Joanna Tornes Update No. 8 Redoubt volcano.

The past week of activity at the Redoubt volcano was not dramatic. The aviation color code is ORANGE and the alert level WATCH.

A lava dome continues to grow in size within the summit crater. Based on photography and thermal images obtained Friday April 17, the current dome is estimated to be about 500 m (1640 ft) by 700 m (2297 ft) and at least 50 m (160 ft) thick.

Dome growth during the past week was accompanied by intermittent emissions of volcanic gases and minor amounts of ash.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory continues to monitor the situation on a 24/7 schedule.

The last lava explosion during the current eruption occurred on the morning of April 4 (05:55 AKDT).

Since then, seismicity has remained elevated.

Dome growth and occasional rock falls continue.

The vapor and gas cloud rising above the volcano has remained mostly below 15,000 feet above sea level.

Satellite images show thermal anomalies at the summit as well as the low -level plumes and sulfur dioxide clouds drifting away from the volcano.

Pilots have noted occasional sulfur smell down wind.

On Thursday, April 16, AVO field crews repaired a summit seismic station that was destroyed in the March 23 explosion.

They AVO field crew installed a new camera at the AVO hut that has remote zooming capabilities.

AVO geologists sampled material from the last explosive event.

They also investigated the site of a smaller ash and water vapor plume seen intermittently during the last two weeks. This secondary site is down slope from the Rdoubt summit.

Based on the observations of these geologists, it appears that the secondary plume resulted from hot pyroclastic debris falling into a crevasse in glacial ice.

A gas measurement flight was conducted by the AVO on Thursday April 16.

The AVO expects the current Redoubt eruption to continue for weeks and months.

The AVO also predicts that a cycle of relatively quiet periods of lava dome growth will be followed by explosive episodes of dome destruction.

Future explosions pose an ongoing threat of lahars in the Drift River Valley, trace to minor ash fall throughout south-central Alaska, and ash-related impacts to aviation.

This report is based on AVO materials.


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Joanna Tornes Update No. 7 on Redoubt volcano.

Tuesday midday ADT, southcentral Alaska was shaken by an earthquake. The event was measured at magnitude 4.7. The earthquake originated about 15 miles southwest of Wasilla.

This report is based on material from the from the Alaska Earthquake Information Center and reports of the Anchorage Daily News. No current information has been obtained from Homer Alaska.

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Joanna Tornes Update No. 6 on Redoubt volcano eruption.

Redoubt volcano erupted Saturday morning just before 6:00 a.m. ADT. Anchorage Daily News reported this as the biggest eruption to date.

Ash emissions reached 50,000 feet high.

Flood waters surged in the Drift River and flooded the oil terminal. The Coast Guard reported that the flood waters will interfere with measures planned to protect the flow of oil through the terminal.

The Weather Service issued an ashfall alert for the western Kenai Peninsula and residents reported that significant amounts of ash fell in Homer, Nikiski, Clam Gulch, Seldovia and elsewhere in that area of the Peninsula.

Anchorage Daily News quoted one resident of Homer that she had almost a quarter inch of ash on the hood of her truck.

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Joanna Tornes Update No. 5 on Redoubt volcano

Anchorage Daily News reports that oil storage tanks at Cook Inlet have only limited space left for additional oil.
Some of the tanks are located at on the banks of Drift River downstream from the still active Redoubt volcano.
Officials have given a tentative OK for a ship to take on 6.3 million gallons from the Drift River oil terminal.

During the current two week period of episodic eruptions of Redoubt, the Drift River terminal is the man-made site that has been most effected.end of its second week.

The last major Redoubt explosion was Tuesday. The volcano continues to emit a steady stream of ash and dust into the atmosphere. The ash and dust create the haze that is visible over the Cook Inlet region.

As of 4:01 a.m. ADT Friday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reports there are small, repeating earthquakes continuing at the rate of 3-4 per minute. Larger, discrete earthquakes are continuing to occur at a rate of 2-6 per hour. Low elevation steam emissions are likely to continue.

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Joanna Tornes Update No. 3 on Redoubt volcano eruption

Wednesday. New photos of Redoubt volcano. One hundred forty five photos of Redoubt volcano eruption and ash fall are available at ADN.COM, the Anchorage Daily News website.

As of Tuesday the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported continuous emissions of steam, volcanic gases, and minor amounts of ash continue at Redoubt.

These emissions have been generally been at low altitudes (less than 15,000 feet above sea level), but occasionally rise as high as 25,000 feet above sea level. Satellite images from taken Tuesday morning show a broad layer of volcanic haze extending east of the volcano over the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage Bowl, and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Satellite images from last night show a thermal anomaly at the vent and are possibly due to the extrusion of a lava dome in the summit crater. Seismicity consists of volcanic tremor and occasional discrete earthquakes.


Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) and Anchorage Daily News (ADN) report that the alert level remains "red" as a warning. Low-level ash and steam continued at Mount Redoubt on Tuesday.

As Redoubt volcano simmered and sputtered on low Tuesday, the Drift River oil terminal downriver continued to pose challenging questions for its owner and government officials over the millions of gallons of crude oil stored there, and when operations could resume.

Tuesday, Alaska Airline cancelled night flights to and from Anchorage.

Increased concern about oil operations, particularly at the Drift River terminal facility. Storage capacity is limited. No discussion of the impact on oil prices of the disruption of oil supply that results from the Redoubt eruptions.

Anchorage Daily News quotes several scientists who describe Tuesday as a calm day for Mount Redoubt. The same scientists are quoted that they expect further volcanic activity.

The newspaper also reported that there is a haze in the sky from the volcanic ash. Government officials are quoted that the haze is not dangerous.

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Joanna Tornes Update No. 2 on Redoubt volcano eruption

One hundred thirty-eight photos of Redoubt volcano eruption and ash fall are available at ADN.COM, the Anchorage Daily News website.

Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) and Anchorage Daily News (ADN) report that the alert level remains "red" as a warning. Low-level ash and steam continued at Mount Redoubt through the day Monday. The volcano activity interfered with air traffic in Anchorage. The Drift River oil terminal is considered to be threatened by the volcano.

As of 11:56 a.m. local time, Monday March 30, 2009, the AVO reported that ash fall from Redoubt is currently not likely to reach population centers in the Cook Inlet. Homer Alaska is not expected to be affected.

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Joanna Tornes reports on volcano activity.

Bexley Public Radio culture correspondent reports on volcanic activity outside Homer, Alaska.

In her first culture dispatch of February, Joanna Tornes said that the Redoubt volcano north of Homer was active with seismic tremors and that the Alaska Volcano Observatory is reporting a risk of volcanic eruption.

Tornes reports that the volcano is north of Homer about eighty miles and across the Cook Inlet.

Location of Redoubt volcano, in relationship to surrounding towns, roads, and other volcanoes.

As of 2009-02-13 03:31:49, the AVO reports that Redoubt Volcano has not erupted. Elevated seismicity is continuing, dominated by ongoing volcanic tremor and occasional small earthquakes.

AVO continues to monitor Redoubt 24 hours a day.

Picture Date: September 26, 2008


Image Creator: Janet Schaefer.

Image courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory / Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys.

Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Design is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation. Text (other than AVO text) is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

Homer, Alaska Culture Dispatch of Joanna Tornes

Bexley Public Radio’s adventuresome culture correspondent Joanna Tornes telephoned her culture dispatch from Homer. Alaska on Thursday. She greeted listeners with the comment that it was a rainy morning in Homer, Alaska, “It’s just snow in the form of rain.”

Oil dividend check and south migration

Joanna said that the annual south migration of Homer residents is starting and it seems to be starting a little early this year.

Joanna said that at least part the early migration this year has been stimulated by the oil revenue dividend checks that Alaska citizens are receiving.

Joanna then outlined the background of the source of the dividend checks. She said the source is the Alaska Permanent Fund which was established by the Alaska state constitution in 1976 and managed by a semi-independent corporation.

Payments into the fund are made from the revenues of oil (and sometimes other minerals.)



The Alaska Permanent Fund sets aside a certain share of oil revenues to continue benefiting current and all future generations of Alaskans.

The Fund grew from an initial investment of $734,000 in 1977 to the current sum of approximately forty billion dollars.
Joanna said that annual dividends are paid to most Alaska residents who have resided in the state for one calendar year and intend to remain in Alaska.

One other qualification is that the resident have a clean record, no felony conviction.

Other than the year residency requirement there is no distinction based on length of residence in Alaska nor is there any distinction based on age of the resident.

Since it creation, the annual payments to each individual resident have varied from a low of $331.29 in 1984 to a high of $3,269.00 in 2008.



Joanna said that the unusually high payment this year included a one-time rebate of $1,200.00 as recognition of the high retail costs for gasoline that Alaska consumers are paying.

From among her friends and acquaintances, Joanna offered examples of how the oil dividend checks are being spent this year. Joanna said that one friend is using it to pay airfare for a trip to Paris. Another friend is paying the costs for ferrying her automobile to Bellingham, Washington. Others are taking shopping trips to Anchorage and Seattle.

Bush line communications

Joanna also discussed a unique form of communication in Alaska called the “bush line.’ In areas of the state where there are no telephone lines or cell towers, broadcast radio is used for personal communications. People will leave messages with the radio station. The station then broadcasts the messages and the intended recipients listen for the news. The bush line has commercial value for the operators of hunting lodges in remote areas who can learn arrival times for guests, supplies and mail Other residents listen to the bush line radio for news about who is traveling to where, their arrival times, and other normal family events including weddings, christenings and funerals.

Joanna offered the observation that Bexley Public Radio is the Bexley bush line.

Joanna then gave a sample of some light comments on Alaska Governor Sara Palin’s selection as the Republican vice presidential candidate. She also said that a tee-shirt is being sold in Homer that has a picture of Governor Palin with the text “My Governor is better looking than your Governor.”

Burning Basket on Homer Spit



The main Homer cultural event that Joanna described was the fifth annual Burning Basket Festival. This event involves a community creating a basket from found materials followed by a ritual burning of pieces of paper with messages.

Joanna noted the similarity of this ritual to the burning of paper at traditional Chinese funerals. The paper is known as joss paper, or dzi-dzat.

The burning basket event has some funding connections with the popular Burning Man event held each year in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada between the towns of Empire and Gerlach.

The Homer event is directed by artist Mavis Muller and involves volunteers creating an oversize basket and sculpture in Mariner Park on the Homer Spit. The volunteers worked for five days at the Spit constructing the basket.
This year's event was labeled "Surpass: A Basket of Remembrance and Unburdening."

On Sunday Sept. 21, the volunteers who worked on the basket and others were in attendance participated in the burning of the basket at sundown. Individuals were invited to offer papers to the flames written with memories for remembrance and shame or guilt for unburdening.

A potluck on Homer Spit followed the ritual. Joanna attended both the burning of the basket and the potluck dinner.

A labyrinth, or circular walking path was also created on the Homer Spit.

Artist Muller has managed 12 burning basket enactments in Alaska, Oregon, California and Hawaii.

The Burning Basket Project has received funding support from the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Rasmuson Foundation and the Black Rock Arts Foundation.

The Rasmusen Foundation was formed in 1955 by the widow of E.A. Rasumsen who was the owner of the Bank of Alaska.

The Black Rock Arts Foundation promotes community-based exhibitions of interactive art and support the artists and organizations that create it. Besides the Burning Man event in Nevada, the Black Rock Foundation prodes funding for accessible, free art to the public that invites direct action with the piece and inspires community.

The primary goal of the Black Rock Arts Foundation is to promote a revival of art's culture-bearing and connective function by removing art from its context in the marketplace and reintegrating it into communal settings.

Artist Mavis Muller can be contacted at http://www.mavismullerart.com/burningbasket.html

Homer Fashion for the Autumn Season

For a report on local fashion trends in, Alaska. Joanna discussed hip waders and chest waders available in Homer retail shops.

First she noted that it is stylish in Homer to wear hip waders with the tops folded down. The variety of manufacturers and materials is surprising. Colors are limited to tan, brown, green and forest green.



Examples of hip waders and their retail prices offered by Joanna are:

Pro Line Creek Cleated Rubber hip waders are available for $50. These waders are brown. They are made in China.

Stearns Mad Dog 3-ply hip waders are available in green, They have Thinsulate and quick release buckles and are priced at $53.

Hodgman Wadewell hip waders made in China are available for $48. These are green, three-ply and have felt soles.

The Hodgman Bantam Weight hip boots are available in tan and have rubber cleat soles, Priced at $38.

Academy Broadway branded rubber hip wader, steel shank and rubber cleated sole are available for $43. They are made in Taiwan.

Calcutta brand hip boots in tan canvas are available for $49. These are made in China.

Chest waders are also available in Homer.

Calcutta Brand chest waders in brown with cleated soles are priced at $40. These are made in China.

The Calcutta waders are endorsed by Team Calcutta, a fishing competition team.



Joanna described the Calcutta trademark logo as a skull and crossbones with a limp fish held in the jaws.

Hodgman Bantam weight boot foot chest waders are available for $50. The uppers are made from polyester and rubber. Soles are cleated and made from hard rubber. The waders are forest green.

Joanna said that the Hodgman brand of waders traces its company history back to Framingham Massachusetts in 1838.

Beside fishing waders, hot labels in clothing are Carhartt brand of work cloths and XTRA TUFF clothing. Other popular brands are Hetty Hanson of Norway and Grundsons of Sweden. Joanna noted that the Grundsons clothing line is manufactured in Portugal.

Time ran out for the broadcast and Joanna concluded her dispatch from Homer, Alaska.

Volunteers and staff of the Homer Chamber of Commerce contribute money to pay the cost of the long distance telephone charges for the Joanna Tornes culture dispatches from Homer.

Culture dispatch from Homer, Alaska.

Joanna Tornes telephoned her regular culture dispatch from Homer, Alaska on the Wednesday WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM radio program. Her telephone call is subsidized by the staff and volunteers of the Homer, Alaska chamber of commerce.

Joanna’s first comment was that daytime temperatures in Homer are in mid-forty degrees Farenheit. She also commented that this has been a cool summer. Joanna reported that the signs of autumn were coming on. Ground dogwood with red berries is evident; fireweed is turning with its long purple flowers as part of the early autumn landscape.

Joanna commented that when the purple flowers reach the top of the firewood plant, it is a sign that summer has ended. She also commented that this year the fireweed flowers are a sign of the "lack of summer" because this summer was the coolest ever recorded.

Joanna and her sister Ginger are being visited by another sister, Angie, and her husband Mark. Both guests were part of the culture dispatch, Angie as an active speaker and Mark as a disembodied voice in the background.

Angie and Mark are residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin spending their summer vacation in Alaska.

Angie is a 1974 graduate of Bexley High School. Mark did not offer any educational or cultural credentials which might explain why he was left as a background sound.

Angie described their trip on the ferry boat from Bellingham, Washington to Juneau, Alaska. She said the trip is “incredible” and the boat is neat and clean with good meals. Sensational views of whales spouting and breeching make the travel unforgettable.

The ferry is called the Columbia. Angie and Mark were on the ferry for two nights with a cabin. The cabin was spartan but comfortable and warm. A forest service ranger gave daily lectures about the sights visible from the ferry.

Angie and Mark also traveled on another ship, the Taku, where they had a cabin for the trip to Sitka, Alaska and they also took a high speed ferry from Juneau to Homer.

For dinner on their guests’ first night in Homer, Ginger and Joanna took them to the Finns Pizza on the spit in downtown Homer. They arrived after eight o’clock and found Finn's Pizza to be closed that evening so they went to Fat Olives for dinner.

Joanna returned to the telephone and discussed some Russian cultural influences. She said that she has made a trip to a town called Ninilchik to see Russian Orthodox church architecture. She also said that there is a Russian tea room on a distant island that she has not visited.

The Homer orchestra had its music week.

Joanna attended a Buddhist retreat at the Alaska Culture Studies Center. This was a four day event that stretched over the weekend and she attended Friday through Sunday. The Center is located at Patterson Bay and is primarily concerned with marine and coastal environment matters.

Joanna’s Buddhist weekend was filled with sitting postures, meditation, dharma talk and vegetarian food. The instructors were Buddhists monks from Anchorage, Alaska. Their talks touched on life and awareness of the moment and the connectedness of all living things.

Meals for this Buddhist retreat were in silence and outdoor walks were silent experiences too.

During one outside session, clouds disappeared and sun shine appeared and invigorated the experience.

Joanna then discussed the karma experience of “dip-netting” on the Kenai River. This is a fishing technique that uses nets to catch fish. It has become such a popular sport that it has spawned “combat fishing" where people fight over prime dip-netting spots. Dip-netting is also popular on the Anchor River and the Russian River.

Joanna also reported on her shopping for fishing waders. She has been pricing french-built waders. For hip waders the typical retail price is in the range of $40.00 to $80.00. The retail price for chest waders begins at $90.00.

On a recent fishing venture, Joanna caught two fish. The fish were cleaned and filleted by a local native with an uhlu knife.

Facing the elements in Homer, Alaska.

Friday, July 11, 2008. Writer Joanna Tornes telephoned her exclusive Homer, Alaska culture dispatch to the WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM studio for Friday afternoon broadcast.

She discussed cultural events in her Alaska community with WCRX-LP, 102.1 host and Bexley resident Lee Edmondson.

Tornes, former Bexley resident, reported on a natural materials art exhibition near the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska. Artists have been assembling their works for the last several weeks along a trail in the area of the museum. The artists are using rocks, branches, twigs seaweed, moss and leaves as the material for their art pieces.

The art work is displayed under the titles “Reflections” and “Facing the Elements.”

The museum forest trail has number tags marking the art works. An exhibition brochure identifies the art works and lists the names of the artists. A separate printed guide describes the flora and other aspects of the natural area where the exhibit is located.

Some of the pieces of art are the work of area students. The material the students used included driftwood and smooth beach stones.

Artists in this year’s exhibition include, Marie Walls Alexson , Michael Armstrong, Katie Beasley, Ellen Chambers, Rika Mouw, Mavis Muller, Stuart Schmidt, Eric Van Oss, Susanne Ratcliffe Wilson and Dylan Wylde.

The WCRX-LP culture correspondent then reported on the local halibut fishing contest.

For this week, the first place one thousand dollar prize went to John Calvert of Stafford, Virginia. His winning catch weighed in at a 279.6 pound. Calvert was fishing from the F/V Ashtikan operated by Captan B’s “Alaska C Adventures.

Also, Edmondson and Tornes discussed Alaska population statistics briefly and Tornes told a joke making the rounds of Homer, Alaska nightspots.

Question: How do you tell the difference between a fisherman and a malamute puppy?

Answer: One of them stops whining after six weeks.

Contact us.

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Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

[where: 43209]

Radio journalist Matt Brooke completes Bexley assignment and returns to Guatemala City

Monday June 2, 2008. Journalist Matthew Brooke completed his last assignment as guest host of The Joe Contino Show on WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM. Brooke is a journalist and translator for InforPress Central America Report.

Brooke worked for the radio station as a journalist and program host during April and May.

Brooke was in Columbus, Ohio undergoing a regimen of specialized physical therapy at The Ohio State University Medical Center following a motor vehicle accident while on journalistic assignment in Honduras.

Brooke's last show was an extended interview of Timothy Nassau a recent graduate of Bexley High School. Nassau graduated summa cum laude and is one of two Bexley graduates who will attend Brown University in the coming autumn.

During his tenure with WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Brooke reported on progressive issues such as predatory lending, sub-prime mortgages and inner-city mortgage foreclosures. He reported on these issues from Cleveland, Ohio an area particularly impacted by economic conditions and mortgage foreclosures.

Brooke's hard-hitting reporting on these issues gave WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM listeners the critical insight necessary to understand the several federal and Ohio legislative proposals addressing these important issues.

Brooke has returned to Guatemala City and resumed his usual work for InforPress Central America Report. The Central America Report provides strategic intelligence on Central America and also does special investigations on issues such as the Guatemala: peace process and agrarian land reform.

Before his last assignment, WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM requested that Brooke join its stable of culture correspondents and that he file quarterly or monthly culture dispatches from central America recounting local events that will be of interest to the Bexley radio audience.

Currrently, WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM has culture correspondents reporting from Homer Alaska, Portsmouth New Hampshire, Huntington West Virginia and Golden Colorado. The culture correspondents keep Bexley residents informed of interesting and unusual events in those distant locales.

The WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM audience benefited by the intrepid reporting of Matthew Brooke. The staff, management and WCRX-
LP editorial collective of Bexley Public Radio Foundation appreciate the opportunity to work with an experienced professional like Matt Brooke.

Contact us.
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WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
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Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation, BPRF or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

[where: 43209]

Homer, Alaska. WCRX-LP culture correspondent Joanna Tornes reports on death of jazz musician.

In her regular culture dispatch, Joanna Tornes reported the death of jazz musician Howard Hedges.

The students and faculty at the Capital University jazz program and the rest of the WCRX-LP Bexley audience will recall Hedges as a prominent jazz trombonist who played in the Stan Kenton Band and in bands for singers Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ray Charles and Tony Bennett. He also played in the Lionel Hampton Band.

Besides his work in jazz, Hedges played in pit orchestras for the road companies of Broadway musicals such as Pippin and Chorus Line.

Hedges and his wife Kathy became residents of Homer, Alaska while he was still an active musician. He said he liked the friendliness and quirky character of the town.

Since most of his work was touring with singers, he said he could as easily go on road tours from Alaska as anywhere else.

Hedges was a native of Pompano Beach, Florida and his wife was from California. When they were first married, Hedges and Kathy lived in South Florida but Kathy wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the location. On a summer vacation to Alaska, they visited Homer and liked the friendliness of the town.

They drove up a bluff behind the town to look at the mountains and Katchemak Bay. The breath-taking vista they saw convinced them where they would move without any discussion.

Kathy found employment as a case manager at a local mental health center. Hedges took on some local music students and joined a local blues band. He also hosted a jazz program “Jazz to Nowhere.'' on KBBI, the local public radio station. He was also a member of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra.

In 1993, Hedges suffered a stroke and was diagnosed as diabetic. The Homer community responded with help, financial and practical. He worked at his rehabilitation and was successful enough that he eventually returned to playing music locally. He also became a disability advocate until his death on October 15 following an accident. He is survived by his widow Kathy and their son Michael.

Memorial donations for his son Michael’s education may be sent to John Hancock, P.O. Box 17603, Baltimore, MD 21297-1603. Checks should be made out to Freedom 529 Plan FBO Michael Hedges.

Donations may also be made to the Howard Hedges Performance Arts Scholarship Fund through the Homer Council on the Arts.

Other topics covered in the Tornes dispatch included the recent health fair and Veterans Day events in Homer, Alaska.

Tornes reported her dispatch during the Joe Contino Show.

The portions of Tornes’ dispatch dealing with Howard Hedges are based on the reporting of Tom Kizzia with the Anchorage Daily News.

Contact us.

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WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

Homer, Alaska. WCRX-LP Alaska culture correspondent Joanna Tornes victim of earthquake.

Joanna Tornes opened her monthly culture dispatch from Alaska with a startling announcement.

Tornes had been awakened this morning by earthquake tremors. She was quick to reassure listeners that she had suffered no physical harm or property damage. She also estimated the strength to be in the range of four or five on the Richter scale. “Insignifcant” she reassured listeners.

Tornes said that the big local story is the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby. The top halibut caught this year weighed 360 pounds and the victory-fish was captured by a non-resident.

It is always a disappointment for the Homer community when one of their own fishermen is not the Derby victor.

The Derby winner is Clayton McDowell of Eagle River, Alaska.

McDowell takes home a Derby jackpot of $48,675.

Joanna Tornes then informed listeners that it is election week in Homer, Alaska.

Voters in the City of Homer are waiting for results for two city council seats out of a field of five candidates.

A ballot question will also be decided whether to raise the sales tax one quarter of one percent for capital improvements to recreational facilities and the development of a proposed town plaza and city hall.

There are three borough-wide issues on the ballot: a proposed cap on the senior citizens' property tax exemption to $300,000 of assessed value but to also provide an exemption for hardship cases. Another proposal will place term limits for serving in the assembly; and a third proposal will place term limits on the school board. In both proposals, the limitations are two consecutive terms.

There are also service area board seats on the ballot.

The broadcast day ended too quickly and the WCRX-LP culture correspondent agreed to call in a special supplement next Wednesday October 10 during the noon to 1:00 p.m. program segment.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Homer, Alaska. Joanna Tornes signs on as WCRX-LP culture correspondent.

September Alaska culture dispatch from Homer, Alaska.

WCRX-LP programming for today included a live dispatch from WCRX-LP Alaska culture correspondent Joanna Tornes.

Joanna Tornes discussed a local sustainability conference in Homer, Alaska and the art gallery walk scheduled for this weekend.

She also discussed the need for local passenger rail service to smaller Alaska communities such as Homer.

The Alaska culture correspondent was interviewed by WCRX-LP program host Joe Contino and Troy Paton.

Joanna Tornes is a Bexley native who has migrated to Alaska. She returns to Bexley regularly where she is a welcomed raconteur and chanteuse in many Bexley cultural salons.

Joanna Tornes is under contract with WCRX-LP 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio to provide regular monthly culture reports on cultural affairs and civic events in Homer, Alaska.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com