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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
Sunday, December 1, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 50, Issue 50
In the news
5 charged with murder in death of Seward man ANCHORAGE — Five people have been charged with murder in the death three months ago of a 21-year-old Seward man. A sixth person has been charged with witness tampering. The Seward Police Department on Wednesday announced initial arrests in the death of Preston Atwood, whose body was found Aug. 30. He had last been seen early in evening on Aug. 25 at a Fourth of July Beach in Seward. Seward police arrested Laurel Correa, 19, Tyler Goddard, 19, and Jennifer Harren, 46. Police in Ketchikan arrested Timothy Ryan, 24. Police in Kenai on Thursday arrested James Helberg, 18, after he returned to Alaska from Idaho and turned himself in. All five are charged with two counts of firstdegree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of manslaughter in Atwood’s death. Goddard also is charged with five counts of felony assault and one count of evidence tampering. A sixth person, Melanie Goddard, 39, is charged with witness tampering. Police have revealed few details about the case, including how Atwood died or where his body was found.
3 aboard Piper plane that crashed ANCHORAGE — Authorities say a small plane carrying three people from Anchorage to Seward crashed and burned and rescuers are attempting to get to the site. The conditions of those on board weren’t immediately known. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman says the twin-engine Piper PA-31 was supposed to land in Seward on Friday but was reported as overdue. The Anchorage Daily News reports that Alaska State Troopers spokesman Ken Marsh received reports of the crash Friday outside Cooper Landing. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. See news, Page A3
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Dunleavy marks 1st year in office The threat of a recall and strained relationships with legislators have marked the governor’s tenure. By Becky Bohrer Associated Press
JUNEAU — Last December, poor weather scrambled Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s inaugural plans, a bumpy start to a turbulent year marked by budget disputes and a recall threat. Dunleavy told The Associated Press recently he hopes to move past the rancor. Whether he can repair strained relationships with legislators and calm the public anger over cuts that
fueled the recall push will be telling. Courts will decide whether the recall effort advances. The Republican, who marks a year in office Tuesday, defended the cuts as a tough decision in the face of budget deficits. Alaska, long reliant on oil, has been using savings and earnings from its oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund, to help fill the gap. New taxes weren’t debated during legislative sessions that lingered into summer, and Dunleavy said
new taxes “are not going to solve” the deficit. The state tends to spend money when it comes into money, he said. He said the question is what Alaskans are willing to accept to resolve the issue, such as further cuts, changes to the annual check they get from Permanent Fund earnings or other revenue measures. He said he plans town halls with Alaskans and regular meetings with lawmakers, some of whom had complained of poor communication by the administration and a singling out of members for positions at odds with Dunleavy’s. See year, Page A3
Becky Bohrer / associated press file
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters in his office at the Capitol in Juneau on May 29. Dunleavy said he hopes to move past the rancor of his first year in office, amid an unsettled dispute with lawmakers over state spending and threat of a recall effort looming large.
Coldcase bill gains steam Funding for the first time would be directed to help solve cases involving murdered and missing indigenous women, Sen. Lisa Murkowski says.
By Dave Kolpack Associated Press
Photos by Joey Klecka / Peninsula Clarion
Children wave as Santa Claus arrives on top of a fire truck at the Christmas Comes to Kenai celebration on Friday.
Kenai kicks off Christmas season
Hundreds of people enjoyed mild temperatures as they celebrated Christmas Comes to Kenai in downtown Kenai on Friday. The event has been hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce for around 40 years. The day started in the late morning with the arrival of Santa Claus riding in on a Kenai Fire Department fire truck, and finished at night with the Electric Lights Parade down Frontage Road. The evening included a bonfire, hot cocoa and cookies and a fireworks grand finale.
Carolers entertain a crowd at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center on Friday.
More money needed for Nikiski fire station By Victoria Petersen and Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Nikiski’s soon-to-be third fire station is in need of additional funding, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will consider giving it to them at its next meeting. An ordinance up for public hearing at Tuesday’s assembly meeting asks that $1 million in additional appropriations taken from the Nikiski Fire Service Area fund be made for the project. 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, the ordinance said. Third-party cost estimates, however, show “current funding is not adequate to complete the scope of work,” according to the ordinance. An additional $500,000, on top of the $1 million, may be necessary to finish the See fire, Page A3
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Nikiski Fire Station #2 can be seen here on July 15 in Nikiski.
FARGO, N.D. — A bill originally meant to help law enforcement investigate cold cases of murdered and missing indigenous women that has floundered in Congress for two years may have the missing ingredients to become law — money and muscle. The money comes from an appropriations subcommittee chaired by Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who told The Associated Press that for the first time funding is being directed specifically to murdered and missing indigenous people. The muscle comes from the White House and specifically the Department of Justice, which last week unveiled a plan that would investigate issues raised in the bill like data collection practices and federal databases. It adds up to a strong outlook for Savanna’s Act, which was originally introduced in 2017 by Murkowski, Democratic Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Mastro and former North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. Murkowski and Heitkamp, longtime allies on issues affecting indigenous people, also created the Commission on Native Children, which recently held its first meeting. “The great thing about Lisa’s work has been her willingness to not just pass this law but make sure there’s an appropriation for it,” Heitkamp said Friday. The bill is named for See cases, Page A3