News

The City of Homer is on the last leg of its Beluga Slough Trail Replacement Project. The project was funded by the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the City of Homer and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. KBBI’s Quinton Chandler spoke with Homer Public Works Director Carey Meyer about putting the finishing touches on the project.

A 2010 federally sponsored study is the first to deliver a reliable count of the Kenai Peninsula’s brown bear population. Last week a Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Biologist explained the study during a presentation at the Pratt Museum in Homer. The Museum is preparing to launch a new summer exhibit all about bears, specifically brown and black bears. 

Homer’s first indoor farmers' market opened Saturday in a building that had been sitting empty downtown. The event was packed and offered local produce, baked goods, arts and crafts and more.

The Woodard Creek Coalition is still trying to shine a light on the hidden parts of local water body. The coalition met over the weekend to discuss their progress and how to reach their end goal to expose the creek so it can be enjoyed by the naked eye. The coalition's goal is most likely a long way off.

Last month, a Georgia-based media group with several papers and magazines in Alaska misled readers with a controversial editorial. In a leaked corporate memo, a vice president at Morris Communications told papers it owns to run a pre-written editorial, and represent it as a local staff opinion.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District expects $3 million or more in cuts to its budget next year and administrators are turning to the public for ideas on how to cope.

Claudia Haines is the Youth Services Librarian at the Homer Public Library and she is also a media mentor. Media mentors help families understand the best ways to incorporate digital media in children’s education and in library services. She is co-authoring a book that will teach more people the essentials of media mentorship. Haines spoke with KBBI’s Quinton Chandler to discuss the book and what it means to be a media mentor. 

Donna Aderhold is one of six people who ran for two Homer City Council seats this year and so far she is the only confirmed winner. Aderhold spoke with KBBI’s Quinton Chandler about her race and her plans as Homer’s newest city council member.

KBBI’s Quinton Chandler and Governor Bill Walker discuss an upcoming special session in which lawmakers will debate his plan to buy interest in the Alaska LNG Pipeline. Next you’ll hear the governor talk about the impact his plan could have on local municipalities and the feasibility of a gas reserve tax.  

Results for the 2015 Regular Elections show Willy Dunne of Fritz Creek is the winner of the District 9 Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Seat. Dunne defeated Dawson Slaughter of Anchor Point with roughly 58% of the vote. KBBI’s Quinton Chandler sat down with Dunne to discuss the race and his plans for his term on the Borough Assembly.

Scientists continue to see large numbers of dead or sick sea otters turning up in the Kachemak Bay region. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say the agency has received about 200 reports of sick or dead otters over the past couple of months. They’ve teamed up with the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward and they’re running tests to try to find out the cause. Meantime, they’re asking for the public’s help. KBBI’s Daysha Eaton has more.

Governor Bill Walker visited Homer Friday to speak at the Southern Peninsula Senior Summit and the Alaska Recreation and Park Association’s 40th Annual Conference. In between the events KBBI’s Quinton Chandler spoke with the governor about his decision to call a special session for legislators to consider buying a share of the Alaska LNG Pipeline.

The Homer City Manager has prepared two budget options for the city council to consider. The budget ultimately adopted by the city largely depends on whether Homer can bring in an additional $1 million in revenue for Fiscal Year 2016.