FBI director Kash Patel arrives before President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 15, 2026 in Washington.
Cash (intentional spelling) Patel
Kash Patel departed Washington, D.C. on February 19 for weekend meetings with Italian law enforcement and the U.S. Ambassador to Italy. While there, he also attended the final two men's hockey games.
He flew to Milan on an FBI Gulfstream G550 business jet. A non-stop flight from Washington, D.C. is almost 10 hours in duration. The hourly operating costs of a G550 jet aircraft is between $6,000 and $9,500 per hour.
Mr. Patel returned to Washington, D.C. on the FBI aircraft on February 23.
While in Milan, Mr. Patel celebrated the U.S. men's hockey team's gold medal win with a beer. That beer cost taxpayers no less than $120,000. I hope we enjoyed it.
Barclay Dick
Midtown
A big thank you
We hear so much about things going wrong today. I would like to recognize some people who are doing great work in southeastern Tucson. Last Thursday (2/19) I had an accident at home which required emergency medical care. I would like to thank the first responders at Tucson Fire Station 17 on Houghton Road. They arrived quickly and interacted with me very professionally. I would also like to recognize the personnel at TMC-Rincon. Everyone that I met there was friendly, helpful, and very professional in caring for me. I especially would like to recognize the staff members in the Emergency Room, Medical/Surgical Department, and Radiology Department, as well as the food service and housekeeping personnel. They all contributed to a very positive outcome for my stay there.
Christopher Roe
Southeast side
Band-aid oversupply?
Hospital ship to Greenland?? While he is perfectly capable — too capable — of coming up with erratic moves like this, don't you wonder who else helps our ruler come up with these wild — logical to his mind only — ideas? Don't you cringe when he says he's concerned for the people being ignored or mistreated in other countries, while he stages "Trump Incarceration Camps" for deporting the immigrants in this country? On the Greenland issue, maybe it's just that we are overstocked with band aids? The solution of a brainiac.
Don Gerlach
East side
How soon we forget
In May 2022, Tucson voters passed Proposition 411 raising sales tax a half cent for ten years assuring a generation of $740,000,000 mainly for better roads.
We were promised $590,000,000 for improved streets, specifically paving and resurfacing and, $150,000,000 for safety projects:
• $45,000,000 sidewalks
• $45,000,000 HAWK crosswalk signals, street lighting, neighborhood safety
• $30,000,000 bicycle networks
• $30,000,000 traffic signal improvement
This is all under the supervision of 20 Tucson citizens selected by Mayor and Council, the Complete Streets Coordinating Council.
Who are they and where are the visible results?
Most importantly, how many propositions and sales tax increases do we need to get the job done?
Until smooth Tucson roads and other improvements appear, I will continue to drive Tucson streets fondly reflecting on a childhood trip to the Grand Canyon. The missing chunks of asphalt continue to do damage and only bring negative realization of inept leadership.
No on 418,419 is the imperative vote.
Ruth Reneer
Midtown
Mayor, may I?
If I had any hesitation to vote in support of RTA Next my decision would be decided by my Ward 3 City Council Member, Kevin Dahl. I emailed Dahl a few weeks ago to ask him what his stance was on these propositions. His response was "my stance is let the voters decide." Really? This weak stance reflects Mayor Romero’s intimidation and Dahl’s weak representation of Ward 3. Unlike Ward 6 Council Member Shubert who took a risk and stated her opposition to the continuation of a regressive half cent sales tax. This is what Tucson is getting from an overpaid mayor and council. Vote no, Tucson, and demand accountability from our local elected representatives. Elected officials are expected to take strong positions and provide leadership with input from their constituents. Not the weakness that eats away at our democracy, on all levels.
Jerry Anderson
Midtown
Excellent VA medical care
The night before my 40th birthday, I had a major heart attack. I have been treated by the VA and celebrated my 81st birthday this month. The medical care I received allowed me to continue my career until retirement. I have also been able to watch my grandchildren grow up. I cannot say enough about the compassion and professionalism of the VA medical staff. I have them to thank for my life. These dedicated people continue their mission no matter what the political climate is. I feel most fortunate to have utilized their services. America should be proud of them.
Dale Halstead
Northwest side
Vote no and yes
In his recent essay about RTA Next, Tim Steller stated: “What I know for sure is that it will be yes for both the plan and the tax, or no for both.”
I disagree. The way I read the ballot, one can vote against the RTA Next proposal and vote for the sales tax extension. Proposition 419 asks: “Do you favor the levy of a transaction privilege (sales) tax for regional transportation purposes in Pima County?”
I see nothing that precludes a vote for the tax and a rejection of RTA Next, allowing for development of a new plan and resubmission to voters. You CAN vote No on 418 and yes on 419!
Bruce Hilpert
North side
Ugly little monkeys
I watched the documentary film “Ugly Little Monkeys” over the weekend at the Loft Theater. It is a masterpiece in storytelling. “Los Changitos Feos” altered the course of mariachi music both nationally and globally. The film flows beautifully from beginning to end, vividly showcasing the light of accomplishment alongside the darkness of one man’s abuse. Kudos to brilliant film director David Valdez, to all the “Changitos Feos,” now in their 70s, who shared their stories and brought this film to life.
Louis Hollingsworth
West side
ACTL condemns attacks on Supreme Court justices
Enclosed is a link to a statement from the American College of Trial Lawyers regarding the President's recent comments on the Supreme Court's tariff ruling. The College is a national invitation-only organization of the most prominent trial lawyers in the United States and Canada. Its membership is limited to 1% of the lawyers in any given jurisdiction, including Arizona. Its statements are quite powerful, condemnation of the President's comments by a nonpartisan organization whose goal is the promotion of justice within the court system. If you think its comments are appropriate, feel free to print them.
Michael Piccarreta
Midtown
Warehousing people
“DHS last month purchased the 418,400-square-foot warehouse in Surprise so it could turn it into a detention center in service of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.” [AZ Mirror, Feb. 21]
Note, this is a detention center, not a prison where people are sent to serve a defined sentence passed by the judicial branch. This is a facility where ICE puts people they have rounded up based on the color of their skin, the slant of their eyes, the language they can speak, or where they go to find work, the kind of work they do — any factor that masked, armed, anonymous men decide identifies someone as an “illegal alien.”
These ICE gangs have no legal arrest documents, only their own sense of what a true American looks like. They ignore papers people have, they just detain people. People disappear into these black holes and once there, are very difficult to find.
Let us not follow in the footsteps of the “Good Germans.” Just say no.
Katharine Donahue
Foothills
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
