HOMER — On a blustery winter day with the temperatures dropping into the teens, the wind blowing 30 and the sun setting before 6 p.m., Alaskans look south — way south — and imagine themselves strolling a Hawaiian beach. Though thousands of miles apart and distant in latitude, we of the 49th state have deep connections with the 50th state.

That connection is the idea between Alaskaloha, a clothing line created by Homer entrepreneur Tiffanie Story. Her simple designs all feature the iconic Hawaiian state flower, the yellow hibiscus or pua aloalo.

Although Buccaneer Oil had intended last fall to have moved the jack-up rig Endeavour-Spirit of Independence to oil and gas exploration sites in Cook Inlet, that the rig remained at the Homer Deep Water Dock as of Jan. 1 could mean a tidy tax payment to the city of Homer, Kenai Peninsula Borough and the South Peninsula Hospital Service Area. The borough collects tax payments on behalf of cities and service areas.

At 2012 mill rates based on the $68.5 million purchase price of the Endeavour, those entities could receive this amount:

■ $308,250, city of Homer, 4.5 mills;

Tuesday at the Kenai Courthouse, a man wanted by troopers for four months prior to his arrest on Saturday pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, which include kidnapping and assault.

Superior Court Judge Carl Bauman levied a combined bail amount of $150,000, noting the seriousness of Bret Herrick’s offenses as reason for the large payment.

A Kenai grand jury indicted the 53-year-old in September on charges of kidnapping, first-degree burglary, four counts of third-degree assault and third-degree theft.

Buccaneer Energy’s jack-up rig Endeavour-Spirit of Independence will leave the Homer Deep Water Dock and Kachemak Bay by Oct. 31, said Buccaneer vice president Mark Landt.

Landt spoke Monday at a Homer City Council meeting on the West Eagle Drilling Program, another Buccaneer project off East End Road on Basargin Road.

Landt took the opportunity to update the council and city on the Endeavour status.