20 years ago

Sapporo, Japan is called the city of choices. So, it is fitting that this city in northern Japan is the location of the second annual Youth Eco-Forum. From Aug. 1 to 7, delegates from 25 regional government-members of the Youth for Environmental Action’s Northern Forum will discuss the choices the next generation already has to make about how to interact with the environment. “It will definitely answer some questions,” said Claire Thorington, a Homer High School sophomore and one of the six-member delegation representing Alaska at the forum. “We may actually get something accomplished there.” Thorington, 15, and HHS senior Nate Spence-Chorman look forward to learning how other young people from different cultures look at the environment’s future.

— From the issue of July 22, 2004

30 years ago

Pedestrians and cyclists picking their way around potholes and divots in the cracked pavement of Ocean Drive these days likely will welcome the smooth surface state road repairs will provide by the end of summer. But if some late-breaking efforts are successful, those walkers and cyclists may have their own lane to move on. Some city officials would like the Department of Transportation to do more for safety along the stretch. Mayor Harry Gregoire has asked transportation department regional Director John Horn to consider creating a new pedestrian pathway at the Ocean Drive end of the Beluga Lake bridge where Lake Street becomes Ocean Drive, at the intersection with Munson Avenue. Right now, the pathway funnels walkers directly onto Ocean Drive. He also wants state road repairs to include an 8-foot wide bicycle lane along Ocean Drive separated from the main roadway by a “rumble strip.”

— From the issue of July 21, 1994