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Letters To The Editor
Do you have a complaint, a complement, or a comment regarding KTAL, NBC, or ArkLaTexHomepage?
We welcome all comments.
Email your comments, requests, etc. to rdoughty@ktalnews.tv
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Editor KTAL News
3150 N. Market
Shreveport, LA 71107
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Halloween and Sex OffendersSex Offenders Must Report to Probation on Halloween
Letter To The Editor:
Re: Sex Offenders Must Report to Probation on Halloween:
What a STUPID Law! Rather than voice my own opinion, I will refer the readers to Two EXPERTS.Beware the Halloween bogeyman! by Karen Franklin, Ph.D.
"And there's the rub. Fear and hype notwithstanding, there is not one single case on record of a child being sexually molested by a registered sex offender while trick-or-treating on Halloween.In that regard, the current sex offender scare has much in common with the Halloween legend of tainted candy." EVER!!
"Sex crimes against children don’t increase at Halloween, says Lynn University professor"
The report also notes that it could be more worthwhile to have police focusing on traffic-related incidents on Halloween over monitoring sex offenders.
"The wide net cast by Halloween laws places some degree of burden on law enforcement officers whose time would otherwise be allocated to addressing more probably dangerous events."
http://tinyurl.com/yhw9kbe
Signature: Letsgetreal
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Child SupportMiller County Arkansas' Child Support Office
Letter To The Editor:
What's wrong with Miller County Arkansas' Child Support Office?
My step daughter filed for a divorce over two years ago in Miller County, Arkansas. The divorce was granted and the father of two children was ordered to pay child support. He didn't pay a cent for over a year and the case finally ended up back in court. The judge ordered the back support to be paid, which it was, and for the father to pay a set amount every two weeks. Now it has been over five monghs and no support. When we checked on this we were told the court order was "lost" by the judge and then that the case had been transferred to Texas as the father lived in Texas. Texas says they haven't been able to prove residency, so how did Miller County. Come on Miller County, do the right thing. It appears loosing a court order is not big thing in Miller County.Concerned Dad
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Mother - Child StoryLetter To The Editor:
Thank you so much for doing the story on the mother of the 4 year old. This is the story that should have been done in the beginning. There isn't a parent out there that hasn't had some type of scary thing like this happen at least once. I raised four beautiful children, all grew up just fine and I can promise you we had our mishaps too. As a matter of fact my daughter was picked up on her bike on the Hwy. after she decided to go get an icy...she was only 5 at the time.
All I can say is thank GOD they just brought her home safely. She wasn't taken from me. I wasn't hauled out of my house with no shoes, in 50 degree weather or kept in handcuffs for over 2 hours behind my back. (A few facts the news stories missed) Something else that was missed the mother was kept in Booking for over 12 hours just waiting for a bond. She will have to be investigated by CPS then it will be turned over to Family Services.
THis is a single mom that has provided EVERYTHING for her chldren by herself without state assistance. Her daughter is a star student at Herndon Magnet. She worked HARD to get where she is, she could live cheaper in a diffrent place sure, but she was trying to keep her children in a good school zone. Now she can't even stay in the apartment SHE provides, with her children.
Thank the heavens channel 6 got out the real story...a too smart little boy, and a hard working mother that made an awful mistake that was rectified quickly. Parents beware those little buggers grow up faster than you'll realize, and they are WAY more resouseful than you can ever imagine. One little slip could ruin your life.
Diana
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Highland Tree TrimmingHi
My name is Robert Bryant and I was just wondering if there is any way ya'll can help me bring attention to Swepco completely destroying the 90 year old trees in Highland.
I know they are allowed to come out and trim limbs but they have cut EVERY limb off of a 90 year old Oak near the north west corner of Highland and Wilkinson. It looks terrible. It will take 10 years for these trees to get anywhere NEAR what they were and that is assuming they even grow back.
Im not an environmentalist but I do hate to see our neighborhood defaced and be completely powerless to stop it.
The City of Shreveport doesnt care, and Swepco is unresponsive. Channel 3 doesnt seem to be intereseted even though this is going on right down the street from their headquarters, and Channel 12 does not even have a contact list. KTAL is our last hope of being heard and I would GREATLY appreciate it if you could bring this problem to everyones attention.
Thank you!Robert Bryant
Photo's Below
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Letters To The EditorsPuppy Scam
I thought I would pass on something that has happened to me and I probably would be safe in assuming it's going on in our Shreveport/Bossier area to others.
I received a call from an organization that called itself "Dogs Against Drugs and Crime, Puppy Patrol K-9 Program".The phone call, and the letter that followed gives the impression that this will go to the State of La.But in fact, it is an organization out of Indiana. The address given to mail back my donation is 721 Government St.,Suites 103-503, Baton Rouge, La. The actual offices in this building consist of an UPS store, Verizon Wireless, Stanley Consultants, etc. It is not a state department address.
I googled the Puppy Patrol and it came back with numerous newspaper articles concerning this misrepresentation.One site is a Sheriff's department website in south La.: http://www.lpso.net/pressrelease.asp?ID=629
Another site is the Baton Rouge Police Dept: http://brgov.com/dept/BRPD/news/pdfs/Be_Wary_of_Telephone_Solicitations.pdf
I think others need to know this. Please contact me if you need more information.
Thanks,Kathe
Letter To The Editor:
It's sad when a police officer is re-instated to his job, even though it was apparent he caused physical injury to a woman in his custody, while she was handcuffed, leaving her in a pool of blood. Are officers of the law in LA allowed their own form of punishment? I find this personally disgusting.
CB
As a former Board member of Providence House I found your report on its clothing donation practices to be one-sided and inflammatory. The whole point of any donations, monetary or otherwise, is to benefit the residents, and the items dropped in the donation boxes placed around the city certainly do this. Since your reporter did not ask listeners to go to the Providence House web site and read the policy, I have copied it for you to read. It seems that any reporter would have attempted to give a balanced view and not imply that the shelter was trying to deceive the public. You could have led off with, "Isn't it wonderful that PH has come up with an innovative way to make the very best use of the thousands of dollars of clothing donations it receives each year!" I understand that the facts can be tilted one way or the other, and you chose to take the low road. I am not sure who complained and called in, but what a petty thing to do. As far as I am concerned, I hope the donation boxes are here long after I am gone, and I am just going to keep putting my items through the slot knowing that PH is an excellent steward of my donations. Now the policy:
IN-KIND CLOTHING DONATION POLICY
Being good stewards of our funds is one of the Providence House’s core values.
We use everything donated to support the program in one manner or another. In-kind clothing donations are used to provide match for grants, provide clothing for our families and provide financial support for the program to help families with children become self sufficient.
The Providence House Clothing Donations befitting Homeless Families with children program was started in 2007 to make it convenient for people to donate clothing and to be good stewards of all that is given to Providence House.
A clothing donation room is provided at the main Providence House building like a store for our clients to shop daily for their needs. When our clothing needs are filled each day, some of the clothing donations are sold (outside this community) to provide income and support for the Providence House program to break the homeless cycle
Mary Anne Selber
Community Volunteer
Former PH Board Member
Editors Note: After reviewing the story several times, I think most viewers will agree that it is neither one-sided nor inflammatory, but fair and balanced. The point of the story was to inform the public that the best way to insure that their donations went directly to Providence House would be to deliver the donated items directly to Providence House and not by using the drop boxes.
As a Providence House Board Member and lifetime resident of Shreveport, I am appalled at the implications of your story on the Providence House donation drop boxes. If your staff had done their research, they would have discovered that the benefits from this way of handling donations are actually greater for the homeless families we serve. Rather than having donated clothing that may not be needed at a particular time, they use their resources and turn them into funds that help meet the numerous needs of the homeless all the while freeing up space for those items that are truly needed at the same time. Unless you have experienced day to day life of the entire Providence House system, you cannot understand this process. Reporting with this tone and with a lack of knowledge for the entire process only hurts the public’s perception of the work we do. I only hope and pray that your report has not created a negative attitude within the general public as we certainly need all of the support we can get at this time. With the economic times being as they are, many more families need assistance. If you and/or your staff would ever like to truly learn about the Providence House process and all of the incredible opportunities and support it provides, we would be happy to give you a tour and show you firsthand how it really works.
Sincerely,
Denee’ Locke
Providence House Board Member
Monday, July 20, 2009 @8:43am CST
Pot-Hole Damage
On July 7, 2009, I was coming home from work; my car hit an open drainage on Alto Vista and Clark. After contacting the police and making a report, the next morning I went back and took pictures.
I filed a claim with the city insurance adjusters. They told me that they will investigate and get back with me. The next day I went back and the city had covered the drainage hole with concrete.
Since the city had not contacted me, I called them. They told me that there were no other complaints and they could not help me.
Being a single parent with 2 children, I can’t afford to get my car fixed. I have no other choice but to drive this unsafe car because it’s my only means of transportation to and from work.
I would like to let people in our community know how there is no justice when we make complaints to the city, about streets that are not maintain, that could potentially cost lives.
Please Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Single-Mother
Editor's Note: Could you send copies of the photos to us here at KTAL
Letter To The Editor: may 28, 2009
anonymous......
Please see the houses by lucien field flournoy lucas rd and wallace lake rd. trashed yards, old buses, old dilapidated abandoned trailer homes high grass. south side of flournoy lucas off of wallace lake rd. the yard im referring to is deplorable. they have tried to make 2 old trailers into a double-wide. im so ashamed of this filth and can imagine what it looks like on the inside. praying no children live here.i have turned this over to mayor glover by emailing him 3 times and he has done absolutely nothing not even an email back. is this area in the city? please!!! also the dumping sign on overton brooks rd has been hit and needs to be a bigger sign installed, people are always stopping there dumping. please help with this issues.......thanks
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 @8:09am CST
Letter To The Editor:
From: AnonymousIs this how the people, the system and media of Texarkana lynch African American people today. Because you are not able to hang them from trees, you create an alleged case, without evidence and or witness, deny people due process and scrutinize their character within their own community.
The Sheriff's department in Miller County, who not only wrongfully terminiated an African Amnerican employee, this same sheriff was forced to resign to avoid a criminal case against her. Let's examine this:
Employee Deandre Brown is terminated, loses his retirement, pay, his name and reputation are slandered about the community and Ms. Rambo is simply asked to leave. Oh wait, Mrs, Rambo is white. Oh I forgot, being black in this community automatically means your are guilty. Who knew you could still lynch black in 2009.
After two years of continuations and false leads, no real testimony and/or evidence, the case is dismissed. Because the Miller County Sheriff's Department and its Allies, failed at an attempt to ruin the career both as a police officer and honorable member of the Armed Forces, you today decide to have a press conference.
Help me understand ? Is this protocal for all cases that are dimissed? Or for any other case for that matter. I don't recall a press conference for Sheriff Rambo, or any other member of this police force that has been terminated. Furthermore, does your court system and reporters, procescuting attorney and whoever else might be involved have nothing better to do? The justice system in Texarkana has a lot of free time on their hands to hold a press conference for a case that was dismissed. Guess this community is still in the lynchin' business.
Letter to the Manager of KTAL News,
Re: http://arklatexhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=57442Representative Barbara Norton is working on a ban on corporal punishment for Louisiana schools. Bravo to her! Corporal punishment is a harmful, inhumane and ineffective practice. Many children are harmed physically and psychologically by its use. It is inhumane because it is more often used on the most vulnerable children – poor children, children with disabilities and minorities. It is ineffective because the same children are hit over and over. It does not teach children what they need to do but only to avoid the punisher and not get caught.
Louisiana is 5th in the nation among the top hitting states with over ll,000 children hit annually according to the U.S. Department of Education. Banning this inhumane, ineffective and harmful practice is should be a top priority with the Louisiana Legislature.
Nadine Block, Executive Director of the Center for Effective Discipline
155 W. Main Street #1603, Columbus, OH 43215(614) 221-8829 info@stophitting.org
www.stophitting.orgYou will find on our website laws, effects, and alternatives to corporal punishment. Please consider further coverage of this issue. Thank you.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 @8:18am CST
Signature Handle: AWMFWSGBP
Letter To The Editor:
Say what you may about corporal punishment, but it has it's place at home and in schools. The problem is, the teachers are limited as to what they can do, and the parents have to be careful because of state agencies wanting to take their kids away. If they had left the spankings and such alone way back when, before the police and politics got involved, we'd have a much better society today, and not so much crime and disrespect from the younger generation!!!!
Reported by: Michael Doughty
Obama's term promises change It was difficult not to feel proud to be an American on Tuesday, as Barack Obama took the presidential oath and officially became the 44th person to hold that high office. It is not a historical moment just because of his race, but because of the circumstances into which he enters office. Obama speaks of these extraordinary circumstances in his inaugural address. The address, which may be one of the best speeches this generation has witnessed, reached into the hearts of Americans regardless of party affiliation, race or religion.
President Obama's words outlined the dire situation our country faces but also reaffirmed the strained sense of American pride. While extremist partisans on the right may still lambast Obama for his nearly socialist stance on domestic issues, his speech indicates that he is not blind to the dangers our country faces from abroad, indicating rather, that he seeks to make proactive changes to our foreign policy, which are sorely needed.
While the historic weight of this moment will define a great portion of Obama's legacy, his presidency still stands on a precipice. The United States struggles under economic strains unseen since the time of the Great Depression; our presence in the Middle East is costing the country billions, and America is seen as the schoolyard bully to the rest of the world. It is obvious change is necessary, and for a President who ran on a campaign of radical change, it is expected.
Obama's speech evoked a sense of nationalistic pride for the majority of viewers, "I thought it was fantastic, and I felt like he spoke with the good of the country in mind." said senior history major Manion Bordelon, an independent who believes in a middle line between the extremes of both the right and left.
While many shared this view, others were not so impressed.
"It was a good speech; I was slightly inspired, not much more." said senior history major David Fine, a strong supporter of Obama throughout his campaign.
Say what you will about Obama's politics. Whether you think of him as a messianic figure or a dolt, the man has charisma. He has inspired fervor for change unseen since the days of the civil rights movement. His words have touched the silent many in this country, promising them change and a hope for a better tomorrow, and that silent number has turned into a veritable throng of support from the masses. Whether you support our new president or not, change is coming, and it is that change that will define Barack Obama's legacy.
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