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My son and 12-year-old grandson stopped by, and we went down to the storage room, where I pulled out a large tub filled with lots of memorabilia.

There were pictures of me and my late husband when we were children, and there was lots of memorabilia of our two children from when they were in school and other adventures of their lives while growing up. There was a box of letters from our son when he was in the Navy during Desert Storm. He was on the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier and actually bombing from the Red Sea. My husband and I were glued to CNN during that time, and we were both frightened and feeling anxious worrying about what was happening. The letters were very important to us.

When my son and I saw the box of letters, I told my grandson that these were letters from his dad while in the Navy, and he got so excited to see them. But then he opened one and said, "I can't read that!" I felt so bad and also a bit angry because he cannot read nor write in cursive. It is not in the curriculum anymore.

There were also letters in the tub from his grandfather that he will never be able to read. What a tragedy this is! How about grandparents' journals or diaries or family members who have written things about parents, grandparents or other family members? History of our families may be lost forever.

Cursive isn't the only thing not being taught in our schools anymore, and given where U.S. students rank in the world, maybe it's time to put some of basics back into the curriculum, like reading, writing and arithmetic.

Dora Fitzgerald, Prior Lake

As a young resident of the Third Ward in St. Paul, one of my top concerns is housing affordability. At 24 years old, I have lived in the ward for all but four years for college, yet I find myself increasingly priced out of the neighborhood I grew up in. Voters across the city share that concern, which led to the passage of the rent stabilization measure.

Despite this wide democratic support, I was frustrated by the decision of the City Council to dramatically water down the measure. This year's City Council elections provide a fantastic opportunity to support the overwhelming public sentiment of creating affordable housing for all.

Throughout her campaign, Saura Jost has left me impressed with her support for comprehensive renters' rights, but also her willingness to listen to the concerns of voters in the ward and spend the time with the data to work with City Council to implement the goal of safe, affordable housing for all in St. Paul. Saura is unequivocal in her commitment to accountability to her constituents. For a council member who supports an affordable home for all and puts voters above big-business interests, I will be voting for Saura Jost and encourage other Third Ward residents to do the same.

Patrick Verner, St. Paul

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I'm a longtime Highland Park resident and rent retail space to several small businesses. Like many others, I have strong concerns about the direction of St. Paul and am looking for someone to work on essential city services and just bring a balanced approach to the city.

Many of the retail businesses I rent to have strong concerns about public safety. Issues with people trying to break into properties, theft, and threatening customers and employees are common. These issues are also common for other business owners, who have experienced fights and people using drugs in their restrooms.

We need a candidate who puts the concerns of residents and businesses first and foremost, and that candidate is Isaac Russell. He knows we can't defund our police. We need someone who will focus on our issues and not be part of an ideologically aligned slate of candidates. Independent thought matters, and not all Democrats agree on all things.

I don't agree with Isaac on everything, but that isn't what I'm looking for. I want someone who will take issues we all care about and try to move us forward together.

Joe Hughes, St. Paul

In a recent editorial ("All hands needed to return kids to school," Sept. 30), I noted intrinsic bias of the editorial writer(s) in the first few sentences: "School staff must use extra efforts to get students back in the classrooms. And families and communities must also get involved … ." (Italics mine.)

"Must also?" Huh? Families must be the primary advocates of school. What can "school staff" do if the kids aren't there? Why was school staff mentioned first? Why did parental responsibility come second?

I think it's because newspapers have unfortunately accepted the nanny state as the way forward.

Parents: We must get our kids to school if we want them to have chance.

Jack Priest, Minneapolis

Was it purposeful, or merely ironic, that the Oct. 4 Star Tribune editors placed the photo of a dog who had just been blessed along with other assorted animals ("All creatures great and small") directly above a photo of a majestic elk shot to death ("Minnesota boy, 13, drops massive 1,000-pound bull elk") by someone too young to grasp the meaning.

One person brought her beloved animal to church for a life-affirming ritual, while another person experienced the power of life-taking domination. The beautiful and unfortunate elk whose life was taken is now destined to "go on a wall" as a trophy — killed, not blessed.

Robert and Christine Lewis, Minneapolis

As an avid canner (actually, "pickler"), I read the Oct. 2 Business article "Can you can? Yes, you can!" with much interest. While there was much good information there, the article missed an important and valuable suggestion for those who still have produce left over after filling their jars: Donate your produce to your local food shelf. Donations of produce from places like supermarkets are down. Locally grown produce will be eaten immediately — that is certain. All you need to do is search for "food shelf" in your area, and your neighbors in need will thank you!

Doris Rubenstein, Richfield

Republicans say government doesn't work. Then they get elected and prove it.

David Pederson, Excelsior