Letters for Oct. 4, 2023

Vote left-leaning majority out

The Sept. 25 denunciation of Mayor Nadine Woodward by the left-leaning council majority was an atrocious attempt to unfairly smear a conscientious office holder. The members of this majority deserve all the blowback they get from their specious attempt to interfere in her re-election campaign.

Spokane has major challenges facing it over crime, drug use and homelessness. Their solutions won’t be trivial or easy. We must put our best people forward.

If you don’t want to see low-bar encampments like Camp Hope across Spokane, with all the crime, open drug use, and disgusting conditions they have demonstrated in Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco, run by people like Julie Garcia of Jewels Helping Hands, then please carefully consider your votes for Mayor Woodward, Kim Plese for council president, Katey Treloar for City Council, Earl Moore for City Council and Michael Cathcart for City Council this November.

Rod Bacon

Spokane

STA stop changes causes strife

I use our transit system often. There is a stop just outside the apartment building where I live. Convenient and reasonable for us seniors who can shop at the Shadle Safeway or Walmart without having to transfer or walk a great distance. Couldn’t be any better. Returning home, well, that’s another matter.

Up until last week, the return trip stopped one block away from home. Great. Couldn’t be any better. But now that stop has been eliminated. Can’t be because of lower ridership. Because if that’s the case, the new highly touted City Line would not have any stops between the Plaza and Browne’s Addition. I never, and I mean never, see anyone on that large attractive expensive articulated bus from the Plaza to the terminus of the City Line.

So why the elimination of the Jefferson and Riverside bus stop? Glad you asked. It seems the stop was needed for a “bus layover.” The 25 line has been spending its layover between KHQ and the Brick West Brewing for a long time. There was no stop for boarding. It was a “layover.” But now the senior citizens, some handicapped, some elderly, who live at the apartment building have to walk from either Cedar to Jefferson and Sprague, or the Plaza. There is no other stop. Gee, thanks, STA. From Cedar or Plaza. Really convenient. Don’t worry about the walk in the rain or snow. We are, after all, a generation made of the right stuff. With all the publicity touting how modern and clean the new line is, and how STA is becoming greener, you forgot something. Us.

Jim Bickel

Spokane

Bird’s the word!

Watching the World Junior Badminton Tournament (going on now through Sunday at the Podium) brought back wonderful memories along with the realization that most people have no idea the incredible sport that is – competitive badminton.

I played volleyball, basketball, softball and swam competitively in my youth. But it wasn’t until I was offered my first real job teaching world geography at Scottsdale High School that I had the greatest sports experience in my life. I was offered the job with one caveat. Would I take over coaching the girls badminton team? I agreed. How hard could it be? It was hard. But I learned so much about the sport and the incredible athleticism required to play it. Four years later, we won the 1981 AAA Arizona State HS Badminton Championship. To date, it is by far the greatest achievement of my professional career.

All that backstory aside, I encourage you to hustle down to the Podium and experience this exciting Olympic sport. Bird’s the word!

Judy Rogers

Spokane