Homer's eagles aren't for sale now that the Eagle Lady is gone

There will be no successor to Jean Keene, Homer's Eagle Lady.

Keene had 25 years of eagle experience and did her job graciously with loving hands. Keene was not in it for the money. All this and a load of charm made her the icon she was. No one will ever replace her.

In January 2006, during the battle over eagle feeding, I wrote the city of Homer Nuisance Bird Ordinance.

Keene was very pleased that she was the only person allowed to feed eagles in Homer. She felt that she was the only person who could safely feed and care for them.

Keene was satisfied. The city of Homer ordinance protects her legacy. A new battle has been started to continue the eagle feeding, and it is being waged totally by economic interests who seek to profit from this act. Keene, who was never in it for the money, would not be one to sell "her" eagles to the highest bidder.

The eagles aren't for sale. This city of Homer ordinance has reduced the nuisance bird population in Homer in just a short year. It now ends the eagle feeding to reduce the number of eagles impacting our area. Let the eagles disperse, and do so by tapering their food supply for the next few weeks. It is over.

-- Lee Mayhan

coordinator, Alaska Eagle Watch Network

Homer

No time like now to renegotiate

Last week I was watching Channel 2 News and there was a piece on the Anchorage Police Department recruiting officers from Ann Arbor, Mich. Apparently, Michigan is laying off officers. The Anchorage officer said that when other policemen see the local wage and benefit package, they are "green with envy."

Former Mayor Mark Begich sought fit to increase this package with the idea that it could always be renegotiated in the event the economy so dictated. With Anchorage now facing a $17 million shortfall, why was this ever signed in the first place? Seems like Mr. Begich made some friends for future votes, blew town and left the fallout with the new mayor and the taxpayers. I hope the police and fire departments hold good on their pledge to adapt to the economy.

-- Paul Engibous

Anchorage

Offer help without scrutiny

Re: Arlene Carle's letter Jan. 19, "Where did all the money go?" -- if you're struggling in a raging river and are about to drown and I'm on the shore with something that could help, am I going to act now or scrutinize why you're in that river? I know what I'd do. It's none of our business what our fellow residents did with their money. Help is needed without scrutiny. They will figure out their own lessons.

-- Lynn Godden

Anchorage

Iowa gave black Americans hope

I think it's difficult for whites to understand how disenfranchised many blacks have felt about the possibilities of their fully participating in America's promise of opportunity. But when mostly white Iowans manner-of-factly acted in their perceived best interests by nominating Barack Obama as their Democratic candidate for president of the United States, Iowans made a huge down payment on the fulfillment of that promise.

If many black Americans thought it impossible that one of their own could become a viable candidate for the presidency, Iowans were the first to prove them wrong. With that, Iowans changed something deep within America -- for the better. And at the same time, Iowans upheld America's long-standing core values.

My thanks go to Iowans who set in motion the wave that is uniting America. Without Iowans, this might never have happened.

-- Andrea Veach

Anchorage

Bycatch, malnutrition are issues

It is very sad to read the stories of the problems the villages are having out West ("State rethinks disaster call for Emmonak," Jan. 16). It is also very sad because I know what they are talking about, having lived in the villages.

As we read this article and about the plight of the people, let us keep two things in mind: the huge salmon bycatch issue for the pollock fishing fleet in Bristol Bay and malnutrition issues for the children of our villages.

Just a short three years ago, the pollock fishing fleet caught almost 650,000 salmon as bycatch when targeting pollock. Thankfully, the number of bycatch salmon is declining, but why? Is it because the pollock industry is working hard and spending big bucks to improve their trade, or is it because there are a lot less salmon to catch when they are fishing?

I do not understand all the implications to our long-term health that malnutrition can cause, but I bet they are serious. The state and the feds need to pony up. Real people are really suffering.

-- George Pletnikoff

Anchorage

Property assessment keeps rising

Can someone explain to me why property values have dropped all over the country, including Anchorage to some extent, yet my property assessment went up by $3,600? Of course, I realize this means my taxes will go up whether or not the School District receives the $100 million asked for. Am I the only one that sees it's getting out of hand?

-- Steve Lewis

Anchorage

One call, and light was on again

A streetlight that's been out for some time in my neighborhood is just a couple of doors away from a school bus stop, and I've been concerned about the safety of the children walking to and from the bus stop.

Monday morning I called the municipality's phone number for streetlight outages and left a message about the streetlight. The very next morning, a Chugach Electric truck pulled up and started to work. I was so impressed about the quick response, I went out to thank the two men handling the job. Know what they said? "Thank you for calling it in." They went on to say that they don't know a light is out until someone calls it in, and that they really appreciate it when they're informed about an outage. Fifteen minutes later the light was repaired and they were on their way.

Now the street is beautifully illuminated and the children, as well as other pedestrians, are safer. Have a light out in your neighborhood? Call the muni at 343-4557. Thank you, muni and Chugach Electric, for this program.

-- Janice Ruzicka

Anchorage

Road hogs, read the rule book

I am a commuter and am amazed on a daily basis by the number of uneducated, discourteous people who have a driver's license who actually think it is acceptable to exit the Glenn Highway from the left (passing) lane. You are not the only one on the highway! The family you just cut off is very thankful to be alive after regaining control of their vehicle. Your ignorance is unbelievable. Please exit from the right (driving) lane.

Page 53 of the state drivers manual has a nice diagram on proper exiting procedures. Please remember that the right lane is for driving and the left lane is for passing. Please move back to the driving lane, leaving the left lane open for emergencies and passing. Please yield the right of way when entering the highway; you must merge and you do not have the right of way upon entering. Most commuters will move to the right lane to let you enter, if possible. There may be a car already occupying the other lane, so please use caution when entering the Glenn.

-- Annette Mullen

Wasilla

Forgiveness also a factor

The lawsuit on the Catholic priests came to my attention. I've heard of this before and was hoping this gets through. I'm so glad these people finally came out to tell the truth of what happened, because I know a lot of them were marred and still are affected by it. This one person I know became an alcoholic and doesn't care about himself or his family.

We need all the prayers for all these priests and those who were molested. But above all, in Matthew 6:14-16 it says, "If you forgive people their sins, your Father in heaven will forgive your sins also. If you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

-- Emily O. Aguchak

Scammon Bay

Looks like Arctic redesign worked

Two years ago I wrote a letter that was skeptical of the Arctic Boulevard reconstruction, particularly the need that it created to flip-flop lanes at intersections and our local drivers' inability to navigate the new lanes.

Well, the drivers have adapted and I now see very few obviously confused motorists, even after a fresh snowfall. If statistics bear out that the new configuration has lowered the accident rate, I say mea culpa to the road designers.

In fact, I now wish they had extended the design farther south so that I'd feel safer riding my bicycle along that stretch of Arctic in the summer and could walk on the sidewalk in winter instead of walking on snow berms left by plows.

Now the planners want to do somewhat the same thing to Spenard Road and some people are naturally objecting to change. Like me, those same people may come to actually prefer the reconstructed road once it's had a chance to show its benefits. I hope that the designers extend the three-lane configuration far enough south to include some of the most dangerous roadway in Anchorage: the Spenard Road curves where two side-by-side vehicles now share three ruts worn through the snow and ice.

-- Art Timm

Anchorage