Tour bus also needs a guide
In regard to the Seward Highway improvements planned (Aug. 3, Alaska Dispatch News), which may certainly help move traffic in the Wildlife/Portage area -- that is only part of the problem. Has anyone else ever thought it dangerous to have a person driving a huge tourist bus while trying to narrate scenery/history/stories and what-all to entertain tourists? This practice of combining jobs of driver/tour guide is illegal in many cities, states and countries.
I have personally been a tour guide in Korea and Germany with a qualified driver to manage the bus while I could concentrate on narrations. Why hasn't this been practiced or mandated in Alaska in the interest of road safety? How many tour buses do you see in a day on our roads and highways? Remember, they only have half of their attention on the traffic!
-- Betty Hunter
concerned grandmother
Anchorage
Thanks to all who helped
Hope Community Resources believes in a community where everyone is valued for their abilities, and this spirit was alive and thriving at the recent opening of the brand new Kenai Community Center on Princeton Avenue in Soldotna.
Parents, people who choose our supports and community members alike have been expressing their need for a safe space to come together to create art, hold healthy living and life-skills classes, socialize and hold community events. This dream became a reality last week, and we couldn't have done it without our dedicated community partners.
We would like to thank the MJ Murdock Foundation, the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska Mental Health Trust and the state of Alaska for giving us the building blocks to make this important space possible.
We would also like to thank the parents, businesses and community members who believed in this project and gave of their time, money and hearts. We are honored and privileged to be a part of the Kenai Peninsula family, a family who values all of its members for their unique abilities.
-- Dr. Roy Scheller
executive director
Hope Community Resources
Anchorage
Alaskans friendliness noticed
My daughter and I recently returned from our trip of a lifetime to your beautiful state. We were not only in awe of the vistas and wildlife but were grateful to see how your state tries to preserve your environment.
We were also impressed by the friendliness of all that we met in Denali, Anchorage, Palmer, Seward and Kodiak. We realize that the onset of camera-clicking, moose-jamming, and occasionally demanding tourists must be a bit annoying but never got that from anyone we met. We just wanted to say thanks and we hope to see you again.
-- Beth Wilson
Tulsa, Oklahoma
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.