To the person who claimed that downtown is not the heart of the city: If you were to do a little research on the actual definition of a city heart, you would find that where city hall, courthouses, and main government offices are is in fact "the heart of the city.” I commend the business, residents, and the patrons of downtown Valdosta for not sinking into the commercial downfall of this town. If anyone cares enough to get this economy out of a recession, try shopping locally.

Seeing as the businesses that are located downtown pay a higher property tax than anyone else in this city, explain to me how spending their own tax dollars is a waste?

Go 'Cats go! What a season you've had. Coach T and players: We’ll be pulling for you tonight and are behind you 100 percent.

As a student at Valdosta High School, I do not think it is cool to see my teachers texting from cell phones to Facebook .

Congratulations to Ms. Vallye Blanton and Valwood School for the wonderful Veterans' Day program. It was an emotional and heart-felt thanks to all our military veterans. The middle school student wrote personal letters to individual veterans and invited all to come. They sang patriotic songs from all branches of the armed forces. It was great to see our children praise the veterans, many with tears in their eyes.

A solution to the long line at Lake Park School would be to take your child to the church parking lot across the street from the school and let the crossing guard escort them across the school or have a teacher help.

I wish the police officers responsible for the intersection of Mary and Williams Streets would do their job better. At any given time, especially at the end of a work day, there are people parked illegally. Makes it impossible to see without pulling out into the intersection.

Hmmmm, I smell a fish which has been on the shelf far too long. As a former DOC employee, I think the concept of records being "destroyed" as part of a SOP is a bold-faced lie. The DOC keeps multiple records of all incidents and the very idea that a "witness statement" concerning an assault of a VSP staff member has been done away with is absurd and ludicrous. Such remarks from state employees are more appropriate for places such as Iran, North Korea, and China, let alone the USA. Something is rotten. Rotten to the very core.