Mr. Joe Sheahan, did you not read the entire Hood River newspaper on Saturday, Aug. 25? (Our Readers Write, Aug. 30). I believe the Hood River News did a good job covering the facts from both sides of Measure 49 and how it repeals Measure 37.

Check out the newspaper on pages 6 and 7 of said date. Also, you can use the Web sites provided to us to educate yourself on the truths and the facts!

www.yeson49.com and www.stop49.com.

This is progress?

This is progress?? I grew up in Hood River and have been back several times over the years.

Recently I returned to put flowers on my parents’ gravesite and when we drove up Oak Street I felt like I had gone back in time to the hippie era. What I saw was dirty, smelly people with dreadlocks resting against buildings with backpacks and in some cases just sitting on the sidewalks outside of cafes and businesses.

I went into the restaurant my parents used to own and a female server was wearing sweats with nothing on under them and they were very low and you could see a part of her body I really did not want to see in a restaurant. If this is progress you can have it.

Price of quality

I would have to concur with Mrs. Joella Rockett’s recently published letter, extolling the virtues of the Hood River Valley as a stellar community for raising our children.

It is easy to take the beauty, quality of life and sense of community we have here in the Gorge for granted. As our summer draws to a close, stopping to reflect upon all that our community offers is a poignant reminder to all of us. Mrs. Rockett, you are welcome. And we thank you as well.

Our many services and amenities of this community are a direct result of the taxpayer dollars at the city, county, state and federal government that we as citizens pay and due to the conscious voice that we exert by the votes that we cast. Hopefully, all these fabulous services remind us that someone has to pay in our great country and everyone should pay into the system fairly and reap benefits equally.

Public dollars should be spent on programs that benefit the whole community, not just specific segments of the population. Notwithstanding, of course, is the tribute to those who choose a career in public service, community volunteerism, the many civic organizations and benefactors that make all our programs possible. Let’s not forget the freedom of each of us to pursue “happiness,” whatever that might be, by those who defend this great country. We get to walk down the streets of our little town, leisurely enjoying all the summer has to offer without the threat of street bombs. The families of those currently serving abroad in our military may not have had such an ideal summer.

God bless America. Anyway, Mrs. Rockett, I enjoyed your letter, although it did sound a bit like my mother.

Community reads

Thank you for your support in our wildly successful Summer Reading Program, “Get a Clue @ Your Library”! We had more than 200 participants in our summer reading challenge, and 1,400 participants in our programs.

With your support, we kept children reading all summer long, therefore: increasing their literacy skills, creating a lasting relationship with our public library, stimulating their learning and creativity, preventing “summer setback,” building strong families in the Gorge and beyond.

We are so lucky to have a generous community to help us build lifelong readers. Thank you.

Riverkeeper serves

After reading all the print Mr. and Mrs. Barker have spent criticizing Columbia Riverkeeper for not fighting the windmills planned for their back yard makes me wonder if they are aware of the incredible threats actually facing the Columbia River?

It doesn’t surprise me that the proposed wind farm would cause some erosion, but given the other threats that Riverkeeper is working on such as large-scale industrial pollution, dams that kill hundreds of thousands of salmon a year and new nuclear waste shipments to Hanford; the idea that a wind farm should be a priority for Riverkeeper doesn’t make much sense.

The wind project sounds like it may have some real problems, but to finger-point at a group like Riverkeeper which is doing so much good work to protect the Columbia River just detracts from the credibility of the wind farm opponents.

Thanks from WINGS

I want to thank Elsie Denton and everyone at the Hood River News for the wonderful article (Aug. 22) about our WINGS program — we are so looking forward to starting our camp for at-risk young men next June.

We are very appreciative of the support and the belief in what we are doing. We hope that anyone who would like to learn more about our program — or find out ways they can volunteer — will check out our Web site at www.getwings.net or contact Allyson Pate at 380-3820 or allyson@getwings.net.

I would also like to thank Rodger Schock, Glenn Taylor and Meredith Hood for their time and support. I would also like to put in a plug for Mary Merrill and her group at the Small Business Development Center at Columbia Gorge Community College — if you need any help getting your business started, they are incredibly helpful! The WINGS board is amazing and I so appreciate their time and energy — you guys ROCK.

We would especially like to thank Greg and Mylene Walden for their efforts on our behalf! And a special thanks for Dan Harkenrider and Linda Goodman of the Forest Service.

When they say “it takes a village”, they must have been talking about a great small town like Hood River!

Lunch box loss

A pox on the person who lifted the classic lunch boxes from The Heights Lunchbox Café!

This local mom and pop eatery (a vanishing breed, by the way) serves tasty fare with a smile in a clean, cozy setting and deserves support rather than these underhanded tactics.