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P E N I N S U L A
Sunday, January 19, 2020 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 50, Issue 83
In the news
Man charged in death of woman in vacant apartment ANCHORAGE — A Fairbanks man killed his girlfriend in the apartment they shared and moved her body to a vacant unit across a hallway in the same building, according to state prosecutors. Eric Rustad, 39, is charged with first-degree murder, evidence tampering and misconduct with a corpse in the death of Kristen Huntington, 30. Rustad was arrested Thursday night. He is represented by the Alaska Public Defender agency, which does not comment on pending cases. An email sent to the agency Friday requesting comment was not immediately returned. Huntington’s co-worker on Jan. 10 told Fairbanks police that Huntington was missing and had not been seen for two days. The co-worker said it was highly unusual for Huntington to miss work and not call. In a sworn statement accompanying charging documents. Detective Avery Thompson said police early on Jan. 11 spoke to Rustad at his apartment and were told that he had argued with Huntington and that she had left. Police walked through the apartment and departed. That afternoon, Avery said, Rustad showed up at the police department lobby with his wrists and arms slashed. Rustad was suicidal, and officers administered first aid, police said, adding that Rustad also told police, “I know I did it.” When asked about Huntington, Rustad said that on Jan. 9, he had drunk alcohol and blacked out. He took his child to school, he said, and when he returned, he found Huntington dead on the floor, he told police. Police searched his apartment again and could not find Huntington. The child later told police he had seen Huntington on the floor with a blanket over her. On Jan. 12, after witnesses said Rustad was packing, police spoke to the apartment manager. She told officers they should check a vacant See news, Page A6
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Town hall topics: crime, taxes, PFD By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
In anticipation of the upcoming legislative session in Juneau, Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, held a town hall Thursday night to speak to constituents about his priorities and answer questions about voters’ concerns. Micciche’s town hall took place at the Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers
in Soldotna and drew a crowd of about 40 people. Micciche also streamed the town hall live on Facebook, which as of Saturday had been viewed by more than 3,200 people. Micciche started by addressing the repeal of Senate Bill 91, a controversial crime bill that had most of its provisions removed with the passage of House Bill 49 last year. Micciche was involved in the passage of both of those bills and said that criminal
justice is still a top priority for him going into this session. Micciche invited Capt. Maurice Hughes and Lt. Mike Zweifel of the Alaska State Troopers to speak to the impacts that HB 49 has had on law enforcement efforts. Hughes and Zweifel noted that one of the biggest differences they have seen was in cases of people driving with their license revoked. Prior to the passage of HB 49, this offense
typically warranted a citation without arrest. Since the passage of HB 49 and its enactment on July 11, 2019, which turned driving with a revoked license into a misdemeanor offense that constitutes arrest, Zweifel said that 168 of these misdemeanors have been charged on the Kenai Peninsula alone. See hall, Page A3
Bill would include LGBTQ protection By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Susan Walsh / Associated Press
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, talks to reporters Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
Murkowski wants to hear case before deciding on witnesses By Becky Bohrer Associated Press
JUNEAU — Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she’s comfortable waiting to decide if more information is needed as part of the Senate’s impeachment trial until after hearing arguments from House managers and attorneys for President Donald Trump and questions from members. The Republican said Saturday she wants to make sure there’s a process that allows senators to “really hear the case” and ask questions “before we make that determination as to, what more do we need. I don’t know what more we need until I’ve been given the base case.” Murkowski spoke to reporters from Anchorage ahead of Senate impeachment trial proceedings expected to begin Tuesday. If Democrats try to add certain witnesses to an organizing resolution, Murkowski said she expects Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would move to table such a request and that she would support a tabling motion. “Because what I’ve worked hard
Inside ■■ The Trump team and House managers trade sharp views on the impeachment trial. Page A2 to do is make sure that we have a process that will allow for that determination” — whether witnesses or documents are needed, she said. “But I want to have that at a point where I know whether or not I’m going to need it.” She said there are political pressures “on all of us” but said her responsibility is “not to focus on the politics of where we are but a recognition that we are in the midst of an infrequent and in many ways extraordinary process that the Constitution allows for, and I’m going to take my constitutional obligations very, very seriously.” Regardless of how one views the House’s handling of the impeachment process, the matter is now before the Senate, she said, adding later she does not want the proceedings to become a “circus.” Trump was impeached by the House on charges he abused his power by pushing Ukraine to
investigate his Democratic political rival Joe Biden and that he obstructed Congress by blocking witnesses and testimony in the House investigation. Trump has said he did nothing wrong. Murkowski said a recent Government Accountability Office report that concluded the White House violated federal law by withholding congressionally approved security aid to Ukraine reminded her of last year’s debate over Trump’s declaration of a border emergency that he invoked to spend more for border barriers than Congress had approved. During that debate, she said she maintained the president could not take funds congressionally directed to one area and use them to advance his own policies. “Whether it was for the wall or for any other thing, I have been one that has said, ‘Congress has a very specific role when it comes to appropriation of funding and that needs to be respected,’ ” she said. She said she viewed the GAO report with a “little bit of concern,” in part because of the need to respect Congress’ appropriation powers.
A member of the Soldotna City Council has introduced a resolution to support state legislation that would expand the state’s hate crime aggravators to include protections for LGBTQ individuals. Resolution 2020-006 was introduced by council member Jordan Chilson and is titled “A resolution supporting Alaska House Bill 198, an act relating to aggravating factors considered at sentencing.” The resolution states that “The Council of the City of Soldotna supports the expansion of hate crime protections under AS 12.55.155(c) (22) to include ‘sexual orientation or gender identity’ through Alaska House Bill 198.” Alaska Statute 12.55.155(c) defines a number of aggravators that can be considered when a judge is determining the sentence for an individual convicted of a crime. Section 22 of this statute says that one of the factors to be considered is if the person in question “knowingly directed the conduct constituting the offense at a victim because of that person’s race, sex, color, creed, physical or mental disability, ancestry or national origin.” HB 198, introduced by Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, would amend section 22 of AS 12.55.155(c) to include sexual orientation and gender identity in the list of protected categories. HB 198 was introduced after a Soldotna LGBTQ advocate was assaulted in December, in an attack she believes may have been motivated by her sexual orientation. As a result, members of the community held a town hall in Soldotna related to LGBTQ safety on Jan. 4, during which they called on state lawmakers to change hate crime laws in Alaska to include protections for See protect, Page A3
‘That’s how you change the world’
Community gathers to remember Alan Boraas — educator and trailblazer By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Passionate, driven, patient — those were just a few words used to describe longtime anthropology professor Dr. Alan Boraas as the community gathered together Friday night to celebrate his life and mourn his passing. The celebration of life for Boraas, who died Nov. 4 of last year, packed the auditorium in the Ward Building of Kenai Peninsula College as friends, colleagues and family members spoke of his accomplishments and his legacy both at the college and with the Dena’ina People. Boraas was a professor of anthropology at Kenai Peninsula College for over 40 years. During that time he worked to preserve the Dena’ina language with Peter Kalifornsky,
the last Native speaker of the Outer Cook Inlet dialect of the Dena’ina language. By doing so, Boraas played a pivotal role in expanding KPC’s Native language programs into what they are today. Boraas also helped to create the Tsalteshi Trails system, which is used year-round for cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities. Gary Turner, director of KPC, announced during the celebration of life that the college’s anthropology lab would be renamed the Dr. Alan “Tiquitsex” Boraas Anthropology Lab in honor of the late professor. Tiquitsex was the Dena’ina name given to Boraas when he was made an honorary member of the Kenaitze See boraas, Page A2
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Friends of Dr. Alan Boraas perform a version of the hymn “I’ll Fly Away” translated to the Dena’ina language during a Celebration of Life for Boraas at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna on Friday.