April 29, 2008 12:44 pm
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I am very proud of the Johnstown Chiefs. I’m behind them 100 percent, no matter what. I’m so very happy to be a fan.
When I think back over the past season and all that the team accomplished, it makes me smile. These guys never gave up. It wasn’t part of their vocabulary. They played with heart.
Ryan Nie and Andrew Penner were two great goaltenders who backed up the team every game. They had great leadership from veteran players such as Randy Rowe, Jean Desrochers and Jason Spence, who led the team with experience, words of wisdom and courage.
I’m glad Ian Herbers got to be coach. He did a very good job.
After what former owner Jim Weber did, by leaving and letting Herbers basically on his own, Herbers stayed on course and kept recruiting players. He produced a very good team.
The guys responded well to their new coach. They played well for him and took him into the postseason and on to round two.
I think Herbers was very pleased with his first year of coaching this team. I am.
It’s hard to let them go, and from what I hear and see, it’s even more so for them because “they are family.”
Since they were so good, couldn’t we have the same team back next year?
Thanks, Chiefs, for 20 years of great hockey. Here’s to 20 more. You can prove Weber wrong.
Rosanna Heller
Johnstown
Portage teacher rude to parent
I am writing this letter for parents who have children in the Portage Area School District.
My child received a demerit for laughing and being loud at lunch. Oh my, we better call the prison to see if they have room for her.
Several weeks ago, all the students did was prepare for Pennsylvania System of School Assessment testing. School officials sent notes home to parents, asking them to make sure their children got a good night’s rest and ate a good breakfast the days they are taking the PSSAs.
What about the other school days? Don’t they care if my child eats breakfast then?
I called the teacher who gave my 8-year-old a demerit for laughing and asked what had happened. During our conversation, she hung up on me.
I then called the school to set up a meeting with the teacher and school officials.
I attended that meeting and brought up the fact that the teacher had hanged up on me. The officials didn’t want to hear about it. They said they were meeting about the demerit.
Teachers are supposed to be role models for our students. I pay my school taxes so that particular teacher has a job, but I’m not entitled to an explanation or an apology?
My daughter didn’t cheat, steal or threaten anyone. She laughed at lunch and got a demerit.
What punishment did the teacher get?
Nothing.
Adele Vocco
Portage
Shopping-cart crash turned into bad story
Recently, my wife and two of our children were shopping in Richland Township. When they returned to her car, it was obvious that a shopping cart had crashed into a door. The cart was resting next to her car.
She reported this to the business’ manager, who was nice enough to come out, look and make a report. I should note that on this day the wind was blowing and a light rain was falling.
Estimates to fix the damage ranged between $550 and $650.
Recently, we heard from the business’ Portland, Ore., insurance company. It, of course, denied liability on the part of the business and, therefore, denied responsibility to help mitigate the situation.
So now we must pay a $250 deductible to get our car repaired.
We always attempt to support local stores, despite paying more at times.
Needless to say, we were very disappointed in the manner in which this business, through its insurance company, neglected to even compromise.
My advice to readers is to make a determination when shopping at any business whether it is worth parking on a hill and leaving your vehicle susceptible to a runaway cart. Are you better off going somewhere else where the layout of the parking lot is not a problem?
They say that when something good happens, people generally tell five people and when something bad happens, they tell a lot more.
Since this has been published, I guess we are telling a lot more.
Tom Sylvia
Richland Township
Don’t allow mutuals to help fund genocide
Most mutual-fund investors are horrified to learn they are helping support the murderous regime in Sudan, which is waging genocide against the people of Darfur. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced from their homes.
Investors Against Genocide (IAG), a Boston-based nonprofit organization, is leading a national campaign to make sure mutual funds do not invest in companies that fund genocide.
Through this effort, a shareholder proposal has been submitted to more than 50 mutual funds asking them to eliminate investments in companies that fund genocide.
Shareholders of 15 Fidelity funds, including the widely held Contra, Magellan and Puritan funds, are now voting on this issue prior to meetings on May 14. It is sadly inappropriate that Fidelity has advised its shareholders to vote against making their funds genocide-free.
Fidelity shareholders can stand up for the people of Darfur simply by voting their proxies. Even if you have discarded your proxy, you can still vote up until May 14.
Each vote cast by an individual investor is incredibly important because many of the votes will be cast by institutional shareholders and industry insiders who tend to vote with management.
Momentum is building for genocide-free investing. National religious and human-rights organizations, including the American Jewish World Service, Physicians for Human Rights and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, have backed shareholder proposals to end financial support for genocide.
For details on voting and information on genocide-free investing, go to www.investorsagainstgenocide.org.
Patricia Luberto
Johnstown
Election registration snafu upsetting
In February, I requested and received a change-of-registration card from Ebensburg. There were several candidates I wanted to vote for who were registered Democrats and I am a registered Republican.
The card was promptly mailed.
On April 22, I went to vote as I have done for so many years I cannot remember, and it was very disturbing that the registration had not been recorded.
A poll worker called the election office and, sure enough, I was still registered as a Republican.
I proceeded to write in my candidates, which I consider a waste of my vote since they were recorded as a Republican write-in.
I can only conclude:
1. The U.S. Postal Service did not deliver my card (highly unlikely).
2. The card was delivered and lost in the shuffle at the election office.
3. Someone in the office is playing political games.
More disturbing is that I was told by the helpful poll worker that I was not the only one arriving to vote at Menoher Heights who had this problem.
If anyone else had this problem, he or she should notify the county commissioners so they can attempt to find out what is going on.
Tom Wiegman
Upper Yoder Township
HopeLine aids victims of domestic violence
Last week, Pennsylvania’s primary election happened to share the same date as Earth Day, which meant that red and blue competed with green for our attention and actions.
For anyone who missed an opportunity to do something for Earth Day, here’s a suggestion that won’t cost you anything:
Simply rummage through your closets and drawers for old cell phones and accessories and donate them to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program.
HopeLine collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider.
Proceeds provide wireless phones and free airtime to domestic-violence victims, and cash grants to domestic-violence programs.
Since 2001, the company has donated thousands of phones to victims in crisis in Pennsylvania through local domestic-violence programs, which also have received more than half a million dollars through HopeLine.
This is a win-win-win solution. You get rid of clutter in an eco-friendly way, your local domestic-violence program gets critically needed funding, and domestic-violence victims get the chance to reach out for help in emergencies and stay connected to services and support.
The phones can be dropped off at any Verizon Wireless store. It’s that easy to be green.
Susan S. Shahade
Executive director, Women’s Help Center
Serving Cambria and Somerset Counties
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