Homer News roundup, 11/13

In this week's Homer News:

Pioneer Avenue break-ins continue

A string of burglaries of downtown businesses continued as two more Pioneer Avenue businesses were broken into last week -- one for the second time since May. Burglaries were discovered last Friday morning at Bay Realty and the Homer Bookstore, across the street from each other near the intersection of Pioneer Avenue and Svedlund Street … (read more)

Armstrong, Enstar plan well's future

A decades-long desire to secure a consistent natural gas supply to Homer could take an important step forward today when officials from Armstrong Cook Inlet LLC, a subsidiary of Denver-based Armstrong Oil and Gas, and Anchorage-based Enstar Natural Gas Co. meet to discuss the potential of a newly drilled successful gas well between Homer and Anchor Point … (read more)

Homer's reps get leadership posts in Juneau

Homer will have friends in high places in the upcoming 26th Alaska Legislature, as its two representatives in Juneau, Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, have been named to prominent legislative positions … (read more)

Redoubt advisory issued

The Alaska Volcano Observatory last week changed the volcano alert level for Redoubt Volcano to advisory, with an aviation code level of yellow. In a notice issued Nov. 5, AVO said it changed the alert level due to changes in gas emission and heat output from the volcano about 82 miles west of Kenai in Lake Clark National Park on the west side of Cook Inlet … (read more)

Leak closes Haven House shelter

A plumbing breakdown that started with a child's toy clogging a toilet has closed the shelter at South Peninsula Haven House since late October. Several bathrooms, a bedroom and the kitchen were damaged by water overflowing from the broken plumbing … (read more)

Obama's win fulfills dream for all civil rights activists

I am a son of the South, born in Charlottesville, Va., and raised in Tampa, Fla. I also am a son of the segregated South. Growing up in Tampa before the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, I remember segregated water fountains, segregated beaches, segregated swimming pools and segregated schools. All over the South in the 1960s, you saw Confederate flags on license plates, flown over homes or incorporated into state flags … (read more)

Carey, Chumley right to quit HEA positions

Those involved in government at all levels are hammered when the public perceives they're doing something wrong. When those same people do something right, it deserves to be noted. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Dave Carey and his Chief of Staff Hugh Chumley did the right thing by resigning from their seats on the Homer Electric Association Board of Directors earlier this week … (read more)

Homer News election roundup, 11/6

In this week's Homer News ...

Obama takes nation; McCain wins Homer

Homer joined the nation Tuesday in becoming part of one of the most exciting election campaigns in American history an election still being pondered as Alaskans weighed the significance of the first African-American president-elect, Sen. Barack Obama, and the elevation of Gov. Sarah Palin to the national scene … (read more)

Seaton wins fourth term

Homer Republican Rep. Paul Seaton was re-elected to a fourth term Tuesday, besting Democratic challenger and political newcomer Philip Alderfer by a wide margin. Of 5,269 votes cast in the race for House District 35, Seaton received 3,656 votes, or 69.4 percent, to Alderfer's 1,601. Those numbers do not include votes cast by absentee ballots, which will be counted by Nov. 14 … (read more)

Homer votes early in record numbers

Following a growing statewide and national trend, hundreds of Homer residents voted early in the 2008 general election. According to the Homer city clerk's office, 1,237 people, or roughly 9 percent of the District 35 electorate, cast their votes early at Homer City Hall, where absentee-in-person voting began Oct. 20 … (read more)

Peninsula re-elects incumbents

Incumbent Republican Sen. Tom Wagoner finished election night with a very healthy lead in the race in Alaska Senate District Q, but there are so many absentee ballots yet to be counted that numerically, at least, it is still possible for him to lose to his Democratic Party opponent Nels Anderson … (read more)

Here we go ...

This day has been coming for a long time and it feels as historic as it's been billed.

I'm going to be putting in a long, long day today, covering the Alderfer-Seaton race, local Democrats at their Ocean Drive HQ and the reaction at Alice's Champagne Palace later tonight. I won't be able to blog until tomorrow, probably, but I wanted to at least post a link to the City of Homer's election page, in case some of you need some last-minute election information.

Now get out there and vote.