Random act of kindness paid forward
My wife and I were recently at the Neighborhood Wal-Mart at about 1 p.m. in the checkout line. Just ahead of us checking out was a black woman whom we had never seen before. As the woman completed checkout, the Wal-Mart associate immediately bagged our purchases. As usual my wife inserted her credit card into the reader. The associate shook her head no, and informed us that the black woman had paid for our purchases. We are white.
As we left the store, I looked over the parking lot in hopes of catching the nice woman to say thanks. I did not see her; I hope she will read this and accept my thank you.
I was so impressed with her generosity when I got home I decided to pay her act of kindness forward, so I made an online donation to Chattanooga Food Bank.
My wife said, “there are still some really nice people in this world.” Amen.
Robert A. Reno
Ooltewah
Property taxes threaten owners
I live in North Chattanooga, and my property appraisal from the last eight years went from $82,300 to $182,700. I can understand raising my property tax, but why by more than 117 percent in eight years?
I went to appeal the assessment, but they said the estimate stands. If I wanted to appeal further I could, but I would have had to jump through hoops and hire a lawyer to understand the form.
In my opinion, the property assessor doesn’t give a darn about older homeowners and their fixed incomes. He told me my home was a tear-down house and my lot was worth more than the house. It’s not about the money. I’m more concerned about my neighbors and if they will be able to keep paying these ridiculous amounts for property tax and keep their houses. I know a lady who had to move and another lady who had to turn everything over to her son because she couldn’t afford the property tax. Shame on you, property assessors!
Katie Donohoe
Hickory Valley Road needs ‘redo’
This letter is to add support to the writers who recently have complained about the terrible condition of Hickory Valley Road between Shallowford Road and Lee Highway. Attempts to patch it have only made it worse and more dangerous as drivers move from side to side trying to find a level surface on which to drive. Hopefully, a complete redo is in the budget.
William “Bill” Courter
Eastgate doesn’t lack for energy
A rant in last Sunday’s paper suggested the county move two of its aging schools into the “underused” Eastgate Town Center. Actually, Eastgate is a pretty busy place these days. There is already one public school, as well as the active city Senior Center. The state has a number of offices there. Businesses range from Office Depot to a Tuesday Morning to an international food market. Quite a few people enjoy walking in the mall, which has a beautiful waterfall fountain.
And the updated Eastgate food court has several locally owned cafes with fresh-made food and ethnic specialties. It’s a fun place to stop by during the week.
Allen Chesney
Morris Mini Minor was no minor to us
A recent letter to the editor writer asks if anyone remembers the Morris Mini Minor.
The Morris Minor was our first car when my husband was stationed in Germany as a first lieutenant. The Morris Mini Minor was an adorable, aqua-colored convertible. We have so many wonderful memories driving around Germany in that little car. We especially remember driving through the Alps in Bavaria with the top down and enjoying the scenery of the snow-capped mountains and the beautiful area around that region.
We reluctantly sold the car to another fortunate soldier when we came back to the states
Patti Gross
Elder Mountain
State leading way on teacher prep
In response to Kendi Rainwater’s recent story, “Tennessee urges school districts to be involved in teacher prep, releases report”:
As the Times Free Press reported, Tennessee is establishing itself as a national leader in teacher preparation by taking steps to improve the quality of the programs preparing the next generation of teachers – and it is an anomaly. NCTQ research has found too many teacher prep programs nationwide do an inadequate job of tasks such as providing sufficient opportunities for aspiring teachers to practice teaching with feedback, choosing cooperating teachers for student teaching, raising admission standards and teaching elementary content.
We hope this project extends to the actual content offered by these programs, as too many ignore scientific research on how to teach reading and math. Since there’s little evidence showing professional development has much effect on teachers’ instruction, it’s better to ensure future teachers learn what they need before they take charge of their own classroom.
We are pleased to see Tennessee building partnerships between districts and education schools to prepare more effective teachers and using data to guide improvement – and hope the rest of the country is paying close attention.
Kate Walsh,
President, National Council on Teacher Quality
Mr. Mayor, tear down those statues
What fake news? Suggesting that a proposed removal of a statue, along with re-naming Lee Circle in New Orleans, is a distortion of history is more than a bumbling slight-of-hand, it is a ridiculous conflation.
Full disclosure; I’m a northerner now happily living in the South. To be clear, I am an American veteran proud of our heritage but also acutely aware that our history is far from blemish-free.
The Civil War or as they like to language it here, the War of Northern Aggression, was not a noble moment. Insisting it was raises ignorance to the level of virtue. Notwithstanding the sacrifice and gallantry that existed, at its core the rebellion was a blatant, self-serving attempt to preserve and continue the economic engine of slavery, the most heinous of human indignities. No, we cannot change history, but by erecting statues celebrating and venerating that misguided effort flies in the face that we truly understand our past or have learned anything from it.
Denny Pistoll
Rising Fawn, Ga.
Newark route less stressful
My family’s vacation of choice is a trip to New York City. We have tried everything to get there quickly, efficiently and at minimum cost. We have driven to and taken flights from Atlanta and Nashville. We even have taken Amtrak from Atlanta to Penn Station. Planes, trains and automobiles – we have done it all.
This spring break, we decided to give the new Chattanooga-to-Newark route a try because I could not fight the traffic and lines of the Atlanta airport anymore. This route is easy and the best option for Chattanoogans. We left around 6:15 a.m. and arrived in Newark by 8:30. We jumped on the New Jersey rail for about $12 a person and pulled into the heart of Manhattan less than one hour after arriving. The flight was great, and the entire trip was much less stressful. The route is a little more expensive than a direct flight from Atlanta, but if you figure your parking or other transportation expenses and your sanity, then it’s the perfect choice.
I hope other local travelers will choose this route for visiting NYC. It’s continuing proof Chattanooga is a great place to live.
Meg White
One missile strike! But all the rest?
I had coffee with a close conservative friend the other day. He was jubilant, virtually on a roll, praising ad infinitum our president for the recent missile strike on Syria. He went on and on almost in one breath: Syria, ISIS, North Korea, Iran. Then my friend asked me what I thought was the biggest threat to America. “The Electoral College,” I said. He just stared at me.
Mike C. Bodine