taking this very seriously.” Trump’s announcement comes days after Barr said the Justice
Department would invest $1.5 million to hire specialized coordinators in 11 U.S. attorney’s offices with significant caseloads from Indian Country to come up with ways to better respond to missing persons cases and committed FBI resources. Barr said the agency also would do an in-depth analysis of federal databases and its own data collection process. The National Institute of Justice estimates that 1.5 million American
Indian women have experienced violence in their lifetime, including many who are victims of sexual violence. On some reservations, federal studies have shown women are killed at a rate over 10 times the national average. The executive order also directs the Justice Department to make grant funding available to improve public See missing, Page A3