Ninilchik News

After a storm surge late last month clogged up the entrance to the Ninilchik harbor so badly that the town's fleet of more than 75 commercial fishing vessels were having a hard time getting in or out, Icicle Seafoods' Homer facility manager Duff Hoyt knew he had a problem.

After one-lane closures slowed traffic across Ninilchik River and Deep Creek bridges, things are back to normal.

At its creation in October 2000, Kachemak Emergency Services was a service area with no firefighters, medics, equipment or a fire hall.

There we were Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I, sitting in this long line of traffic, waiting to cross the Ninilchik River bridge.

Wednesday, August 12-Friday, August 14 - Homer, AK * Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center * Visit Salty Dog Saloon * View Eagle Lady Residence * Option: Halibut and Salmon Fishing Homer and Homer Spit is the end of the Sterling Highway leading from the junction of the Seward Highway just beyond Moose Pass.

Military members past and present and their families are invited to march or ride in a parade in their honor Saturday in Soldotna.

Even though funding was in place to dredge Ninilchik this year, Homer and Ninil- chik harbors are contracted out as a package deal to make it a worthwhile project for the dredge owner.

It has only been two days since the 2010 Kenai Peninsula Borough budget and mill rate were set by the borough assembly, and the fiscal numbers are not sitting well with some folks.

Alaska State Troopers last month rescued a missing Anchor Point man lost after his Honda Big Red three-wheel all-terrain vehicle got stuck on a muddy trail off the North Fork Road.

After taking the first bite of the delicious razor clam, pulled from the beach along Deep Creek that very day, dredged in flour, egg and crackers and deep-fried to perfection, I was dumbfounded that I have let this much time pass living in Alaska having never eaten one before.

A 68-year-old amputee spent a night crawling along trails seeking help on the Kenai Peninsula last week after his newly purchased ATV got stuck, Alaska State Troopers said Friday.

Tears, hugs and shouts of joy marked high school graduation ceremonies at Homer Flex, Homer High, Ninilchik and Nikolaevsk schools last week.

As flaggers, backed by flashing red lights, directed traffic across narrowed single lanes on Ninilchik and Deep Creek bridges, representatives from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Mowat, the contractor doing the work, met with Ninilchik residents Thursday afternoon.

At a time when funds are tight, the Kenai Peninsula Borough stands to receive more than $41 million in federal stimulus funds.

First and foremost -- before the hot dogs, the fishing, the three-day weekend -- Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember the sacrifice of United States men and women who gave their lives while serving in the military.

If the past couple of weeks are any indication, expect a glorious Memorial Day weekend of blue skies, barbecues, sunny weather -- and fish? Well, that may be stretching things unless the fish you seek are small hooligan on the Twentymile River south of Anchorage or halibut in salt water.

BP this week recognized five Kenai Peninsula teachers for their work in the classroom.

FUEL LEAKS, CONTAMINATION A PART OF FLOODING AFTERMATH : Officials say it could be months before they know roughly how many hundreds of gallons of fuel might have receded with floodwaters from communities along the Yukon River - and what, if any, lasting effects that might have.

Just when every minute counts, two Ninilchik Emergency Medical Technicians found themselves separated from a heart attack victim by closure of Deep Creek bridge Wednesday morning.

Happy Beltane! That's right, Betsteroids, today all good neopagans around the Gaelic world celebrate the start of the pastoral season.