A Homer ninth grader is one of 21 entrants in this year’s Jr. Iditarod, and the only one from south of Anchorage, according to the race roster as of Monday. Connections Homeschool student Addy Pederson, 14, is participating for the first time in the race, slated for Feb. 24. Pederson, in an interview with Homer […]
Read MoreTag: Home2
Inaugural exhibit
Currently on display at Grace Ridge Brewing are large print Alaska-themed landscape and wildlife photographs by Homer photographer David Veith. Included in the exhibit are images of mountains, glaciers, lighthouses, churches, the aurora borealis, moose, sandhill cranes, bear, eagles, otters, birds of prey, and many others. “Contemplating Bull Moose” showcases a large bull moose at […]
Read MorePratt Museum reports back on tumultuous year
The Homer Society of Natural History elected six new board members at its Feb. 6 annual business meeting. The society serves as the governing body for the Pratt Museum and provides advocacy and funding on the museum’s behalf, according to its website. The new appointments include Milli Martin, Jennifer Bartolowits, Savana Bradley, Clark Fair, Tim […]
Read MoreAlaska State Parks recruiting for local citizen advisory boards
The Kenai Regional Office for Alaska State Parks is accepting applications for vacancies on three Kenai Peninsula area citizen advisory boards, the Department of Natural Resources announced last Thursday. According to a press release, citizen advisory boards provide park managers with recommendations on state park management decisions. There are vacancies on the boards for the […]
Read MoreSchool board ratifies new contracts following union membership support
Teachers and support staff working for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will receive a raise and more money to put toward their health care costs under a one-year contract extension — the first in the district’s history — ratified by the board of education on Monday. Under the terms of the agreement, the district’s […]
Read MorePrince William Sound Regional Citizen’s Advisory Council adds board seat for recreational interests
The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council held a board of directors meeting Jan. 25-26 in Anchorage. The board meets three times annually with one meeting in Anchorage, one in Valdez and one in a community of a representative board member. Board President Robert Archibald from Homer noted that one of key events from […]
Read MoreKenai Peninsula sees sharp rise in COVID-19 activity
A sharp increase in the number of weekly cases of COVID-19 was reported last week by the State Department of Health for the Kenai Peninsula Borough in data updated Feb. 1. Weekly cases of COVID-19 by region are reported via the department’s Respiratory Virus Snapshot. The snapshot was updated to include data through Jan. 27. […]
Read MoreSnow Rondi promises fun, fundraising
The annual Snow Rondi, an Anchor Point winter tradition offering fun and festivities for the whole family, is coming up at the end of the month. Typically sponsored by multiple community organizations, this year the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce is putting their hand more firmly on the helm for Snow Rondi planning. “Snow Rondi […]
Read MoreArt examines life
Wood sculptor Deb Lowney strives to create work that is visually intriguing, intellectually stimulating and that invites viewers to consider social issues. In 2014, her exhibit, “Canary In a Coal Mine” shown at Fireweed Gallery, combined 20 sculptures with various quotes and statements addressing climate change issues. One piece included in the exhibit, “Hanging On,” […]
Read MoreWhat’s Old is New! Homer Winter Carnival parade coming up this weekend
Community organizations in Homer have been making plans for the annual Homer Winter Carnival Celebration, which marks its 70th year this weekend with the theme “What’s Old is New!”. While the parade is the centerpiece of the carnival, other weekend activities, such as the ice race and basketball tournament, are also scheduled to also take […]
Read MoreOff the Shelf: A quirky pandemic love story that hits close to home
I’ve written before about how difficult it is for me to read novels in which the COVID-19 pandemic plays a central theme. The virus doesn’t feel far enough in the past to have already become a subgenre of historical fiction, and trying to stay focused on books about the pandemic often ends with me staring […]
Read MoreWinter carnival parade deadline approaching
The deadline to register to participate in this year’s Winter Carnival Parade is Feb. 5. The parade will take place on the historic Pioneer Avenue route on Feb. 10 starting at noon. The theme for 2024 is “What’s Old is New” and will feature the Krewe Music Group. People can submit float submissions for parade […]
Read MoreBiden LNG pause doesn’t impact Alaska LNG Project
A “temporary pause” on export decisions for liquefied natural gas announced by the Biden-Harris Administration on Friday doesn’t affect the long-awaited Alaska LNG Project, but the move drew criticism from all three members of the Alaska’s congressional delegation. A statement posted online by the federal administration said “climate change is the existential threat of our […]
Read MoreState responds to proposed Cook Inlet EEZ management
The State of Alaska has “significant concerns” with proposed federal management of the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone, according to a letter addressed to the National Marine Fisheries Service. The letter is signed by Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang. He writes that he is submitting on behalf of the state in response […]
Read MoreNew vet clinic opens in Anchor Point
The Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday, Jan. 25 for the newest business to join the Anchor Point community. Chugach Animal Clinic is a family-owned veterinary practice located on the Old Sterling Highway. They began taking business on Jan. 8, with Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony marking their official date of opening. […]
Read MorePeninsula residents weigh in on school funding debate
Kenai Peninsula teachers and parents were among the voices members of the Alaska House Rules Committee heard during a Saturday hearing on a sweeping education bill that lasted for nearly eight hours. Among other things, the bill would increase the base student allocation by $300, provide lump sum payments for eligible certified teachers and allow […]
Read MoreState adds 6,000 jobs in 2023
The statewide job count increased by 6,000 between December 2022 and December 2023, the State Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced Friday. That 6,000 exceeds the department’s projection of 5,300 published in its “Economic Trends” in January of last year. It follows a gain of 6,400 in 2022 and 7,000 in 2021. A regional […]
Read MoreCity briefed on Spit conditions amid ongoing harbor expansion
The Homer City Council on Monday received an extensive updated overview report from Ronny McPherson and KC Kent of HDR on the baseline marine and physical conditions of the Spit and existing harbor status of the ongoing Homer Harbor expansion project. The study was conducted as work in kind for the U.S. Army Corps of […]
Read MoreGroup studying 4-day school week model takes shape
Members of a newly minted Kenai Peninsula Borough School District group convened for the first time last week in Soldotna to refine their goals and purpose as a committee dedicated to studying a four-day school week model for the district. KPBSD school board members last month created an ad hoc, or temporary, committee to be […]
Read MoreLawmakers open session with education discussion
KENAI — State funding for education was the top topic among Alaska lawmakers as they gaveled in Tuesday for the first day of their second regular session. A 20-20 vote by the Alaska House of Representatives killed early efforts to overturn a gubernatorial veto of one-time education funds approved by state lawmakers last year and […]
Read MoreHomer Elks provides new barbecue equipment to Hospice of Homer
Homer Elks Lodge last month provided Hospice of Homer with a new metal gazebo and barbecue grill to the garden area at the local facility on Pioneer Avenue in Homer. The items were provided through the Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant. Tonja Robinson, the hospice client services director, said clients of the facility love to […]
Read More‘Zeusical’ brings Greek mythology, and souvlakis, to Kenai Performers’ stage
The recognizable names and iconic figures of Greek mythology are filling the Kenai Performers’ theater this month as the group prepares to put on “Greece is the Word: The Zeusical,” which opens Jan. 19 and runs for three weekends. Director Terri Burdick said Saturday that the show is a fantasy — depicting a variety of […]
Read MoreSouth Peninsula Hospital welcomes the 1st baby of 2024
Baby Benedict Joseph Traugott was the first baby born in 2024 at South Peninsula Hospital’s Family Birthing Center. Son of Elizabeth and Nathan Traugott, Benedict Joseph was born on Jan. 2 at 5:25 a.m. weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces, and measuring 19 inches long. This is Elizabeth’s eighth baby. Nathan grew up in Homer and […]
Read MoreSix weeks of literature
The Big Read is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest that supports community reading programs. The Friends of the Homer Library was one of 62 organizations chosen nationwide to receive a 2023/2024 Big Read grant and for the past several months has been collaborating with the Homer Public Library […]
Read MoreBudget deficit continues to steer school board talks
Warnings about the implications and scale of the budget deficit the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is facing for the upcoming fiscal year again dominated meetings of the board of education, which met Monday in Soldotna. KPBSD in September warned that it would be starting its budget cycle with a $13 million difference between revenues […]
Read MoreBunnell to host Maker’s Spaces for parade
The Bunnell Street Arts Center exhibit gallery may be closed for the month of January, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t still happening behind their doors. Bunnell, in partnership with Homer Drawdown, will host two weekend Maker’s Space sessions for community members to build walkable, wearable sculptures, such as marionettes, puppets and masks, to “outlandishly […]
Read MoreWhat’s happening at Homer Counil on the Arts this month
Since 1975, Homer Council on the Arts has been offering performances, exhibitions and arts education for community members of all ages and abilities, serving the community by creating space and opportunities for people and innovative ideas. Here are HCOA-hosted events and activities through January. All take place at the HCOA Gallery unless otherwise indicated. Ceramics […]
Read MoreOn the Screen: ‘Saltburn’ weird and fun, not as sharp as Fennell’s first outing
Since “Saltburn,” the second film by director Emerald Fennell, came to streaming last month, I’ve seen a lot of conversation about the film on social media. Truly all that conversation has centered on exactly one scene — involving a bathtub — and how shocking and gross it was. Having seen the film, that scene is […]
Read MoreFish and Game accepting comment on sport fish stocking plan
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is accepting public comment on its 2024 Statewide Stocking Plan for Sport Fisheries until the end of the month. A Wednesday press release from the department says that the Division of Sport Fish will release “approximately seven million fish annually into the waters of Alaska over the next […]
Read MoreKachemak Nordic Ski Club hears public feedback on regulations related to dogs on ski trails
Homer’s Kachemak Nordic Ski Club (KNSC) held a meeting Jan. 4 at the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center that included the topic of dog use on local ski trails and potential updates to the organization’s policy on dogs. The KNSC website defines the organization as a non-profit volunteer program that maintains over 80 kilometers […]
Read MoreSuit alleges fungal growth at 4 KPBSD schools caused health problems
A former special education teacher at Mountain View Elementary School is suing the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and the Kenai Peninsula Borough with and on behalf of her four children, who she says have suffered from medical issues after being exposed to mold and other materials while attending district schools. Jennifer Harvey-Kindred and two […]
Read More