Opinion
Letter to the Editor: ALERT VINTON ROADS
Dear Editor, As a citizen of Vinton, I want to rally people to make our voices known to the Town Council. I live on West 3rd Street between the Courthouse and Hwy 218; first this is the BUSIEST street in Vinton. Our inter-structure of Vinton roads are HORRENDOUS! Why is there not anything being done to upgrade our roads???? WHY??? Someone please explain.
Try that in a small town

Letter to the Editor: Food Truck Court Request
Dear Editor, It would be great if there were a food truck court in town. People are often confused about “where” the trucks can be found, just how many there are, the times and menus. It’s a pain to try and follow each one. C’mon people let’s get together.Betty Thorsvig
78° is the Perfect Temperature for Air Conditioning

The words we don't say out loud
I attended the meeting this week of a new organization in Benton County called the Benton County Suicide Prevention Coalition (BCSPC). The group is still in the forming stages. They are setting up the legalese, the tax forms, the logos, the messaging, in other words, all the details.I went to the meeting mostly because the topic hits home with me.
Letter to the Editor: What a mess!
Dear Editor, Today, after a doctor's appointment, I was watching Scripps News. Suddenly, all this gibberish was thrown out at me. I turned the television off. For me, that's a big deal.This country is in a gigantic mess!! *We have severe drought in the Midwest,*We have flooding on all the coasts.*We have outbreaks of tornadoes daily.
Letter to the Editor: Living in the present, the past forwards the future
Dear Editor: (forgive the length - if you read grab your favorite beverage first.) Living in the Present, remembering some past events on the farm: and future energy sources One of the more pleasant experiences of age and retirement is that I have time to read books. I mean books, not the electronic ones but ones with pages made of paper. One other thing about age - one of my wiser friends treated me with this profundity; "It is easy to get old; it is hard to be old".
Letter to the Editor: Concerns of loyalty to taxpayers
Dear Editor, Wow, Mr. Primmer. I have kept quiet for long enough. Wake up and start putting Benton County first. As an elected local official, I expect you to be above all the collusion and bull**** that occurs in federal and state government.1. Yet you pulled the bull**** in the hiring of the weed commissioner by getting the job for your grandson. Then you jump parties to back Thompson.
Letter to the Editor: Affirmative Action
Dear Editor, The purpose of affirmative action in the United States was to create government programs to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. There is no question that past societal discrimination occurred in the United States and perhaps the only appropriate remedy {at the time} was affirmative action.
Letter to the Editor: Letter in Support of Benton County Veterans Affairs
Dear EditorI do not feel we should be attacking Ms. Martin for asking to go part-time. If she can complete her job to the standard put forth by the commission, who says it must be 8 Hours a day. I have no doubt that she will be there to assist the veterans as needed. When was the last time anyone heard of a government department returning money?As a Purple Heart recipient, you would think VA Benefits would be automatic.