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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 110
In the news
Grievance filed over state tech plan JUNEAU — A major Alaska public employees union has filed a grievance, saying the state is improperly seeking to outsource information technology jobs. The Alaska State Employees Association/ AFSCME Local 52 on Tuesday said a feasibility study should have been conducted under terms of a collective bargaining agreement. Earlier this month, the Department of Administration announced what it called a digital alliance with Microsoft and plans to work together on various initiatives, including efforts to modernize state information technology. The department also said Microsoft would support efforts to move data to the cloud, saying this would allow for greater data security and cost savings. The union said such a move could cost money and disrupt services. A message seeking comment was left for the department. The union said the grievance was filed Feb. 14.
Anchorage man charged with attempted murder in arson fire ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage man has been charged with attempted murder, arson and felony assault in a fire last week at a home. Freddie Fox, 66, was arrested Friday, Anchorage police announced. Police and Anchorage firefighters just after 2 a.m. Feb. 19 responded to a fire on Eagle Street and saw two people dragging a man out of burning apartment. The man was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. The man is a relative of Fox. Investigators believe Fox while outside the firstfloor apartment broke a window, set something on fire, and threw the burning object and an accelerant into the apartment. Fox fled afterward, police said. Police have not determined a motive, they said. Fox is represented by the Alaska Public Defender Agency, which See news, Page A3
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UAA releases proposal for program cuts By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
The University of Alaska Anchorage has released a list of programs that may be eliminated or suspended to cope with budget cuts arranged by the university system and Gov. Mike Dunleavy last year. The proposal, posted on the university’s website on Tuesday, does not recommend
the suspension or deletion of any programs at Kenai Peninsula College. This year, the University of Alaska system is facing a second consecutive $25 million cut in state funding, which will be followed by another $20 million cut in 2020-2021, UAA’s website says. To address the funding cuts, UAA is seeking to reduce the number of degree programs they offer. In his proposed FY20 budget,
Dunleavy called for a $135 million cut to the university system, but that number was reduced to a $70 million cut over the three years. All programs offered at the University of Alaska Anchorage, which includes the Kenai Peninsula College, MatSu College, Prince William Sound College and Kodiak College, were included in the review process.
No Kenai Peninsula College programs were identified for suspension or deletion, Gary Turner, the college’s director, said. However, the college’s corrections occupational endorsement certificate and undergraduate certificate programs will undergo revision, Turner said. The general business associate’s See cuts, Page A3
Wave South Korean virus cases spike, 1st US soldier infected of anti-
abortion bills filed One measure, a so-called “heartbeat bill,” already has significant support By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
the nationwide epidemic of addiction and substance misuse. McCarthy’s presentation at the Quality Inn in Kenai was attended by several dozen people, some of whom represented local organizations that provide recovery services, such as Change 4 the Kenai, the Cook Inlet Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CICADA) and Set Free
Republicans in the Legislature introduced multiple anti-abortion bills this session, with three being introduced Monday, just before this session’s bill-filing deadline. One bill, introduced by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, would prohibit abortions after a heartbeat is detected and already has 16 co-sponsors. Nine other states have introduced so-called “heartbeat bills,” which can prohibit abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. However, some of those laws have been challenged in court, and just last Thursday, a ban on Mississippi’s heartbeat bill was upheld in a circuit court. But Vance is convinced her support in the Legislature is reflective of Alaskans’ views on abortion. “I feel that most Alaskans value life and want to see that protected. That’s how I was able to get 17 other sponsors,” Vance said. “This is representative of the will of Alaskans.” Not everyone agrees. On Wednesday, pro-abortion rights groups will be giving testimony against SJR 13 at the Capitol. Planned Parenthood of the Greater Northwest and Hawaiian Islands, which oversees Planned Parenthood in Alaska, could not be reached for comment. With 17 co-sponsors the bill already has nearly the 21 needed to pass. Vance said she approached representatives not based on party but based on their views of abortion. “This is something that, for there to be this many members sign onto a piece of legislation like this is significant,” Vance said. “This is not my bill. This is our bill.” In January a number of Republican and one Democratic lawmaker attended an anti-abortion rally on
See recovery, Page A12
See Bills, Page A3
Lee Jin-man / Associated Press
A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant as a precaution against new virus Wednesday at a market in Seoul, South Korea.
By Kim Tong-Hyung Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — The number of new virus infections in South Korea jumped again Wednesday and the U.S. military reported its first case among its soldiers based in the Asian country, with his case and many others connected to a southeastern city with an illness cluster. South Korea’s Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said 134 of the 169 new cases were confirmed in Daegu, where the government has been mobilizing public health tools to contain the virus. Another 19 cases were in neighboring North Gyeongsang province towns. A U.S. military statement said the 23-year-old soldier was in self-quarantine at his off-base residence. He had been based in Camp Carroll in a town near Daegu, and visited both
Carroll and nearby Camp Walker in recent days, according to the statement. South Korean authorities and U.S. military health professionals were tracing his contacts to determine if other people may have been exposed. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression See virus, Page A2
First steps: Journey through recovery By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
A representative from a national organization focused on empowering people suffering from addiction met with members of the Kenai community last week to discuss the group’s recovery strategies. Faces and Voices of Recovery is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 2005, whose
mission is to give a voice to the millions of Americans in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Patty McCarthy, CEO of the organization, visited Kenai last Tuesday as part of a tour across Alaska to share information about the work she does and to teach people how to make their town or city a “recovery-ready” community. McCarthy’s organization also advocates for policies on the federal level that address
SeaLife Center welcomes rescued otter pup By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Less than three weeks had passed in 2020 before the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward rescued its first stranded animal of the decade: a young, male sea otter pup. On Jan. 17, a resident of Seldovia called the SeaLife Center’s stranding hotline to report that the otter pup — only two weeks old at the time — had been found on a beach surrounded by birds and with snowballs embedded in his fur, according to a
Tuesday press release from the center. “Sea otters leave their young in what they perceive to be a safe place while they forage for food,” the press release said. “If people or pets are nearby when they return they are likely to abandon their young.” Since 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act has prohibited any disturbance to marine mammals without permission from the appropriate government agency, in this case the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After the SeaLife Center
received permission to rescue the pup from Fish and Wildlife, a Homer-based bear viewing company called Smokey Bay Air donated a flight to Seldovia and brought the pup to Homer. From there, volunteers transported the otter to the SeaLife Center in Seward. The pup is now seven weeks old and is under 24-hour care from the SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Team. “Young otter pups like this one need constant care and See pup, Page A3
Courtesy Alaska SeaLife Center
A member of the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Team holds the newest addition to the SeaLife Center, a male otter pup, in this undated photo.