Justice denied

So sad (“Hunt for justice,” Jan. 14). Who would do this to a child? And take away this young man’s life? I pray that he finally gets his freedom.

Smackie Ellerbe via indyweek.com

Stand up to Duke Energy

When I saw the headline “A legal maneuver could absolve Duke Energy of its responsibility for coal ash dumps,” (Dec. 17), I was appalled. It disgusts me to see how Duke Energy is not even willing to take responsibility for the coal ash if it makes their paycheck smaller. It worries me what world my generation will be left with if Duke Energy does not stop this.

The lasting effects that these coal ash dumps pose are alarming. Coal ash is the toxic remains of coal burning in power plants, and it is full of chemicals that cause cancer, developmental disorders and reproductive problems. It poisons our water and kills fish and wildlife. I urge readers to take a stand by donating or joining organizations like NC WARN and NC Conservation Network that we as a community will not stand for this kind of disregard for the environment and the people who will have to live with the coal ash. Take a stand against Duke Energy.

Isak Atkins-Pearcy, Durham

The writer is a freshman at Carolina Friends School.

Humor is the best medicine

Thank you for the great “Help Wanted” spoof on page 10 of the Dec. 31, 2014, issue. I laughed out loud as I read it. It is a very clever piece.

Elizabeth Oxley, Raleigh

Dangerous playgrounds

Enjoyed your story! (“Let us praise dangerous playgrounds,” Jan. 2.) I have had a long interest in creative children’s playgrounds and in how to strike a balance between safety and challenging kids on a playground. Lady Allen of Hurtwood (love the name!) was once quoted as saying: “Better a broken arm than a broken spirit.” Lady Allen got a lot of her ideas from the “Adventure Playgrounds” that were established in the many vacant lots of post-World War II London. David Danehower, via indyweek.com

Great piece: wonderful writing and fantastic images. So glad to read it.

Susan G. Solomon, Princeton, New Jersey

The writer is th author of The Science of Play.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on the editor’s blog. We have reprinted it on page 12.

No tie between KKK, tea party

Bob Geary apparently abused the privilege of an advance look at a new documentary series for the sake of conflating the Ku Klux Klan with the tea party. Unfortunately, his assertion that those two groups are similar never rises to the level of an actual argument. Did he really mean to suggest that the desire for limited (that is to say, constitutional) government is racist?

True to form, Geary also ignores the grass roots nature of tea party conservatism to mutter again about how the Koch Brothers spend their money, without noting that he and his fellow “progressives” have sugar daddies of their own, not least among them George Soros.

Patrick O’Hannigan, Morrisville