letters
from the community
Sept. 1, 2010
Fireworks problem continues
To the editor:
After reading Joe Miller’s column about fireworks [Aug. 25 edition, page 8], I, too, was worked up. I recently moved back to Kansas City. I was surprised at the change in the neighborhood and at the lack of police response to a crime, albeit a minor one. It galls me that for over a week near July Fourth, fireworks were heard almost constantly with nary a police car in sight.
Again this week, several juveniles in my neighborhood are at it full force. Beginning on Wednesday at approximately 4 p.m. and continuing for nearly three hours, a barrage of fireworks could be heard. I called the police, told them where to find the hooligans and waited. No police car was ever seen. Again on Thursday — same time, same place, same lack of response. Now on Friday, same thing until finally a car was dispatched to the wrong location.
These are not your childhood sparklers either. These are bottle rockets, large rockets, tracers, black cats, etc. These boys seem to take delight in aiming them at the houses on either side of the vacant lot behind their house. It’s amazing they haven’t set a fire. On Wednesday, they were removing the nearby sewer lid and dropping lit ones in.
Apparently, my right to sit on my porch and enjoy myself is superseded by parents who allow their children to terrorize the neighborhood with the police department’s blessings. I am sure the only thing that will stop them is if one of them gets hurt badly enough to scare them. I am not a psychic but even I can predict criminals in the making.
Diana Graham
Northeast Resident
Stop shooting into the sky
To the editor:
This morning I read online of a man in Berlin having a .22-caliber bullet removed from his skull.
Why this has not occurred in the Northeast yet, I do not know. Every New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July for unknown reasons, people get out guns and shoot into the sky.
These bullets do fall to the ground.
I am also reminded of a few years back, a neighbor’s roof was replaced. The roofer commented on how many bullets he found. This should tell us how unsafe for life, limb and property this practice is. Who knows — the life you save by not firing guns into the sky may be your own.
Alexis Barlows
Northeast Resident
Praise for Holy Cross school
To the editor:
Our children have been in the Holy Cross school system for more than three years, and our experiences have been top-notch. Not only do their students receive an exceptional education, the staff is incredible — they truly want the children to thrive. My 4-year-old son left their preschool program with the ability to read and has more then the tools he will need to master and excel in kindergarten. Both my husband and I value education and hold our standards to the upmost excellence. He is a graduate of Kansas State University and is a financial planner, and I hold a doctorate degree from the University of Kansas.
We recently moved out of the Northeast, so naturally we enrolled our children at a school in our new neighborhood. After a few months we made the decision to re-enroll them back at Holy Cross because the education they were receiving was not up to Holy Cross’ standards. Even though it takes an additional hour of commuting each day, we feel it is well worth it. The hours for daycare/preschool are also very accommodating for working parents.
I could go on and on about Holy Cross’ academics, but without the exemplary faculty and staff you just have a school with books and halls. We feel that Holy Cross is genuinely one of the Northeast’s finest
treasures and are very thankful for all they have done and continue to do for our family.
Tammy Olson
