Letters to the editor March 7

Amtrak derailment

After reading the Feb. 22 paper, I find it interesting that reporting on the conclusion of the investigation into the Amtrak derailment in Montana 17 months ago is relegated to page A5, only partly above the fold.

Perhaps the news is too old to vie for front-page news, but I do believe the feature on the value of internships and apprenticeships could have stayed on the front page with an earlier jump. The accident killed three and seriously injured two others because a bent track worsened whenever a freight train passed over, damage that could only be glimpsed seconds before beginning the turn.

And (shall wonders never cease?), next to that on page A5 is the report of how the Mormon church is being fined a mere $5 million for hiding $32 billion in assets over a 22-year period. Some $100 billion, intended for charities, allegedly went instead to shell companies to invest in real estate and insurance business.

I don’t think anything more need be said. Except it might be interesting to find out what members of the church who tithe think about the issue.

— Lenny Granger, Columbia Falls