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W of 1 inner Awa0* 201 Exc rds fo 8 e r Rep llence i o n rt * Ala ska P i n g ! res
P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 72
Friday-Saturday, January 3-4, 2020 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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5 feared dead after crab boat sinks Weigh in By Becky Bohrer and Martha Bellisle Associated Press
JUNEAU — Five fishermen missing after a crab boat sank in the frigid waters off Alaska were feared dead after authorities called off a search for those working in the one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S. Two other crew members were rescued after the disaster Tuesday, telling authorities they were the only ones who made it into a life raft, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Dean Gribble Jr., who’s appeared on the Discovery Channel documentary series “Deadliest Catch,” and John Lawler suffered hypothermia but have been released from a hospital.
In the news
Impaired driving trend isn’t slowed by campaign ANCHORAGE — Police in Anchorage issued a December challenge to community members to not drive while intoxicated. To highlight the campaign, they erected a Christmas tree and said they would tie on a blue ribbon for every arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. The challenge was not heeded, Anchorage television station KTVA reported. The tree was quickly adorned, and police ran out of blue ribbon. Through Dec. 14, Anchorage police placed 59 ribbons on the tree. Numbers continued to trend the wrong way after that. The department made 36 arrests for operating under the influence from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21. “That’s 36 more ribbons on the tree,” the department said in a statement. “We ran out of blue ribbon (so did Costco) so we switched to plaid and had to start tying bows on the side because the front is full. This is no good. Don’t drive drunk or high. It just isn’t worth it.” Final arrest numbers for December will be available next week, said Kendra Doshier, a department spokeswoman. The department made 130 OUI arrests in December 2016. That climbed to 139 in 2017 and 150 in December 2018. The upward trend is frustrating for police. See news, Page A6
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The Coast Guard said it used helicopters, planes and a boat to look for the missing crew members for 20 hours before ending the search late Wednesday because they were not likely to have survived. The agency didn’t release any details Thursday on what caused the boat to sink, saying that talking to the survivors is part of the investigation. The boat, named the Scandies Rose, was carrying a load of crabbing pots for the start of the winter season, Dan Mattsen, a partner in the vessel managed by SeattleBased Mattsen Management, told the Seattle Times. Crabbing boats endure perilous conditions in Alaska waters that have been immortalized in See boat, Page A2
on new LNG permit
By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Ted S. Warren / Associated Press
A ball cap with the name of the crab fishing boat Scandies Rose rests at the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial on Thursday in Seattle. The search for five crew members of the Scandies Rose in Alaska has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard said after two other crew members of the vessel were rescued after the 130-foot crab fishing boat from Dutch Harbor sank on New Year’s Eve.
Showing their depth
The public comment period is open for a new permit application for the Alaska Liquid Natural Gas project. The Alaska LNG project involves the construction of a gas treatment plant on Alaska’s North Slope, a new liquefaction facility near Nikiski and an 807-mile long pipeline to connect the two facilities. The pipeline would run through multiple specially designated areas, including Denali National Park and Preserve, Denali State Park, Minto Flats and Susitna Flats state game refuges. The permit application, submitted by the Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation, is in regards to the waterways that would be affected by the construction of the project. The application is being reviewed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and See permit, Page A2
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Stephanie Cox (left) shows some of her artwork on display Thursday at the Kenai Fine Art Center. January’s exhibition is titled “Rough Around the Edges” and features the work of Cox and another local artist, Anna Widman. For more information, go to https://www.kenaifineart.com
Peninsula Clarion
In the wake of an assault on a local advocate for the LGBTQ community, peninsula residents have organized a town hall to address public safety. This Saturday at the Soldotna Library at 2:30 p.m. organizers for Soldotna’s annual Pride in the Park event will host a town hall that will feature testimonies from LGBTQ
individuals who have experienced targeted harassment or violence. The meeting is also intended as a call to action for local law enforcement and elected officials. The town hall is open to the public, but organizers said there will be ground rules established at the beginning in order to deter any threatening behavior or harassment. The town hall was organized after Tammie Willis, an employee of Kenai Peninsula College and
By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
one of the organizers for Pride in the Park, was assaulted in her home by an unknown assailant on Dec. 9. In the month leading up to the assault Willis also experienced other forms of harassment — she received a threatening note referencing her sexual orientation and had her truck vandalized. Willis is gay, and she and the other Pride organizers said they fear other
After having its application for a recall petition denied, the Recall Dunleavy campaign is gearing up for court. The campaign is slated to have oral arguments in Anchorage Superior Court on Jan. 10 before Judge Eric Aarseth. Recall Dunleavy Campaign Manager Claire Pywell said the campaign’s general counsel and former Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth and Susan Orlansky from Anchorage law firm Reeves Amodio will argue in court why the petition should not have been denied. Pywell called the 10th a “big day” and said the campaign was looking forward to it. “Our allegations reinforce in so many ways he is the wrong man for the job,” she said in a phone interview Thursday. “Alaskans deserve a governor that will faithfully execute the laws under the constitution.”
See town hall, Page A3
See recall, Page A3
Town hall to address violence against LGBTQ community By Brian Mazurek
Recall effort gears up for court
Tourism marketing council to make case to assembly By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
In hopes of receiving a $150,000 grant from the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly , the Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council will on Tuesday present their plan to bring tourists to the peninsula. The $150,000 would be appropriated from the borough general fund balance to the tourism marketing council for the purpose of promoting tourism in areas of the borough outside the cities, according to
an ordinance sponsored by Brent Hibbert and approved Dec. 3. The grant money came with conditions, which require the council to present objectives on how the council plans to use the money to promote local tourism. The assembly will consider a resolution sponsored by Hibbert that will be introduced in Tuesday’s agenda supporting the council’s objectives and awarding the grant. The resolution states the council’s objectives are to develop and implement strategies for attracting online
impressions and conversions, and tracking conversions of impressions to sales in the tourism markets and to promote significant increases in tourism during the shoulder seasons. No other presentation materials or plans from the council were provided in the resolution, but the council’s interim director, Debbie Speakman, said she will be attending the assembly committee meeting and the regular assembly meeting on Tuesday to answer any questions assembly members have. “We’re taking things slow, but we’re
getting excited about the coming year,” Speakman said. The tourism marketing council submitted a grant application to the borough in February 2019 for $100,000. Hibbert’s ordinance allows the council an opportunity to update its grant application to include an outline of proposed projects. The ordinance also requires the council to present program objectives to the assembly for approval, before the grant will be awarded. The council See tourism, Page A3