Outrage over accident

While this young woman made a horrible mistake that resulted in the tragic death of a Lake Highlands student [“Police arrest driver involved in Riley Rawlins’ death,” Lake Highlands Advocate blog, Feb. 3] she should be subject to punishment for the crime but receive less punishment than the offenders of similar tragic events who choose to continue driving (as those did in the tragic hit and run death of Andrew Green back in the fall) rather than responsibly stop and admit to their crime. Otherwise, it just incentivizes drivers to drive on rather than stop and render aid or admit to their error.

—LH fan

No license and no insurance. Speeding and not calling 911. I have no compassion for this young woman.

—Katha Black

Although I have tremendous sympathy for the Rawlins family, this young woman is a kid also. She made a terrible mistake that will haunt her the rest of her life. All of our kids at some point drive too fast and fail to pay attention as they should. They never expect anything like this could happen to them. It’s a tragic accident, no doubt. But that’s what it was — an accident. Just thank God it wasn’t your kid behind the wheel.

—LH Parent

I know my children would not have been out driving without a license or insurance. Her blatant disregard for the law, her careless and dangerous driving, and arrogance following her crime is inexcusable. It was not just an accident, but careless, blatant disregard for the privilege of driving a vehicle. Yes, it was terrible mistake, and it should haunt her for the rest of her life.

—Outraged LH Citizen

Mercy or no mercy?

My experience in high school soccer for many years has been that usually the refs and coaches talk during the game and certainly at the half to agree to a running clock if a game is one-sided [“Mercy rule in school sports: Is it necessary?” Lake Highlands Advocate blog, Feb 7]. However, some winning (and losing) coaches don’t want a running clock for various reasons. Not having a “mercy rule” would enable caches and officials to maintain this flexibility.

—Woof100

They need a rule because not everyone displays good sportsmanship. There are coaches who will intentionally embarrass an opponent to draw publicity to his team and himself. I believe the Houston Yates basketball coach was guilty of this a couple of years ago. The vast majority of youth and high school coaches have an innate spirit of sportsmanship, but there are jerks in every crowd.

—Triple Wildcat

Why do they need a rule? In my limited experience at (public, 5A) high school football games, if a game is out of hand at halftime and both coaches agree, they will huddle with the referees before the second half starts and ask them to let the clock run. No rules needed, just people acting with sportsmanship.

—Wilson!

If parents are embarrassed then they can leave at halftime. The kids have an investment in a loss like that and artificial endings just cheapen the result for all involved.

—Bill

My energy bills skyrocket during the summer, what can I do to lower my bills?

Many factors affect the efficiency of your AC system.*

*Incorrect refrigerant charge. Having too much or too little could add as much as 17% to your operating costs.

*If your equipment is over 10 years old, it naturally consumes up to 50% more energy than new equipment would. If this is the case, upgrading your equipment could be the best way to save you money on your electric bill and eliminate repairs at the same time.

*Failing to regularly have a professional inspection and tune-up of your system. This is the best way to make sure your system is operating at its peak efficiency, which will save you money over the course of the summer.

*Duct leakage, improper duct design and sizing, and filter negligence shorten the life of the system causing it to run longer and work harder than it should, resulting in higher energy bills.

*Save money with a programmable thermostat.