Dear Editor,

Great article about our local newspaper. I will become a regular Up & Coming Weekly reader to get my news. Now maybe you need to do an expose’ on Cape Fear Valley Hospital and how they are buying up all our doctors offices. Several people that I come across are going to First Health of Moore County to avoid CFV.

Again, great story.

Best regards,

Lynn Sippel

Dear Editor,

Having worked for a year at the Fayetteville Observer, I really enjoyed reading your article on private equity media and its dismantling of small town newspapers. It’s a travesty. Thank you for bringing it to light!! It is a true shame what has happened to our local journalistic institution, the Fayetteville Observer. In the article “Eulogy of the Fourth Estate” (Up & Coming Weekly February 21) Bill Bowman, Robert Kuttner and Hildy Zenger have done a fantastic job bringing to light how private equity media companies erode and undermine communities when they purchase and dismantle local newspapers. Citizens absolutely need these local, and often long-time and family owned, newspapers to ensure journalistic integrity and to serve as a significant tie to the community. I fear, as media and journalism continues to consistently be ostracized, these large conglomerates will only exacerbate the problem. Local newspapers like Up & Coming Weekly are exceptional assets to our community and provide an amazing service to its citizens.

John Kistler

Regarding Colin Kaepernick

Dear Editor, I truly enjoyed watching Colin Kaepernick throw and run with the football in college. Under coach Chris Ault, that Wolfpack no longer needs to include their Reno location in the school’s name.

Game film from then showed Kaep to be a very respectful student of coach (and eventually) A.D. Ault.

Colin does not represent every NFL player any more than my childhood neighbor Wally Hilgenberg years before. Wally’s story is also interesting and there are articles concerning him and his death. Wally might disagree, if he could, with Colin.

As you state (in the Jan. 31 publishers pen), we all have rights to voice our opinion. Our actions can affect the opinions of others, as Colin now should realize.

Randy Steffens