News

Homer City Hall. (Homer News file photo)

Relief grants for small Homer businesses now available

Using a portion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding it has received, the City of Homer is extending a hand… Continue reading

 

Anglers stand by a rack of halibut on the Irish as the North Country Charters boat returned to Homer in July 2017. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News file photo)

Halibut regulations updated for charters

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has provided clarification on recent revisions to regulations for halibut charter fishermen. In part of his response to the… Continue reading

 

Fishing charters ask for modified regulations during COVID-19 pandemic

With their regular stream of out-of-state tourists significantly dried up, fishing charter operations are looking to lure Alaskans back onto their boats in hopes of… Continue reading

 

Seawatch: UFA holds seminar on new health mandates

United Fishermen of Alaska, with some financial help from Icicle Seafoods, held an informative webinar last week on the state’s mandate No. 17, which is… Continue reading

Peter Segall | Juneau Empire Patrons wait outside a cannabis business in Juneau on Monday.

Cannabis industry rolls along despite pandemic

It’s not all flower.

Peter Segall | Juneau Empire Patrons wait outside a cannabis business in Juneau on Monday.

Seawatch: Salmon harvest project to be low — if there’s a season

The 2020 salmon harvest for Alaska is expected to be down compared to last season, mostly due to a lower forecast for pink salmon, but… Continue reading

The Homer News offices at 3482 Landings Street, as seen on March 17, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Homer News, Peninsula Clarion and Juneau Empire win awards

Journalists and photographers with the Sound Publishing Inc. newspapers in Alaska — the Homer News, Peninsula Clarion and Juneau Empire — won awards last weekend… Continue reading

The Homer News offices at 3482 Landings Street, as seen on March 17, 2020, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File About 2½ oz. of dried marijuana is weighed in this 2015 photo.

Alaska to consider allowing curbside pot pickup

Decision could come before April 20.

Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File About 2½ oz. of dried marijuana is weighed in this 2015 photo.
Commercial fishing boats are rafted together in May 2016 in the harbor in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Fishermen trying to salvage season amid COVID-19 pandemic

Facing an uncertain future as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, Alaska’s commercial fishing industry is looking ahead to the upcoming season with determination to salvage… Continue reading

Commercial fishing boats are rafted together in May 2016 in the harbor in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Seawatch: Fishermen get briefed on CARES Act

Alaska’s congressional delegation held a conference call with 65 of Alaska’s fishery leaders last week and laid out some details of the federal assistance available… Continue reading

Mariah Schloeman wipes down the counter at East Rip in Kenai on Wednesday. The store has implemented more stringent cleaning protocols, including wiping down surfaces after every transaction, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Trends: Pot industry looks for stabilization amid market, global uncertainty

“One thing that’s certain is that people want their cannabis.”

Mariah Schloeman wipes down the counter at East Rip in Kenai on Wednesday. The store has implemented more stringent cleaning protocols, including wiping down surfaces after every transaction, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

HEA rates hike goes into effect

Residents facing financial hardships due to the pandemic will not see their electricity shut off.

Aspen Hotel chain Owner George Swift cuts a ribbon officially opening the most recent building in Homer, Alaska, during a grand opening ceremony on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Trends: Tourism industry takes hit from COVID-19

‘Completely decimated travel in Alaska’

Aspen Hotel chain Owner George Swift cuts a ribbon officially opening the most recent building in Homer, Alaska, during a grand opening ceremony on May 29, 2019. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
FILE - In this illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. A woman in the San Francisco Bay Area who became ill after returning from a trip to China has become the ninth person in the U.S. to test positive for a new virus, health authorities said Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. (CDC via AP, File) In this illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). (CDC via AP, File)

SBA offers loans for struggling businesses in wake of COVID-19

Business owners encouraged to take peninsula-wide survey

FILE - In this illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. A woman in the San Francisco Bay Area who became ill after returning from a trip to China has become the ninth person in the U.S. to test positive for a new virus, health authorities said Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. (CDC via AP, File) In this illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). (CDC via AP, File)

Seawatch: Seafood industry feels impact from coronavirus

As the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus disrupts all sorts of industries around the world, the seafood industry is already feeling the impact. Diversified… Continue reading

Seawatch: Report claims mining harms fish

As many Alaskans confront a governor who, according to CNN, lobbies foreign mining companies to invest in Pebble Mine, the environmental group Earthworks has released… Continue reading

Halibut charters get new regulations

The guided halibut charter fleet for Area 3A, including Homer, had its allocation set at 1.71 million pounds for the 2020 season at International Pacific… Continue reading

Seward High School students (from left) Tayten Barhaug, Lindy Guernsey and Akilena Veach demonstrate their Caring for the Kenai project, drones to help map the flood planes of Seward, during the Industry Outlook Forum in Seward on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Forum discusses peninsula’s 2020 economic outlook

Industries gather at forum to discuss growth and opportunities

Seward High School students (from left) Tayten Barhaug, Lindy Guernsey and Akilena Veach demonstrate their Caring for the Kenai project, drones to help map the flood planes of Seward, during the Industry Outlook Forum in Seward on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Beth J. Harpaz / Associated Press file Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance of the Seas” is docked in Seward on Sept. 7, 2007.

Report: 2020 job trends modest

The Gulf Coast Region saw a 0.7% increase in jobs between November 2018 and November 2019.

Beth J. Harpaz / Associated Press file Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance of the Seas” is docked in Seward on Sept. 7, 2007.
Michael Penn | Juneau Empire The Alaska Marine Highway System’s Tazlina sits at the Auke Bay Terminal on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019.

Can a public corporation save the Marine Highway System?

The ferries are in trouble, remaking the system could be the answer

Michael Penn | Juneau Empire The Alaska Marine Highway System’s Tazlina sits at the Auke Bay Terminal on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019.
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