20 years ago

The Pratt Museum quit the Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council after Pratt staff heard the council’s executive director make a racist comment in the museum store. The director had been visiting with two travel writers . One of the travel writers asked if Alaska Natives still used ulus, a traditional knife. “No, they sell them to buy booze,” the executive director said. A Native woman also was present and heard the comment.

Museum Director Michael Hawfield wrote a letter to the KPTMC and letters of apology to the Native woman and the travel writers. The KPTMC board issued a letter of reprimand to the director. The director wrote a letter of apology to the Homer News. He admitted his words were inappropriate, but said “it was not meant maliciously nor was there any racist motivation behind it.”

— From the issue of April 26, 2001

30 years ago

The Homer Advisory Planning Commission considered proposed changes to the city zoning code that would allow flea or open air markets in the central business district. They also looked at a proposal to rezone the Homer Spit from marine industrial, marine commercial and open-space recreational zones to marine and marine-business zones. The change also would add a list of conditional uses.

Driftwood Inn owner Merlin Cordes proposed the open-air market change because he wanted to have a summer market near his motel.

— From the issue of April 25, 1991

50 years ago

The issue of April 22, 1971, is missing from the Homer News archives.