Re: “Father of DART fighting — Forty years after campaigning for it, he still supports the vision,“ Sunday Metro story.
Kudos to Walt Humann for addressing the University Park Council about its plan to withdraw from DART. My late husband, Robert (Bob) Wilbur, was on the DART board in the early days representing Highland Park and its nearby small cities. He was instrumental in educating the cities he represented about the advantages of Dallas having a rapid transit system that included our smaller communities. He attended multiple City Council meetings and listened closely to the expressed concerns of each community.
Bob and fellow DART board members visited cities in other states that had rapid transit, and they listened to both the positives and negatives. Bob received many late-night calls after DART board meetings from people expressing their concerns, and he patiently and thoughtfully answered every question.
It is a given that public transportation is a behemoth to manage, but in a city like Dallas, with multiple suburbs and independent communities, we must support rapid transit for all.
The Park Cities is a part of a rapidly growing city, and we must look beyond our own ZIP codes to make our DART system work for everyone. Let us count the positives and support DART to be even better.
Nancy Wilbur, North Dallas
Stand by Greenland, Denmark
There is no good reason for the president to bully Greenland and Denmark, our allies, with talk of a takeover. We already have treaties that give us the ability to use Greenland for bases and defense of our country.
In 1965, as a young man visiting Denmark with my family, I discovered that the Danes celebrate the Fourth of July every year in honor of the United States.
Danish and American state flags fly together at an outdoor festival in Rebild National Park. There are speakers from both nations, patriotic music and a ceremony of thanksgiving and remembrance.
These celebrations began after World War II to thank all Americans for their sacrifices and friendship during the war. It continues today.
Denmark has come to our aid in conflicts since then, even helping us with a sanctioned tanker in the Atlantic recently.
Greenlanders and Danes have been our friends and loyal allies for many years. We should let friendly nations know that we value them and stand by them, not threaten or insult them with takeover talk.
Peter Lutken, Dallas
PE already more than games
Re: “We must build a better paradigm for PE — Classes should better equip students for lifelong wellness, not just sports,” by Patrick Whalen, Sunday Opinion.
I take some exception to Whalen’s column stating that we need to build a better paradigm for PE.
A good physical education teacher emphasizes the importance of good health, regular exercise and a lifelong strong body. They just don’t roll out the balls.
I agree that’s just as important as students learning reading, writing and arithmetic in the classroom. And there are plenty of good PE teachers in elementary schools. I taught elementary PE for 14 years. I had a runner’s club, a regular daily exercise routine, food plate discussions, importance of portion size and even showed students how to do hands only CPR along with the correct use of a defibrillator.
Don’t lump shortcomings everywhere. I believe high school is where “the ball is dropped.” School districts require fewer PE credits for graduation and in most cases, balls just seem to be rolled out there.
And while we’re at it, my students learned the importance of good sportsmanship and following the Golden Rule. A poster requiring the Ten Commandments was never necessary.
Dan Schimek, Arlington
Story ignores arrests
Re: “Most arrested here in ’25 had no criminal convictions — Data analysis reflects agents are no longer going after ‘the worst of the worst,’” Sunday news story.
An interesting display of selecting a “fact” to tell the story you want to tell — while ignoring the real story.
The lead part of the story seemingly depicts a miscarriage of justice. However, the story bears no resemblance to a complete story. It ignores those who were arrested who had outstanding warrants for felonies, or those who had been indicted, but not yet gone to trial to be convicted.
The fact that ICE targets immigrants does not create a shield for those who are in fact engaged in criminal activities well beyond their simple presence in the United States.
Those who are criminals deserve no protection. Save your moral indignation for those who deserve it. The concept of a sanctuary city or state in which all criminals are insulated from justice, no matter the nature of their crime, is illogical in a nation of laws and affords no protection to its citizens.
Law enforcement officers all deserve our respect and support. They put their lives at risk to protect us and our right to live peacefully.
Carl Amond, Southlake
Fair wages for all
Re: “Texas clings to $7.25 an hour,” by Jacqueline Grote, Sunday Letters.
I completely agree with this letter decrying a non-livable wage. Perhaps it is one of our Legislature’s strategies to bring businesses to a state where they do not have to pay their employees a living wage.
Another area where our tax dollars are subsidizing big business is when employees are not allowed to work enough hours to qualify for benefits. I have been told that some workers at a major chain store are only allowed to work just below full-time hours. This makes them ineligible for health insurance, 401(k), Health Savings Accounts, etc. They are forced to use the emergency room for medical care, SNAP for food and other social services.
The state and businesses should pay a fair wage and not use our tax dollars as the safety net.
Virginia Jentsch, Arlington