Her life story told

To the editor:

Readers of the obituary for Elizabeth Trahan on Sept. 19 doubtless recognized that hers was a particularly interesting life. Fortunately, she shared much about it in her two autobiographical volumes, which I highly recommend.

Logging Chesterfield land should be stopped now

To the editor;

In Our Opinion: Improve river safety now

With summer over, we can be thankful the season didn't bring a death on our region's reach of the Connecticut River due to lax enforcement of boating safety. Now, before summer comes around again, officials at the state level must address a serious gap in oversight.

Bank on the students, not executives

Congress is considering what may be one of its most important pieces of legislation this year: whether to take the student loan program away from private banks and shift it to an existing government program. The House passed the bill Thursday, and the Senate could take it up as early as this week. It's the first step toward reforming how students pay for college. And in this troubled economy, students are the best investment the government can make.

Why the U.S. needs Africa now

Africa and the United States may be on the verge of a new partnership, not one of dependency and aid but one of shared ideas, vision and investments that increase our mutual prosperities. To begin this improved relationship, both must accept urgent and substantial changes in the nature of our bond.

Jordan needed a good team

To the editor:

Matt Vautour's insistence (Sept. 11) that Michael Jordan was too great a player to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame with the other inductees is in the tradition of the thousands of kids who learned nothing more from watching Jordan than that showboating play might get them a place on a highlight reel.

Keep the 'Dream' on Main

To the editor:

I was sorry to read in the Gazette that the "Dream" mural may be removed from the bridge over Northampton's Main/Bridge Street.