Speak Out 09/03/04

Safety came first

I HAVE had children and grandchildren attend school in the Cape Girardeau district for the past 30 years. I'm finding it hard to believe that the school board has voted not to rehire superintendent Mark Bowles. Over the years I have strongly disagreed with the decisions many of our superintendents made about having school when we had inclement weather. Bowles clearly showed his main interest was the safety of the children, as it should be. Invariably there would be parents who complained that they wanted their children to go to school so they could go to work. A good man is hard to find, one who even volunteers his time on a regular basis to work with children.

Waiting for the bus

THERE ARE junior high and high school kids who wait for the bus on our porch in the mornings. I hear very foul language in the mornings. They have defaced our property. They leave their litter in our yard. Aside from putting up no-trespassing signs, I'd like to know if anybody has any suggestions. The police don't care and the people in the schools don't care.

Free fair admission

I THINK paying $4 to get in the fair is a rip-off. Admission ought to be free. The only thing at the fair are rides and vendors, and you've got to pay for that. And if you're going to a show, that's extra. It should be free parking and free admission.

Clock is roundabout

I'M CALLING regarding the removal of the clock from the center of Main Street. I don't understand why the city would want to do that, since the clock serves as a roundabout, and they keep telling us how great roundabouts are.

Interchange cleanup

ON AUG. 28, at the I-55 interchange at the Scott City, volunteers were picking up all the trash. It really looks good. You wouldn't believe how many full yellow trash bags there were along the side of the road. The Missouri Department of Transportation hadn't cut the weeds in no telling how long, so these people had to pick up this trash in weeds up to their waist in a lot of areas. You'd think MoDOT would try to keep this interchange looking decent.

A comedy act

SOMEBODY COMMENTED about Heidi Hall's column and her bad habits. Heidi's a comedian. She's pulling your leg. Get real, please.

Give Jackson the money

I SAY go ahead and pay Jackson the road and bridge tax money. The Cape Girardeau County Commission doesn't need to sit on the money. They don't do anything to fix up our gravel roads. There are roads in southern Cape Girardeau County that should be paved. Give Jackson the money that is due the city so it can at least fix up its roads and streets.

MAP scores

I UNDERSTAND every elementary school in Cape Girardeau has passed the MAP test this year. But what about next year? Every year the government raises the bar higher. Will the schools have to go through all of this stress again next year and the year after? It is becoming very evident to me that the government is forcing us to go to attendance centers instead of our neighborhood schools.

Driving laws

I'M GLAD Missouri is coming into the 21st century with some new laws, especially the one about having a vehicle's lights on when it rains. Many states have had this law for years. It's common sense. Accidents will always happen as long as people don't use common sense.

Freshman jitters

I WOULD like to thank Callie Clark for the excellent stories on the two students and their first days of school. I noticed there were lots of comments about the kindergartner. It was neat that Clark did not forget about freshmen and how they also feel when they have to start the first day of school. As the parent of a few high school girls, I know that's a scary thing for them too. Thanks, Callie, for a great article.