A pedestrian walks across North Euclid Avenue at East Second Street, near East University Boulevard, where three University of Arizona students were killed October 30 in a hit-and-run crash.
Dismal Tucson traffic safety
I agree with recent LTEs pointing out the dismal state of traffic safety in this city. As an avid walker and cyclist, I know HAWK lights simply cannot be trusted with drivers running them daily, often blatantly. Our elected officials talk of reducing speed limits and free buses as solutions. But the only real solution is enforcement, tickets, and fines, fines that cannot be pled down to parking violations. Some say we donβt have the police force for that. Maybe. However, we have technology, red light cameras, for one. Of course, some moan that such methods bring on a surveillance state. To those, Iβve got news. The surveillance state is the cell phone you take wherever you go. Driving a lethal weapon is a societal privilege, not a right to which privacy is deserved.
Betsy Lubis
Midtown
Adelita Grijalva letter
The author is blind and in complete denial as to the utter failure of the Biden Administration regarding the economy, border and foreign affairs. Biden handed the Trump Administration 9% inflation, and in just 10 months, the Trump Administration whittled it down to 2.4% by radically changing policy. The author continues saying that the Trump Administration is "taking your money, your welfare, and giving it to billionaires." First, let's clear up this gross misnomer and implication that every other person in America is a billionaire. There are approximately 900 billionaires in America. Numbers fluctuate daily based on stock market movement. Moreover, the author's assertion that Trump is giving billionaires more money is patently absurd. They don't need more money and Trump understands the obvious. Trump Derangement Syndrome is medically recognized as a pathological mental disorder, in need of psychological treatment. And, given the AZ Star's constant overload of hate-Trump LTEs, the editors may also need treatment.
Jay A. Elliott
Northwest side
Water
My family moved to Tucson in 1953. At that time, we lived near Country Club and Valencia; they were dirt roads. Valencia pretty much ended there. There were four houses across the street from us on Country Club and another couple about one-fourth to one-half mile west on Valencia. What I remember as a small child was the concern for water. Here we are many, many years later, and that still is a top concern of Tucson. Some things never change.
Sandra Gassan-Joubert
Northwest side
Support letter for Weinsteins
I am writing this letter in full support of Kira & Adam Weinstein, owners of Gadsden Company and key leaders in the Mercado District community.
Throughout my time as a business owner and event organizer in this district, they have consistently demonstrated a genuine commitment to support. They have not only provided space and opportunity for entrepreneurs to grow, but they have also contributed directly to community events and supporting otherΒ cultural initiatives that uplift artists, creatives and Tucson families.
The Weinsteins have always shown kindness, integrity and a willingness to collaborate to ensure our community continues to thrive. Their vision for the District aligns with the needs of growing Tucson, playing a major role in shaping an inclusive environment, where many local businesses, like mine, have been able to flourish. While I am not fully informed on all the details, I can speak to my direct experience and nothing I have heard changes the fact that they have consistently shown up for small businesses and the Tucson community.
Arianna Luna
West side
Re: JFK & Trump
Mr. Berger states Trump "failed his physical" for military service; inaccurate. As a favor to his landlord, Fred Trump, a podiatrist wrote a letter claiming Donnie had bone spurs. No medical records exist to substantiate this diagnosis, which is almost certainly false. So what if Joe Kennedy got JFK a direct commission? JFK then served honorably. General MacArthur saying he wanted to court-martial JFK was a false rumor spread by a columnist, and MacArthur publicly denied it in a letter to the editor of the Berkshire Eagle in 1960. His letter said he considered Kennedy a hero whose actions were commendable and deserving of credit. Yes, Ted Sorensen, a close friend and associate of JFK's, is named as ghost writer of "Profiles in Courage." Compare this to Tony Schwartz's ghost writing of Trump's "Art of the Deal," something Schwartz came to profoundly regret as his long-term involvement in the project revealed to him Trump's utter lack of character.
Hope Gastelum
East side
SCOTUS
On the question of term limits for SCOTUS, I believe there should be. Life expectancy in 1789, when the court was created, was 34-36 years. Wise appointments could ensure age with youth on the court.
Duane Barbour
Midtown
A murderer in the Oval Office
President Trump is selling F35 jets to the Saudi Crown Prince and blowing up boats and killing who knows who on the high seas. The daily immorality and in-plain-sight corruption also involves pardoning war criminals and advocating for war crimes.
Yet the most horrific immorality is the U.S. President defending the assassination and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the orders of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump hosted a lavish state dinner for the prince, along with a meeting in the Oval Office. Recall that it was U.S. intelligence that identified bin Salman as having ordered the murder of Khashoggi.
This came a day after the Trump Organization announced plans to build a crypto-tied resort in the Maldives with a Saudi real estate developer.
The president of the U.S. sat beside a notorious strongman, called him a close friend, and defended the grisly execution of a journalist employed by an American news outlet, without blinking an eye. Let that sink in.
Teresa Jenkins
SaddleBrooke
University/casino branding
Dear Ms. Reed-Francois and editorial readers,
I have lived one block from the university stadium since my parents purchased our home in 1952. There have been many changes in the University of Arizona campus and educational direction since then, but none as disgusting as the recent attachment of a casino name to the campus buildings and wide-spread branding. I am sorry to learn that that is the best you can do to raise funds for superficial βneeds.β You have cheapened the name of education and the morals of this historic university.
I speak sincerely as a University Arizona graduate and for my father also, a graduate from the College of Law.
Ruth Reneer
Midtown
Gambling U
Changing the name of Arizona Stadium to that of a gambling casino is not only an embarrassment that taints the fine degrees awarded to students, athletes, graduates, etc., it also diminishes the value and prestige of the well-respected University of Arizona.
Perhaps a slight name modification, given as a nod to the donors, might be Arizona del Sol Stadium. Or almost any name that does not damage U of Aβs reputation.
Otherwise, no thank you.
Lesli Hanby
Oro Valley
Goddess of the Agave
I was incredibly sad to learn that the beloved mural titled Goddess of the Agave is likely to be lost with plans to redevelop the Benjamin Supply building. This mural means so much to our community. It's a landmark piece of art that deserves to be preserved. I understand that it is fading but that has not negated its beauty. Is it possible for this mural to be repaired or recreated?
Susan Koza
East side
What I do know
While I was glad to see that Tim Stellerβs article on Sunday made some reference to the community work The Gadsden Company delivers, it didn't do enough to describe the extent to which they show up for the Mercado District. They create opportunities for diverse community events and deliver marketing opportunities that directly benefit their tenants. They sit on boards such as KXCI, MOCA Tucson, and the Boys & Girls Club, which broadens the District's connections across the city. And they uphold high standards for design and function. What they have brought to Tucson stands apart from other developers, locally or otherwise, and we are lucky that they continue to actually fulfill the mission that was set forward of mixed housing, retail, and food and beverage, in a way that is attractive, local and thoughtful of traffic and community.
With the Weinsteins and the Dixons, I have evidence of their integrity and dedication. With AWS or Kelly Sands, I have none. In this particular day and age, that should matter.
Mellow Dawn Lund
Downtown
Poor Trump
He so wanted to make an impression on Mohammed Bin Salman that he was totally in control of his people in America, and this "terrible person," a reporter from ABC, had to ask his honored guest if he had ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for the Washington Post in the Mideast.
Bin Salman looked at his translator seated next to him and giggled. He didn't know what to say, other than he didn't know anything about the murder.
Trump, sensing his guest's difficulty, and embarrassed about the question, intervened saying, well, Khashoggi was "an extremely controversial person," knowing what he wanted to say was, "Khashoggi was a loser getting himself chopped up like that."
And even more, he wanted to have the reporter taken out and shot for asking such an impertinent question, you know, the way they do it in Russia, or Saudi Arabia.
John Schmidt
Southwest side
