Pedestrian board offers
advice to new secretary
At the monthly meeting of the Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board on March 11, we discussed the news concerning state Secretary of Transportation Tom Smith. Following two pedestrian accidents in 2017 resulting in one death and life-altering injuries to another — the Pedestrian Safety Board had built a good relationship with the secretary and his regional transportation office.
Programs addressing the safety needs of pedestrians were initiated under his watch for which we were grateful. We will miss him and wish him well into the future.
We feel pedestrians in Morgantown are particularly challenged. Because of WVU, we have a high number of people walking from home to school to work every day of the week. There is significant foot traffic related to athletic and cultural events, all of which increase the probability of accidents.
It is our hope that the next secretary of transportation will continue the ongoing cooperation between state, regional and municipal entities in improving highway infrastructure that protects the safety of pedestrians.
The Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board encourages the new secretary to encourage proactive cooperation between all levels of government and the private sector in assuring the safe use of our streets for generations to come.
Matthew Cross
Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Morgantown
Trump only one who did
something about border
It’s not surprising that 12 Republican senators joined all of the 47 Democrat senators in voting against President Trump’s emergency declaration.
That’s the order that Trump declared about securing the southern border of the United States. It remains to be seen in the near future if those senators will be re-elected by the voters in their states for another term in Washington, or if they will lose their Senate seats because of how they voted for the declaration.
Trump is the only American president that finally did something meaningful to secure our border, and yet he’ll be denigrated for doing anything, no matter what. He did everything he could do to get Congress to see the importance of securing the border for our country and legal citizens, but it was all for nothing. In the end, he was forced to veto what the Senate did recently.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the election result will be in 2020. Buckle your seat belts and put your crash helmets on — it’s going to be a heck of a ride until then.
John Hollenback
Greenfield Township., Pa
No need for staff to
nitpick at senior center
A few weeks ago, a 70-year-old woman on a walker took down a pamphlet on the wall where she was seated. A few hours later, after going through security tapes, the staff at the Mon senior center saw what she did and called her at her home to advise her she was suspended for three days.
The senior center is funded by federal and state money, so it needs to be free of religion and politics. Many of the seniors come from diverse backgrounds.
The walls at the center look like the beginning stages of hoarding — countless pamphlets repeating themselves as well as flags, WVU stickers. And did I mention the Christmas trees.
At face value I agree with the senior center’s staff, if the fliers are posted at the entrance and exits of the building. But those pamphlets are all over the center, duplicated many times over.
The staff at the Mon senior center has a lot of great programs for seniors. My advice would be it couple that with a little more understanding and tolerance and concentrate on the great programs and understand that eating our meals does not mean we need to stare at crazy pamphlets and trees.
Many seniors suffer with dementia, are on walkers and canes, have hearing and sight problems and for a few, their days are numbered. And let’s not forget the ones whose medications affect their good and bad days.
The staff at Mon senior center can do better than to nitpick at helpless seniors.
Dan Carnegie
Morgantown
Isn’t our government the representative kind?
A recent letter by Carl Sypolt (DP-March 2) suggested teachers should be penalized for illegal strikes during the Legislature’s attempt to subvert to privatized charter schooling plus monetary manipulations to public education teachers’ incomes and benefits.
The Legislature should quit trying to destroy unions and making those jobs’ pay scales and benefits undesirable. All the while, falsely claiming charter schools will lessen the need for increased excess levies. You’re going to get taxed either way.
The previously passed right-to-work law is in the same context.
When the governor or Legislature decides they have the right to autocratic rule without representing the needs and wants of West Virginia’s citizenry, then it is time to rebel and set this irrational governing straight.
Turning your back on the party that elected you like Justice did is right-to-work mindset: Take advantage of those you can to get what you want yourself. It is apparent in the mental plasma of this Legislature, too.
Here’s what to do: Require elected officials represent the party that elected them or resign. Appoint like party affiliation to positions vacated. Make strikes legal if they object to being unfairly duped by the governor or Legislature.
This is supposed to be a representative government by, of and for the people. The governor and Legislature should not have any right or power to punish anyone objecting to autocratic-like governing.
Delmar Hagedorn Jr.
Morgantown
We’re fortunate to have
Morgantown’s diversity
On March 17, baggies filled with bird seed and white supremacist messages from the KKK were strewn across several Morgantown neighborhoods. This act of hatred and the espousing of white racial purity is an abomination.
Over 30 years ago, I chose to move to Morgantown exactly because of what the KKK is hating— the beautiful diversity and acceptance of its citizens. I love what I see and experience in Morgantown.
To my beautiful African American friends, to the refugees I have helped settle here, to the array of immigrants I have come to know, and to the LGBTQ persons I laugh with over a craft beer, please know you are valued.
My life is better because you are in it; my world is expanded and my sense of humanity deepened. I hope other residents of Morgantown will join me in condemning the KKK and join me in celebrating the rich diversity of humanity we are fortunate to experience in Morgantown.
And let’s continue to create opportunities where we can get to know one another and deconstruct the walls of fear that may divide us.
Susan Eason
Morgantown
