Girls Championship Results:

The Stars outshot Kenai 3-2 on penalty kicks to earn the Stars their third-straight NLC championship and fourth title in five years.

In the shootout following a scoreless regulation and 20 minutes of overtime, Soldotna, after an initial miss, scored goals by Miranda Wolfe, Taryn McCubbins and the final, game-winner by Skylar Shaw.  Kenai recorded goals by Vanessa Anderson and Cassie Ross.  Soldotna goalkeeper Katelynn Kerkvliet is credited with the win in goal.

Both SoHi and Kenai (and 3rd place Grace) qualify for the ASAA 4A State Soccer Championships scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26 at Anchorage Dimond and Chugiak High Schools.

Boys Championship Results:

The Homer boys fell 2-1 to Wasilla in the boys NLC championship game.  Homer, Wasilla and Colony qualify to the 4A State Soccer Championships.

4A State Soccer Schedule: Click Here!

4A Girls Bracket

4A Boys Bracket

NLC All-Conference Girls Team — 1. Rachel Thompson, G, Nikiski; 2. Kylee Wolfe, M, Soldotna; 3. Alexa Starr, MF, Wasilla; 4. Shannon McNamara, M, Grace; 5. Nikki Vanni, M, Wasilla; 6. Julie Litchfield, M, Soldotna; 7. Miracle Burton, M, Palmer; 8. Morgan Morfe, G, Palmer; 9. Savannah Nash, D, Colony; 10. Taylor Ostrander, M, Kenai; 11. Lauren Schams, F, Kenai; 12. Katrina Wood, M, Grace; 13. Chelsea Winter, D, Skyview; 14. Erin Murray, D, Wasilla.

All-Conference Boys Team — 1. Robin Glosser, M, Homer; 2. Kyler Perry, M, Wasilla; 3. Sean Colette, M, Colony; 4. Kyle Wisner, M, Homer; 5. Travis Patterson, F, Wasilla; 6. Aube Strickland, M, Palmer; 7. Cory Carver, M, Soldotna; 8. Konstantin Reutov, F, Homer; 9. Daniel Fulmer, D, Grace; 10. Bryce Rodgers, G, Grace; 11. Jacob Spannegel, F, Colony; 12. Alex Springer, M, Kenai; 13. John Meaney, M, Colony; 14. Kyle Scarlett, D, Kenai; 15. Andre Lovett, D, Homer.

Rated: PG-13

Monday Through Thursday (4:00 & 7:15)

Theater: Kambe

Well….It’s that time of year again. Our Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is just about ready to allocate funding for Borough operations in Fiscal Year 2013.  That means that the Assembly is getting ready to spend tax dollars, tax money from you and from me.

Right now the funding Ordinance is calling for an expenditure of just over $73 million dollars for general borough government operations, school operations, capital projects, health insurance and money for payment of bonds and interest. These are all legitimate expenditures for our Borough government and you may want to argue about the amount of money to be appropriated but at least most of the budget items are all good and proper uses for our tax money.

However, many of us are wondering where in the Borough budget are those expenditures which have nothing to do with the operation of our Borough Government.

For many years now our Borough Assembly has made donations of taxpayer dollars to several non-profit organizations.  The Assembly has annually in their budget given donations to the Central Area Transit System, The Kenai Peninsula College, The Economic Development District, The Small Business Development Center and the Tourism and Marketing Council. Earlier this year, outside of their budget, the Assembly donated $100,000 of your tax dollars to the Kenai Watershed Forum for what they said was for culvert restoration but they could actually spend the money any way they so desired.

Many taxpayers are concerned about the Borough Assemblies practice of making these donations to non-Borough organizations. In fact, earlier this year voters sent a resounding “No” to an Assembly promoted .1% sales tax to fund these organizations.

Many taxpayers suspect that the reason these annual donations are not listed in the current proposed Fiscal Year appropriations is that they plan to sneak it into the budget at the last moment several weeks down the line.

The big question is “How could any Assembly person, in their own mind, vote to donate our tax dollars to organizations not even under Borough jurisdiction”. Each  of these organizations have their own board of directors and agendas over whom the Borough Assembly or Borough Mayor have no control at all”?

Think About It!     JCD   5-16-2012

Rated: R

Monday Through Thursday (4:15 & 7:30)

Theater: Kambe

Rated: PG-13

Monday & Tuesday (4:30 & 7:00)

Wednesday  (4:30, 7:00, 9:40)

Thursday  (2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:40)

Theater: Orca

Rated: R

Monday &  Tuesday (7:15)

Wednesday &  Thursday  (7:15 & 9:30)

For some reason it seems to be a truism that whenever the federal government steps in, costs rise and efficiency declines. This is especially true when it comes to college education. Remember when President Obama promised in 2008 “We’ve got to make sure every young person can afford to go to college?”  Well that is what he said running for office.

Instead, tuition costs keep rising, along with the debt owed by increasing numbers of graduates, many of whom are now campaigning for Congress to stop interest rates on their subsidized Stafford loans from doubling in July.

If students and their parents choose expensive schools, and most of them are, they should accept the responsibility and cost accompanying that decision. These students knew that borrowing for their education would put a huge debt monkey on their back and they would be many years paying and paying trying to get the monkey off their backs. Taking a student loan was their decision, they went in with their eyes open and now they need to live with that decision.

This in-spite of the fact that almost 54% of college grads under twenty-five can’t find a job or are under-employed and working in low income jobs where paying back those student loans will take a lifetime. It all makes one ask the question is a $50 or $150 thousand dollar debt for a college education even worth it.

The federal government has no constitutional authority to require people to receive an education. Education should be the primary responsibility of state and local entities. Taxpayers should not be expected to pay for college tuition when these same graduates default on their loans that they have agreed to repay.

What kind of life lesson is it when this early test of a young person’s character is said not to matter in that default of a student is an ok deal.

Students and parents should have the right to choose when it comes to college, but if they choose a costly private institution, they should assume the financial obligations that go with that choice. Either earn the money to pay for that education themselves, which may mean up to a year off between each year of classes or know that a student loan places the debt monkey on their back for a long, long time after graduation.

Before choosing their college they must look at these studies and consider whether, in the long run, the supposed prestige and expense of a well-known school are worth the cost, especially if the job or career the student wants doesn’t require a degree or worse, than there isn’t a job waiting after graduation.

Think About It!      JCD   5-09-12

Rated: PG

Monday Through Wednesday (5:00)

Thursday (2:30, 5:00)

Theater: Orca

Rated: PG-13

Monday Through Thursday (2D) (3:45) (3D) (7:00)

Theater: Kambe

You have no doubt heard rumors and observed over the past legislative session in Juneau, that we have a “do nothing” bunch of Democratic Senators. The “Do Nothing” label is very true when it comes to bringing a natural gas line from the North Slope to the Rail Belt, but the term Democratic Senators is only partially true.

Ten out of the twenty Senators are in-deed Liberal thinking Democrats, but they have been joined by six Republicans who also think like Democrats, making a coalition of sixteen Senators who control the body. That is like having sixteen Democrats and only four Republicans in the Alaska State Senate. So when the Democratic Coalition in the Senate decides that it will “do nothing” about reducing taxes on oil to bring about more development on the North Slope and to “do nothing” to help build an in-state gas pipeline, that stops everything.

The House and the Governor on the other hand, had worked hard to fully fund the Alaska     Gas-line Development Corporation, AGDC, who had hoped to get to an “Open Season” to gauge interest among potential shippers by next year.

The proposal by Representative Mike Chenault, Mike Hawker and the governor’s office had been waiting for more than two weeks for action by the Senate when they abruptly adjourned. That proposal for an in-state gas line was never taken up by the Senate at all.

The refusal of the Senate Democrats and so-called Coalition Republicans to even consider working with the House and the Governor is a hard “slap in the face” to we Alaskans who realize we are running low on natural gas for our homes and businesses. Shortages of natural gas have already caused brown-out conditions and warnings from South Central City and Borough Mayors of more shortages to come.

One would think that regardless of political party affiliations, the “do nothing” Alaska Senators, from the last Legislative Session, would have placed a top priority stamp on doing whatever is necessary to bring about an in-state gas line. As Alaskans with much to lose because of the inaction and political posturing by the Senate we must work to hold them responsible. There appear to be a lot of Senators who need to be sent packing, people like: Gary Stevens, Hollis French, Dennis Eagan, Bettye Davis, Johnny Ellis, Lesil McGuire, Linda Menard, Bert Stedman and many more. These people are part of the problem not the solution. They have set the gas-line project back at least one and maybe two years.

One way or another, we must have political leaders who will dedicate themselves to bring our natural gas from the North Slope to our homes and businesses in the rail belt just as soon as possible.  Anything less will sooner or later derail our economy and our way of life.

Think About It!       JCD    5-2-12