Adelyn Baxter, KTOO - Juneau
AK: Saloon Secrets
If you’ve ever visited Homer, chances are you’ve stopped by the Salty Dawg Saloon – or at least seen the T-shirts and hoodies that have made their way all over the world. The bar itself is a 105-year-old relic of days gone by on the Homer Spit and a sort of living museum to Alaska’s homesteader days. KBBI’s Aaron Selbig takes a closer look inside one of Alaska’s best-known buildings and shares some of its secrets.
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Entrepreneurs: Meet winners and judges in Alaska’s version of ‘Shark Tank’
Think you've got the best next business idea? Then tune in to meet the latest batch of young winning entrepreneurs and the judges who chose them and why. Look ahead to Entrepreneurship Week and Alaska's first-ever Mini Maker Faire.
KSKA: Wednesday, June 26, 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Celebrating 100 Years of Aviation in Alaska
On the next Hometown, Alaska join host Kathleen McCoy and Alaska Aviation Centennial guests Jane Dale and Chuck Miller to hear the stories of Alaska's earliest aviators. Both have been participating in summer-long fly-ins around the state to commemorate the centennial year. Events are taking place all summer long. Stops include Anchorage, Cordova, Valdez, Homer, Illiamna, King Salmon, Dillingham, Bethel, Aniak, McGrath, Galena, Unalakleet, Nome, Kotzebue, Barrow, Fairbanks, Talkeetna, and Wasilla.
KSKA: Wednesday 6/12 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Homer Voters Could Have Final Say On Plastic Bag Ban
Since the first of this year, shoppers in Homer have had to get used to a new law prohibiting plastic shopping bags. Similar to existing laws in Seattle and San Francisco, the ban was passed by the Homer City Council last year as a way to cut down on litter and protect the marine environment. But Homer voters may end up having the final say on whether Homer’s ban lasts through the year.
New Oil Spill Technology A ‘Game Changer,’ Says CIRCAC
A large oil spill in Cook Inlet is the stuff of nightmares for Alaskans who call the area home. One of the organizations dedicated to cleaning up potential spills is CIRCAC, the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council. CIRCAC has a new tool in its clean-up toolbox that it’s calling a “game changer.”
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Spenard Jazz Fest: What Exactly IS Jazz?
What exactly IS jazz? We get some help from the experts when Spenard Jazz Fest founder Yngvil Vatn Guttu and keyboardist Dan McElrath join us in the studio. They'll demonstrate jazz conversation and share the roots of what some have called America's own classical music. We especially invite local musicians to join the discussion on if and how Alaska makes space for jazz.
KSKA: Wednesday, June 5 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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More Bacterial Infections Associated With Raw Milk Consumption
A new batch of bacterial infections has again been traced to a raw milk operation on the Kenai Peninsula.
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Fish And Game Institutes New Razor Clam Harvesting Regulations
As the Memorial Day weekend approaches, Clam diggers on the Kenai Peninsula will have to keep in mind a new set of rules for harvesting razor clams. For the first time in a decade, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is reducing the bag limit for razor clams from 60 per day all the way down to 25.
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Homer City Council Overturns Move to Ban Heliports on Homer Spit
A Homer flightseeing operator with visions of operating a heliport on the Homer Spit is one step closer to his goal. The Homer City Council narrowly defeated an effort to exclude heliports form a series of new zoning rules.
What’s growing in your garden?
No, that’s not meant as a cruel joke. Spring has been cool and summer warmth is slow to arrive. Still, our long days will make for good growing – soon. And if you're behind, you have time to catch up. This week on Hometown Alaska, we’ve invited garden experts to the studio mic to tell us what’s new in garden plants, culture and attitudes. Bring your questions.
KSKA: Wednesday 5/22 at 2:00 pm and 7 pm
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Kenai Peninsula Razor Clams Appear To Be Declining
Alaskans who make an annual habit of digging for razor clams on the Kenai Peninsula may have noticed something odd over the last few tears – there just doesn’t seem to be as many clams on the beaches as there used to be. Scientists have also noticed the trend.
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How healthy is the water in Anchorage creeks, streams and lakes?
Ready to pull out the canoe? Take the dog for a game of swim-and-fetch? Dip your toes in a local lake? Let's find out how healthy the water in our backyard playgrounds—the creeks, streams and lakes around Anchorage—really is. Two savvy water scientists join host Kathleen McCoy to discuss what's helping and what's challenging the health of our local waterways. Creek Cleanup this year is May 18, so how are we doing?
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KSKA: Wednesday 5/15 at 2:00 pm and 7:00pm
Anchorage Music Co-op = Musicians + Audiences + Venues
What makes for the good life? Sure, we need jobs and an economy and a vision for the future. But we also need self expression, beauty, music and the solace of fellow travelers. The Anchorage Music Co-op is a grassroots nonprofit that exists to nurture local musicians by getting them in front of a listening audience. Meet cofounder Laura Oden and learn how the co-op navigated its fledgling status to settle into a viable support system for local musicians. And we'll also hear a few tunes from Laura and Kevin Worrell.
KSKA: Wednesday 5/1 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 pm
Family Makes Progress On 800-Mile Trek Around Cook Inlet
The Higman-McKittrick family from Seldovia is making progress on its 800-mile journey around Cook Inlet. The family stopped by KBBI’s studios in Homer last week and visited with Aaron Selbig.
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Author Stabenow Plans To Build Writers’ Retreat
Alaska author Dana Stabenow has big plans – and they have nothing to do with the plot of her next crime fiction novel. Stabenow hopes to turn her 10-acre property outside of Homer into a writers retreat dedicated to fostering the skills of female writers.
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After the Grizzly: Surviving, and Thriving
The prologue alone is enough to make you bolt the door and bar the window, lest some wayward grizzly find you quivering there, come this June or July. But Dan Bigley's "Beyond the Bear" is much more than a sensational bear attack white-knuckler. It takes the long walk to a recovery made possible only because of Bigley's bone-deep resilience and uncrushable drive to recover. Find out who he is today, a decade after the attack, and how he got there. Lessons for us all.
KSKA: Wednesday 4/10 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Jack-Up Rig ‘Endeavor’ Departs Homer Harbor
After a seven-month-long stay at the Homer harbor, Buccaneer Energy’s jack-up rig Endeavor left Kachemak Bay Friday morning. The company plans for the rig to drill in the Cosmopolitan Unit near Anchor Point.
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Seldovia Family To Hike Cook Inlet Coast
A Seldovia family that has made a habit of taking on long journeys around some of the wildest parts of Alaska is at it again. Later this month, they’ll be taking off from their yurt on the south side of Kachemak bay for an 800-mile walk along the entire coast of Cook Inlet.
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Cohousing: What Exactly IS It?
Cohousing. Maybe you've heard the term, but wonder what it really means. This housing trend began in Denmark in the 1960s as some Danes realized they felt lonely in their single family homes. These are communities of private homes with shared common areas that are planned, owned and managed by residents who may share chores like cooking, childcare or yard work. How do they work? If there are conflicts, how are they managed?
KSKA: Wednesday 3/27 at 2:00 PM and 7 PM
Deadline For ‘Endeavor’ Departure Pushed Back
A major improvement project at Homer’s Deepwater Dock is forcing Buccaneer Energy to move its jack-up rig Endeavor out of the harbor. But the company will now have a little extra time to move the rig.