Appreciates article on Lyme disease

Thank you for your article on Lyme disease (June 21). You do your readers a great service by reporting about the large medical burden of the disease on Lyme patients and the few doctors who are dedicated enough to learn about it and treat it appropriately. Given that three quarters of California counties have had ticks test positive for Lyme, Lyme could be a hidden epidemic in a state where large portions of people spend lots of time in the great outdoors.

Wendy Adams

(No address given)

Right diagnosis makes all the difference

Kudos to you for your article on lyme disease. If I had seen this article five years ago, I might have been able to save my daughter from having to drop out of school from chronic illness.

It took thousands of dollars spent on misdiagnoses before we finally discovered she didn’t have psychological problems - like the frustrated specialists told us.

She’s doing better now - the right diagnosis makes a lot of difference.

Susan Steiner

(No address given)

Children’s programming endangered

Save “Sesame Street!” I’ve heard this so many times that when I got the e-mail I thought it was Internet spam. But, once again, Congress is threatening to end funding for PBS and National Public Radio. Under pressure, Congress restored some funding for this year, but voted to eliminate all funding in two years. Unbelievably, the cuts start by terminating support for commercial-free children’s shows like “Sesame Street,” “Clifford” and “Maya and Miguel.”

I encourage anyone in the community who prefers thorough news reports to morning shock jockeys for their commute time listening, or anyone who wants their children to watch “Dragon Tales” or “Bear in the Big Blue House” commercial-free, to write to U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and let them know how important you feel this is.

Katie Roper

Los Altos Hills

False statements about athlete

Our son, Joe, was recently featured in a Town Crier article (May 24) regarding a confrontation with his baseball coach, Ray McDonald. The article contained several false statements and pertinent omissions.

Originally, we submitted a letter detailing the false information and omissions, but it surpassed the word limit for publication. Today we submit a new letter.

Pete Borello crafted the article based on the premise that Joe and his coach simply suffered a personality conflict. Events before and since have clearly proved that premise false. Unfortunately, Borello isolated quotes, ignored facts at his disposal and fashioned the information for the primary purpose of supporting his premise.

By the time the article was published, Mountain View High School had already severed its ties with McDonald and begun what is an ongoing investigation of the coach involving multiple reports of abusive behavior involving both players and parents.

McDonald was not allowed to attend the Sports Awards Night at Mountain View and will not be allowed to coach at the school again. The administration plans to make a public statement regarding McDonald at the conclusion of its investigation.

At the same time, MVHS Principal Keith Moody and Athletic Director Dan Navarro were both notified by the director of the All-American Baseball Game following the incident to offer character references for our son who was selected as an All-American for 2006.

Both Moody and Navarro told the director that they had no hesitation in recommending Joe as an All-American and that the school had severed all ties with McDonald. These facts alone reveal the lack of credibility in Borello’s story.

It is unfortunate that this newspaper allows enough space to slander a young man using false information, but cannot spare the space to set the record straight.

Grant and Donna Hatasaki

Los Altos

Editor’s note: There was no preconceived premise on our part. The story was an accurate, balanced account of the incident that included responses from the Hatasakis.

Delighted to see article on Global Funds

Your article on Global Funds for Women (June 14) was a reminder that a world outside our protected garden hedges exists on this very same planet. I use the word “reminder” because the concept of a floating school in Bangladesh and a railway platform school in India is not alien to me.

I grew up in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, where I was exposed to a variety of social dilemmas. I was delighted to see the issue of women and children, especially the education of both, once more brought to light via the Global Fund For Women and printed in your newspaper for our community.

Mariam Ispahani

Los Altos Hills

Add this history to St. Francis story

I just read your article on St. Francis High School (May 24). Our congratulations to them, as we had two children who graduated from St. Francis.

But in your article you forgot to mention how the brothers of Holy Cross were able to obtain the land. Did you know that Father Doyle, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mountain View, was instrumental in the land purchase? He also helped the sisters buy the land for Holy Cross High School for girls on Miramonte. Also, the first class that was held in the “quonset hut” was the first kindergarten class at St. Joseph Mountain View.

Mrs. Del Carlo

Mountain View