March 19 Letters to the Editor

Thank you for local support

A heartfelt thank you to Daily News This Day editor Cathy Zimmerman and photographer Roger Werth for the wonderful story on Girls on the Run, the program’s rapid growth and our area’s new program leadership.

Being involved with this program for the past four years, I have had the privilege of watching this program powerfully impact young girls, who normally aren’t involved with after school activities. I have watched these girls blossom and bloom into young women who have experienced the power of believing in themselves, who have experienced the desire to make healthy choices and, most importantly, have experienced the exhilaration of being physically active.

I would like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to one sponsor who, along with Bob’s Sporting Goods, made our shoe program a reality: Pacific Surgical Institute. From the beginning, the combined support from these two local businesses is what elevated the shoes from ‘a great idea’ to an absolute reality.

Thank you to both PSI and Bob’s for your support of Girls on the Run and more importantly, our community.

JoLee Ford

Girls on the Run SW WA

Longview

Jumping on a trend

I see that The Daily News and editorial page editor Jim Bross have once again decided to “follow the leader” by jumping on a trend rather than look at an issue objectively and make their own decisions.

The cartoon that was displayed in the March 12 edition of The Daily News would leave one with the impression that radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, is desirous for the failure of the Obama administration and by extension, the United States. What responsible news organization would want to leave its readers with that impression when even a cursory review of Limbaugh’s comments would point out the flaw in that conclusion.

What Limbaugh did say was that should President Obama’s policies move us into socialism, then he hoped for their failure. That was a perfectly legitimate and appropriate response. We are the United States of America. We are a country that was founded on freedom and individualism. If you think that progressive change is manifest in socialism, I suggest you study 20th century European history.

Matthew Wilson

Longview

Every dollar counts

The Longview City Council would like to express its appreciation for the hard work of Congressman Brian Baird in securing a second $500,000 federal grant to be used for construction of our new regional water treatment facility. The $1 million in grants secured by Baird over the last two years represents a substantial down payment on the $35 million estimated total cost of our new water supply facilities, and will result in about $1.6 million in savings in debt service costs to our rate payers over the life of a bond issue.

With an increasing amount of sediment washing downstream from Mount St. Helens, our present water treatment plant is unable to reliably meet our water demands. Based on numerous studies and reviews, the most cost-efficient solution to this ongoing problem has been determined to be the construction of new groundwater wells and treatment facilities at the Mint Farm.

Because of Baird’s efforts, the city will be able to continue working towards a long-term solution that will ensure a stable water supply for our residents far into the future. Baird understands the needs of our region, and we appreciate his outstanding leadership on this project to address a critical community need.

Mayor Kurt Anagnostou

and the Longview City Council

A gift to our town

As a follow up to your feature page article on March 10 about Kalama, we would like to add the following:

It is because of people like Mike and Carolyn Reynoldson that Kalama is the “Little Town That Could.” As president of the local Lion’s Club, Mike wanted to do something special for his town before leaving office for health reasons. His dream was to have the floor in the Community Building refinished, so with much creativity and a lot of hard work, Mike and Carolyn found a way to achieve that dream and provide a lot of fun at the same time.

From all your friends and neighbors in Kalama, a very heartfelt thank you for your gift to our town. Making your dream come true has benefited all of us. You are both an incredible example of what makes this town so special. We love you both and will always remember March 7. Again, many thanks from all of your friends.

Carol Day

Kalama

What price cost-efficiency?

Longview and Kelso City Councils always have cost-efficiency in mind with regard to sidewalks, marked crosswalks and every new project. Is it cost effective?

I know crosswalk safety lights do help, except for the person who got run over. They are more cost-efficient than a red-green changing light, where a person would push a button to turn light red, stopping all traffic so he or she can safely cross.

Question is: How many mangled bodies does it take to become cost effective?

Arold Lien

Longview