Selene Aitken: I set an intention to be present without distraction. No Wordle, no crossword, no Scrabble, no headlines, no texts. Not easy.

David Hoffman: As a citizen, I find myself shocked by the news that the Trump administration has on its agenda the opening of IRS and SSA files which will allow the unrestrictive seizure and distribution of private information like tax returns, Social Security numbers, and addresses.

Sharon Dohrmann: Mr. Bentz, you took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to pledge your loyalty to one man or party. You and I may not agree on much, but please, let’s agree that to remain faithful to the Constitution and hold people accountable when they attempt to break it.

Dean Silver: First, a third-party efficiency evaluation of ALL of the city’s departments. This would cost money, but it would pay back many times over, to be sure.

Dan Mackay: As I understand the situation with battery technology, it appears truck-grade batteries will be at least a decade in the future.

Lynne Likens: We must disarm them and starve the corporations. Every day, step down, step away from big box, step toward local vendors and farmers markets.

John Marciano and Leslie Dwyer: While hedge funds and rich corporate interests are buying up hospitals across the country and cutting services and staff to increase their profits, the well-being of hospital staff and patients is undermined.

Brenda B. Gould: A recent study reveals that in Gaza the war death toll of health care workers is three to four times as high as that of the general population.

Michael O’Looney: There seem to be too many pieces to assemble. Somehow the Democrats lost the vote of the working class, the truck drivers, farmers, the factory workers, the little man and woman trying to make ends meet, even our young people.

Dan Van Dyke: Think a casino in Medford would be a good thing? If so, you must want more pawn shops, illegal camping on the greenway, drug use and crime.