Letters for May 10, 2023

Scholarship supports student goals

The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship deserves more attention and support from the community.

WSOS provides STEM and technical scholarships to low-middle income household students and has helped support many students of color and first-generation college students pursue their goals.

I am a recipient of this scholarship and was able to pursue a degree in human physiology at Gonzaga University.

I am a first-gen college student and son of immigrants who never made it past an elementary school education before having to drop out and support their families in Mexico. My parents immigrated to give their children a better life and opportunities they never had growing up. One of the many reasons it means so much to me to be able to attend and graduate from Gonzaga this spring.

I never would’ve heard about this scholarship if it wasn’t for a friend who also attended Gonzaga at the time. If not for that, I never would’ve had the opportunity to come to Spokane and experience the rich student life and beautiful scenery that is Gonzaga and the Spokane area. This scholarship deserves more attention from the community to educate high school students about how WSOS can help fund their way through a bright future. Along with amazing scholar leads, internship opportunities, jobs and so much more to help them navigate their entrance into adulthood.

Christian Montes

Spokane

Shea represents county, not national groups

I’ve been following the East Bonner County Library board of trustees race fairly closely, because the library is near and dear to my heart (and my family’s). I’ve seen a lot of great reasons to re-elect Susan Shea: her budget management, her analytical approach, and her experience as an incumbent are beyond reproach. One thing that we’re not talking about enough is that she represents our interests instead of some out-of-county PAC.

If you listen closely to the “concerns” that have emerged in some of the recent discussion about the library’s collection, you’ll notice something odd: Some of the books being named aren’t in the children’s or teen sections. Some are e-books, without physical copies on the shelves. Some don’t even exist at our library, but they do exist on nationally circulated lists about books that astroturfed groups should challenge at their local libraries.

Shouldn’t the people running for the board know what’s actually in the library? And do we really want a bunch of people from out of our community coming in to tell us what we care about?

We have in Susan Shea an incumbent who has repeatedly pledged to work for us, to listen to us and to keep our library running smoothly to serve us. Personally, I’m going to vote for us. I’m going to vote to re-elect Susan Shea.

Audrey Gates

Sandpoint

Biden’s not too old

The ageist beast rears its ugly head (in political cartoons on May 1). Most brilliant people do not wise up until their 70s or 80s. Please find another reason to complain about political positions. Please. Please.

Jim Lipp

Spokane

Thanks, public servants

This week, public servants across the country will be honored for their commitment to ensure our government fulfills the needs of all Americans and keeps our country moving forward. President Ronald Reagan and Congress first established Public Service Recognition Week in 1985 to recognize all public servants. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management listed Washington state having 53,200 federal civilian employees and 68,700 federal civilian retirees (2017). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists 42,600 government jobs in Spokane and Spokane Valley (2023).

People fulfilling these jobs make government work at all levels, including local, county, state and federal. As president of the Spokane Chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, I encourage you to say “thank you” to these public servants this week.

Scott Robinson

Spokane

Bias favors Democrats

I am completely outraged over Judge Hazel’s ruling to allow gerrymandering in our beloved city. Last time I checked, this is the United States of America where we believed in free and honest elections by the people, that are not influenced by political agendas like Hazel or Zack Zappone. There is an obvious bias toward Democrats in Council Member Zappone’s map, yet Judge Hazel is too weak or too biased to do the right thing when it’s right in front of his face.

Helen Fix

Spokane

Give us freedom to read

Reading about Sandpoint’s library board election debate (April 20) gave me the same sense of foreboding as during NIC’s jazz band’s last performance. Trustee board politicization might threaten library access due to unreasonable fear of needing to protect our children from drag show story hours, legally defined obscene or pornographic material, or sexualization by our local librarians.

Moral restrictions of library material remind me of art labeled and banned as “degenerate” by the Nazis, who killed or drove most of the artists out of the country. Rather than banning different viewpoints, it should be the family’s role to instill inherent values and life skills in their children in order to safely meet life out there. I dread the day that young adults cannot have access to “Kite Runner” or Michelangelo’s David for portraying sexual reality.

We might be losing up to 50% of our library books if a narrow definition of obscenity will define what is on the shelves of our libraries. If re-elected, Susan Shea will continue to provide constructive, nonpartisan and collegial ways for the Bonner County library to serve all of our population. Please vote on May 16. Your voice and vote does make a difference!

Gabrielle Duebendorfer, NMD

Sandpoint

Gun laws confuse us

I’m a citizen of the United States. Been paying taxes for roughly 70 years. I can no longer purchase an AR-15 type rifle.

However, an illegal alien, deported several times to the best of my knowledge, is able to get possession of one or something similar. What am I missing here?

John Olson

Nine Mile Falls

Waiting for renovations to Coeur d’Alene Park

After reading the April 30 Spokesman-Review article “Worth the Wait,” kudos to the Spokane Arts and the city’s Parks Department for their efforts to bring closure to work that began in 2017. Truly a great addition to Riverfront Park.

Perhaps just as impressive is the quote by Garrett Jones, director of Spokane Parks and Recreation stating: “Now we need to start focusing our attention on neighborhood and community parks.”

With that focus in mind, let us not forget about the city’s oldest, Coeur d’Alene Park, donated to the city in 1891. Located in Browne’s Addition, it is home to an estimated population of 2,900 low- to middle-income residents who live within a few short blocks from the park and rely on the park for their green space and play areas.

Sadly, those green spaces have become neglected and the wooden children’s play structure is over 25 years old. The historic building found on the property which housed the restrooms has now been closed and the few porta potties available are on streets facing the city’s new Spokane Transit City Line. The gazebo, once a park icon, has been shuttered as the city moves through seemingly months of finding someone to make repairs. The tennis courts are cracked, weed-infested, unsightly and unusable.

Let us hope that the leadership of Spokane will turn its attention to the approved 2015 Coeur d’Alene Parks Master Plan and address the needed changes of the oldest, historical park in Spokane.

Michael Pearson

Spokane