March 12, 2025, Letters to the Editor

Unlicensed ATVs and riders

Editor:

There has been a rash of underage drivers riding their unlicensed dirt bikes and ATVs on our surface streets.  Last Friday, a young rider rode his unlicensed, little dirt bike from southern Gardnerville all the way up through Minden.  He was traveling 35 in a 25 in the left lane of the highway and I could not keep up with him.  Underage riders are filling up their vehicles at the 7-Eleven and then riding off again.  They cut across Long Valley Road going to or coming from the open space. Lately, there have been more young and inconsiderate riders going cross country, tearing up the desert scrub and leaving deep ruts everywhere.  Another dry summer is coming, and these riders tearing through the shrubs is a fire hazard and disrespectful.  The ruts will last for years.  What a tragedy for the community it will be when one of these untrained, unlicensed children meet a car or truck. Parents: Teach your young riders respect for the land and the law.

W. Kassebaum

Gardnerville

Thanks for supporting coat drive

Editor:

This is a note of heartfelt thanks to the community for our exceptionally successful year with the annual Sertoma Coat Drive. We needed a larger spot to sort and organize the distribution of the donations, and FISH Family Resource Center stepped up. What an amazing location and group of helpful folks! Together, we distributed 8,371 warm items including 3,184 coats and jackets. We are grateful for the large number of new kids jackets we received. 

Our corporate donations increased. We thank the Walmart stores on Topsy Lane and Market St. in Carson City and the Walmart Distribution Center in Sparks who provided grants through the Walmart Foundation, Carson Valley Health’s generous donation, and the people who encouraged us by donating cash while we were in line purchasing jackets and gloves. With this financial assistance we were able to make strategic purchases of jackets and gloves for specific needs. 

Harrah’s/Harvey’s Tahoe and Starbuck’s Roasting Plant and Distribution Center continued their annual employee coat drives. Lamar Advertising, Douglas County Community & Senior Center, and C.O.D. Casino let everyone know the Coat Drive was active and ready for contributions with space on their electronic billboards! Many thanks go to two contributors, Crown Cleaners and Mr. Bubbles Laundromat, who provided their services to clean some high quality, but not quite presentable items.

Twenty locations hosted our blue donation barrels in Douglas County: COD Casino, DST Coffee, Round Table Pizza, The Grill Next Door, Tractor Supply Co., Douglas County Senior & Community Center, Douglas County Library (both Minden and Tahoe), Double J Automotive, Brown Bear Designs, Custom Framing & Design, St. Galls Catholic Community, ABE Printing, Anytime Fitness, UPS Store, Daggett Creek Kennels, Velvet Touch Salon, Mr. Bubbles Laundromat, Crown Cleaners and FISH Family Resource Center. We had nine locations in Carson City: Carson City Senior Center, Tractor Supply Co., Carson City Library, Trader Joes, Benson Feed & Tack, Win’s Wheels, Red Wing Shoes, Guild Mortgage, and Comma Coffee. In addition, Cottage Clip & Tips in Reno and Kirkwood Mountain Resort joined in collecting.

The generosity of the people who filled barrels allowed us to provide warmth to people in crisis, very-low income families, domestic violence victims, those without permanent residences, foster children, and school kids in need. The specific organizations we gave to this year are listed on the Results flier on our webpage: www.CarsonValleySertoma.org.

Carson Valley Sertoma Club is grateful to the Douglas County and Carson City communities for their support of this meaningful project. We look forward to working with you next fall with the 2025-26 Sertoma Coat Drive.

Eileen Behr, 

Coat Drive Co-Chair (Sertoma)

Maria Mendez, 

Coat Drive Co-Chair (FISH)

A chainsaw?

Editor:

Absolutely waste, fraud and corruption need to be eliminated.

I must note however if I had a tumor that needed to be excised I would want precision surgery not removal with a sledgehammer. 

Or chainsaw.

Jan Armstrong 

Gardnerville

Ukraine meeting disrespectful

Editor:

I have never felt more ashamed and embarrassed to be a U.S. citizen then I was today seeing how disrespectful Trump and Vance were to President Zelensky. I wrote these words Feb. 28, after watching in horror the video of Trump and Vance attacking President Zelensky and doing everything possible to degrade and embarrass him.  Not only did it cement the disdain for Trump and Vance but cemented the support around the U.S., citizens and the world to assist and defend the Ukrainians. As Americans, at least for me, we stand up against bullies.  It was a sad day in U.S. history that the U.S. became that bully who tried to usurp the money from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, oil, natural gas and any other mining of natural resources.  This was to supposedly “pay back the U.S. for it’s help.” That help was given by President Biden to Ukraine by the U.S. as grants rather then loans. It was given to not only help Ukraine against the illegal invasion of its sovereign nation by Russia, but to help fight against further Russian aggression. 

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed by Russia, Ukraine and the United States in 1994. In that treaty Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons, the third largest arsenal, for the assurances it would be protected as a sovereign country by the US, UK and Europe from assault by another country.  Well thanks trump for breaking our word to the Ukrainians. Just like the United States did with the Native Americans who we broke treaty after treaty with them.  This pathetic incident just reinforces to our allies and around the world that the United States word is not to be trusted. 

My question to all who voted for Trump and especially Republicans, is this what you voted for Trump to do?  Besides the total takedown of our federal agencies and the indiscriminate firing of federal workers, is this what you voted for?  What would you say to the Ukrainians face after this horrible takedown of their President?  For that matter, what would you say to those federal workers who have lost everything because of trump’s greed, but that’s for another letter.

To President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people as an American citizen I am sorry and we love you and the majority of American citizens support you

Maggie Chevallier

Gardnerville