Rescue dog searches for work
As a working dog trained in search and rescue, Ares the German shepherd is the equivalent of 20 to 30 human searchers. After scenting on an item from a missing person, it takes as little as some disturbed vegetation or a faint puff of wind carrying their odor and Ares can find them, miles away, on the other side of a lake — even if the trail is a day or more cold. Owned by Dale Lawyer, a paramedic/engineer with Central Emergency Services, Ares was a resource for the entire peninsula, able to aid in search-and-rescue operations at a moment’s notice.
Incumbent only candidate for HEA
Five candidates are running for seats on the Homer Electric Association Board of Directors. Incumbent director Bill Fry of Homer is the only candidate running in District 3.
Ballots will be sent to HEA members Friday. If returned by mail, ballots must be received by May 4. Or members may vote at the HEA annual meeting May 5 at Kenai Central High School.
Following is a question-and-answer interview with Fry.
Getting an early start on homelessness
Last Friday, a homeless man in Anchorage was crushed to death inside a Dimond Center trash bin he apparently crawled into for warmth. His death brought the number of homeless people who have died in Anchorage since last spring to 16.
Last November, 39-year-old Raegin Romero died in the woods off the Sterling Highway in Homer. He reportedly alternated between living at the Refuge Chapel, and in a tent in the woods.
Meadery grabs gold at competition
Homer’s Ring of Fire Meadery won five medals at the 2010 Mazer Cup International held last weekend in Boulder, Colo. Owners Rachel and Laurence Livingston said they see this as important for all Alaskans, since two of the winning meads were made locally in Homer.
Community News – March 31
Photo contest NOMAR is sponsoring the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival Photo Contest. There is a $300 cash prize for the Photo judged “Best of Show.” Additional cash prizes will be awarded in the categories. Wildlife, Scenic and Alaskana (human interest). The deadline for entries is 6 p.m. May 3. You can pick-up the Contest rules [...]
For the Record – March 31
Judgment
Joseph V. Serebrekoff, 18, assault in the fourth degree, driving under the influence, guilty.
Misdemeanor
William Oscar Daugherty, 45, resisting or interfering with arrest, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fifth degree.
Joshua Benard Brooks, 34, driving while license revoked.
Police Report – March 31
Fire/EMS The Homer Volunteer Fire Department responded to nine emergency medical calls and no fire calls for the week of March 22 – March 28. KESA responded to three emergency medical calls and one fire call for the week of March 22 – 28. Criminal/Malice Mischief/Personal On March 23, a caller reported a tire slashed [...]
20,000 deckhands prove difficult to track for UFA
It’s tough to track a workforce when you don’t know where it is. But that will remain the case for more than 20,000 Alaska deckhands — at least for the immediate future.
Crews aboard fishing boats are one of the only groups of laborers in Alaska not counted by the state. A project to collect labor data on deckhands in every fishery has been under development for two years, and it seemed to be on its way for legislative approval this year.
Concerns by the United Fishermen of Alaska, however, were enough to stall the program from being introduced this session. At issue: skippers would be tasked with all the paperwork.
One man’s trash
Debuting last week for a two-month display at the Pratt Museum is a unique exhibit by local artists Michael Walsh and Asia Freeman. Aptly titled “Backyard, Alaska,” the show consists of nine installations surrounding a theme familiar to many Alaskans: the hoards of collected objects that find their way into our backyards — or backwoods, as it may be.
Alaska is a land flush with artists, yet with all of the work being produced, installation art is still seemingly sparse throughout the Last Frontier. Standing to make the genre so compelling is its tactile, three-dimensional nature, designed to challenge perceptions of space. Within this form, Walsh and Freeman appeal to a greater number of senses — transcending simple visual understanding.
Art Briefs – March 31
First Friday • The Back Room Gallery presents, “Finding Beauty in a Broken World;” an invitational mixed media exhibit as part of its April First Friday event. Opening April 2, the show is inspired by Terry Tempest Williams’ latest book and runs through May 5. It reveals how art can be a strategy for survival and [...]
