Sen. Micciche spends post-session week in Houston
Sen. Peter Micciche spent his post-legislative session week in Houston talking with industry leaders and policy makers about liquified natural gas, a commodity he believes should take a greater role in supplying state revenue.
The legislative session ended on Sunday April 15. On Monday, April 16, Micciche traveled to Houston to take part in the LNG 17 Forum that featured him as a presenter, wearing his hat as the supervisor of the ConocoPhillips LNG plant in Kenai. At the same time, executives of ConocoPhillips met in Houston to discuss the new tax regime of Senate
Bill 21 and announced a renewed commitment for drilling at Kaparak on the North Slope based on the incentives of SB 21. Micciche said he didn’t participate in those talks, but did at LNG 17 that included other legislators and members of the Gov. Sean Parnell administration. The LNG 17 Forum featured an international panel representing the Middle East, Australia, Japan, South America and Africa.
Seaton: End of session brings disappointing oil tax regime
Rep. Paul Seaton leaves the legislative session behind with misgivings about the oil tax credit bill that passed into law minus any of the 11 amendments he offered to protect the state treasury.
One amendment would have acted as a circuit breaker in case the incentives proved an unlucrative drain on state revenue.
“If (SB 21) isn’t working then, the automatic circuit breaker would say ‘We’re not going to renew this if it is not accomplishing its goal.’ That’s the biggest downfall in the bill, is that the (amendment) didn’t make it,” Seaton said Monday.
Seaton’s plan was to reward oil companies for production – or reward them for their performance. It would have required production levels equal to, or greater, than 2012 by 2018-19. If this requirement weren’t met, the per barrel credit would go away for the legacy or older fields.
Group wants plastic bags back in petition drive to put question on the ballot
A group of Homer people are hoping to reverse the grocery bag ban, bringing the banished plastic bag once again into favor for consumers.
All plastic bags under 2.25 mils thick that were used at grocery stores and other retail outlets were banned by city ordinance as of Jan. 1. Since that time, stores are allowed to use up their supply of the bags, but are prohibited from ordering more. It was authored by Councilmen David Lewis and Beau Burgess.
Justin Arnold, Dan Gardner and Marlina Hogdon applied through the Homer City Clerk’s office to circulate a petition for 90 days. In that time period, they must gain 230 signatures in order to place the question on the Oct. 1 general election ballot. The petition is due back to the clerk’s office by June 3.
Peninsula agricultural projects grow to 124 farms
Long winters, short summers, sloppy breakup floods, land rife with spruce trees and stumps making it tough to clear — agriculture in Alaska has its challenges, but that can make the fruits of farming labor all the more satisfying.
With so many difficulties, it can take many people working together to succeed, and that spirit of partnership was the purpose of third annual Kenai Peninsula Ag Forum, presented by the Kenai Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development District.
Professors teach elementary kids college-style
If about 90 percent of all communication is nonverbal, how many meanings can a statement like, “I got a job today” take on?
Lots of examples were acted out by sixth graders in a Kachemak Bay Campus college classroom Friday morning. The utterance can take on despair if it’s not the job they wanted. It might mean enthusiasm, jubilation or disappointment.
“When that much of communication is nonverbal, it’s not what you say that matters so much, as how you say it,” Professor Beth Graber told them.
Graber held the rapt attention of about 20 sixth graders even though she used actual material from her Communications 111 Fundamentals of Oral Communication course.
Sixth grade students from Chapman and West Homer elementary schools took part in the Kids2College program Friday at KBC. For many it will be the first steps toward exploring their college and career interests. The event capitalizes on the belief they’re never too young to get them thinking about college education plans.
In Graber’s classroom, she introduces the concept of proxemics, a theory of spacial relations between people that seems to make sense to her young students.
Task force overhauls water-sewer rates, hands off to City Council
The water-sewer billing system needs to be arranged more on principle than politics and a socialized system where everyone pays whether they use a gallon of water or not also doesn’t work.
Those were observations of the water sewer task force that wrapped up its work and handed off new recommendations to the Homer City Council Monday night.
The council will present an ordinance soon that spells out the new rates. One of the chief changes will be a flat $18 service fee for all units. An additional $5 fee will be applied to each unit that doesn’t have a separate water meter.
Exploring the ocean floors: Three teens and an engineer construct a Rover
The robot’s eye is a digital camera connected to a television screen. It fits in a lap-top sized case. The screen shows the Rover on a mission to collect a ring from the bottom of the pool.
“We assembled two of these Remote Operating Vehicles or Rovers, that will be at Peterson Bay for future education,” sophomore Trevor Flynn explains. “They’ll be used so students can look underwater and see what’s living in Peterson Bay.”
Loving mutt wins the hearts of Middle School Huskies
“Pecan” was just another student at Homer Middle School.
He didn’t have a locker or play an instrument, but he impacted the lives of hundreds of HMS students over the past 14 years.
He even got his picture in the school’s yearbook; twice.
“Pecan was a remarkable animal and the consummate ‘kid’ dog,” said Tim Daugharty, Pecan’s loyal companion and Homer Middle School P.E. teacher. “Every day at school, he would wait patiently in my truck for the kids to come outside for class, recess, or after-school practices. He would always greet every kid with a wagging tail and a good-natured bark of excitement.”
Pecan died on March 7, 2013, after battling cancer. His was a good life.
Woman arrested in bank burglary at Alaska USA
A Homer woman was arrested on federal burglary charges after security cameras picked her up walking around inside the AlaskaUSA Federal Credit Union early Friday morning.
Sierra Marie Steen, 23, was charged with second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree theft and resisting arrest. Since money is locked away at night in the bank’s vault, no money is believed to be missing, according to police. The suspect was caught with a $1 bill in an envelope addressed to bank staff, along with business cards and an AlaskaUSA Credit Union 2013 calendar.
Backbone rally burns $5.5 billion mock check to ConocoPhillips in “Stop oil giveaway” protest
A mock check from the State of Alaska to ConocoPhillips for $5.5 billion burned in a bonfire at Bishop’s Beach Thursday as part of a state-wide rally protesting Senate Bill 21. The bill, now making its way through the Alaska House, proposes to give a tax break to oil companies to spur development on the [...]
