Letters to the editor
Published 3:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026
Family let down by hospital care
My name is Norman Story. My wife, Lynn Karen Story, and I shared 57 wonderful years of marriage. We raised our family here in Homer, paid our taxes here, supported this community, and trusted that when our family needed care, our community hospital would be there for us.
It wasn’t.
Before I continue, I want to make one thing absolutely clear. South Peninsula Hospital is blessed with many extraordinary physicians, nurses, technicians, aides and support staff. Throughout the years, our family has experienced exceptional care from many of these dedicated professionals. They are compassionate, hardworking people who chose health care because they genuinely care about others. This letter is not about them. It is about leadership, organizational culture, and the policies and decisions that guide the institution they serve.
After Lynn was transferred from South Peninsula Hospital to Providence for treatment, she improved enough that our family wanted only one thing, to bring her home so she could spend her remaining days surrounded by those who loved her. Providence Hospital worked with us for several days in an effort to transfer her back to Homer. The transfer was denied. With no other option, our family chartered a Guardian Flight and brought Lynn home ourselves.
We weren’t asking for extraordinary treatment.
We were asking for compassion.
When we arrived in Homer, Lynn’s condition required us to take her to the Emergency Department. What followed was one of the most painful experiences our family has ever endured. Instead of finding comfort and support, we encountered words and actions that left us feeling unwelcome during the darkest hours of our lives. We were left with the unmistakable impression that the system viewed my wife as a burden rather than a human being deserving of dignity in her final days.
I later learned that insurance coverage played a significant role in the decision not to transfer Lynn back to Homer. Yet no one contacted our family to discuss payment options or explore alternatives that might have allowed her to receive end-of-life care close to home.
That should concern every resident of the southern Kenai Peninsula.
This is about more than one family. It is about the culture of our community hospital. It is about whether compassion still has a place alongside clinical care. It is about whether leadership has created an environment that consistently empowers caregivers to put patients first. Hospitals take on the character of the people who lead them. When leadership fails, even the finest employees can find themselves working within a system that does not reflect the values they bring to work each day.
Every taxpayer helps support this hospital. Every family expects that when the worst day of their lives arrives, they will be treated with kindness, respect, and dignity. That expectation should never be negotiable.
I am asking our community not to let this story fade away. Ask questions. Attend public meetings. Demand transparency and accountability from those entrusted with governing our hospital. Insist that patient care, compassion, and respect become the standard, not the exception.
No family should have to wonder whether their loved one will be welcomed home in their final days.
My wife deserved better.
Every patient who comes after her deserves better, too.
Norman Story
Ballot measure a waste of voters’ time
Ballot Measure 3 25USCV — “An initiative to require that only United States citizens may be qualified voters in Alaska elections” — would cost the state $114,050 to restate what is already in statute. This ballot measure is a total waste of voters’ time.
Our voter qualification statute now states: A person may vote at any election who (1) is a citizen of the United States; (2) is 18 years of age or older; (3) has been a resident of the state and of the house district in which the person seeks to vote for at least 30 days just before the election; and (4) has registered before the election as required under AS 15.07 and is not registered to vote in another jurisdiction.
Ballot Measure 3, if passed, would amend that to read: Only a person who
• is a citizen of the United States;
• is 18 year of age or older;
• has been a resident of the state and of the house district in which the person seeks to vote for at least 30 days before the election; and
• has registered before the election as required under AS 15.07 and is not registered to vote in another jurisdiction
may vote at any election.
This ballot measure is a total waste of time and money. It rewords the intro sentence and goes on to state exactly — exactly — the same qualifications. The law is not changed.
It is already required that only U.S. citizens can vote in state elections. What is the purpose of this Ballot Measure? Is it to intimidate people, scare people away from voting, trick people?
Vote No on this redundant ballot beasure, it is a complete waste of voters’ time.
Therese Lewandowski
Restore campaign finance limits
The League of Women Voters of Alaska, a nonpartisan organization, doesn’t support or oppose candidates or parties, but we do take positions on issues after reaching consensus based on careful and extensive study.
We are supportive of Ballot Measure 1, which will be on Alaska’s primary election ballot, and restores campaign finance limits in Alaska. The initiative will allow individuals to compete more equitably for public office.
Some of Alaska’s prior campaign contribution limits were struck down in 2021 by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled they were too low and without an inflation adjustment component.
After the ruling, an individual could make unlimited contributions to candidates and groups, which meant the possibility of an unfair impact on a race outcome. BallotMeasure 1 puts guardrails and limitations on donations to in-state candidates.
Cathleen Rolph, past president
League of Women Voters of the Kenai Peninsula
A leader that Alaska deserves
As a former Alaska Commissioner of Community and Regional Affairs, I had the privilege of working with many public officials during my years of public service in Alaska, and few impressed me as much as former Governor Bill Walker.
I have known Bill Walker for many years as both a friend and a leader. Long before he became governor, he was simply Bill — a husband, a father, and a hardworking Alaskan. I remember seeing him out cutting and splitting firewood to make sure his family had enough to get through another long Alaska winter. That image has always stayed with me because it reflects who Bill really is. He has never been afraid of hard work, and he has always put his family first.
I have also had the privilege of knowing Bill’s family. His wife, Donna, and their children reflect the same values Bill has lived by throughout his life — honesty, integrity, self-reliance, and service to others. They are a remarkable Alaska family.
Throughout my years in Alaska, I came to appreciate leaders who listened, worked hard, and put Alaska’s interests ahead of politics. Bill Walker has always been that kind of leader. He genuinely understands the challenges Alaskans face, seeks practical solutions, and brings people together.
Alaska is not well served by leaders who place partisan politics ahead of practical results. Bill Walker has always approached Alaska’s challenges with independence, common sense, and a willingness to work with anyone committed to moving Alaska forward.
Leadership requires experience, sound judgment, honesty, and the courage to make difficult decisions. Bill Walker has consistently demonstrated those qualities.
My career in public service — as a city manager, attorney, and member of Governor Bill Sheffield’s cabinet — gave me the opportunity to observe leaders under pressure. Based on that experience, I believe Bill Walker possesses the character, integrity, and steady leadership the people of Alaska deserve.
Mark Lewis
