There’s still a store that sparkles in Cornersburg

There’s still a store that sparkles in Cornersburg

EDITOR:

I have been reading with interest about the closing of the Giant Eagle market in Cornersburg and the efforts made by Mayor Jay Williams and his staff to keep it open.

I can’t help to wonder why the mayor isn’t looking around to see that another grocery store exists just a few blocks away. A grocery store with deep roots in this Valley and owned by a Valley resident. A store certainly prepared to handle whatever grocery needs the residents of Cornersburg and the surrounding areas have.

The owners of this Cornersburg Sparkle Market have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrading and expanding this store. They’ve sponsored a police substation in donated rental space to help keep the crime out of Cornersburg. These are hard working owners constantly thinking about what they can do for the customer, even with the obstacles of rising prices and expenses. It cannot be easy to own a grocery store in this time of uncertainty so I applaud Vince Furrie Jr. for staying the course. The Furrie family has represented the grocery industry well in Youngstown since 1947 and while “fuel perks” might work for an out of state chain, fair prices, knowing their customers and having “an owner in the store” should count for something from the Youngstown mayor and his staff.

Perhaps Mayor and Mrs. Williams should be visiting the Cornersburg Sparkle. Perhaps this owner should be recognized for his commitment to not only this neighborhood but the city of Youngstown. Shouldn’t the mayor encourage the residents of Cornersburg to patronize this local small business rather than championing online petitions to retain a business that clearly wants to leave? Mayor Williams, thank Giant Eagle for their years of service and time here then politely bid them farewell.

JAMES DeCAPUA

Youngstown

Will we never learn?

EDITOR:

Herbert Hoover proclaimed, shortly before the Great Depression, “Prosperity is just around the corner.” Shortly after the 1973-1975 Arab oil embargo, Jimmy Carter warned the nation, “We must solve our energy crisis and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The alternative could be catastrophic.” Well, we had the Great Depression, and we did not solve our energy crisis. Gas was about 45 cents a gallon in 1977 when Carter was elected president. Today it is nearly 10 times that. In 1977, 26 percent of our oil consumption was imported. Today we import 60 percent.

Somehow, America exited the 20th century as the most powerful nation on earth, and leader of the free world. America was tested in many ways during the 20th century. Two world wars, regional wars with Korea and Vietnam, and other conflicts with enemies at home and abroad. Terrorist attacks, the Depression, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and fires, only served to strengthen the resolve of the American people. The industrial revolution in the United States enabled America to accumulate unprecedented wealth and power. Our democratic way of life was the envy of the world, and emulated worldwide.

Now we are fighting two regional wars. We are no longer the envy of the world. Our elected leaders have put their own interest and their respective party’s interest before the interest of America and its people. As Lee Iacocca said, “leaders need to lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.” We do not have to put up with the political prostitutes of either party who pander to special interest groups, or their respective parties. We are in an energy crisis that has been 30 years in the making. Our continued dependence on foreign oil has the potential to do what two world wars and the Depression could not do, bring this great and powerful country that we love to its economic knees.

The Mid-East Oil Producing and Exporting Countries known as “OPEC” were responsible for the 1973/1975 oil embargo. Then, as now, the OPEC cartel more than quintupled the price of a barrel of oil and reduced exports to the United States and much of the West.

Five presidents and 30 years later and we still do not have an energy policy that will lessen our dependence on foreign oil. What can we do? First, conservation. We must also elect leaders who talk less and do more and have the will to resist pandering to special interests. Those who ignore the opinions of the majority should not get our vote.

All options to limit our dependence on foreign oil must be on the table. The antiquated ban on drilling in the Arctic and off our shores must be rescinded. The development of alternative energy sources should be put on the fast track. We cannot allow a temporary dip in the price of oil or gasoline to lessen our resolve.

BILL MALONE

Struthers

Mill Creek is the model for what parks should be

EDITOR:

Early one very misty June morning, I encountered three denizens of “another world” on the side of the small sledding hill that rises just to the east of the Lily Pond in Mill Creek Park.

No, they weren’t aliens from outer space but rather very large female snapping turtles busily digging holes in the hillside’s soft earth with their clawed rear legs in order to lay their eggs. I was amazed that the turtles, prodded by their instinct to reproduce, had been able to climb so high above and beyond the pond where they resided.

(Unfortunately, a few days later, their eggs lay scattered and broken, their nests having been located by hungry raccoons.)

The Lily Pond is, of course, quite close to the beautiful Fellows Riverside Gardens, where not long ago my wife and I encountered a former Vindicator colleague resting on a bench in a small alcove, who related that, moments before, a fawn had walked by.

Such vignettes of nature are just the icing on the cake in a marvelous park where so many enjoy their favorite pastimes, be they jogging, biking, hiking, boating, cross- country skiing, golf, or just picnicking.

It is my appreciation for Mill Creek Park and all that it offers that makes me firmly believe that Girard and Trumbull County ought to do all that they can to preserve the Girard Lakes area with the thought that perhaps someday, that area could be developed into some semblance of Mill Creek Park.

If the lawmakers who now control the area’s future lack the imagination and foresight to move toward the creation of a park, perhaps they, in the interest of future generations, should just pass on the situation, squelching any further timbering and plans to sell land for development. Maybe a few of those in office down the line could prove to be true “stewards of the land,” not “bean counters.”

Certainly, as the price of gasoline rises, local green space will become more and more vital as fewer travel long distances for recreation.

I might add that, as a person who has lived in cities which lack even one decent park (for instance, Sandusky and Lorain in Ohio and Utica, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut) I find a place like Mill Creek Park to be a real godsend, worthy of a frequent salute to the park’s founder, Volney Rogers,

ROBERT R. STANGER

Boardman

A feather in New Castle’s cap

EDITOR:

As Youngstown State University President David Sweet noted in a June 29 Vindicator column, National Science Foundation Director Arden Bement Jr. is the highest ranking scientist in the federal government.

It should also be noted that Dr. Bement, who recently visited YSU, brings great credit to New Castle High School, from which he graduated in 1949.

LYNN SLOVONSKY

New Castle, Pa.

Why are we so negative?

EDITOR:

I cannot understand why the people of this area are so negative. The poll on June 27 states that 58 percent of the people think the Chevy Centre will fail.

Wake up, Youngstown, and start thinking positive. Good things never happen if you expect them to fail.

This applies to everything in your life. Quit complaining. Be glad you woke up in the morning and say, “This is going to be a good day.”

CATHY DESIMONE

Poland