20 years ago

A group of residents began gathering signatures to form a service area for fire and emergency services in response to a plan by the City of Homer to annex about 25 square miles outside the city. The proposed plan would have increased taxes in the area from Caribou Lake to Mile 164.9 of the Sterling Highway, an area larger than the one proposed for annexation by the city. It did not include Homer or Kachemak City.

In other news, residents brought memorial items to the boulder in WKFL Park to honor Brother Asaiak Bates, who had died the week before at the age of 78.

— From the issue of April 13, 2000

30 years ago

A biologist with the Defenders for Wildlife, an environmental group based in Washington D.C., disputed the amount of crude oil spilled by Exxon Valdez. Albert Manville said Exxon may have dumped 38 million gallons when it struck Bligh Reef in 1989, as opposed to the widely accepted figure of 10.8 million gallons. Manville said that Underwater Construction Inc. divers who were among the first to reach the vessel and people from other companies that worked for Exxon had been told their jobs would be at risk if they talked about what they knew. Alaska Attorney General at the time, Barbara Herman, said that the state was accepting Exxon’s word on the exact number of gallons spilled. She said state and federal data would be considered in addition to information from the company.

— From the issue of April 12, 1990

50 years ago

The April 9, 1970 edition of the paper is not in the Homer News archives.

— From the issue of April 9, 1970