Tasty
Hoops
Make savory dishes with fresh, local oysters
Cook Inlet Academy tangles with Ninilchik
Food / A6
Sports / A8
CLARION
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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 75
In the news
State rep will not seek reelection ANCHORAGE — A state representative from Wasilla will not seek re-election. Republican Colleen Sullivan-Leonard said Tuesday she would not seek to retain her seat, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Sullivan Leonard is the oldest daughter of former Anchorage Mayor George Sullivan. She served multiple terms on the Wasilla City Council before running for state House in 2016. She had filed a letter of intent indicating a 2020 reelection bid but said that was tentative. “Twenty years is a long time in public service, and I’m ready for a change,” she said. Sullivan-Leonard has advocated for state budget cuts and opposed cuts to the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. She announced her reelection decision now, she said, so that another candidate can file for office and run. The deadline to sign up is June 1.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Iran fires missiles at US base in Iraq By Nasser Karimi, Amir Vahdat and Jon Gambrell Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran struck back at the United States for the killing of a top Iranian general early Wednesday, firing a series of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in a major escalation that brought the two longtime foes closer to war. Iranian state TV said it was in revenge for the U.S. killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose death last week in an American drone strike near Baghdad prompted angry calls to avenge his slaying. A U.S. official said there were no immediate reports of American casualties, though buildings were still being searched. Soleimani’s killing and the strikes by Iran came as tensions have been rising steadily across the Mideast after President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw America
from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. They also marked the first time in recent years that Washington and Tehran have attacked each other directly rather than through proxies in the region. It raised the chances of open conflict erupting between the two enemies, which have been at odds since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. But in a tweet shortly after the missile launches, Iran’s foreign minister called a ballistic missile attack a “proportionate measures in selfdefense” and said it was not seeking to escalate the situation but would defend itself against any aggression. Iran initially announced only one strike, but U.S. officials confirmed both. U.S. defense officials were at the White House, likely to discuss options with Trump, who launched the strike on Soleimani while facing an upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the U.S. and its regional allies against retaliating over the missile attack against the Ain al-Asad air base in
Iraq’s western Anbar province. The Guard issued the warning via a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. “We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted,” The Guard said. It also threatened Israel. After the strikes, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator posted a picture of the Islamic Republic’s flag on Twitter, appearing to mimic Trump who posted an American flag following the killing of Soleimani and others Friday in a drone strike in Baghdad. Ain al-Asad air base was first used by American forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, and later saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. It houses about 1,500 U.S. and coalition forces. Two Iraqi security officials said at least one of the missiles appeared to
have struck a plane at the base, igniting a fire. It was not immediately clear whether it was an Iraqi or U.S. jet. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the attacks, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they had no permission to brief journalists. About 70 Norwegian troops also were on the air base but no injuries were reported, Brynjar Stordal, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces told The Associated Press. Trump visited the sprawling Ain al-Asad air base, about 100 miles or 60 kilometers west of Baghdad, in December 2018, making his first presidential visit to troops in the region. He did not meet with any Iraqi officials at the time, and his visit inflamed sensitivities about the continued presence of U.S. forces in Iraq. Vice President Mike Pence also has visited the base. See missiles, Page A14
HEA to install new battery storage system
Arrest warrants issued for suspects in home assault ANCHORAGE — Arrest warrants have been issued for two people suspected of breaking into a Kodiak home and assaulting a resident when he came home, Alaska State Troopers said. Benjamin Bodi, 37, is charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault and burglary. Summer Suydam, 39, is charged with robbery, assault, burglary and violating conditions of released. The two Kodiak residents are at large and believed to be in the Anchorage area, Alaska State Troopers said. Troopers on Dec. 31 received a report that a man had been assaulted in his home by two people wearing masks. The man and another person had arrived at the man’s home shortly before 4 p.m. and saw that the door had been pried open, troopers said. The entered and was struck with the butt of a rifle by one of the masked intruders. A struggle over the rifle ensued, troopers said, and the rifle fired. The two people in masks fled. The suspects were identified as Bodi and Suydam, troopers said. — Clarion news services
Frigid
By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Victoria Petersen / Peninsula Clarion
A Kenai Peninsula Borough barricade sits near Eddy Lane off of Big Eddy Road near Soldotna on Tuesday to keep traffic from traveling over flooded areas.
Flood warning extended to Friday due to ice jam By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
The borough is continuing to monitor an ice jam on the Kenai River that has caused some minor flooding and road closures near Soldotna. The ice jam — which occurred early Monday morning near Big Eddy in Soldotna — triggered a flood warning from the National Weather Service Monday afternoon. The warning was set to expire Tuesday afternoon but was extended until Friday afternoon. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Roads Department and
Office of Emergency Management responded to the ice jam and flooding Monday morning, and closed vehicle access past Amiyung Court on Eddy Lane. Ongoing cold temperatures could allow the ice jam to grow upstream and residents between Big Eddy and the Sterling Highway Bridge in Soldotna should be prepared for rapidly rising water, the updated flood warning said. There are no reports of flooding across the river in the Ciechanski Day Use Area and the Ciechanski Road Subdivision, which the borough surveyed Monday afternoon.
The Homer Electric Association will begin construction this summer on the facility for a new battery energy storage system. The battery energy storage system (BESS) will be capable of storing 93 Megawatt hours of electrical power that can be delivered to the grid at a rate of 46.5 megawatts per hour, according to HEA’s description of the project on their website. Larry Jorgensen, HEA’s director of power, fuels and dispatch, said on Tuesday the system will allow for more consistent power delivery in the event a generator goes down or usage spikes unexpectedly. “If you think of a power system as an equation that’s constantly balanced in real-time, the BESS will be beneficial because it can operate on both sides of the equation,” Jorgensen said. The storage system will be capable of substituting power generation for up to two hours at a time and will also be able to absorb excess energy that is produced. In terms of cost, Director of Member Relations Bruce Shelley said on Tuesday that the project is being See hea, Page A2
Local candidates gear up for 2020 election By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
With the new year comes a new election for the Alaska State Legislature. Several local lawmakers’ seats are up for the ballot this fall, including Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai/Soldotna, and Rep. Sarah Vance, Rep. Ben R-Homer. Carpenter In District 29 — which spans the area from Nikiski to Seward to Funny River and Sterling — Carpenter is the representative and
is currently the only candidate registered to run in the district in 2020. Carpenter filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission last week. Rep. Gary Knopp represents Knopp District 30, where he is registered to run for his seat again. He was first elected to the seat in 2016 and again in 2018. Knopp isn’t the only contender for the seat representing Kenai Ron Gillham and Soldotna. Former state Rep. Kelly Wolf and Ron Gillham are both running
against Knopp for the District 30 seat in 2020. Gillham ran in the 2018 Republican primary race for the District O Senate seat in an effort unseat Rep. Sarah Sen. Peter Micciche, Vance R-Kenai/Soldotna. Wolf served in the House of Representatives in the early 2000s and ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2014. On the southern peninsula in District 31, Vance is running for reelection against Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly President Kelly Cooper of Homer. Also on the southern peninsula,
Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, is running for reelection to his current seat of District P, which represents the southern peninsula and Kodiak. In this year’s election, there will be 51 legislative seats up for grabs across the state. Prospective candidates have until June 1 to enter the 2020 legislative elections. Candidates should note that they are required to file a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission before any fundraising can begin. Candidates can also register with the Division of Elections and fundraise later. The state limits donations to $500 per candidate per calendar year, meaning candidates who registered before the beginning of the year can receive donations twice.