Downtown arena won't help El Paso
In response to the letter writer who wants to see the Downtown arena built and the historic neighborhood of Duranguito bulldozed, clearly,this person is unaware of two things: One, that El Paso is literally several billions of dollars in debt, with no way to repay this money, and the arena will add to that tax burden, and two, arenas and stadiums have a shelf life of about 30 years as illustrated by the beautiful stadium we used to have in Northeast El Paso. However, if private investors want to use their own money to redevelopparts of town and not involve taxpayer dollars, that's different.
Unfortunately, an arena will not solve the problems that El Paso has, because those problems are caused by poverty. For too long we've sold ourselves as a minimum wage city, and we now see the effects. We are unable to attract the high-payingindustries that flock to other Texas cities, including Austin, and an arena is not going to fix that.
Businesses go to cities that offer an educated workforce and that look pleasant. Unfortunately, our high property taxes make maintaining our homes increasingly difficult, and as a result, many neighborhoods look increasingly derelict. Instead, the city should come up with a tax credit to encourage people to maintain their property.
Walli Haley
West El Paso
More:More than 1,000 early mail-in ballots rejected; what to do if your ballot is one of them
No ballot, not able to vote in person
I agree with Todd Daugherty's letter of March 6 about mail-in ballots. Unfortunately, I wasn't as lucky as he was. I just wasn't feeling strong enough to lift my rolling walker into my trunk to get to vote in person. Some days I am, and others, I am not. So, I didn't get to vote. I have used mail-in ballots for many years because of my age and disability. I first heard about applying every year (are they kidding?) on Feb. 15 and got a form to apply on Feb. 16. But I didn't get a ballot.
As Daugherty said, "The majority in Austin should be ashamed of themselves."
Barbara Matteson
West El Paso
Why not put information on ballot?
I would bet almost everything I own that if you are reading this letter,you know your Social Security number by heart and probably your driver's license number. If not, you can probably find them in two minutes. That is because you need them to board an airplane, get a prescription, apply to a school, rent a hotel room, buy a cell phone, apply for food stamps, buy liquor, buy cigarettes, obtain a passport, cash a check, get a credit card, apply for Section 8 housing, apply for an H-18 Visa, buy a firearm, and about 50 other important things.
So, when 845 mail-in ballots were rejected for not having the last four digits of your Social Security number or your driver's license number, where does that lead you to think? Why wouldn't the person put this information on their ballot? Probably the same reason it doesn't apply to them for any of the reasons mentioned above.
John Ferguson
West El Paso
School breakfast helping eliminate child hunger
As we embark on the second anniversary of the pandemic, we know many families continue to face hardship and uncertainty. In fact, as many as 1in 4 kids in Texas may be facing hunger.
Thankfully, we have at our disposal a powerful tool to make sure kids don't have to start their day with an empty stomach. El Paso ISD offers its students a healthy and nutritious school breakfast each morning, ensuring all students can start their day focused on excelling in the classroom.
Research shows that kids who eat breakfast are more focused, score significantly higher on tests, and miss fewerdays of school. Thanks to the hard work of school nutrition teams, El Paso ISD students start each day with the morning meals they rely on.
This National School Breakfast Week, we celebrate our school nutrition professionals in the El Paso community and across Texas as we continue to advocate for initiatives that provide access to school breakfast. Nourishing our kids is the smartest investment we can make to ensure they're ready to face both the opportunities and the challenges of tomorrow.
Franco Cruz
No Kid Hungry Texas
San Antonio, Texas
More:What to know about changes to the El Paso Times' print delivery frequency
Keep Saturday paper
I read the paper, work crossword and cryptoquote in the morning while eating breakfast. I will no longer be able to do that on Saturdays when you go to the e-edition. I would rather you eliminated the special booklets (several times during a year) since I don't read them. I do realize you are trying to keep the paper being published and I hope you succeed in doing so because I would be unhappy without a daily paper. You don't have many options. Just wanted to give my opinion.
Barbara Matteson
West El Paso
Nice to relax with El Paso Times newspaper on weekends
I read that you will be cancelingyour Saturday issue. It is so nice to sit relax with the paper on weekends on a trip to the park, or even in the yard. Many of us work on computers daily, and it'snice to take a breather from the desk or tablet and enjoy family time. I beg people to enter your preferences.
Brenda Lopez
Northeast El Paso
