MAILBAG:

Thanks to Lou Murray’s and Vic Leipzig’s mention in their informative column (“We reap what we sow,” Natural Perspectives, Feb. 26), The Harvest Club of Huntington Beach was able to donate approximately 100 pounds of produce to five different nonprofits from our March 1 harvest.

Three of their readers were generous enough to take the time to harvest and drop off oranges, lemons, tangerines, pomelos, grapefruit and kumquats, which supplemented additional avocados and oranges harvested that morning.

Our harvest is a reminder that we can all do something and need to do something to help our neighbors in this economy.

Our mission statement: Making our community stronger by sharing our harvest.

We hope you will join us as we move through the calendar year and pick abundant backyard fruit in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley.

Thanks again, Vic and Lou!

Karen Riggs

Huntington Beach

We need papers to keep officials in check

In regards to Chris Epting’s column on why local newspaper coverage is so critical and must be protected (“Tragic local stories need to be covered,” In the Pipeline, Feb. 25): While I have philosophical differences with the positions often taken by the Los Angeles Times, I can only imagine (with horror) what would happen if local papers like the Times ceased coverage of the shenanigans engaged in by our “esteemed” local, state and national politicos of all stripes.

Even with the threat of investigative reporters hanging over them, these shameless and greedy pigs continue to feed at the trough and (no offense to pigs) continue to spread the pork with little to no regard for common sense and our sadly depleted resources. God help us if local papers go the way of the other endangered species that disappear so often.

Raymond Sherrard

Huntington Beach