Spread a little kindness
Michele: We are longtime subscribers and I am reaching out to ask a favor. Hampton has a 400-bed veterans hospital that I visited Friday making direct donations. The director shared with me that they use puzzle books to help rehabilitate and provide recreation for the veterans. On Sunday, the Daily Press featured a puzzle book. I am donating mine and have reached out to my neighbors to see if they might consider doing the same (provided they are not going to enjoy it themselves, of course.) Is it possible you have a few extras that will not be used and recycled that you could donate to our veterans at the VA hospital in Hampton? Thank you for reading my request.
Editor: The Peninsula chapter of the United Way has a new initiative in which it is encouraging citizens to be kind to one another. Michele’s request made me think of that initiative. I asked the team to begin collecting the extra puzzle books we have and share them with the hospital, but I thought I’d share Michele’s idea and ask those who have a puzzle book at home that they don’t plan to use to please drop it off at the VA for use by our veterans. Thank you, Michele, for your kindness. You’re an inspiration.
Early Christmas present
Jane: I just wanted to say thank you for the early Christmas present, the book of crossword puzzles. I’ve been struggling with the first one ever since I got it. I look forward to it when you publish one.
Editor: Thank you, Jane. I hear this a lot. If you are a puzzle person, those books are a real treat.
Best-sellers list gone?
Ted: No best-seller book list Sunday, Nov. 11. Has this list been dropped or just a fluke?
Editor: It didn’t move. The item, which we purchase from wire service, didn’t come until too late for the section’s printing. A note ran on the page in its place on Sunday, saying that it wasn’t available and advising readers to look for it the next Tuesday.
Please don’t repeat
Randall, Williamsburg: While reading today’s paper, I thought the “News Briefing” section in “Nation and World” on Page 14 seemed familiar. Looking back, I found the text to be identical to the same section in yesterday’s edition. That’s a bit more of a slip than duplicating puzzles or celebrity birth dates, don’t you think?
Editor: I received several of these emails. Yes, apologies for that production error. Usually we double check to make sure that doesn’t happen, but the process broke down this time.
Difficult puzzle
Awhile back someone complained that the Rho 4 was too hard and now they are too easy. I know a local man is the contributor, so maybe he could grade them like the sudokus and contribute a range of difficulty. I really enjoy doing them, but would also like them to be somewhat challenging.
What can I say? When they get more difficult again, I’ll get notes from the folks who liked the easy ones better.
Proud parents
Thank you for honoring Jordan Lucas as student athlete at Warwick High. My wife and I want to say thank you for acknowledging
our son!
Good to hear from a proud parent. Congratulations!
About Hampton crime
Regarding the Nov. 14 article “Hampton state of the city talks crime, schools:” In my opinion, once you control the crime in Hampton then strong partnerships will come. It takes people to transform a community and if people keep moving out or choose not to move into Hampton then any plan to “Take Care of Business” will fail because of the many empty properties and shopping centers. No one wants to be afraid to go out after dark for fear of being robbed or their home broken into, but many people refuse — yes, refuse — to step outside their home on any given evening and if they are out they make sure they are home before the street lights come on. Now everyone is spending lots of money on security systems and lighting around their homes instead of enjoying what this area should have to offer … frequenting local establishments, for one. Focus on the safety of the neighborhoods first and the rest of this plan will work.
A great story
Excellent job by Mark Erickson. Doug Johnson was my boss for a time at the WPNSTA. He is a great guy. My mom worked there during the war — seven days a week with every third Sunday off. The explosion rattled the windows in Poquoson that night. Frightening times. Thank you for the article. Well done.
Kudos to Attorney General
Thank you, Attorney General Mark Herring, for successfully prosecuting companies that cheated and deceived elderly veterans! Such businesses should be put out of business permanently, not to return ever with any of the principal deceivers! Our veterans should always be safe from such tactics. Bad enough their own government doesn’t follow up on promises made.
Invasive species, Coast Guard budget Michelle Bowman, Federal Reserve Governor
Today’s Feedback was compiled by Marisa Porto, editor and publisher at the Daily Press.