Please let us know what you think!

Ravenna Attorney Terry Kane must think all of Portage County is a bunch of naive idiots. Former Mayor Jones deserves every bit of his punishment in jail, and the harsh environment in which Jones lives, as explained by Kane, is outrageous and a sure stretch. And, Kane's argument that celebrities get off easy with similar crimes is poor support for relieving Jones of his jail time. Celebrities committing similar crimes should be punished harshly, too, and the judicial process that let the celebrities off easy should take a note from the one that punished Jones.

The state of our world environment and the threat of global warming are at a point deserving the most serious attention by our national leaders. For those sharing a high degree of concern about the environment but might be considering voting for Senator McCain March 4 and in November, a report by the League of Conservation Voters should cause you to pause. They found that Senator McCain had a score of zero on the 2007 National Environmental Scorecard. McCain was the only senator to skip all 15 crucial environmental votes scored by the League for 2007. Moreover, he has a lifetime LCV score of only 24, a history of siding with the polluters and special interests, and a consistent pattern of ducking important environmental votes.

If the air you breath, the water your drink, and the coastal resorts you like to visit are important to you, please consider casting your vote for someone other than Senator McCain.

Edwin Bixenstine
407 Wilson Ave.
Kent, Ohio 44240
3306736992

While Senator Barack Obama's message of hope and possibilities is refreshing the truth is - Washington is not "broke" it just needs someone in the President's office who knows how it works and I do not mean in the so called "old boy-back room" fashion. Much of Obama's appeal is based on the failure of the Bush Administration to make government work for and with Americans. The Senator from Illinois has a plan for this and a program for that and says that if we believe it should be then it can be done.
As most are aware once the Obama plans and ideas would be put into legislation form they would face the "gauntlet" that is Congressional Committees and it seems likely many would emerge different then presented, not to mention the added "pork" some would see fit to add. So essentially electing Obama would be akin to electing 536 (members of House and Senate) Presidents rather then one.
Certainly the proposals of Senator Clinton would face the same challenges, but I believe that having spent eight years behind the scenes, so to speak, during her husband's Presidency has perhaps given here a better perspective of such debate and the give and take necessary to make Washington work right.

Be careful folks! These guys are slick. BE sure to ask them about there
"money back guarantees". What a joke. They overcharge you end over end.

The owner John Prusa is a Stow resident and has the nerve to take advantage
of his own community. What a shame -- and a sham.

I had them for one season and spent alot of money for nothing.

4272 Hudson Drive
Stow, OH
330-920-4400

Every time I watch and listen to the local news on television these days, I hear another sound floating up from somewhere behind the smiling faces of the talking heads.

I finally figured out what it is. It's the sound of my old journalism school professors turning over in their graves.

When I graduated from the Kent State University School of Journalism (now the School of Journalism and Communications) in 1977, I left with a number of venerable old catch phrases firmly embedded in my memory, perfectly positioned to help guide my writing and my news judgment.

One of the more interesting was this: "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em. Then tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you told 'em." The point was, of course, to always make sure that your readers get the point.

Here was another, intended to provide simple guidance on the use of commas: "When in doubt, leave it out." I'm sure that one has served generations of reporters and freelancers well. Obviously, I've never forgotten it.

But perhaps the best-known of all to the legions of would-be Woodwards and Bernsteins who overpopulated the nation's J-schools in the post-Watergate era was this nifty bromide: "Remember, "Dog Bites Man' is not news. "Man bites dog," now that's news."

That one came back to mind the other day as I was listening to the "news" anchors on Fox 8 filling us in breathlessly on the latest doings on Fox's "American Idol" TV show. They gave us that critically important, need-to-know information just a few moments after informing us that at least two people had drowned in severe flooding in Missouri, and another college coed with a bright future had turned up missing.

Back in the day, the Federal Communications Commission had regulations strictly limiting the number of TV stations and other media outlets (in those days, that meant radio stations and newspapers) that a single individual or corporate entity could own, both in any one market and nationwide. The purpose behind those regulations was to insure that there would be a number of different and (hopefully) independent voices in each market. That way, no one could become the single arbiter of what constituted news, and no one voice could hold too much sway over public opinion.

In this day of instant global communications and the universal reach of the Internet, when consolidation has become the driving force in the media as in almost every other industry, it seems to me that we need those barriers more than ever. Yet a few years ago, the FCC in its curious wisdom saw fit to tear down those regulatory fences that kept certain individuals and groups with their own agendas from controlling the minds of the masses.

When Fox News or any other network (they all do it) tells the local boys to "report" the happenings on its most popular TV show as if they were actual news, just like murder and natural disasters and politics, more than just free advertising is going on. The public is also being subtly conditioned to regard fantasy as being just as important as reality.

That's scary, in my view. And I can hear the voices of my old professors agreeing with me.

To Whom It May Concern,

I was absolutely mortified and sickened to see the photograph of Eight Belles with her ankles snapped in the Record Courier. What will you publish next, photographs of car accident victims? Please, have some compassion, use your brain (if you have one) when selecting photographs to publish! That was totally uncalled for, something your readers did not need to see, and it served no purpose whatsoever!

Please do not apologize, or reply with an attempt at a reason, because there is no excuse for publishing that photograph!

If you continue to use poor taste, I will cancel my long-time subscription to the paper. This is not a threat, it is a promise!

Stephanie Rummel

I wanted to put out a big THANK YOU to the Randolph Community Foundation for the "Miles for Mitchen's" event held this past Sunday for our son. The weather was cooperative (for the most part) and there was a good turn out. Those of us who played euchre were wishing for some gloves !

Linda Mitchen
Ravenna Ohio

I think the least the Record Courier could do is publish all of the winners of the separate races. A lot of others should be recognized for their efforts. Please be the local newspaper that you were and publish all of the winners.
Thank you.