Earth Day was amazing

Kachemak Bay Conservation Society (KBCS) would like to thank everyone who attended our annual Earth Day event at Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and helped make it such an extraordinary evening. Our small conservation non-profit was heartened by everyone’s attendance, support, and participation.

We owe enormous gratitude to the Homer Youth String Orchestra Club for performing the world premier of their song Arctic Wonders and other compositions at the event. We thank Nina Faust for sharing stories, slides and films about, sadly departed, Edgar Bailey; for enlightening us about his terrific life of Alaskan conservation.

KBCS is grateful to Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware for their generous wine glass donation. We also owe thanks to Loopy Lupine, Two Sisters, Observance of Hermits bookshop, the Grog Shop, everyone who brought a potluck dish, and many others.

KBCS’ mission is to protect the environment of the Kachemak Bay region and greater Alaska by encouraging sustainable use and stewardship of natural resources through advocacy, education, information, and collaboration. We are grateful to live in a supportive community that share these values and understand the need for conservation.

Bjørn Olson, board member

Kachemak Bay Conservation Society

City Fund helps food pantry

On behalf of the Homer Community Food Pantry Board of Directors, volunteers and clients, I extend our sincere appreciation to the Homer Foundation and the City of Homer for the grant awarded from the City Fund. I cannot fully express the tremendous impact the Foundation has on our community and our clients.

The Homer Community Food Pantry provided for 759 households throughout 2017 which included 1,237 adults, 435 children, 187 senior citizens, 93 veterans and 253 disabled folks. In addition to providing groceries on a weekly basis, the Food Pantry also provides food boxes for families in need across the bay, snacks and food in bulk for the teens at Homer Flex and Homer High school, deliveries to shut-ins, disabled and the elderly as well as emergency assistance for shelter, utilities, fuel, and prescriptions.

With the generosity of The Homer Foundation, City of Homer and all of the wonderful residents of this community, we are able to do amazing things through the Food Pantry. We are truly blessed. Thank you from all of us at the Homer Community Food Pantry.

Cinda Martin, secretary

Homer Community Food Pantry

Muni bonds could be sold locally

When I listen to the Homer City Council meetings and the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meetings the main subject always seems to be money. Either the budget has a shortfall, or we need to raise money for a new police station or whatever. Now the Borough is short $4 million,the city of Homer needs to raise $5 or 10 million for that new police station. I am a 73-year-old gent from Anchor Point who hasn’t watched a T.V. in 35 years so I read a lot.

Every so often a bond issue is put up and the borough publishes a Notice of Bonded Indebtedness. Interesting piece of paper… For example, when Homer proposes a $5 million bond for the fire station they fail to tell us that in reality its at least a $7.5 million bond because there’s that little thing called interest on that debt. Now these bonds are sent to Wall Street to be sold to investors. The usual sellers are those good old boys like Goldman-Sachs, BofA, Citibank, J.P.Morgan, Chase bank. These folks collect a nice fee for handling the sales.

I don’t know the exact interest rates charged as it varies with the credit rating of the issuer, but for a 10-year note at 5 percent that equals 50 percent over the 10-year period. Now our local banks are paying us .03 percent on savings which is losing money due to inflation of at least 1.5 percent. So for this bond issue, why doesn’t Homer sell these bonds to we, the people of the Kenai Peninsula? That way the money stays here.

They could offer the bonds in amounts from $500. to $5,000 at 4 or 5 percent. I have no doubt that this will work, since the difference between .03 percent and 5 percent is huge. Plus, since they’re going to pay it back by imposing a sales tax on us, at least we stand a chance of some of us earning that back. This seems like a better idea than sending our hard earned dollars to Wall Street, where they already have almost all the money in the world already. I think it’s worth a try.

Now back to that borough notice of indebtedness: At the very bottom line they state the total assessed value of all real, personal and oil related property (10/04/2016) is $18,592,304.697, of which $7,803,726,449 is taxable. Huh? This says to me that 41.97 percent of property owners are paying the bills that, to my mind 100 percent should be paying. Why are 58.03 percent contributing nothing? Like, you know a free ride? If we are all equal as we are told we are, why aren’t we equally paying the bills?

If all 100 percent were paying taxes, our property bills could be halved and the borough would still make a little more money. I think that $50,000 exemption is more than fair. But giving us old folks $150,000 from the state and another $150,000 from the borough is way overdoing it. Plus, I imagine the churches pay nothing, the governments buildings pay nothing ,etc., etc. Yet they all benefit from the services provided and paid for by the 41.97 percent of us who are not so lucky to have an exemption.

Please think on these things, fellow citizens, as the borough and the city talk about where to find that next million to run the government. That is all I have to say for now. Thank you.

George Trudeau, Anchor Point

West Homer appreciates Outdoor Education Camp support

The West Homer Elementary fourth grade students would like to thank all the donors who made our 36th Annual Outdoor Education Camp possible. Because of the monetary contributions that were received this year, students were able to go on a two-night, three-day trip across the bay for a very reasonable and affordable cost. A very special thank you to the hospitable McBride family who so graciously let students, parents and staff stay at their Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge during the trip.

Every student had a successful trip and was able to learn about marine invertebrates, mammals, forest succession, geology and the tides of Kachemak Bay. The teachers, parents and students of the fourth grade West Homer class are deeply grateful for providing students with this incredible opportunity for “hands-on” learning.

Shellie Worsfold, Naomi Daige, Kris Wurst

and the fourth grade students of West Homer Elementary School

World Labyrinth Day was a success

We thank the Interfaith community here in Homer for their participation for World Labyrinth Day, held on the first Saturday in May. This event offered the opportunity to gather, meditate, and pray for peace. The great cooks from UMC provided delicious soups and breads. The Litany of Peace written by Barbara Flaherty was led by Pastor Lisa Talbot. The labyrinth walk was led by Nancy Lee-Evans with Reverend Judith Lethin. Nell Gustafson and Heather Johnson weeded our labyrinth and spread fresh chips. Thank you everyone for your help.

At 1 p.m. people all over the world walked along with us in Homer “as one at one for peace.” The labyrinth facing the bay behind the church is open always and you are welcomed to use it. Join us next year to walk for real peace in the world.

On behalf of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church,

Deborah Lee Townsend

Flex School thanks SBS for lumber

The Homer Flex community would like to thank Spenard Builders Supply for donating lumber to the school. The students of the natural resources class at Flex have taken these supplies and used them to build sturdy planter boxes for our garden. Without this generous donation, the students would not be able to grow the vegetables we continue to use throughout the year. The garden here at Flex helps teach the students about healthy eating and the care needed to maintain a growing garden. On behalf of the students and staff at Flex, we thank you.

Kalah Cuddy

Flex Student

Arseneau family appreciates help

The family and friends of Don Arseneau would like to thank the wonderful people of our communities for all the love and friendship they shared with us at the Celebration of Life for our unforgettable father, grandfather, great-grandfather and mate. The Homer Elks Emblem Club showed their great respect for their fellow officer and friend. Thanks to the Anchor Point Veterans of Foreign Wars for their gun salute and to Christy Hill for playing “Taps.”

There were so many people there we couldn’t thank all of you personally, but now we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Pam Breckenridge (Don’s mate Pam), Sue and Grant Arseneau, the Fry family and the Mauer family

Rape-kit backlog calls for law suit

Governor Walker has announced that a retired state trooper has been hired to help clear a rape-kit backlog. Allowing 3,500 rape kits to go uninspected for years which, by now, in this late date, in lax police work are contaminated or otherwise compromised to some degree, is not the way to a safer Alaska, Mr. Governor.

Past and present governors, attorneys generals and the commissioners of public safety stood by and allowed thousands of violent crimes against Alaskan women to go the way of all flesh. These actions by our public officials not only defies logic, but tells Alaska’s women just how little their department of public safety cares about their collective welfare.

This kind of official negligence, paired with a total lack of fiduciary duty, borders on malice to a point where in any reasonable person using diligence and desecration would conclude that Alaska’s women are being denied equal protection under the 14 Amendment to the U.S. and Alaska constitutions.

Where are the pro-bono attorneys who should be bringing class action suits upon the governor, attorney general and the commissioner of public safety to address injury to these thousands of Alaskan women? Where, pray tell, is the #MeToo movement for these thousands of abused women, who in the eyes of this writer have been raped twice?

John A. Anderson

Kenai

Re: LGBT changes to the Boy Scouts

Since homosexuals do not reproduce and hence are not normal and will not “survive” according to Charles Darwin, and since a homosexual orientation has a cognitive rather than a genetic origin which would be contrary to Darwin’s laws of nature, the LGBT must constantly replenish its out and open Love Gone Bad Today cesspool through the indoctrination of innocent impressionable minds. May God drain the LGBT cesspool.

Michael W. Jarvis

Salt Lake City, Utah