To the editor:

The constituents of the Eldred Central School District should be aware that former town supervisor and current school board member Andrew Boyar’s statement relating to casino gaming impacts are not only inaccurate, but self serving and unfair to the school district he supposedly serves. His mission is to reduce any obligation that might be borne by an Indian casino because he represents one of the tribes. In fact, he met with county legislators a short time ago specifically on Indian gaming issues. Mr. Boyar had an obligation to disclose his role and recuse himself from the discussion and any ensuing vote.

A school board member takes an oath to look out for the welfare of the district and the educational needs of the students. Mr. Boyar clearly broke that oath and ought to resign immediately, especially if he plans to continue representing an Indian tribe in matters where there is a clear conflict of interest.

Bob Kunis
County Legislator District 8

To the editor:

Electricity.

What do you do without it? I found that out on July 21 and 22 when the power went out on Route 31 in Glen Spey at 7:30 p.m. The O&R crews worked all night through the worst of the storm. By 7:00 a.m. all lights were on in Glen Spey, except mine.

The call to O&R elicits no humans—only instructions to push different buttons for questions I cannot answer. I’m totally stressed and frustrated.

Why am I the only one without electricity?

So I called the municipal building and found the most helpful, wonderful, caring people. John LiGreci, Virginia Horn, Kim McCooey and Judi Busch got me through the hours of mental and physical strain. They made continuous calls to the proper authorities, helped with freezer food distribution and made sure to call and check on me. John even came to check on alternated downed lines and circuit breakers.

Being alone and handicapped can be frightening, but thanks to the compassion of those people in the business office, I survived.

Thanks again to you all and Barry Short from O&R. Don’t you wish you lived in Lumberland?

Ann Danuff
Glen Spey, NY

To the editor:

As more information about casinos is revealed, more legislators are forced to acknowledge things they never acknowledged before. Legislator Jody Goodman’s recent acknowledgment that there are as many taxpayers against gambling as for it is a case in point.

Given the recent revelations about distressing and promptly suppressed financial information about casinos and considering the fact that casino contracts were first signed and that only now are casino impact studies being reviewed and repeated, why is she still voting in favor of casinos? Is she in favor of this cart-before-the-horse way of doing business? Does she admire those who engineered this scandalous subterfuge? Or does she, as Kathy La Buda did, feel she must go along to get along? If so, she should examine what happened to LaBuda. Her vote no longer needed, La Buda was promptly pushed into irrelevance by the “casinos at any price” crew.

Wouldn’t it be inspiring, even exhilarating, if even one legislator stood up on his hind legs and used his position to broadcast that a bunch of programmed lackeys who think nothing of concealing important information from taxpayers are doing all they can to push this destructive and devastating plan for gambling upon us.

Lee Karr
Forestburgh, NY

To the editor:

We would like to thank all of the friends of St. Francis R.C. Church of Youngsville for generous support of our annual bazaar held on July 18 and 19. We were truly blessed with great workers, generous patrons and cooperative weather. With your help, our fundraiser was a record-breaking success.

Thank you again for your generosity and patronage.

The Bazaar Committee
St. Francis R.C. Church
Youngsville, NY

To the editor:

Every baby born in the U.S. undergoes some newborn screening tests, but few parents may realize that the number of disorders their baby will be screened for depends entirely on the U.S. state in which the baby is born.

The March of Dimes recommends the every newborn receive nine tests; New York State exceeds this as it screens for 12 metabolic disorders. The March of Dimes New York chapters applaud Governor George Pataki, legislators and health commissioners for recognizing newborn screening and treatment as priorities on New York’s agenda.

In 2000, the March of Dimes recommended that all babies receive screening for a minimum of nine metabolic disorders and be given a hearing test. These screenings can sometimes mean the difference between a healthy start in life and disability, or even death, for a baby. The tests recommended by the March of Dimes lead to reliable diagnosis of conditions for which there are proven treatments for a newborn’s metabolic or hearing deficiency. Expansion of newborn screening has been a March of Dimes priority for three years, and the New York chapters have worked closely with state and city government officials and health departments to increase access to these important tests.

The March of Dimes is the first national non-profit health organization to recommend that every baby born in the U.S. receive at minimum screening for the same core group of disorders. The metabolic disorders on the recommended list for screening are: phenylketonuria (PKU); congenital hypothyroidism; congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH); biotinidase deficiency; maple syrup urine disease; galactosemia; homocystinuria; sickle cell anemia; and medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency. The March of Dimes and the American Academy of Pediatrics also advise a hearing test for all newborns. New York additionally tests for sickle cell trait, HIV and cystic fibrosis.

The cost of conducting newborn screening tests is about $25 per baby, according to a recent report from the U.S. General Accounting Office. However the tragic cost of a child disabled by a genetic disorder is infinite.

The only states that screen for the nine March of Dimes-recommended list of disorders are Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Eighteen states offer five or fewer tests. Although most states have approved screening for hearing impairment, 11 states currently do not ensure that at least 90 percent of babies actually get tested.

Newborn screening is done by testing a few drops of blood, usually from a newborn’s heel, before hospital discharge. If a result is positive, the infant will usually be re-tested and given treatment as soon as possible, before becoming seriously ill from the disease.

The March of Dimes urges Congress to appropriate funds to Title XXVI of the Children’s Health Act, which would provide states with funding for newborn screening equipment, training, and public/professional education.

While we are thrilled about New York’s commitment to saving babies and their families from the tragedy of problems not caught and treated in time, the March of Dimes will continue to support quality standards and use of the newest, best available tests.

Elizabeth A. Walker, RN
Co-Chair, New York State Public Affairs Committee
March of Dimes