Dear Benton County Supervisors and Cities in Benton County, I’m a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee and a coauthor of the ABA Book, A Lawyer’s Guide to Dangerous Dog Issues.

Dear Editor, An elderly couple in Vinton took it upon themselves to clean up the landscaping area around the Vinton Library recently. They pulled every single weed by hand! I know this because it was my brother and sister-in-law, Lowell and Mary Ellen Mahr.

In Chapter 6 of the Vinton City Ordinances, under "Dangerous and Vicious Animals" number 1 on the list that is prohibited are animals like liions, tigers and bears (oh my) you also can't have jaguars, leopards, cougars, lynx, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers, wolverines, weasels, skunk, mink, raccoons, monkeys, chimpanzees, alligators, crocodiles, scorpions, snakes that are venomous, or constrictors, Gila monsters (I had to google this one, it's a venomous lizard) or bats.

Dear Editor No one is going to suggest the economy is where we want it to be right now. But it's important to keep in mind that economy is not a domestic issue - it's a global issue impacted by global events.

Dear Editor: Where are we headed?  As we look for solutions to our Nation’s problems, it is important to know who we are and where we are headed.

I have to admit that watching the weather on Tuesday night did not give me a good feeling. That sinking feeling is getting to be almost too normal in our neck of the woods.

Dear Editor,As we celebrate independence and freedom at this time of year, let's take a moment to remember all the positive things that have happened in the last 18 months.

Dear Editor:If you have not read this for a while or perhaps you have never read the beginning of this Document - thus:"In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Dear Editor: Greetings and salutations. It was an interesting discussion on the aspects of the SCOTUS decision on reversing ROE V WADE.  This was never law as some have stated as the Judiciary cannot make law but only make decisions on whether the law is constitutional or otherwise legal.

Dear Editor, So, what happened yesterday when the SCOTUS overturned Roe AND Casey?  The “AND” is important because THAT is what prompted a review of Roe.