It takes a village
A huge congratulations to the Homer High School hockey team for winning State. State champions! Yahoo. Players, coaches, and especially parents, my hat is off and I bow low to the champions. —with a shout out to Keagan Strong, goalie extraordinaire and MVP. You have all been a joy to watch since you were Mites. I could not be prouder of our town and the kids we raise.
Brad Faulkner
Put your money where your mouth is
Duane Christensen claims there is no human cause to global warming. I could start down the cherry-picking road of “alternative facts,” citing 97% of scientists who agree the earth has warmed 2 degrees F in the last century, but as Mark Twain said, “Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”
Opinions don’t change the world as much as actions. You can buy a Hummer, drive to Costco once a month and let it idle while you shop. Or you can do small things — close the door when you go outside, turn off the lights, carpool — follow your grandparents’ teachings. You can follow your friends’ advice — put your money where your mouth is.
You don’t have to own stocks to steer investments. Like grocery shopping, you vote every time you choose a product. Except banking is easier, not a hundred little votes, but one big vote every week for the bank where you deposit your paycheck.
JP Morgan takes those paychecks and loans it out, with over $200 billion invested in companies drilling for oil, building pipelines, stripping tar sands, fracking gas.
The number two bank in the U.S. fueling greenhouse gas growth is Wells Fargo with $152 billion. In Homer you have your choice of banks. Alaska owned banks and credit unions fuel less of this planet’s “shake and bake.” If you’ve been stoking the fires of fossil fuel extraction, you can switch banks tomorrow. Take your money out of Wells Fargo, tell them why and feel good when you walk into your bank’s lobby.
The same principle applies to taking out a loan (no pun intended).
Another piece-of-the-pie is Alaska’s Permanent Fund, but they’re oozing out of oil. Not an ideological stance, but oil stocks are no longer the cash cows they once were. These dinosaurs threaten to be fossils of “stranded assets”, losing stock value while wind and solar stocks do double-digit growth.
Gordy Vernon
Chili Challenge was a success
On Sunday Feb. 9, , Faith Lutheran Church sponsored the First Annual Chili Challenge.
There were 11 participants in the event and that many different recipes were offered to those that attended, including moose meat chili, halibut chili, vegetarian chili, bison chili, reindeer sausage and more. Said one attendee, “Wow, this was great. Next year I will have an entry.” And another offered, “This was a great way to enjoy each other’s company. I can’t wait until next year.”
Tom Nelson was crowned the winner with his “Snow Day Chili” and took home the trophy and a gift of appreciation. All entrants received a small token of thanks. The money raised will go toward Pastor Heidorn’s continued mission work in India.
Faith Lutheran Church is on Soundview Ave right across from West Homer Elementary School. Join us for worship every Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Gretchen McCullough for Faith Lutheran Church
Register now to vote in Democratic primary
To anyone who wants to vote in our first-ever Democratic primary:
To make sure you receive a ballot in the mail, you need to be a registered Democrat by Feb. 18. You can update your mailing address or change your affiliation online at the State of Alaska’s Online Voter Registration System (OLVR) or at HomerCity Hall before Feb. 18.
You can also change your affiliation at any polling center on April 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. sharp for in-person voting. In Homer it will be at the Aspen Hotel, 91 Sterling Highway.
Lela Ryterski, Chair, Alaska Democratic Party, District 31
