Homer man sentenced on 32nd conviction
In sentencing a Homer man convicted on 32 separate crimes over the past few decades, Judge Charles Huguelet expressed concern the man had escaped spending enough time in jail through the years.
William Daugherty, 48, was sentenced on two convictions of fourth-degree assault, merged as one count, Monday afternoon by the Superior Court Judge. A jury had found Daugherty not guilty on felony kidnapping, assault and weapons misconduct in March. The week-long trial featured the case of an 18-year-old woman who said that last July she was held against her will in a truck driven by Daugherty at high speeds going up West Hill Road. A gun he reportedly used to threaten the girl was never found and produced as evidence.
Daugherty has been jailed at Wildwood for the past eight months. The maximum sentence allowed by state statute for misdemeanor assault is 12 months. Judge Huguelet gave that maximum. This means Daugherty will shortly be free to go, once 171 days for good behavior are factored with the 235 days already served.
Jack up rig starts new beginning
Now that the jack up rig Endeavour moved Friday from the Homer Deep Water Dock, its owners will need to demonstrate its blowout defense system works after repairs and installation are complete.
Buccaneer Energy, owner of the rig, held the goal of getting to the Cosmopolitan site off Anchor Point in order to make these installations. It could not be done at the Homer dock where it remained tied for seven months.
“They are getting the rig trimmed out, ready to go. We’ll go when they get it ready to demonstrate it is doing what it’s supposed to do,” said Cathy Forester, chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Library Friends celebrate Castner, Kizzia’s passion for learning
Ken Castner couldn’t be happier with his latest recognition naming him Lifelong Learner by Friends of the Homer Library.
“This award has pleased me so much. If there an accolade that’s so meaningful to me in this town, it’s that one,” Castner said.
Ethan Kizzia, a senior at Homer High School, was recognized as this year’s Youth Learner by the Friends.
Castner works as the investment manager for the Homer Foundation, a position he’s held for over 20 years. He’s described as a consummate autodidact, which means he’s largely self taught.
Castner joins a long line of venerable winners of the Life Long Learning award starting with Daisy Lee Bitter in 2009, Dr. Walter Johnson in 2010, Dick Griffin in 2011, and Carmen Field in 2012.
The Youth Learner award goes to young people who demonstrate learning as a passion, shares that knowledge with others and exhibits creativity.
Frost keeps watch over pipeline’s progress
Job requirements: Top notch engineer possessing ability to oversee large-scale projects. Must be able to direct work for citywide coordination of several crews. Interact with local mayor, city manager, public works director and angry customers. Keep the peace, get the project done on time and on budget.
If a job description looked like this, would anyone respond?
The man who meets that description is Chet Frost, the project manager now in place for Enstar’s Homer office. He and his wife moved to Homer knowing his job here would last from two to three years. But, it’s part of a continuing journey for Frost, who has handled large projects all over the state.
“These are interesting projects and a unique thing,” Frost said. “The logistics to put it together are broad. We’re really excited to be here.”
Endeavour jack up rig leaves Homer Harbor for Cosmo Unit
The jack up rig Endeavour is now underway in Kachemak Bay, leaving for the Cosmopolitan Unit. It was moved alongside three tugs, departing at about 8:15 a.m. Friday.
This is good news for Buccaneer Energy, which has been stymied since its arrival in Homer last August due to a backlog of work to get the rig ready for its work drilling in Cook Inlet.
The Cosmopolitan Unit is three miles off Anchor Point, where natural gas reserves are believed to be significant.
The Endeavour lost points in its petroleum property assessment for lingering so long at the dock. That marked it down when state petroleum assessors looked to assess its tax value.
Bay Weld celebrates 100th boat
Bay Welding Services, Inc. passed a landmark this month in the completion of its 100th steel-fabricated boat. This boat is the biggest yet, and the fifth one for the Alaska State Troopers.
The local boat manufacturing business is celebrating its milestone of building boats designed for Alaska’s toughest seas from noon-3 p.m. April 6 at Bay Welding, located at 3301 E. End Road in Homer, where the trooper boat will be unveiled.
The 100th boat has a 42-foot long hull, 14-foot beam width that operates on 900 horse power triple outboard engines. It will be christened as the M/V Churchill, named in honor of Trooper Sgt. David C. Churchill who suffered a heart attack and died while hiking up a mountain to check on a hunting party. Churchill was a 12-year trooper veteran who died in 1998.
Anchorage man wins $41,247 at Winter King Tourney
The view from the top of Baycrest Hill late Saturday morning looked a lot like the Saturday of last year’s Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament. The sky was fairly clear, the wind was blustery, and no boats were visible in the Bay.
It didn’t look good.
Luckily, the cause for concern was a false alarm, as apparently all 206 boats participating in this year’s tournament decided to fish a little further out; many trying their luck up around the bluff or across the Bay near Seldovia.
That luck certainly held out for angler Leszek Kuligowski of Anchorage, as seven hours of fishing netted him a total of $41,247. Kuligowski was one of 732 anglers (including six kayakers) participating in the Homer Chamber of Commerce’s 20th Winter King Salmon Tournament. His 35.10-pound king bested 161 other kings, and earned him $15,372. But it was his five boat side-bets that added another $25,875 to his total.
Monte Davis announces resignation
Homer Chamber of Commerce Director Monte Davis announced his resignation effective Sept. 1, or sooner if a replacement can be found, in order to move out of state for family reasons.
Davis gave notice on Thursday to the Chamber’s board of directors to begin a job search for his replacement. He and wife Joanne are moving to Fort Worth, Texas to be near her sister and other family.
“I am feeling really torn,” Davis said Friday. “This has nothing to do with a job offer or anything to do with my job here. My wife is feeling an incredibly strong pull to be back with her family in Fort Worth.
Davis assumed the job as head of the chamber June 1, 2011. He had visited the Homer area for the past few decades as the musical duo, Joanne and Monte, with his wife.
“I had been coming here for so long, people were coming up to me, saying ‘glad to have you back,’ though we had never actually lived here.”
“It’s only a test:” Wednesday morning tsunami alert will go off
A tsunami early warning siren and message is set to go off on Wednesday morning at 9:45 a.m., and emergency responders want the message to reach as many people as possible ahead of time: It is only a test.
Every coastal community in Alaska should be able to hear the tsunami alert. The information will be broadcast on radio stations, television, on marine radios and through the public tsunami alerts posted around the Homer, Port Graham and Seldovia area. If people don’t get the alert, the state offices for emergency response want to hear about it.
BOG hears plight of Kenai moose populations, decides fire might be best answer
Thirty years ago, moose on the Kenai Peninsula were legendary for their size and abundance. Now, however, it appears increasingly likely that those historic days are, indeed, history, as land and wildlife managers wrestle with measures to boost the dwindled ungulate population.
In the halcyon days, the peninsula’s moose population was estimated at around 4,000. Nowadays, it’s far less than that. A recent census, conducted just a few weeks ago by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, estimates 1,600 moose in Game Management Unit 15A, covering 1,300 square miles of the northwestern Kenai Peninsula. That’s down from about 2,000 in 2008, and that, in turn, is about 40 percent less than census estimates in the 1990s. Just four moose were harvested by hunters in 15A last year, and just four the previous year, down from the once-typical 350 to 360 a year. That’s in part due to the smaller population, and in part due to decreased hunter participation after the Alaska Board of Game enacted stepped-up hunting restrictions in 2011 to protect the population.
