On Monday, April 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. Kenai Peninsula College’s Kachemak Bay Campus will hold an open house in the upstairs commons for high school sophomores and juniors and their parents. The goal of the event is to share information about two programs that offer high schoolers the opportunity to earn early college […]
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Homer Opus celebrates spring with the Festival of Strings
Homer Opus, a nonprofit organization that provides instruction in string-based music programs to Homer youth as well an adult Codas ensemble, is in the midst of their first monthlong celebration of the Festival of Strings. The festival is a coordinated effort at bring youth, music and community together. There are two remaining performances in the […]
Read MoreDouble audition for Pier One musicals Sunday and Monday
Pier One Theatre is holding a double audition for two upcoming musicals: “The Adams Family: a New Musical” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” The shows will share the same audition time and space with coordinated audition material. Auditions will take place on Sunday, April 14 at 2 p.m. and Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. […]
Read MoreHomer pedestrian pathway project selected for federal funding
The Homer All-Ages and Abilities Pedestrian Pathway project, or HAPP, has been awarded funding and is officially in the works with the approval of the 2024-2027 Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Statewide Transportation Improvements Program. Shannon McCarthy, communications director from the Alaska DOT&PF Office of the Commissioner, confirmed on Saturday, March 30 that […]
Read MoreSchool Board approves rehiring retired teachers
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s school board unanimously approved a resolution last week allowing the reemployment of retired teachers to address vacancies that would otherwise be unfilled. According to the resolution, reemployment of retired teachers without compromising their retirement benefits is allowed under a Senate bill signed into law in November 2018. That bill […]
Read MoreKids to join annual DiRtBaG cleanup
The Homer Wilderness Leaders annual community spring DiRtBaG cleanup starts on Earth Day, April 22, and runs until April 27. Homer youth age 8 to 19 meet at the Bishop’s Beach green Monday through Friday, where they form groups and choose a community location where they will pick up trash and debris. Snacks, gloves, orange […]
Read MoreAleutian airways to halt Homer service during runway project
Aleutian Airways will suspend service to Homer for the duration of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Homer Airport improvement project, beginning April 15. Ravn Air confirmed on Friday, April 5 that they will continue providing service to Homer during the ongoing construction, except during scheduled full runway closures. Currently, full runway closures […]
Read MoreAnti-abortion activists protest outside Soldotna Walgreens
As the U.S. Supreme Court debates whether to restrict access to one of two pills used in medical abortions, a local pro-life group took to the streets last Tuesday, March 26, to voice their opposition to Walgreens filling prescriptions for the drug. The company denies it is dispensing the drug in Alaska, but protesters believe […]
Read MoreKenaitze Indian Tribe hosts meeting to gauge interest in a Dena’ina charter school
Curriculum, logistics and school culture were among the words written at the top of large sheets of paper hung around the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus last Thursday, where roughly 30 people gathered to share their thoughts about a Dena’ina charter school the tribe is considering starting in Kenai. The initiative comes as the […]
Read MoreWest Homer Elementary Shakespeare Club goes on tour
Thirteen West Homer Elementary fifth and sixth grade students in the Shakespeare Club went on tour last Wednesday, March 27, with their club director Sarah Brewer to visit and perform for residents of the Homer Senior Center. This is the second year that Brewer has hosted the club for the students as a representative of […]
Read MoreHomer Flex School principal Chris Brown named Region III Principal of the Year
The Alaska Council of School Administrators named Homer Flex High School principal Chris Brown as Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals Region III Principal of the Year. There are six high schools on the Kenai Peninsula as well as high schools in Palmer, Wasilla, Houston and Kodiak in the region. In a press release describing […]
Read MoreHomer High School announces recipients of the annual Mariner Way Award
Each Homer High School teacher selects one outstanding student per year based on exhibition of one or more of the Mariner Way traits. The Mariner Way traits include toughness, compassion, drive, integrity, character, sportsmanship and citizenship. This year’s honorees, their families and the nominating teachers attended a March 28 celebration in the library at the […]
Read MoreCity to consider business licenses
The City of Homer will begin consideration of establishing a city business license. According to Community Development Director Julie Engebretsen, the Homer City Council will introduce a resolution at their next regular meeting on April 8, requesting that the Economic Development Advisory Commission provide input on a business license program. Currently, Engebretsen wrote in an […]
Read MoreLand trust wraps up Cooper Landing project with 46 more acres preserved
Homer’s Kachemak Heritage Land Trust announced protection of an additional 46.393 acres of land on the Kenai Peninsula as of March 22. This land protection is the concluding portion of a five-part mitigation project partnership between the land trust and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. This sector of land is between Mileposts […]
Read MoreHomer’s First National Bank receives attempted deposit of counterfeit $100 bill
Last Thursday, Homer’s First National Bank received an attempted deposit of a counterfeit $100 bill. The bill was a motion picture photos cash dollar. Erik Neibuhr, Homer branch manager and loan officer, confirmed the event and said that when this occurs it’s usually in a large deposit from businesses such as the grocery stores, gas […]
Read MoreHomer man found guilty of charges in largest Homer Police drug seizure
A Homer jury convicted 56-year-old Trevor Latimer of multiple drug-related charges last Thursday, the State of Alaska Department of Law announced in a press release on Friday, March 29. Following a seven-day trial, Latimer was found guilty of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and two counts […]
Read MoreAnchor Point man sentenced for sexual abuse of minor
On Wednesday, March 20, 53-year-old Scott Ring from Anchor Point was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Bride Seifert to 25 years in prison with five years suspended and 15 years of probation for sexually abusing a minor, the State of Alaska Department of Law announced in a March 29 press release. Ring was convicted of […]
Read MoreAnnual Job Fair returns to Kenai Peninsula
The Peninsula Job Center’s annual Job Fair will return to the Old Carrs Mall next week, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. Jason Warfle, Job Center supervisor, said Monday that the annual fair is an opportunity for job seekers to get face-to-face with potential employers and training providers. Roughly 50 […]
Read MoreCooper Landing residents seek veto for concrete plant lease, mayor upholds assembly decision
Roughly two weeks after the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved a lease agreement to Davis Block and Concrete Company for the operation of a concrete plant down Snug Harbor Road in Cooper Landing, residents of that community sent a letter to Borough Mayor Peter Micciche requesting that he veto the move. Micciche said Tuesday that […]
Read MoreHope Rising
Four Homer women will be honored by South Peninsula Haven House at its 19th annual Women of Distinction celebration. The ceremony will take place at Land’s End Resort on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The four awardees this year are Nina Faust, Flo Larsen, Ireland Styvar and Keri Keller. The event celebrates inspiring […]
Read MoreHomer named 4th best small town arts scene
Homer has been picked as the No. 4 best small town arts scene in America, the Homer Chamber of Commerce announced on Facebook last Tuesday, March 26. The nomination comes as part of USA Today’s 2024 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards. The competition began earlier this year when Homer was selected by an expert panel from […]
Read MoreFilm documents local circus arts entertainer’s ‘Third Act’
A short documentary about local resident George Faust will premiere April 11 at the Homer Theatre. “My Third Act,” produced by Affinity Films, is about Faust’s career performing in circus arts in various places around Alaska and how his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease at age 70 ended the physical part of his career. His circus […]
Read MoreComp plan open house kicks off community conversation
More than 70 community members attended the comprehensive plan open house at the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center last Thursday, March 28. During the two-hour event, residents of the greater Homer area shared their insights and hopes for the future and engaged in one-on-one facetime with project leaders, including representatives from Agnew::Beck and the City […]
Read MoreAssembly OKs concrete lease in Cooper Landing
A Kenai-based concrete company will set up shop in Cooper Landing to help build parts of a state bypass project in the community following approval last week by the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly of a lease agreement with the company. The vote came amid widespread community opposition to the agreement. Davis Block and Concrete Company […]
Read MoreBjorkman farm tax relief bill clears Senate
A bill that aims to provide municipal property tax relief to Alaska farmers cleared the Senate on Monday, March 18, with unanimous support from lawmakers. The bill, Senate Bill 161, is sponsored by Nikiski Republican Jesse Bjorkman and changes the way tax breaks and exemptions for Alaska farmers are structured. The legislation would expand an […]
Read MoreSome KPBSD schools could benefit from internet bill passed by House
The Alaska House of Representatives on March 21 passed legislation that allows school districts to apply for more federal money to improve internet quality and speed in Alaska’s rural schools. House Bill 193 contains parts of a previous bill lawmakers loaded down with a conglomerate education package, which was vetoed earlier this month by Gov. […]
Read MoreHEA board candidates talk renewables, gas shortage at Monday forum
Candidates running for seats on the Homer Electric Association Board of Directors gathered in the Soldotna Public Library on Monday, March 18 for a forum during which they shared their goals and vision for the future of the cooperative. This year, five candidates are vying for three seats on the nine-member board. The forum was […]
Read MoreSchool district committee builds multiple budget scenarios amid uncertain state funding
Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Finance Committee on Monday honed three plans for the district’s immediate financial future. The meeting came less than a month after board members opted to build the district’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year around a state funding bump that was approved by lawmakers, but then vetoed […]
Read More3 Homer High seniors recognized as National Merit Scholarship finalists
Three Homer High School seniors, Spencer Co, Blaise Banks and Lucas Story, recently received recognition as finalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship program. The recognition is based on scores received on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test that the students took as juniors. According Homer High School counselor Paul Story, who is […]
Read MoreLocal workshops to focus on managing bear attractants, electric fencing
Next week, the Defenders of Wildlife, in partnership with the Department of Fish and Game, will host a series of workshops on bear awareness and electric fencing — running Monday through Friday, April 1-5, in Hope, Seward, Kenai, Soldotna and Homer. On Monday, April 1, a workshop will be held at the Bear Creek Lodge […]
Read MoreWorkshop seeks to spur civic engagement
The City of Homer, Kenai Peninsula Votes and The League of Women Voters of the Central Kenai Peninsula are hosting a meeting on how to run for elected office in Alaska in an effort to spur civic engagement. The event will take place on April 4 at Homer City Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 […]
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