Readers’ Column for the week October 28, 2018

You may call the Owego Pennysaver Readers’ Column at (607) 687-2378 24-hours a day, or e-mail comments to readerscolumn@stny.rr.com. We reserve the right to revise or reject any message. 

What is happening to the Oakdale Mall is very depressing. Not everybody likes to shop online. We like to get out, where are the department stores? The lady with the idea of making it an outlet mall had a great idea! I’m hoping for better days with the Oakdale Mall.

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I just wanted to see what the story is on the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. I was just looking on the map and it looks like there’s a whole bunch of it across the river on the south side. That’s not really downtown. It also is a possible home of a few IDA projects. I was just wondering if that’s a coincidence. 

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I was reading the Pennysaver this week and I cannot believe the person who wrote about the therapy dog spreading a super bug. Number one, those people need those dogs. They have a right to take their dogs wherever they need to go because some people cannot survive without them. I know because my grand baby and my son-in-law both have to have service dogs. Can you imagine going through life and not being able to even go anywhere outside your house without your dog? Well let me tell you, it is not the dogs that are spreading the super bugs, it’s the people. They might not wash their hands after they go to the bathroom and they might touch your food, it’s not the dogs. It’s people, so think about it and stop being so cruel. God bless, have a good day!

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I was just commenting to the caller who indicated that low income housing in the village would bring drug problems. That is extremely stereotypical and we need to start thinking about how a family who doesn’t have the income to afford $900 to $1,500 a month rent doesn’t necessarily mean that they are drug dealers, they are simply just trying to find safe affordable housing for their families. Stop being so stereotypical. `

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You will be blessed by God if you keep God’s Sabbath. Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday.

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Great news! Military veterans and their spouses can get a free defensive driving course. Call Cormack Hogan at (607) 321-0356 for information Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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I would like to see some affordable apartment complexes, even some communities for 55-plus senior citizens. They would fill up fast!

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I noticed last week somebody had an entry in the Pennysaver saying they didn’t want low-income housing to come to the Owego area because it would invite drug use. This is to inform you that middle class people and rich people also use drugs. Are you looking to keep them out as well? 

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Thank you to Jeff Gural and John and Mike from the Tioga Veterans Service Agency for showcasing the Veterans Information Fair at Tioga Downs on Oct. 23. It was informative, friendly and supportive. We were pleasantly surprised at some of the newest services that we learned about. Veterans, if you missed this one, plan to attend in the future you won’t be sorry!

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Regarding what can and cannot be recycled in Tioga County – here is more information. You can recycle metals lids on glass jars, but not plastic lids on glass jars. Also, you can recycle plastic flowerpots at Lowe’s and plastic bags at Kohl’s near the service department. 

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If there is a code enforcement officer out there for the Tioga Center area you can make your yearly quota by visiting Dubois Road, which is off Halsey Valley Road. It’s time for a cleanup of old trucks, boats, RVs, and junk. It’s been like this for a number of years. Check it out. 

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“Whether nature and God are the same — which is my bet — may be open to debate, but I think there is more common ground between creationists and evolutionists than we think, so long as we recognize that the complexity of the universe exceeds our ability to understand it.” Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Save the World

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Hopefully when this is printed we will have had a DEEP Freeze, as West Nile Virus has been reported by the Tioga County Public Health Department in Tioga County. West Nile Virus has not been ruled out as a virus that may also be causing a polio like illness, as is Acute Flaccid Myeliti (AFM). Doctors at the national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia just don’t know yet which virus causes the rare condition and is similar to polio, causing muscle weakness or partial paralysis. Doctors working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 62 confirmed cases of AFM in 22 states, and 93 possible cases. Get yourself informed on how to avoid exposure to mosquito bites carrying an illness – be it West Nile or AFM. Use mosquito prevention protocols. Better safe than sorry.

Note from the Editor: Due to the upcoming General Election, any comments that are political in nature have been removed this week and will continue to be omitted until the publication immediately following the Nov. 6 election. You can read our political policy by clicking here.