Tucson Gastro Park
I live near the Sunshine Mile project on Broadway. I’m glad that developer Peter Anadranistakis has outlined a path forward for developing the relocated bungalows on the north side of the street. It should become a unique and attractive set of restaurants and shops.
But… “Tucson Gastro Park?” I can’t be the only one who sees “gastro” and mentally completes it as “gastrointestinal.” The park sounds like a bunch of doctors’ offices ready to do unpleasant things with endoscopes and colonoscopes. Not appetizing at all.
Stephen Fleming
Midtown
It’s all about the water
This long-time desert dweller says that unless they can somehow create the millions of gallons of water needed for their developments, both Hudbay’s “Copper World” and Amazon’s Project Blue need to taken off the table immediately. Arizona agencies and politicians need to find backbones and just say no. There is simply not enough water to allow a Canadian company to suck up and then contaminate our aquifer for enormous profits. And I’m sure plenty of states with plenty of water would be happy to welcome in Project Blue.
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Margaret Zanger
Midtown
In defense of the large family
Even though large families are no longer in style I believe there is a case for the large family.
My father John was the youngest of seven. My grandfather Francis had 8 children.
My great grandfather Daniel had 12 children. I am the middle child of 7.
I had 7 children. My wife Carolyn is one of 7.
Big families are often filled with love, laughter, and plenty of opportunities to grow and learn together.
Large families are such a gift, offering an amazing environment to grow in faith, building lasting family bonds. The lessons learned in a big family are priceless.
Life in a big family is a constant adventure. With a large family, you’re never alone.
One of the benefits of large family living is learning to share.
If you’re part of or raising a large family cherish the moments — even the messy ones. Use them as opportunities to grow in character, nurture faith, and teach your children the value of hard work, love, and service.
Tom McGorray
Northwest side
TEP
Criticism of Tucson Electric Power for negotiating service with a new data center is missing a fundamental point: Energy providers cannot be in the business of picking and choosing who deserves power. Their role is to serve all customers reliably and equitably — regardless of popularity or politics.
If we expect our utility to deny service based on political winds, where does it stop? Should it decide which homes, schools, or businesses are “worthy” of electricity?
Of course not. Energy access must remain impartial and above the fray.
The agreement in question isn’t just about one company. It’s about laying the groundwork for transformative economic development. Data centers will drive long-term investment. Penalizing progress because of public perception sets a dangerous precedent.
Let’s focus on the bigger picture: a stronger, more resilient economy powered by smart partnerships — not selective outrage.
Dennis Caldwell
Midtown
Contrast JFK and Trump
Letter-writer Craig Miller is correct that fewer of us remember JFK. Mr. Miller asserts that JFK was ruled 4F but his father and the family doctor said he was fit for service. Actually Joe Kennedy pulled strings and got his son a direct commission.
President Trump was called up for induction, failed his physical and was found to be unfit for service and was ruled 4F.
JFK was in charge of PT109 and ran into a Japanese destroyer and sank on a cloudless night. Gen. MacArthur wanted him court-martialed but Joe Kennedy pulled strings and he was awarded a medal.
As for JFK’s Pulitzer Prize, it is generally well known the book was ghostwritten.
Clay Berger
Foothills
Another life taken
I have read some shockingly cruel and disgusting comments on social media about recent pedestrian deaths.
Victim blaming when the victims were doing everything right just shows how low we can go as humans.
Now, at a HAWK we have a bike death. Again, the biker did everything right — hit the crosswalk and crossed on a solid red.
Why can drivers not take the 10-25 seconds to stop, look and not hit anyone? Why do some feel the need to blame the individuals who happen to not be in cars but doing everything right? Why the hypocrisy that if you got hit while in a car by another car not following the law it would be all the other person’s fault and you would be more “angry?”
And Tucson leaders: Start enforcing these intersections. Proactively stop these incidents.
It takes a few seconds to not kill someone in a car so stop, look and be aware. It is the minimal decent human effort you can put into public safety.
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
Brazen disregard for safe driving
Every driver in Tucson knows that speeding, red light running, tailgating, and reckless driving are the norm in our city. Wrecks, injuries, and fatalities are more common here than in most other cities. We all know this. It’s pretty clear that the absence of police (and red-light cameras) to enforce traffic laws is the underlying cause of these problems. Tim Steller wrote a thoughtful article about this, yet he barely mentioned law enforcement as a solution. I wrote to compliment him and to pose law enforcement as a solution. His friendly reply noted that more enforcement might be the best way to improve traffic safety, but there isn’t “any hope in there being enough additional police officers anytime soon.” Why not? We all see the problem. We all know how to fix it. Yet our political leaders refuse to fund increased police manpower. Their policies are killing innocent people every day. How do they sleep? Time for new leadership?
John Knight
Northeast side
Calling all new voices
The letters to the editor in the Star are often from repeat writers. At one point in the past there was a “rule” that a writer would only get published once a month. I guess that is a bygone era. Now we get the same 1-2 people on the right and the same 6-7 people on the left. You know who you are.
I would like to see the Star’s editorial page editors cast a wider net for LTE. Stop publishing the same few writers.
And readers out there, don’t be shy. Submit that LTE you have been thinking about. You know who you are. We want to hear from some new voices.
Fran McNeely
Northeast side
Protesting
Re last Thursday’s edition: You posted a picture of protesters at Jim Click dealership. This may be a form of free speech to these folks, but what about Jim Click’s freedom to choose whomever he wishes to support? This goes for anyone who supports a candidate of their choosing.
I saw this same bunch of hypocrites on Saturday morning at the dealership, albeit on the sidewalk at the corner. I have a question for the protesters. Is Jim Click using your money to support the candidates of his choice? Does anyone protest or tell you how and where to your spend your money?
Louise Nath
Benson
Devaluation
Lost in the unrelenting economic chaos emanating from the Trump administration has been its impact on the value of the US dollar. During the initial 10 months of the administration, the dollar has lost 10% of its value against most major foreign currencies such as the British pound and the Euro. That results in an immediate increase in the cost of goods and services for American customers. American travelers to these countries have found their dollars do not go as far as they would have a year ago. The devaluation penalty is in addition to the tariff tax already being paid by American consumers. Are we having fun yet?
James Dolian
SaddleBrooke
The real criminals
I’m just wondering if anyone else is outraged by the fact that the real criminals, those convicted of serious crimes, but are useful to Trump, receive pardons while brown people get rounded up and brutalized by ICE? According to daily news reports, many of these people are law-abiding citizens and living here legally. It shouldn’t be a crime to be brown or black in this country. And, people convicted of serious crimes should be jailed and remain behind bars and not pardoned. Just my humble opinion.
Donna Hill
SaddleBrooke
No votes by Grijalva
More disingenuous drivel from McConnell. Yes Grijalva didn’t miss a vote, because Johnson shut down the House to prevent a vote on releasing more Epstein files. During that time Trump tried to pressure Republicans not to vote on releasing the files. He threatened to primary anyone voting for releasing. Now under duress Trump is saying he wants Republicans to vote to files being released, although he could release them himself. Nobody believes that any info implicating him won’t be redacted. Maxwell, after meeting with a Trump official got moved to a low-security facility that she raves about how nice it is. Obvious quid pro quo.
Craig Miller
Northwest side
Standard of living
The only person whose standard of living has improved during this Trump administration is Ghislaine Maxwell.
Terry Louck
East side
They try to tear the mountains down
How fortunate we Tucsonans are to be surrounded by the beauty of nature. Nature is a non-replaceable commodity. If our house burns down, we can rebuild it. But when we destroy our environment, it is lost forever.
Our mountains contain copper. Some believe, “What good are mountains if we don’t mine the copper under them?” And if copper is discovered underneath all of our mountains, should we wait for and allow a foreign country to take advantage of this?
Along the same line of thinking: “What good is our drinking water if it is not used to grow alfalfa to be shipped to Russia to feed their cattle?”
Some believe that our natural beauty and water are expendable for money. Is it worth it?
Diane Stephenson
Foothills
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