The family of Gerald A. Newman wishes to thank Drs. Gunderman and Melink for their tender loving care; Thompson Funeral Home for efficient service; pastor Ken Woleab for comforting words; and Beverly Grover and Cindy Eigel for beautiful music.

To Mr. Meade and Mr. Strickland, I wish there were more people out there like you, like my neighbors, Dawn and Mick Smith, who would do anything for you, too. Again, thank you, God bless you, and I hope others learn from your example and not wait until it's too late to tell you how much we do appreciate you.

To the Editor:

     I have been told lately that there is a possibility of discrimination against those who have opposed the fire inspections.  I had an online version that citizens could electronically sign.  I have since disabled it to hopefully stop this persecution.  I have made backups of all the online elements and copies if litigation were ever needed.

Many of us vote for all the wrong reasons. We vote because he/she's a Democrat. We vote because he/she's a Republican. We vote because someone else said he was a good guy, because he's cute, because of his last name, his race, his/her gender. Very few vote because we truly understand the issues and where our politician stands.

At a recent budget hearing before city council, Kirby Ellison made accusations regarding unencumbered balances not matching up from one report to another. There is no reason why these numbers should match - unless they are photocopies of the same report.

At one time our values were what united us: we were united in principles and purpose. We believed that the purpose of government was to provide freedom from foreign powers, to protect us from oppression by our own government through a heavy tax burden or unnecessary restrictions, to facilitate prosperity though economy conducive to the free market, to protect the sanctity of all human life, and to grant us the right to pursue happiness by interfering as little as possible in our lives.

As president of Hillsboro City Council, I am the chief administrative head of the legislative branch of our local government, just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives is in the House and the President of the Senate is in the Senate. The job of City Council is to pass laws to protect the public interest and to appropriate the funds that the City of Hillsboro is entrusted with by the taxpayers.

On Aug. 25, the Highland County Community Action Organization, Inc. will be holding our annual golf outing at Buckeye Hills Country Club with all proceeds going back to the organization to help support the numerous individuals and families we serve.

Our history, and your history intersect. Hillsboro, New Mexico is like Hillsboro, Ohio; the land has the same lay. Lore has it that our Hillsboro was named by a miner in 1877 by the name of Joe Yankie, who hailed from Hillsboro, Ohio.

A lot has been said about the city's recent tax budget hearing. For all the grandstanding theatrics that were involved, it served no useful purpose. For the record, I met with Ms. Ellison and Mr. Holt and they left my office understanding that nothing untoward had occurred regarding the budget. Whether or not that message was given to Mayor Zink I cannot say.

As residents of the Enchanted Hills Association, we would like to comment on a recent opinion.

We have a county commissioner election race between incumbent Gary Heaton and challenger Jeremy Shaffer. This is where YOU get your voice in your government. Your vote really DOES make a difference at this level.

My family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mayor of Lynchburg, Village Council, Historical Society, Parks and Recreation, Lynchburg Joint Fire Department, Vilvens and Son Contractors, and all those who helped with the success of the 2nd annual block party and dedication of the Williams and Pfister baseball fields.

We really need to clean house on both sides of the aisle, become more aware of what our public officials are doing and hold them accountable for their actions.