Town celebrates new Trooper vessel
Bay Welding Services, Inc. passed a landmark this month in the completion of its 100th aluminum-fabricated boat.
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 in 1998. Churchill was a 12-year trooper veteran. The boat is the biggest yet, and the fifth one the company has built for the Alaska State Troopers.
Seaton advances nine plans to mitigate harm of SB 21
With five days to go, the Alaska Legislature runs on fast track for getting the governor’s oil taxes bill pressed and ready for a House vote. Amid the tremendous controversy came a revenue forecast predicting even less money in the coming two years, an event Rep. Paul Seaton sought to head off with nine protective amendments to SB 21.
Rep. Seaton’s amendments ranged from creating a fund producers could tap into to build oil and gas production facilities to sun-setting SB 21 if it fails to show any progress in getting more oil through the pipeline.
House Resources wrestles ‘troubling’ tax bill SB21
House Resource wrestles tax bill The Resource Committee introduced an oil tax committee substitute for SB21 that has Rep. Paul Seaton concerned about loss of revenue sharing and future deficits. “I am concerned that the CS specifies the Corporate Income Tax (CIT) as the source for Community Revenue Sharing in section 2, yet in section [...]
Spiffed-up Cutter Hickory returns to home port
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hickory returned home Wednesday after completing a 10-week dockside maintenance period in Long Beach, Calif., sporting several new features.
During the dockside stay, contractors performed 26 maintenance projects, including replacing the exterior deck non-skid, renewing the generator mounts, cleaning the engine plant exhaust systems, and refurbishing the cutter’s crane, extension boom and winch motors.
“Due to the nature of Hickory’s work, overhauling the crane was of the utmost importance to meet our mission of servicing aids to navigation throughout Western Alaska,” said Chief Warrant Officer Michael Kimberlin, the engineer officer aboard Hickory. “The crane is now more reliable and safer for our crew.”
Want to bet on Kenai River breakup? Coming soon
What do the Cookie Monster, a fire truck, a boom truck, a block of ice and the Kenai River have in common? This question was on the lips of many passing motorists when they saw all these things on the only bridge into Soldotna last week.
The answer comes courtesy of a joint effort by the Kenai and Soldotna Rotary clubs, as they are working together on a pilot project to establish a local version of the popular Nenana Ice Classic.
“Ours will be called the Kenai River Ice Classic,” said Rotary member Josselyn O’Connor, who, along with fellow Rotarian and project spearhead, Sarah Riley, have been working to bring the idea to fruition.
Community news – April 3
Homer’s stranded otter heads to Vancouver Last fall, an 8-week-old, motherless sea otter spotted wandering alongside Kachemak Drive was rescued in a stranded marine mammal rescue effort. Now, that otter is about to get a name at its new home in Vancouver. Kachemak Bay Campus Assistant Biology Professor Deborah Boege-Tobin coordinated the effort when the [...]
Police report – March 27
Kachemak Emergency Services responded to two medical emergencies, one fire call and one search and rescue call during the week of March 18 – 24. Anchor Point Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to five medical calls and one fire call the week of March 18-24 Homer Volunteer Fire Department responded to ten Emergency Medical Service calls, [...]
Oil tax discussion continues, health bills up for scrutiny
Now that the Alaska Senate has passed Senate Bill 21, its examination has begun in the House Resource Committee.
On Friday, the committee began its hearing of the oil tax proposal. Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, sits on the committee. He said the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Revenue presented an overview of the program. The major points of the program are as enumerated by Seaton:
Alaska writers mark Oil Spill Sunday March 31
Alaskan Writers Eva Saulitis and Sara Loewen will commemorate the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill with a reading 5-6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Bunnell Street Gallery. The reading will be from “Into Great Silence, A Memoir of Discovery and Loss among Vanishing Orcas,” by Saulitis. Ever since Eva Saulitis began her whale research in Alaska in [...]
Community news – March 27
Fire Chief Bob Painter was recognized for 30 years of service as a Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedic. The distinction is held by few responders, and therefore, is honored by the board of directors of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.
To maintain his current status as a Nationally Registered EMT, Painter completed the most comprehensive re-certification program for EMTs in America. His advancement in new lifesaving skills beyond that required was lauded in the citation.
