Letters to the Editor: Aug. 26, 2026

Abuse of taxpayer dollars for campaign mailings

I received this mailing today from Rep. Lisa McClain. 

Though I know that legislators are allowed to send informational reports to constituents at taxpayer expense, this piece from Lisa McClain, so close to the election, with blatant campaign slogans, is beyond the pale. 

It should be made an example of flagrant cheating behavior. 

Most taxpayers in either party would understand how outrageous this is.

Fred Fuller
Yale

New school year, same commitment to our community

The first day of school is nearly upon us, marking the end of summer break. That doesn’t mean that the fun is over. 

Kids will reunite with friends they haven’t seen for months, school workers will see again the children they consider their own, and parents will get a little break from the constant attention their little ones want. Outside of our personal families, there is a lot to look forward to as well — we have the fall dinners coming up! 

There are few things better than spending time talking with friends while we fill our bellies with some of the best food you could hope for. All while knowing that your attendance helps our church and the community. 

Please note that the Ladies Auxiliary Harvest Dinner will be on Sept. 20. Jim Stanley successfully ran our Summer Raffle ticket sales again this year. This raffle is one of our best fundraisers, and sales were extremely good again this year thanks to his leadership and the help of all of the volunteers who manned the sales tables. I want to thank everyone who helped out. 

I also want to thank the great businesses that allowed us to do our work from their establishments. 

Finally, I want to thank our patrons, near and far, who purchased a ticket to help us help others. If you were wondering who won, a list of winners is provided in this newsletter.

Frank Keller’s blood drives continue on a roll. Our last drive brought in 17 life-saving

pints of blood. Frank and his helpers are doing a great job in organizing and putting on these important events so the Red Cross can continue to provide its valuable service to humanity.

The next Blood Drive will be held on Oct. 19.

Plans are underway for another Adopt-a-Highway roadside pickup on Saturday, Sept. 26. We will meet at the Father Dunn Hall parking lot at 9 a.m. before heading out, and it will be a “rain- or-shine” event. The last cleanup was a bigger-than-normal task since it had been many years since our last cleanup, so this cleanup should be a little easier. We need a few more volunteers than the seven we had last time. Remember, many hands make light work, so help out if you can.

One of my favorite parts of being in the Knights of Columbus is helping our community. 

We recently provided some of our Casey Bears to our local police and fire departments. These bears are given to small children during stressful times to help ease their minds. Also, a member of our community with MS was in dire need of a new specialized wheelchair. 

These chairs are extremely expensive, and although most of the cost is covered, the co-payment was still extremely costly. Our council unanimously voted to cover $500.00 of the cost. Every Knight should hold their head high because of the good works we can do collectively. You make me so proud!

As a final note, please be aware that there will not be a Cor meeting in September. This is due

to conflicting arrangements in Emmett. 

Thank you for all you do to support the Knights of Columbus, Fr. Patrick J. Cullinane, Council 8710.

Marshall Jowett
Grand Knight