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In spotlighting the scandal at Feeding Our Future, the Star Tribune correctly continues to show the need for stronger accountability of nonprofit organizations that receive taxpayer dollars ("Tighten oversight of public funds," editorial, Feb. 8). Other nonprofits like ours that tirelessly work to eradicate hunger are furious that individuals allegedly enriched themselves with public money intended to feed hungry people.

We hope one potential swindle does not become a pretext to diminish critical programs on which millions of hungry people rely. The paper has also reported a record number of visits to Minnesota food shelves in 2022, quoting sources describing the situation as a "crisis" and "shocking" ("Food shelf visits set record in 2022," Feb. 9). Rightly so. Nationally, about 10.2% of American households, and 12.5% of households with children, experienced food insecurity in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Hunger is nonpartisan: All lawmakers have food-insecure constituents. History shows that humane public policy and funding once achieved the indisputable goal of ending hunger. Bipartisan work created a federal safety net of programs that shrunk food insecurity to just 3% of Americans in the 1970s. Subsequent reversals of public policies helped create the dire straits many citizens now face. We need strengthened, not curtailed, programs and policies to solve the complicated, persistent crisis of hunger.

Nonprofits, including those doing anti-hunger work, should account for every public dollar they receive. Good nonprofits are transparent, and donors can support them with confidence.

Howard Tarkow, Minneapolis

The writer sits on the national board of directors of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

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This week's news about the closing of Aldi in north Minneapolis is another indication of haves and have-nots, racial divides and the responsibility of our local government to offer equality to all Minneapolis residents ("North Mpls. Aldi is closing," Feb. 7).

After 38 years, we recently moved from our home in south Minneapolis to an area near Interstate 494 and France Avenue.

Both of us drive and have access to the following food stores: Trader Joe's, Fresh Thyme, Whole Foods, Aldi, Cub and Target. We have learned that Kowalski's is planning on opening a store in our area next year. That's wonderful for us who have cars and public transport close by.

What about our neighbors in north Minneapolis? What percentage have cars? What are public transport options in that area? How many rely on bus, bike or shoe leather to shop?

How does our city government partner with the private sector (business, nonprofit and neighborhood coalitions) to address issues like this?

Much publicity has been given to all the work our City Council has done to increase bike lanes throughout the city for those who don't drive. How have they addressed rapid transit options for the carless as well?

What can be done in the interim to provide fresh produce, meat, dairy and household supplies to these residents? Is there a business district in that area, and if so, what are they doing to address this?

Where is the justice in all of this?

Lastly, how can we work together to spread our abundance more evenly throughout this city?

Linda Bennett-Graves, Bloomington

Many of the problems that we face today, including lack of affordable housing, urban sprawl, loneliness and declining physical and mental health, are problems of our own making. Decades of population growth combined with growing affluence have led to land shortages and zoning restrictions that raise and protect high property values, reduce affordable housing and exaggerate the division of wealth between haves and have-nots.

The Jan. 29 Star Tribune article "Hotels as a place to call home" made me wonder: Whatever happened to old-fashioned boardinghouses? These were small hotels or large houses with six or eight rooms for rent, with shared kitchen, dining, living, laundry and bathroom areas and a prepared communal meal each day. They were cost effective and provided a great self-employment opportunity. If we zoned for and encouraged and subsidized building them the way we do now for senior housing, they could keep the taxpayers out of the hotel business. More importantly, they'd provide affordable safe lodging, nutritious meals and companionship. They'd make great transitional housing for both the young and the elderly, and they'd help us meet our climate and environmental goals by consuming far less land and resources compared to single-family homes.

Let's bring them back!

Kathy Vittum, North St. Paul

I think the two entities most responsible for the Cohasset wood mill project losing in the Minnesota Appeals Court are Huber Engineered Woods and the Legislature ("Iron Range wood mill a no-go after court setback," Feb. 10). The issue is the lack of an environmental-impact statement (EIS). The need for an EIS doesn't kill a project; it provides a transparent discussion of the likely environmental challenges the project will cause and a review of realistic alternatives. If the company had just gone ahead with completing an EIS from the start, the EIS development would probably be over by now.

Apparently both the Legislature and the company were afraid that the EIS would transparently show that the environmental impacts would be much worse than the economic gain. So the company and the Legislature tried to go around the EIS process, which, ultimately, with much delay in time, didn't work. Transparency won for a change. This isn't the first time the Legislature has tried to get around environmental "challenges" they didn't like. Years ago the Legislature passed a law requiring the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to ignore the federal water-quality standard for mercury; it was a nuisance for the mining companies, so the Legislature obliged them. The Environmental Protection Agency had to step in and tell both the Legislature and the MPCA that they couldn't meddle with federal water-quality standards.

I hope the Legislature has finally learned the lesson that transparency in environmental review is both good governance and will speed the process up in the long term. I can hope, but I am doubtful, considering its history with mercury, with PolyMet and now with Huber.

Howard Markus, Woodbury

The writer is a retired research scientist with the MPCA.

The "changing nature" of orchestra musicians' work is rarely merely a "sticking point" ("Minnesota Opera Orchestra musicians authorize a strike," StarTribune.com, Jan. 27). Having your work cut by 40% with commensurate pay cuts is a sudden regressive move that creates significant financial hardship and an untenable artistic atmosphere. An orchestra sounds beautiful together when it plays together. It plays together when it works together under a healthy contract that ensures financial stability for the players and artistic integrity for the company.

As for the quote stating that the Minnesota Opera has been "responsive" to orchestra requests, I hardly think this applies when the orchestra musicians have been told that the opera is not interested in following the historical contract in any form and is thus no longer able to guarantee work to musicians, all of whom have given up other work to contribute years to a contract orchestra. One cannot suddenly throw out a contract decades in the making and be surprised when there is pushback.

Lastly, in regard to the Minnesota Opera's phrase that this is an "unnecessary step by the union": The union does represent the musicians, but it is the musicians who decide by vote that they are willing to go through the difficulties (i.e., the loss of the little work that is left) of a work strike to save a contract on which they have worked for decades with the opera to create. We need to hear more from President and General Director Ryan Taylor about the opera's "vision," one that apparently does not include an orchestra in any traditional sense. I am certain that there will be as much pushback from audiences as from the musicians.

Michele Antonello Frisch, Plymouth

The writer was principal flute in the Minnesota Opera for 40 years.