Governor vetoes Homer’s gasline – again
Homer’s quest to gain lower cost energy in the form of a gasline is pushed off for yet another year after Gov. Sean Parnell turned thumbs down on the project in his Wednesday 2011 Capital Budget announcements.
Parnell signed three appropriation bills containing the Operating and Capital budgets, and the Mental Health Operating and Capital budgets Wednesday. Through line-item vetoes, he reduced the proposed state spending by more than $412 million.
Fourth of July celebrated
The Chamber of Commerce is inviting Independence Day parade participants to decorate their entries to share their story of how and why they wound up in Homer. The theme is “Homer, our town USA.”
“We all ended up in Homer for interesting reasons. Do your kids know that story?” Chamber Executive Director Monte Davis asks in the parade invitation. “Why not build a float or decorate a bike and tell your story to them while you share it with all of us. Why do you love being part of this wonderful community at the (End of the Road?)
City employee packages run high
A police dispatcher salary in Homer starts at $23.81 per hour, while Seward’s dispatchers begin at $18.83 and Fairbanks starts at $34.81.
The city manager of Homer makes $52.45 an hour while Seward’s top manager makes $52.94 and Soldotna’s earns $63.63. The city’s personal director starts at $28.33 while Cordova’s makes $20.83 and Soldotna’s begins at $26.57.
A public works inspector, the person who monitors construction site activities for roads, sewer, drainage, and driveway work, starts at $28.41 in Homer. Seward pays $23.51 and Kenai pays $30.
Tsunami alert system comes under attack
When an earthquake erupts and triggers a tsunami alert, residents of Homer receive an automated message letting them know, but there is no followup pre-recorded message to call off the alert. The one message of warning is the only one that is sent under the current siren system, said Eric Mohrmann, director of the Kenai [...]
Fire ban lifted but care recommended for season
Although rain has reduced the danger of wildfire here, officials of five government agencies want burners to be aware of precautions they should take to prevent an outbreak here since the majority of wild land fires are caused by careless human activity.
Study asks where cranes nest their young
Learning more about the nesting ecology of our local Lesser Sandhill Cranes is one of Kachemak Crane Watch’s major goals. Working with wildlife biologists Gary Ivey, Western Crane Conservation Manager for the International Crane Foundation and Michelle Michaud, Kachemak Crane Watch is conducting a three-year project to learn where local cranes nest, roost, and their reproductive success.
Light winds, slow race
Eleven racers had fair northwest winds, about 15 knots, for the first day of the Land’s End Regatta but Sunday there was no wind at the scheduled starting time of 1:30 p.m. However, by 2 o’clock a light northwester gradually moved the boats off the starting line.
Adjusted for handicaps, Carlin Rauch’s Martha J won the two-day race, coming in third Saturday and first Sunday with a corrected time two hours, two minutes and 35 seconds on day two.
Yurt Village buzzes with manufacturing
The Alaska Yurt Village is a hive of industry this summer, a place where manufacturing takes place on large and small scales.
Tourists are drawn to the curious octagonal buildings clustered off the Sterling Highway, a unique place in terms of the cutting edge ideas generally offered there by people at work on their own projects. This year, the cooperative rearranged some of the yurts in order to maximize parking. They also book entertainment events to keep the offering diversified, like a concert held this past weekend to benefit HoWL, a wilderness skills group for youth.
Community News – June 29
Although they are only 16 years old, the Homer Syncro Sea Stars are competing in the 17-18 year class in the U.S. Synchronized Swimming, E-Synchro, National meet today in Seattle after placing high in regional competition in Portland last month. Alaska,Washington, Wyoming and Oregon were among the states competing in the regional meet. The national meet is being held from1 1:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the King County pool today.
Happy July 4th ahead
Homer has held some form of a 4th of July parade consistently for many decades. Its tendency to attract 20 or more floats was exceeded in 2009, much to the jubilation of organizers since that was also an Alaska Statehood celebration. That year, no fewer than 50 meant a grand procession that lasted well into an hour – a record that wasn’t repeated in the less enthusiastic following year.
