Save U More produce team

Save U More has been working on expanding their produce section.
“Check out and shop our expanded produce section. We obtained new eco-friendly produce coolers and also widened our aisles to make shopping easier,” says Produce Manager Pam Munro. “We brought in, and continue to bring in, more fruit, vegetables, nuts and other bulk foods. We already started an organic produce section but are finally able to offer a full line.”
Monroe says that Save U More takes great pride in adding unique items such as burdock roots, sweet tamarind, bok choy etc and will continue to find new items at low prices.
“We will go out of our way to offer the best product at good prices,” she said.
Save U More welcomes their customers to come in and meet with Pam and her friendly and knowledgeable team, Brian and Chris. 
To commemorate their new and improved area, Save U More will hold a celebration, produce-fest, on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with give-aways, great prices and free food for the whole family.

Williamsport to Pile Bay Road closed
Commercial fishermen from the Kenai Peninsula who use the Pile Bay Road to get their boats to Bristol Bay will want to know the schedule of road repairs ahead.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will be constructing the Williamsport to Pile Bay Road-Iliamna River Bridge Repair Project this spring. The contract was awarded to Southwest Alaska Contractors, LLC of Anchorage in the amount of $613,790.
The Williamsport to Pile Bay Road is currently in winter closure status. This project will extend the closure status until the bridge repair is complete. Through traffic will not be possible. The current completion schedule for the bridge project and the re-opening of the Williamsport to Pile Bay Road is June 15.
DOT&PF recognizes the importance to users of timely re-opening. As an encouragement to timely completion, an incentive/disincentive clause is included in the construction contract. However, this completion schedule is very aggressive and there are risks to completing the project on time. Due to the unusually large snowfall this year, gaining access to the bridge site will be the primary challenge.
Users of the road are encouraged to contact the DOT&PF Central Region Construction Section at (907) 269-0450 to get an updated status and expected completion/re-opening date.

Alaska exports highest ever
Gov. Sean Parnell announced Alaska’s 2011 exports increased 26.1 percent to $5.2 billion, the highest annual export value ever. Alaska had topped the $5 billion mark in annual export value for the first time ever earlier this year. The state’s 2010 exports were $4.2 billion.
Most exports grew in value to volume comparisons: seafood, mineral ores, forest products, and precious metals. In 2011, the value of Alaska’s seafood exports grew 35.1 percent to $2.5 billion, and mineral ores increased 31.7 percent to $1.8 billion. Precious metals, primarily gold, were up 24.7 percent to $266.4 million. Forest products exports increased 1.9 percent to $119.3 million. Energy exports decreased 7.3 percent to $387.7 million, in line with changes at the Kenai liquefied natural gas plant.
Last year, 2011 marks the first year that China topped the list of Alaska’s export markets with a 56.2 percent increase to $1.4 billion total. The 2011 exports to China comprised seafood at $836.1 million, mineral ores at $480.1 million, forest products at $57.5 million, fish meal at $47.4 million, $12 million in energy, and $5.9 million in other categories. Exports to Japan totaled $1.1 billion, to Korea $644 million, to Canada $583.9 million, to Germany $261.1 million, to Switzerland $252.9 million, and to Spain $205.6 million. 
As in 2010, two countries accounted for more than half of Alaska’s seafood exports: China and Japan.

Chief Pat Norman of Port Graham gathers up electronics for recycling through Total Reclaim. Homer holds its e-recycling event April 28.

Time to gather up broken television sets, spent computers, inoperable printers and other no-longer-useful gadgets for the Annual E-Recycling Day 10 a.m.-3 p.m. April 28 at Spenard Builders Supply.
Sponsored by Cook Inletkeeper, the event is meant to help residents and businesses safely dispose of items that contain both toxic and reusable parts.
Electronic waste is the fastest growing part of America’s waste stream. Electronics may be safe to use, but when discarded they can leak toxic chemicals like lead, mercury, and cadmium, said Dorothy Melambianakis, coordinator of the event.
“One computer monitor can contain up to eight pounds of lead. Through responsible recycling of electronic waste we keep these toxins out of our air and water, keeping these resources clean for future generations. Also, by recycling the precious metals found in electronics, we can help reduce the need to find new sources,” she said.
Last year, Cook Inletkeeper took a larger role in organizing the annual recycling project. It was founded by retired teacher and environmentalist Nina Faust,who saw a need to save the Homer landfill from the toxins such items produce while salvaging their useful parts. Under her efforts, the event continually grew in popularity and poundage collected from 2006’s 12,039 pounds to 2011’s 19,379 pounds.
The most recent expansion is an inclusion of villages at Seldovia, Port Graham and Nanwalek. Last year, Cook Inletkeeper made a trip to each of the villages to collect e-waste.
“We have been working with tribal entities in their environmental program,” Melambianakis said.
They’re scheduled to go over April 24 to each village, days ahead in order to include the collection on the van that will then be loaded in Homer and taken to Total Reclaim in Anchorage.
Last year, a combined 1,451 pounds was collected from the three villages.
“This year, we are hoping for more. All the villages are interested in continuing this program. They’ve kind of taken it on, so that all we’re doing is coordinating pick-up and delivery,” she said.
“Every year it grows. It grows more and more popular. People are expecting it, and asking when will it be. That’s nice to hear, that people are already aware of it and anxious to bring it in,” Melambianakis said.
One major change is in the pricing. Business and nonprofit costs for computer parts hasn’t changed. The hard drive part of computer doesn’t get charged. Monitors do get charged. “That could be a big savings for businesses and schools that have a lot of old computers,” she said.

Chart for how many electronics were gathered in Homer over the years.

After it’s collected Total Reclaim, based in Washington with an Anchorage location, transports it to its warehouse in Seattle where the electronics and appliances are broken down. This is the only large scale electronics recycling in Alaska.
Total Reclaim was created in 1990 to help industry and government agencies comply with the requirements of the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act. The company was recognized for taking a global approach to stewardship and safety.
For more information, contact Cook Inletkeeper community outreeach assistant Dorothy Melambianakis at 235-4068 ext. 34 or Dorothy@inletkeeper.org.
Details are also available at www.inletkeeper.org.

Items Accepted
• Computers (CPUs)
• Monitors (CRT or LCD)
• Laptops
• Printers
• Servers, Routers, Hubs
• Televisions, VCR’s, DVD Players
• Stereos and Audio Components
• Cameras – Video and Digital
• Copiers / Scanners / Fax Machines
• Cell Phones and Telephones
• Electronic Scales
• Credit Card Machines
• Alarm Clocks and Clock Radios
• Handheld Games
• Batteries
• Florescent Lights (fee for large amounts)
• Other miscellaneous office machines
Audio and video tapes, exit signs, PCBs, smoke detectors, and vacuums are not acceptable items.

HOMER TRIBUNE/Naomi Klouda - Officers Sarah Geoffrion, Mark Worral and Jacinto Montez were unpacking boxes Monday morning. All three are moving to Homer for their new appointments.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Kenai relocated to new offices in Homer last week.
The Coast Guard moved into new offices in the historic Main Street Mercantile, built in 1936, during the first week of April in order to provide greater accessibility to the majority of the Unit’s customers and maintain a valuable connection with the people across the western Kenai Peninsula.
A commissioning ceremony for the new Homer location will be 10:30 a.m. May 3. The Marine Safety Detachment Kenai will be officially renamed Marine Safety Detachment Homer. The public is invited to attend the event.
Marine Safety Detachment Kenai is a six person office responsible for marine casualty investigations, pollution response and marine inspections throughout the western Kenai Peninsula. The move means all six are in the process of moving to Homer to staff the facility. Officer Lt. Sarah Geoffrion said they are excited to be moving to the historic building, and to Homer.
Effective today, all inquiries should be directed to the new offices in Homer at: Marine Safety Detachment Homer, 104 E. Pioneer Ave. Homer, AK 99603. For more information, contact Lt. Sarah Geoffrion, MSD Homer officer in charge, at (907) 235-3292.

House passes bill to simplify disclosure of juvenile delinquent information
The Alaska House, on Friday, passed a bill by Juneau Representative Cathy Muñoz to simplify and streamline the current law on public disclosure of information relating to juvenile delinquents and make it easier for the state to release appropriate details of a minor’s case to the public.
“State officials say the current statute is cumbersome and difficult to implement,” Muñoz, R-Juneau, said. “House Bill 343 establishes straightforward criteria for the release of juvenile information in cases of serious crimes – when the minor has been adjudicated a delinquent.”
HB 343 will allow those with a legitimate interest – such as former clients who once were children in state custody, their parents, or guardians – to have access to old records from the Division of Juvenile Justice to help them apply for jobs, obtain student loans, or get health care.
Muñoz introduced the measure at the request of the Division and the Office of Children’s Services. Both agencies support the legislation approved by the House.
HB 343 also is designed to improve the sharing of information between the Division and OCS to help the two agencies better protect, rehabilitate, and provide necessary services to children.

By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

Homer Tribune/Naomi Klouda - Zach Carlton, Ed Murphy and Chris Lukick are new in Homer but experienced pros in the cuisine scene of the Lower 48. The three work at the newly opened Crooked Hook Pub on the Homer Spit, with Lukick also the head chef at the Homestead.

In a chance conversation on a Paul Banks school field trip, Rick Cline, owner of the Homestead Restaurant, came upon an offer he just couldn’t refuse.
El Pescador owners Jose and Carmen Ramos mentioned to Cline that they were hoping to lease out their restaurant on the Homer Spit this summer. And Cline had just the chef in mind to make it work.
The Crooked Hook Pub opened on the Spit last week, featuring the work of three new pros from Orlando, Fla.
Rick, along with his wife Sharlene, had recently recruited a renowned chef, Chris Lukick, off Craigslist. Lukick comes from an impressive background: he’s a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and exhibited his skills on the cable television cooking challenge, “Top Chef.” He also worked under famed chefs Rick Moonen, Marcus Samuelson of New York, (owner of “Aquivit”) and Susanna Foo of Philadelphia.
“I came home from work, and they were saying, ‘how would you like to own another restaurant?’” Sharlene said.
Lukick suggested the idea might be manageable on short notice with the help of his two colleagues in Orlando. Both were out-of-work due to a tourism recession that isn’t likely to get much better in light of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Lukick, while working as the executive chef at five Orlando restaurants, directed Ed Murphy and Zach Carlson. He highly recommended Murphy as a manager/bartender, and Carlson as a talented sous chef. Murphy’s credentials included being named to the “Top 20 Coolest People in Orlando” by Orlando Magazine.
At the Crooked Hook, Murphy manages the front and back of the house, Carlson is the head chef and Lukick is the executive chef. Lukick also chefs at Homestead.
The new menu, featuring hearty hand-packed hamburgers, Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches of sliced rib eye and a halibut reuben, promise to warm stomachs after a brisk day fishing. The shepherd’s pie is a concoction from ground rib eye steak, carrots, roasted onions and peppers topped in mashed potatoes au gratin. Homer-brewed beer, Ring of Fire mead, speciality desserts and a kid’s menu are also featured.
“We were aiming for a broader audience and wanted to provide something not available on the Homer Spit,” Sharlene explained. “We realized fish and chips and the other dishes were what would be on a pub menu.”

By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

HOMER TRIBUNE/Naomi Klouda - Ramona Pearce demonstrates how she uses common, everyday items to assist her with restorative yoga techniques. Pearce is the only certified “Relax and Renew” yoga instructor in Alaska.

HOMER TRIBUNE/Naomi Klouda

by Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune
After 20 years as a Homer taxi driver, Nick Bairamis took on a semi-retired lifestyle this summer. He sold his taxi business, but kept a cab and still works Homer’s streets five nights a week.
Josh Cooper purchased Kostas Taxi – along with four cabs – and currently employs 10 full-time drivers for seven-day-a-week, 24-hour service.
“I had the oldest cab company and I am the oldest cab driver in town,” Bairamis said in his trademark heavy Greek accent.

Nick Bairamis

Chris Fischer

Mark Cooper, son John and brother-in-law, Nick Bairamis

Brandon Lovelace

Shane John and Daryn Holmes of Chux Cab