There is a growing problem in Charlottesville.
Motorists are not careful enough when it comes to pedestrians.
As a fourth-year student, I know personally multiple people who have been hit by cars.
When I first came to the University of Virginia, I thought the chances of being hit by a car were akin to the chances of being struck by lightening.
Not so.

In re: The Daily Progress’ effusive editorial on the Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facility’s move from Northern Virginia to Albemarle County (“Feds to shift jobs this way,” April 4): Don’t celebrate too soon.

In spite of The Progress gushing that “the Charlottesville area is getting a Christmas present of at least 1,000 people in well-paying jobs in 2010,” it is my understanding that most of these posts will be filled by transferring employees from Northern Virginia to here.

Channel 29 News should be applauded for airing a report on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that showed investigative reporter Lisa Ling visiting puppy mills and, with a concealed camera, exposing the truly unbelievably horrible conditions under which thousands of dogs, mostly breeding females and unwanted puppies, are kept (original air date, April 4).

The March 29 story in The Daily Progress about sniper shootings in Albemarle County (“2 arrested in snipings”) tells another sad and tragic story of a senseless act of gun violence in our state.

The entire country has again been given a glimpse on the national news of a society caught in the firm grip of a state legislature owned lock, stock and barrel by the gun lobby.

We agree completely with the excellent letter of April 9 urging the Charlottesville School Board to vote against the transfer of school land to the Virginia Department of Transportation for the Meadowbrook Parkway (“Don’t use school’s land for road,” The Daily Progress).
We have tried for years to persuade the city councilors to reject the increasingly expensive plan to carve a road through McIntire Park that will not benefit the city.

I had some time the other day to visit the SPCA at 3355 Berkmar Drive.
It is a very nice building, and the people are friendly and gracious. The place is very clean, and there are things you can buy for your pet at decent prices, but it is a sad place.
You go through the doors to the animal area.
There are many cats and dogs, and many of them are beautiful animals.

There seem to be an increasing number of fatal accidents in which the person killed was not wearing a seat belt.
This could happen to you if you choose not to wear that seat belt — for whatever reason. Perhaps the belt will wrinkle your clothes.
Please consider the indescribable pain you will cause your family and friends if you died so needlessly.

I’d like to thank The Daily Progress for bringing attention to the fact that Albemarle County is in desperate need of “soccer fields” (“Soccer fields need urgent,” April 6).
I would, however, like to take issue with the use of the words “soccer fields.”
While this may have made the local soccer organizations smile, it made those of us who have children involved in other field-related sports disappointed.

Headlines about the funding gap for U.S. 250 interchange and Meadowcreek Parkway, and the possibility of changing the design, combined with the news that more property is needed from Charlottesville High School (The Daily Progress, April 4), confirm my feeling that the parkway project is way overdesigned for the community’s genuine needs — unless, in the 40-year process from idea to design, it has been massaged from a simple improved connection between Rio Road and the U.S 250 Bypass to a first-generation Eastern Connector.

A Daily Progress story on March 26 headlined “New UVa grad center to serve as Jefferson Scholars’ base” clarifies important issues.
The graduate center design, with its four connected buildings facing a courtyard, could have easily incorporated Eugene Bradbury’s historic Compton House.

So it comes down to nine acres of land on Charlottesville High School property. In order to gain final right of way for the Meadowcreek Parkway, the Virginia Department of Transportation has asked the city School Board to donate what is now a practice field.
And thus seven people have, at least for now, the power to move the project forward or stand, as it were, in front of the bulldozers.

Recently an informed group of citizens challenged the $142 million water supply plan that local authorities have drafted in recent years. The issues are complex, but the core objection is simple.
Our water plans should start with maintaining the supply we have. We should dredge the South Fork Reservoir before we go off and create a huge dam at Ragged Mountain, lose 130 acres of parkland there, and build an expensive pipeline.

One item in my morning newspaper stood out like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds in one of those old inspirational paintings, against the necessary but often sad background of bad news about the economy, politics and crime.

It announced that Bob Gibson, longtime political writer for The Daily Progress, has been named to head the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

I would like to commend the Albemarle County Police, Virginia State Police and all the surrounding counties of law enforcement officers (too numerous to mention) who worked so diligently to apprehend the I-64 gunmen.

It’s comforting to know that we, as citizens, have that kind of protection.

In March a letter was sent to the mayor and Charlottesville City Council with heartfelt sentiment, more than about a dollar, though the dollar could cost me my home. I have not gotten a response.
I’m a very fortunate person. I had the pleasure and privilege of growing up here with the Paramount Theatre, Bibb’s Fish Market and Woolworth’s. I have been here since age 3, am 49 and have lived on the same street the last 20 years. I love this town and support it wholeheartedly.

According to TV news, the City of Charlottesville is spending $500,000 on a green roof for City Hall.
While that may be commendable from an environmental point of view, it leaves something to be desired from a taxpayer’s point of view.
If they can save $1,000 a month on heating and cooling, that will take a little over 40 years to amortize the expense and that is without counting the cost of maintenance of that green roof over 40 years.

I’m writing in response to the story on March 14 headlined “College contraception costs rising” (The Daily Progress).

This winter, Hope Community Center in the Tenth and Page neighborhood of Charlottesville has been nightly sheltering homeless men, women and children, something that the admirable People and Congregations En-gaged in Ministry program has been doing from October to March for the last three winters.
Hope was planned to be a year-round haven.

We are appalled that the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors at the last meeting voted 4-2 to increase the real estate tax by 5 cents (from 43 cents to 48 cents of $100 assessed value, more than 11 percent) and the personal property tax by 15 cents (from $3.80 to $3.85).

The recent news concerning postponement of further consideration of the so called Eastern Connector road and an experience recently have set me to churning about the wages of procrastination.

Tom Perriello, a native of Charlottesville, is a candidate for the 5th District seat in the House of Representatives now held by Virgil Goode.

Although it’s taken us more than years of living in Charlottesville, my husband and I have just discovered one of its most beautiful resources.

So it’s the old “your natural beauty or your mobility” line (Pen Park vs. the Meadowcreek Parkway).

I was disappointed, although not surprised, to learn that Rep. Virgil Goode has voted for the fifth time to deny health care to Virginia’s children.

The Daily Progress editorial commenting on the intent of the donor of artwork donated to Randolph College made sense to me.

I am 76 years old and a lifelong resident of Albemarle County.

Watkins Abbitt and his Friends sent me four large postcards.

I recently called Congressman Virgil Goode’s office to find out how he planned to vote on the State Children’s Health Insurance program.

The most important issue now for Americans has not been debated or made public by Congress or the media.

I’m still a conservative. And still proud of it.