20 years ago

A proposal to annex 4.6 square miles into the City of Homer faced a hard look in the Alaska Legislature — the final stop for if the annexation can proceed. Sen. John Torgerson, R-Kasilof, and chair of the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee, said the process should be done right. Homer City Council members John Fenske and Mike Yourkowski agreed close scrutiny was called for, and said they would go to Juneau to make sure the city’s views were taken into account.

Annexation opponents asked for a vote on the issue, arguing that a previous legislative bill required any changes to service areas must go to a vote of its residents — in this case, the Kenai Peninsula Road Service Area and the Kachemak Emergency Service Area. The Local Boundary Commission found the new law doesn’t apply to the Homer annexation. Torgerson said he didn’t agree.

“Clearly they took away a big chunk from a service area and we just passed a law that said they couldn’t do that,” he said.

— From the issue of Jan. 4, 2002

30 years ago

Proctor’s Grocery on Pioneer Avenue will close, manager Randy Proctor announced. The store’s location dates back to when Ma Walli opened the Homer Cash Store in 1936. The Inglimas bought the store in 1964 and opened Inglima’s Market in a new building next to the Wallis’ old Homer Cash Store. Proctor’s uncle, Orville Proctor, bought Inglima’s in 1976 and hired Randy Proctor to manage it. Business had been so slow lately Proctor couldn’t keep shelves stocked. He said the primary reason for the loss of business had been the opening of Eagle Quality Center (now Safeway), a grocery store built on the Homer Bypass.

Proctor listed the building with local realtors, but so far there hadn’t been a buyer. A liquor store would remain opoen. Proctor said then he thought it would be a long time before another grocery store opened in Homer.

— From the issue of Jan. 2, 1992

50 years ago

The Dec. 30, 1971, issue is missing from the Homer News archives.