Letters to the Editor
Published 2:30 am Thursday, March 19, 2026
Despite the weather, an Epic success!
The Homer Cycling Club would like to thank volunteers, businesses and organizations for making this year’s Homer Epic a success. The Homer Epic is a 50 or 100k running, biking or skiing endurance race on winter trails through the Caribou Hills. Despite the winter storm the day before and howling wind on race day, 98 racers competed and travelled from as far away as Buena Vista, Colorado and Cordova, Alaska to Homer for the annual human-powered challenge. The Homer Epic is a fundraiser for the Homer Cycling Club. Volunteers, donors and supporters to the 2026 Homer Epic included:
Volunteers: Brian Burns, Derek Bynagle, Stein Christopher, Kenny Daher, Louis Dupree, Matt Hakala, Josh Hanken-Foley, Jason Herreman, Cameale Johnson, Lindsay Martin, Heike Merkel, Josh Mumm, Karyn Murphy, Mike O’Laire, Derek Reynolds, Konrad Schaad, Jake Schlapfer, Stephanie Schmit, Jason Seifert, Parker Sorensen, Sherry Steed, Sydney Thielke, Claire Waxman, Tom Young.
Donors and Supporters: BST Milling, Cook Inlet Regional Corporation, Cycle Logical, Grace Ridge Brewing, Inlet Grocery, Kachemak Nordic Ski Club, McNeil Canyon Elementary School, Moore and Moore Services, Snomads.
Chuck Lindsay
Fritz Creek
Riddle me this
According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game there are no king salmon! For 2026 Upper Cook Inlet saltwater is closed, Anchor River is closed, Deep Creek is closed, the Kenai River is closed, the setnetters are closed, Kasilof River is hatchery only, Ninilchik River is hatchery only. Irony is the biggest derby on the west coast on unquantified unidentified stocks approved by the Department of Revenue! Is this irony or hypocrisy in management? Riddle me this?
John McCombs
Ninilchik
Hegseth’s priorities
In September, Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon prioritized spending $9 million taxpayer dollars on Alaskan king crab, and Maine lobster tails. He also spent $7.4 million on lobster tails across the months of March, May, June, and October in addition to purchasing $15.1 million of ribeye steaks.
He also prioritized dismantling the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence created in 2023 to minimize attacks on civilians. This Pentagon unit at its peak numbered 200 personnel and it has now been reduced by over 90% under Hegseth’s direction. This new priority has now resulted in the deaths of approximately 170 children and teachers at the Karimian Elementary School in Iran. Apparently targets that carry a high risk of killing civilians have now become fair game. He has vowed to restore a “warrior ethos” with no room for “stupid rules of engagement.” This harkens back to the Vietnam War ethos: “Let’s kill them all and let God sort them out.” Hegseth’s new changes have ended what many saw as a worthy effort to apply morality to the messiness of war. To ignore accidental civilian deaths is to lock America into generations of conflict, but it’s good to know that the Seafood Towers and ribeyes at the Pentagon are now up to snuff.
Michael A LeMay,
Veterans for Peace
Homer
Walter Cronkites they are not
Can you tell the difference between actual “news” segments and opinion pieces?
Fox, CNN, Newsmax, MSNBC and most other cable news outlets were created to: 1. provide ‘round the clock presentation (plus advertisements); 2. allow a platform that is not legally held to standards of accurate and thorough coverage.
From 1949 to 1987 the Fairness Doctrine was in place to insure accurate and balanced coverage of the issues.
Since 1987, broadcasters such as Rush Limbaugh and the like were able to claim “free speech” in their commentary without concern for reality, truth or sensibility.
If we are unable or unwilling to differentiate between whole truth, selective truth and crap, maybe re-installation of something like the Fairness Doctrine would help.
Note: Fat chance we could get our current legislators to agree on (or admit to) what is truth.
Again, we must (s)elect better.
Calvin Schmidt
Homer
