News

A downed pole and power line on Heath Street caused a power outage at about 2:50 p.m. today, June 21. Bruce Shelley, director of member relations, said the outage caused about 430 members to lose power. Homer Police and HEA crews blocked off Heath Street from Pioneer Avenue to Bonanza Avenue. The outage affected homes and businesses in downtown Homer and parts of Old Town. Power was restored at about 3:50 p.m.

Two trails in Kachemak Bay State Park are open again after heightened black bear activity forced staff to temporarily close them last week.

Forget Stonehenge, Homer is the place to be for the summer Solstice, my friends! Well, maybe not Homer per se, but Alaska has some of the best Solstice celebrations around, if you ask the Betster.

Two weeks after a controversial Mayoral Recognition that caused three Homer City Council members to skip the June 11 council meeting, Homer’s first Pride March will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday at WKFL Park.

A Homer boy died last week when a small aircraft he was in crashed in Hesperia, California.

With the Homer special election coming up on June 26 for city voters, it’s time to review what you know about the issue — funding a new police station — before you head to the polls.

A woman died and two people were seriously injured in a weekend boating crash in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The two injured women are Alice Rademacher and Rosie Robinson, both of Homer and employees at the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve.

The long-awaited Homer Education and Recreation Complex Task Force held its first meeting Tuesday, establishing its work scope and electing a chair and vice chair.

With the countdown to Alaska’s primary election winding down, candidates for governor are making the rounds to all corners of the state, including Homer.

Right after Call to Order, the Pledge of Allegiance and Agenda Approval on the Homer City Council agenda comes the item of “Mayoral Proclamations and Recognitions” — a time to honor new firefighters, medics and police officers, winning sports teams and distinguished citizens, and support causes like breast cancer or domestic violence awareness. On Monday, a proposed mayoral recognition ballooned into controversy that caused the meeting to be canceled for lack of a quorum.

After more than three decades working in education, Timothy Whip is settling down for some “me time.” The regional administrator is headed for retirement and will not return as principal of the Razdolna and Kachemak-Selo schools next school year.

The Homer Airport may see some additional competition in 2018, as Peninsula Air may expand its services to the city.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Naushon rescued four mariners after their 48-foot commercial fishing vessel, Soulmate, became disabled and adrift about 57 miles west of Kodiak Island, south of Shelikof Strait, Alaska, Sunday.

The following is a recap of this year’s Trails Day from Christina Whiting, volunteer coordinator:

Because of low king salmon escapement, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued closures on the Anchor and Ninilchik Rivers and the Deep Creek drainage. Sport fishing for king salmon is closed on those streams from 12:01 a.m. Saturday, June 2, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 15. Along with this closure, ADF&G closed sport fishing for king salmon (including catch-and-release) in marine waters within 1-mile of shore from Bluff Point to the Ninilchik River.

Critters and curiosity abounded last Thursday when a group of Homer area residents were treated to a tour of Peterson Bay by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. From sea stars to barnacles, they were taken through the gamut of natural phenomena that can be found in Kachemak Bay’s local ecosystem.

No one was harmed in a structure fire that destroyed a dry cabin Tuesday off Eagleaerie Avenue outside of Homer.

The city’s long awaited and discussed Homer Education and Recreation Complex task force now has the go-ahead to get to work, but its final list of members is still up in the air.

An alert neighbor and a quick response from firefighters at about 6 p.m. Sunday saved two East End Road houses from being destroyed by a wind driven wildfire.

A quick response from firefighters on Sunday afternoon saved two East End Road houses from being destroyed by a swift, wind driven wildlife. Kachemak Emergency Services, Alaska Division of Forestry, Homer Volunteer Fire Department and Anchor Point Emergency Services all went to the fire in the woods behind two homes between Yukon Avenue and Greer Road on the north side of East End Road near about Mile 9.