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Today's Opinions

  • Pondering what's to come in 2011

    I dedicate this letter to all who are concerned and worried about everything from a job, to national security.
    Those with a sense of despair, of feeling left out, and pondering what may come.
    2011 beings hope for a change for good — prosperity, more jobs and fewer political sideshows.
    Sad to say that some in our society have hearts that are hardening, and hatred and evil enter in.
    Violence and bloodshed continue to take innocent lives, from police abuse to the horrible tragedy in Tucson, Ariz.

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  • Dentists insist we need more fluoride

    How fortunate we are to have area dentists share with local officials how badly we need more fluoride in our drinking water.
    Even though the Centers for Disease Control says we are getting too much fluoride, our dentists insist that we need more.
    Even though a Virginia Tech study shows that we are already getting too much fluoride in food and everything we drink, these dentists insist that we need more fluoride.

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  • Conservationist will be missed

    The passing of Phil Hanes on Jan. 16 was a sad occasion for those interested in conservation in the upper New River valley.
    Phil could only be described as a colorful character, always fascinating to be around, and with many and varied philanthropic interests.
    Phil was very active in the effort to conserve private farmland through conservation easements.
    Conservation easements began to be used locally in the early 1990s as a way for farm owners to preserve family lands and manage the burden of estate taxes.

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  • Grayson citizens deserve more

    GUEST EDITORIAL

    Hard times call for tough and difficult decisions. Unfortunately, Grayson County officials seem unwilling or unable to act in a prudent and sensible manner.
    Despite citizens turning out at every public hearing and meeting to express concern over governmental choices, tax increases and property assessments, the public outcries have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears.
    A citizens’ meeting in November was attended by more than 300 people, as the grassroots opposition continues to swell against decisions and practices.

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  • Hear them out

    After all the talk of public involvement and listening to constituents by Carroll officials, the unwillingness of the county supervisors to hear out a community member during citizens’ comment time is simply stunning.
    Yes, citizen Mike Goldwasser had spoken about his concerns over a perceived conflict of interest only a month before last Thursday’s board of supervisors meeting.

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  • Some advice for used car buyers

    Car buyers, beware. In 2006 my husband and I bought a 2006 Dodge Stratus from a dealership.
    At the time of purchase the salesman said that it was a program car with less than 2,000 miles. I had never at the time heard of CARFAX.
    I went to a dealership out of state in 2010 and wanted to trade for a Kia. They popped a CARFAX on me that said the car had been wrecked in New Jersey and the whole front end was replaced. They showed me the difference in the paint job.
    Needless to say, that cut my trade-in deeply.

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  • It's about time

    For too long, the residents of Givens Street and the surrounding neighborhoods in Galax have been forced to live in a water-logged past that ended for most of the city in the 1940s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rerouted and reinforced Chestnut Creek to prevent frequent floods that often washed away the low-lying areas.
    In recent years — most notably in 2007 and most recently last summer — residents of these neighborhoods were surrounded by backed-up flood waters caused by inadequate and dilapidated stormwater drainage systems.

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  • Why we're fighting fluoride

    To the town of Independence and Grayson County:
    I'm sure many of you may be wondering why these folks from Alleghany County, N.C., would take time to come across the river and try to tell you how to run your business.
    Why would they care if you do put poisonous fluoride into our water supply— what's it to them? The truth is, we are all concerned volunteers who try to provide our friends and neighbors with  information that they have not seen.

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