The cover story on April’s AARP magazine is: “Saving Money by Living Together.” Well, I’m the patriarch of a combined 3 generation family here in Nikiski. My children and grandchildren live in my house. The State of Alaska has touted its $300,000 property tax exemption for folks over 65. I qualify, but for the past couple years my exemption has been reduced by thousands of dollars because my children live with me. Don’t misunderstand.

Once again we come to the end of a session with school districts still wondering how we will fund our staff and programs.

I believe our legislators care about our children and education. They show that. But there are two areas that do not seem to be understood. One is accountability. We are accountable. Every school district has public data on performance. And this state is showing progress with many districts excelling. That question is asked and answered.

Ballots for the Homer Electric Association Board of Directors election were mailed to HEA members on April 1. Please don’t throw yours in the trash. Decisions made by the HEA Board determine much more than our electric rates. The types and location of generation, transmission, and distribution projects approved have far reaching consequences for communities, local economies, and the environment.

The generosity of our local community deserves a huge amount of praise in support of Cinderella’s Closet 2013. This is our 4th year, and we have helped more girls than I ever would have imagined. This year, we provided items to 92 local students from Soldotna High, Cook Inlet Academy, Skyview High, River City Academy, Kenai Central High, and Nikiski High. A thank you goes to Natali Jones for bringing items across the water to our students in Nanwalek, Port Graham, and Susan B. English (Seldovia). This brings our grand total to 342 students assisted through this program.