Voice of the people

Vote for Sanders for magistrate

I have known Opal Sanders for 18 years. During those years, I have had the privilege to call her one of my dearest friends. That is why I would like to recommend her to the citizens of Cabell County as a qualified candidate for magistrate. Unfortunately, I live in Wayne County and am unable to vote for her. However, I can't think of anyone I would rather see in office than her.

Sometimes campaign promises look fancy on paper, but I can attest to the fact that Mrs. Sanders lives what she says. In all the years we have known each other, she has shared with me her love for Huntington and her dream about someday serving in public office there. I don't think you can find anyone who works as hard as Mrs. Sanders. Most importantly, she upholds the God-given principles that our laws were founded on, and I think this is important.

She always goes out of her way to stand for truth, charity and moral integrity. So, I am asking the citizens of Cabell County to please remember these principles when they vote and to consider Opal Sanders as one of your selections for magistrate.

Garnett Dunfee

Lavalette

Nelson will work hard for 16th District

I'm writing to you in support of my friend, Bobby Nelson. He has been an excellent public official for many years. Bobby was in the House of Delegates for six years, the State Senate for 15 and mayor of Huntington. For the past decade, he has been a political science teacher at Marshall University. He has always been open and accessible. I know him well enough to say that he would work very hard for the people of the 16th District. In fact, I think with Bobby's knowledge of the legislative process and his connections, he would be very successful. If you don't know him or haven't met Bobby, I encourage you to. I think you'll find him friendly, outgoing, a good listener and willing to help.

Bobby Nelson is semi-retired, except for his part-time teaching job at Marshall, so he can devote his full-time energies to helping District 16. I hope your readers will do their own research and look closely at the candidates, their records and their commitments to our area. I know how successful Bobby Nelson has been. Go Bobby!

Janet Altizer

Barboursville

Canceling Olympics hurts the children

Well, I just found out that the Lawrence County Special Olympics was canceled. Did I find out because my school district -- the one sponsoring the event -- notified me, the parent of an autistic child who looks forward to this evening every year? No. This information was relayed to me by a parent of another child at another school in the county.

I have read the reports in other news sources stating that South Point rescinded its invitation as host of the event. There was mention of a lawsuit due to having the wheelchair events at a different site than the track.

Who is hurt? My child and many others across the county. If school boards and other adults involved cannot work issues out such as this, what can we expect from schools that boast "no child left behind"? Too often, it is our children who are left behind, and this is a prime example.

Educators and superintendents, please work this out for our children. This is their biggest Special Olympics event of the year.

Sonya Beckett

South Point, Ohio

Beware of buying stolen grave flowers

With Memorial Day approaching, I would like to caution people not to buy floral arrangements from roadside stands and flea markets, as these are potentially stolen from other graves.

April 12 would have been my father's 65th birthday had he not passed away last November from a terrible form of cancer -- mesothelioma. This once-strong, vibrant man suffered as no human being should ever have to as his family watched his life fade away. On April 12 of this year, there was no cake with candles or grandchildren singing "Happy Birthday" to their PawPaw. We simply visited Oaklawn Cemetery with gorgeous red flowers (his favorite color) to decorate his grave and remember all we had lost.

Recently, my mother went to the cemetery, as she frequently does, to discover those flowers had been stolen. The thing we had done to honor him had been taken.

Words cannot express the hurt and anger this shameless person has caused our family. To us, those flowers honored the memory of an honest, hard-working, Christian husband, father and PawPaw. I know we will never get the flowers back, as this person clearly has no conscience, but I urge others to only buy flowers from reputable dealers and florists.

Angie Purdee

South Point, Ohio