Illegal immigrants threaten safety
by Jack Carson
In her January letter to the Takoma Voice editor, Priscilla Labovitz complains about the absence of facts pertaining to the deadly consequences of uncontrolled illegal immigration in our community. Accordingly, here are a few facts to ponder.
"Mooney" Wang, 24, Gaithersburg, murdered. Arrested: Manual Antonio Berahona, illegal alien, [alleged] MS-13 gang member
by Stacy Baker
To our many Takoma Park neighbors who put decorative pumpkins outside this fall, I would like to suggest that once the pumpkins are rotted, collapsed onto themselves, and filled with three months of rain and slimy goo, they are no longer decorative.
by Gina Guglielmo
We DC residents have had traumatic library experiences these last few years. First Georgetown library went up in smoke; then the Tenley Branch was razed, and a new library is promised by 2015. During my first few months living in Takoma, DC, it was charming to visit the quaint 1920's library to browse the stacks or pick up books sent from other branches. Is it my baleful influence on buildings holding books? The Takoma site is now encircled by a cyclone fence and a trailer stands outside until renovations are complete in the spring, some spring.
Today, I could not face the trailer again, so drove to the posh Civic Center and Library in Takoma Park, MD. After an hour of hard work, I had chosen four books ranging from Chaucer to Germaine Greer and approached the check-out desk. My eavesdropping ears had picked up a conversation while I searched: a young lady had to apply for THE special Takoma Library card, but no biggie. Jokingly I told the librarian that I owned a DC card, a Montgomery County Card but no TP card. Sign me up, I said, like the world's best sport.
To my chagrin I learned that there was a fee, ten dollars, even for old people. Well, I groused and muttered and alluded to my one-hour search, all to no avail. However, I was getting desperate for a book; the pile on my nightstand is gone. Okay, out came the Visa Card. Again I was rebuffed: they don't do credit cards. Turning on my heel, I showed that place my back and returned to the trailer where I checked out two biographies: Andrew Jackson and Cherie Blair.
The above choices prove how easy I am to please and how broad my tastes are when tested. This policy of Takoma Park's Guardians of the Books is off-putting to say the least and incomprehensible. Even Savonarola would have taken my credit card!
The Purple Line could go underground
by Alan Bowser
Many of my neighbors welcome the Montgomery County Council's recent unanimous vote in support of the Purple Line, the 16-mile east-west transit system connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton. They believe that public mass transit is a critical component of our region's commuting fabric, providing many benefits for regional planning, public health, and environmental protection, and business investment.
They also believe that, to the extent possible, the Purple Line route through East Silver Spring should preserve the integrity, livability and safety of our neighborhoods.
Because of this broad sentiment, we welcome the County Council's decision to request that the Maryland Transit Administration study the feasibility of tunneling under downtown Silver Spring and our neighborhood-a study which should have been included in the MTA's Alternatives Analysis, but was not.
We appreciate the Council's sensitivity to our community's concerns.
Mr. Bowser is president of the Park Hills Civic Association.
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