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Letters to the Editor

Homelessness is an everyone problem

When I was 11 years old, my family’s home burned to the ground in the dead of winter. We lost everything — our belongings, our shelter, and our sense of security — all just weeks before Christmas. For what felt like an eternity to a young kid, we were essentially homeless, relying on the kindness of others to get by. It was devastating and something I live with to this day. But something else that has stayed with me wasn’t just the loss; it was the overwhelming generosity of our community. I was in awe of how many people opened up their homes to offer us a couch to sleep on, ...

Drones

Drones are today a very common term. The term attributed to an unknown aircraft. Perhaps it originated with a kite of yesteryear. Todays’ Drones seem to elicit discomfort to the point of fear. Yes, drones are both innocuous as well helpful and the same time can elicit fear. We may conjecture that perhaps drones precursor was “A Peeping Tom” (which originated with Lady Godiva). All of us watched when China sent a drone that traveled throughout USA for a whole day. Today there is not just a sole severance Drone in the sky. What we see, and just dismiss as just a drone, or should ...

What a refreshing reminder of History of Education by Robert Saddler!

I was fortunate to be instrumental in what to expect from students and what students should expect from their teacher. I was fortunate to have as my mentor friend and advisor Ethel (Straw) Guthrie, teacher in Marietta Ohio. I am sure there are still a few of us who remember or have heard of Mrs. Guthrie. She was one of the most dedicated educators as well as most caring individual to see people achieve success. Mr. Saddler Stated in his letter, rules of conduct in the classroom must start on Day 1. So true. Throughout my teaching career, I have never resorted to corporal punishment by ...

Disposal wells destroying rights

I am writing about what the state of Ohio refers to as Class II injection wells. In the oil and gas business we call them disposal wells. These wells are injecting the waste from high-pressure hydraulic fracturing, that is, fracking, most of it coming to our area. This brine waste contains water but also a toxic brew including harmful chemicals such as PFAS (forever chemicals), carcinogens, volatile organic compounds and more. It is also radioactive. Washington County leads the state in the volume of brine waste injected into its grounds. I have 50 years of experience drilling and ...

Season of thanks

Dear Editor, During this season of thanks, I would like to give a big thank you to our U.S. Postal Service workers. With a day that starts at 7:30 in the morning and often going well past an eight hour shift, they spend nearly all of their daylight hours at work. With the holiday season ramping up, comes the added burden of 2-3 hundred packages a day, from Amazon alone, to deliver per carrier. Maybe that noise you hear in your yard after dark is your mail carrier with a package for you. If you are expecting a delivery, please leave your light on and keep your dogs inside to ease ...

Marietta’s war on the homeless

I am writing you because I am deeply troubled by the recent developments in our city. It seems that we have engaged in a war against the homeless and poor. Marietta recently passed a ban on all public camping outside of designated zones on city property. This is ironic because currently no zones exist for public camping. The idea has also been floated by some council members to have violators of this ordinance do community service to pay off fines for camping. So let’s get this straight, do they really want to take someone with no resources and force them to do community service? That ...