Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003

By Staff
Student seeks lost class ring
To the editor:
Sometime in late November or early December I lost my class ring. I'd prefer not to say how because it's plain stupidity on my part but it ended up in a Dillard's handbag.
Well, from what I was told, an elderly lady bought two handbags from Dillard's, found my ring in one of them and called Meridian High School to attempt to return it to its owner. Since this time a lack of communication and miscommunication evolved and now no one has this kind lady's name and address.
I would like to appeal to her if she sees this letter to please call Meridian High again or call the ring's owner.
I would very much like to have it back and grateful that this lady tried to find me. Unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else involved knows who she is. Thank you for trying to find me. Could you please try to call again?
Leanna McLaughlin
485-7045
Meridian
A non-smoker speaks out
To the editor:
Over the holidays, I had several chances to eat in different restaurants in the Meridian area, shop at the malls, visit the library and some friends who were in the hospital. I could not believe the way non-smokers were treated.
One restaurant placed me so close to the smoking area I may as well have been in there with them. One punished me by making my wife and I wait longer than smokers to be seated. One offered a place for smokers to sit where they received waitress service while waiting, while my party was sitting by the cold door without any services offered.
My visit to the library was nice good service and all the help you needed, but entering and exiting was different. I had to enter and exit to the smell of cigarettes, walking over the ground littered with butts.
The entrances to the hospitals were even worse with butts everywhere, smell everywhere and people standing around smoking.
Then the mall, it was almost as bad as the restaurants people smoking, throwing down butts, and the smell everywhere as I entered. I uses to hold my breath as I walked through these areas but either I can't hold my breath as long or the smell is growing bigger.
Non-smokers should not be affected by the actions of others. The restaurants, malls, public buildings and hospitals had better take steps to stop this punishment of the non-smokers because there are remedies.
Robert A. Cochran
Shubuta