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CLARION
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Sunday, March 29, 2020 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 50, Issue 128
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In the news
coronavirus
Alaska residents to use tax credits for cleaner air
‘A battle with an invisible enemy’
JUNEAU — Local governments in Alaska will be able to create and utilize property tax credits to increase energy efficiency and air quality under a bill passed by the Legislature. The Senate approved the bill with a 17-1 vote on Thursday. The measure now heads to Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy for final approval. “This bill will allow local governments, businesses, and homeowners to maximize local dollars circulating in local economies. Many governments are proactively seeking ways to lower energy consumption. This bill gives them another option and will help stimulate local economies,” bill sponsor and Democratic state Rep. Grier Hopkins said. The bill won’t mandate or direct governments, but instead will offer a pathway for solutions to local problems, KTVF-TV reported. Boroughs and cities will be able to use energy-efficient construction to improve air quality, such as heating, filtration, and ventilation systems. “I envision cities and boroughs working with builders and banks to get these tax credits set up so when we start building, the money will stay local and put Alaskans to work,” said Republican state Sen. Click Bishop, who sponsored the Senate companion legislation.
$35M set aside for mining | access road ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority Board of Directors have voted during an emergency meeting to set aside $35 million for a mining road in northwest Alaska, bypassing standard requirements for taking loans from its revolving fund. Authority President Tom Boutin said that the action by the board will allow the authority to issue loans more effectively to offset potential economic side effects brought on by the coronavirus. The meeting was originally called to approve a series of economic measures intended to combat the pandemic. Funding for the Ambler Road Project was put on the emergency agenda to stimulate job creation, Anchorage Daily News reported. — Associated Press
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By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Two new statewide mandates shutting down non-essential businesses and prohibiting traveling between communities went into effect Saturday. The new health mandates, which were announced by Gov. Mike Dunleavy during a press conference Friday,
are similar to other shelter-in-place, hunker down and stay-put orders enacted across the nation to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The new statewide mandates shut down any non-essential business and organizations and prohibit Alaskans from traveling outside their community
unless it’s for a critical reason. The mandates do not prohibit residents from being outside, but those who go outside on walks must practice social distancing. “You can still go out and snowmachine, four-wheel, walk your dog, jog, hike, ski, do whatever you want to do outdoors but stay 6 feet away or more,” Dunleavy said. Mandate 11, which shuts
down non-essential businesses, will be re-evaluated April 11. Mandate 12, which prohibits any in-state travel between communities, will be re-evaluated April 21. “The next two weeks are going to be critical to slowing this virus,” Dunleavy said. Dan Nelson, emergency manager for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, told the Clarion on Saturday that, from
Deadly escalation
his reading of the mandates, the governor is stepping up the response to the virus while continuing to allow for “generous flexibility” in living a normal life. The mandates do not mean that Alaskans should expect to see things like checkpoints on the roads, Nelson said, but it does signify a significant increase See Mandates, Page A2
Two new cases on peninsula By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
investigation. Officials didn’t release other information, including whether the child had other health issues. “If you haven’t been paying attention, maybe this is your wake-up call,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. New York remained the worst-hit U.S. city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said defeating the virus will take “weeks and weeks and weeks.” The U.N. donated 250,000 face masks to
Two additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on the peninsula on Saturday, one in Soldotna and one in Homer, bringing the total number of peninsula cases to seven. As of Saturday evening, statewide there were 102 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, according to the website for the Division of Health and Social Services. Nearly half of the state’s confirmed cases, 54, were in the Anchorage area — including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Girdwood and Eagle River/Chugiak. The state also reported on its website Saturday that six people are now hospitalized for treatment. One of the new positive cases announced Saturday is a resident of a long-term care facility in Fairbanks, according to a March 28 press release from the Division of Health and Social Services. On Friday, Alaska announced its first in-state death. A 63-yearold woman, who had underlying health conditions, died at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, according to a Friday press release. The patient was receiving treatment at the hospital for an issue not related to coronavirus, but had tested positive for it
See nation, Page A2
See cases, Page A2
Kathy Willens / Associated Press
A nurse demonstrates outside the emergency entrance at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx borough of New York on Saturday, demanding more personal protective equipment for medical staff treating coronavirus patients.
Fatalities nationwide double in 2 days By Kat Stafford and Martha Irvine Associated Press
DETROIT — The coronavirus continued its unrelenting spread across the United States with fatalities doubling in two days and authorities saying Saturday that an infant who tested positive had died. It pummeled big cities like New York, Detroit, New Orleans and Chicago, and made its way, too, into rural America as hotspots erupted in small Midwestern
towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens. Elsewhere, Russia announced a full border closure while in parts of Africa, pandemic prevention measures took a violent turn, with Kenyan police firing tear gas and officers elsewhere seen on video hitting people with batons. Worldwide infections surpassed the 660,000 mark with more than 30,000 deaths as new cases also stacked up quickly in Europe, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins
University. The U.S. leads the world in reported cases with more than 120,000. Confirmed deaths surpassed 2,000 on Saturday, twice the number just two days before, highlighting how quickly infections are escalating. Still, five countries have higher death tolls: Italy, Spain, China, Iran and France. Italy has more than 10,000 deaths, the most of any country. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Saturday that an infant with COVID-19 died in Chicago and the cause of death is under
Finding your faith while keeping your distance By Brian Mazurek and Jeff Helminiak Peninsula Clarion
With the latest health mandates from Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Alaskans are obligated to stay at home — unless part of an essential industry — and practice social distancing as much as possible. This means that church leaders can no longer gather their congregations together for in-person services, and faith-based nonprofits can no longer provide their services to the community in the ways they always have before.
“I believe God’s been calling on us to do ministry differently, so we’re just trying to get back to basics,” April Hall, pastor of both Kenai and North Star United Methodist Churches in Kenai and Nikiski, told the Clarion on Friday. “Just because we can’t be in the church, we still are the church.” Hall performed her first sermon via Facebook Live last week and was preparing to do it again for her churches’ Fifth Sunday service this week. Hall said that every fifth Sunday, both of her churches gather as one congregation to take
up an offering for a specific cause, such as a Methodist mission trip or a local charity. This will be the first time that Hall is leading the Fifth Sunday Service virtually from her home rather than behind the pulpit, and she said that although she’s not the most tech-savvy person, she’s committed to making it work. “I had someone holding my phone the first time I tried to do it, but I went and bought a tripod so hopefully that helps a little bit,” Hall said. “Like everyone else See churches, Page A3
Second Homer resident tests positive for COVID-19 By Megan Pacer Homer News
South Peninsula Hospital has reported its first confirmed case of COVID19 in a Homer resident within the city. A person who was tested at the local hospital “earlier this week” is positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to a Saturday evening press release from the City of Homer Unified Command. This is the second COVID19 case to involve a resident of Homer, but the first one to occur actually within the city. The first case was that of a Homer resident who was returning from traveling
outside the state. The person was tested when they landed in Anchorage, and remained in Anchorage for isolation. The second Homer resident’s test was conducted by the Alaska State Public Health Laboratory. According to the press release, public health nurses in Homer are conducting an investigation into contacts the second person who tested positive may have had with others. “Public Health Nurses will reach out to any person who may have come into contact with this individual,” the release states. “Public Health will notify each See homer, Page A3