Veterans Against War
Dear Editor: I am informed that Memorial Day was the past Monday, and on May 31.
Until 1968, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, whether it was at the end or beginning of a weekend or not. I figure that if Congress can change the day this nation honors its war dead so as to accommodate America’s need to begin summer with a three-day weekend (and Memorial Day provided a convenient excuse), so can I, but for a different reason: to attempt to find a way to appropriately express and seek ways to end the embarrassment, outrage, indignation, and insult of this nation’s military’s sexual abuse obscenity, and of the perpetual incompetence, indifference, arrogance and ignorance of the Veterans Administration.
In any event, it is now no longer a ‘‘Veterans Against War Memorial Day Gathering’’ but a ‘‘Veterans Against War Post-Memorial Day Prayer and Mediation Gathering,’’ and will still happen at 6 p.m. today, across from the main entrance to the Sitka National Cemetery, on Sisters Lane (not Avenue, as I incorrectly stated before).
I apologize for the confusion. Thank you.
Jeff Moebus, Master Sergeant,
U.S. Army (Retired)
Veterans Against War
(Sitka Platoon)
752-7099, vaw.sitka@gmail.com
Spelling Bee
Dear Editor: The Friends of the Library would like to thank some generous individuals in advance of the Spelling Bee, June 2 at 4 p.m.
We have had such generous support from businesses, organizations and individuals. The following sponsorships have been offered to spellers: Silver Bay Seafoods, Seamart, Venneberg Insurance, Sitka Education Association, Blatchley Middle School, Team Zero Inc., Sewing Solutions, White’s Pharmacy, CHARR and Karen Parker. Harris Air donated one-half hour flightseeing for two as first place prize. A/C Lakeside provided gift cards to be used as prizes as well.
Kari Sagel, Cheryl Vastola, Lisa Busch, Davey Lubin, and Shannon Haugland helped plan the bee and will serve as judges. Rob Woolsey will be the announcer this year. Abigail Fitzgibbon will serve as a lifeline for spellers who want to purchase a little help.
We hope that Sitkans will turn out to support and cheer on our adult spellers.
Sarah Bell, Director,
Kettleson Memorial Library
Stream Team
Dear Editor: A couple of weeks ago, the seventh-grade earth science students went out to the Starrigavan estuary for field work with the U.S. Forest Service, and members of the Sitka Conservation Society. Bio-indicator data was collected by the students at four different stations along the river: benthic macroinvertebrates, upper and lower sections, water chemistry, pebble counts and stream cross sections. Stream Team is an annual assessment accomplished through educational funding from the U.S. Forest Service, in partnership with the Sitka Conservation Society and the Blatchley students, to evaluate the health of the Starrigavan watershed through monitoring the health of the stream habitat for our spawning salmon.
Many people came together to make Stream Team happen again this year, much to the delight of the students who all thoroughly enjoyed themselves tromping through the stream, counting bug larvae, measuring pebbles, and sighting with a transit, who we would like to acknowledge and heartily thank, among them, from the USFS: especially, Ben Mann, for organizing the event, his friendly teaching style and bringing in the water table, Perry Edwards, Melissa Dinsmore, Paul Killian, Justin Koller, Anne Marie LaPalme, Chris Leeseberg, Ryan Dunn, Joe Serio,Julie Simpson, Jay Kinsman, Marty Becker, Jen MacDonald, Karen Iwamoto; and from the Sitka Conservation Society, leaders Courtney Bobsin and Rae Taylor-Burns, for great teaching in the classroom, and leading groups in the field, Paul Norwood, Linda Speerstra, Jasmine Shaw; and parent helpers John Everson and Monica Eastham. A special thanks to the National Park Service for the invertebrate gear, Chris Pearson of Coastal Excavation for postponing the work on the Starrigavan road, and Brenda Papoi for her support.
The USFS restoration work on the stream at Starrigavan to improve salmon spawning habitat made an important educational and ecological impression on our Blatchley students, as future stewards of our local environment who all thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the great outdoors.
Blatchley Middle School
Seventh Grade Earth Scientists
PAGE 2 Op-Ed:
By Tammy Trevino
Homeownership. The American Dream. These concepts are an integral part of our Nation’s history. As President Obama said in his May 11 weekly radio address on housing, few things define the cornerstone of the American Dream more than owning a home.
In June, USDA, its federal partners, members of the housing development community and citizens across the country will celebrate National Homeownership Month. USDA will highlight how the Department’s housing programs help families and communities. Homeownership Month also brings attention importance the importance of housing in the U.S. economy.
For many rural residents, USDA’s housing programs are their only opportunity to buy a home. USDA Direct and Guaranteed loans have financed individual homes, or in some cases entire subdivisions. Since the start of the Obama Administration, USDA housing programs have provided more than 650,000 rural families with a place to live.
As we enter June, thousands of graduating high school and college seniors right now are making choices about their career paths and where to live. Sadly, for many of these newly minted graduates, remaining in rural America can be a difficult option.
Helping to provide decent, affordable housing – in addition to our efforts to revitalize the rural economy and create new jobs – is one critical way USDA is working to reverse population loss in our rural towns and communities. Too often, population loss happens because the next generation sees decreased economic opportunity in rural America. At USDA, we are committed to breaking this cycle. We are working to bring rural Americans home by investing in small businesses, manufacturing and energy in rural America. We are strengthening schools, health care facilities, police and fire protection, and other essential services. We are investing in the things that make communities attractive places to live and work, such as modern electric, water and waste water systems, and the next great utility – high-speed broadband.
In June, USDA officials will visit rural communities across the nation that have benefitted from our housing programs. They will hear from rural residents who bought their first home with a USDA loan, farmworkers who have safe, decent rental housing financed by USDA, and from non-profit groups that work with contractors who build homes where families do sweat equity projects as part of their downpayment.
Helping rural residents buy homes is only one way USDA supports housing. The Department also helps homeowners keep their homes after they purchase them. Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack expanded a pilot demonstration program so rural residents with USDA mortgages can take advantage of today’s historically low interest rates. To date, the program has helped more than 5,500 USDA borrowers refinance their loans. The pilot is underway in 34 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
This complements President’s Obama’s mortgage refinance program, which has already helped more than 2 million families around the country save an average of $3,000 annually on their mortgages.
Fortunately, there are signs that the worst of the housing crisis seems to be behind us. Home values are rising. Construction is up. Foreclosures are down.
The current economic recovery is gaining steam. Yet more work needs to be done. Congress is debating a Food, Farm and Jobs bill that would help rural homeowners in many ways. It would enable USDA to expand markets for agricultural products, create new opportunities for local and regional food systems, and grow the bio-based economy.
A healthy American economy depends on a prosperous rural America, which supplies much of our nation’s food and water and safeguards our environmental heritage.
The Obama Administration and USDA are committed to ensuring that America’s rural communities are vibrant and thriving economically. USDA has made an unprecedented commitment to this goal by supporting affordable rural housing.
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Tammye Trevino is Administrator of USDA’s Housing and Community Facilities Programs. She will be in Sitka on June 8 in observance of USDA’s National Homeownership Month and “StrikeForce” initiative. The meeting will be 11 a.m. June 8 at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi.
