No one better than Bo

I have to say I am personally stunned that the Lebanon School Board did not renew the athletic director position of Bo Yates. It is not very often that a district can find someone as qualified and connected with a community to fill such a position as Mr. Yates. My only guess would be that the position is being eliminated because surely you would be hard pressed to find anyone better.

John Lindsey, Lebanon

Lebanon district in disarray

I am the mom of two children in the Lebanon School District. One of my children happens to be special needs who is nonverbal and cannot tell me about his day at school.

I went to the school board meeting tonight (Aug. 6). The district is in complete disarray; the board is in complete disarray. Who is accountable?

I have never really paid attention to the politics of the school district until spring of last year, when my child and I had some terrible experiences with the school district.

When my child was placed in his class last year there were I think about 10 kids in the class; by the time he was placed into another class at the end of school year there were 21 students in the classroom. The new placement was the same thing. In two years their class load had doubled. How can any teacher be expected to teach these kids when they are so overloaded and have no support from the district?

Through the summer I have learned at least three special ed teachers have resigned, the special ed director has retired and there is no replacement. I don't know how many special ed teachers there are, but for three to resign in one year really scares me.

The teacher that is replacing my son's teacher he had at the end of the year, I have heard, is not a special ed teacher. Bless her heart, but she is not a special ed teacher.

Who is going to protect my son's rights under IDEA? Please, I implore you to follow this story. The first day of school is just around the corner and I am afraid to send my son to school. This is just one of all the problems here in the school district. We need solutions.

Aileen Muscutt, Lebanon

Think of the children

When two people have children and get divorced who gets hurt? Certainly it's the children. Then when gays/lesbians get together and borrow a child from someone (at least I think that is what they do because the lifestyle doesn't permit bearing their own children). Then again the children suffer. How can you explain to them and make them understand that God created a male and a female so they could be fruitful and multiply? The children from dysfunctional relationships don't stand a chance. It just adds more burdens on them. It wasn't a mistake when God said one man and one woman.

Let's give a children a chance in life, not pawns to be battered back and forth.

Donna Wiebe, Albany

That's what you get for vote

"President Bush threatens to veto a bill that contains $35 million for Albany's wastewater treatment plant." (D-H, Aug. 4, 2007.)

That would be one President George W. Bush who Albany and Linn County gave their majority of votes to in 2000 and 2004.

In Katie Couric terms, "Some would say" that it serves Albany right.

"Not me, not me," as the little kid in "Family Circus" cartoon says. I didn't vote for a Bush ever, in 1992, 2000, or 2004.

Mary Brock, Albany

Fire at night, gone by morning

After reading Duane Rosenogle's letter to the editor in the Democrat-Herald (July 29), I felt compelled to endorse his comments.

I moved to Oregon in March 1971 and joined the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department in July 1972. I spent my first summer in Oregon on the front of a fire truck, fighting field fires of which probably 75 to 80 percent were at night. Most fields were burned at night when the conditions were such that the field burned hot and fast and all the smoke and cinders were gone by morning and seen by very few residents.

The fire department responded only if such fires got out of control (controlled by the farmer). Yes, there were some nights I spent on the front of fire truck, but we could also enjoy the daytime and evening outdoor picnics we had without choking from the smoke and cinders in the food from daytime field burning controlled by DEQ, funded partially by farmers having to pay Big Brother burning fees.

Farmers burning the fields at night went by the wayside because of complaints from daytime burning causing smoke and cinders, just as the logging industry is almost gone because of the spotted owl, which I see is now being threatened by yet another owl (barred), and so the story goes.

Duane, they are listening but are not going to change anything. Big Brother is watching.

Harvey Hoff, Lebanon

Supporting reasonable growth

There appears to be a bit of confusion about what is going in North Albany.

I represent Area 1 in the newly formed North Albany Neighborhood Association, NANA.

NANA supports local developers and reasonable growth that benefit all not just a few. Growth through responsible development of neighborhoods, parks, bike paths and safer, less congested traffic controls. NANA seeks a positive relationship of communications between both citizens and city.

We want to see North Albany grow, yet maintain its livability.

NANA has no intentions of making decisions for all of North Albany. The 12 areas and a business district of NANA all have similar and/or different problems and concerns. These areas have representatives who will meet with residents in their areas. These concerns will be voiced as decided by the area's residents supported by other areas in North Albany. That is the recognition the association wishes to obtain.

Proper procedures were followed in creating NANA. Every NA resident has the opportunity to be a part of it. People volunteered to represent. Bylaws were agreed upon by a vote of residents who attended meetings. Officers were elected.

All residents of North Albany are impacted by how the city allows growth controlled by out-of-town developers - traffic, safety, overcrowding, flooding etc. The Thornton Lake Estates development is a case where negative impacts to all will be greater than you are led to believe.

There are many letters to the editor by people with concerns, yet the same handful of people show up to meetings regarding North Albany. Ads, articles, fliers invite everyone to city council, planning or NANA meetings. Still few get involved.

Negative letters accomplish nothing. Standing together does. Please get involved. Learn what is going on in North Albany.

Mark Gasperino, North Albany