There’s a new store in East Haven called Hobby Lobby that has a sign on their door which states they are closed on Sundays so their employees can spend time with family and have a day of worship; in other words a day of rest. I can’t believe it. I thought I was the only one left on the planet that wouldn’t dream of shopping on a Sunday. How refreshing!
Roseanne Karbowski
North Branford

In the early 1970s, newsrooms began hiring many more women reporters as feminist leaders sought more representation of women in the media. Ann DeMatteo was one of these talented young journalists. She represented us well as a local pioneering woman in communications.
Ellen Creane
Guilford

Every time I spoke to Ann DeMatteo in person or through email, she always was very positive about life and the moment we were in. From the time she asked me to fill in at the last minute as a judge to a beauty contest, to responding to an encouraging word I sent her after another inspiring article she wrote, Ann always made you feel good. She truly was a remarkable lady who never complained about the hand she was dealt. One of the last times I saw her she came to Branford to be at the Branford Festival and enjoy the music with friends. She looked radiant and her charm made us all feel good. All of greater New Haven will miss her very much.
Bill O'Brien
Branford

Connecticut residents who decided to take Governor Malloy’s advice to telecommute while Metro-North service was suspended may be saddled with a harsh penalty for their decision: the telecommuter tax.
The telecommuter tax derives from a New York state rule known as the “convenience of the employer” rule. Under this rule, if a nonresident with a New York employer chooses to spend some of his work days working from home, New York will tax the part of his salary he earns in his home state despite the fact that the home state can also tax that income. The choice to telecommute results in two state tax bills on the same wages. The rule is both unfair and unwise. Connecticut residents should not be punished for using the Internet to get to work. They should certainly not be punished when government authorities urge them to do so.
In past sessions of Congress, Connecticut delegates have sponsored legislation that would abolish the telecommuter tax, prohibiting New York (or any state) from taxing nonresidents on the wages they earn when they are physically present in a different state. Such legislation must be reintroduced and ¬ at long last ¬ enacted. We do not need another Metro-North derailment, 9/11, or Superstorm Sandy to remind us that telework can mitigate losses when catastrophes occur and that taxing a disaster recovery tool makes no sense.
Nicole Belson Goluboff, Esq.
Scarsdale, N.Y.

The good people of Newtown have decided to tear down the existing school, the site of their unspeakable tragedy, and replace it with a new building. They have every right to make this decision.
However, I am appalled that Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal think it appropriate to ask all taxpayers to share in the cost of this decision. Our federal government is running deficits in the trillions. We should not ask the federal government – or the Connecticut government – to bear the cost of this new building. It was the decision of the people of Newtown; they are prepared to bear the cost.
Hillel and Sara-Ann Auerbach
Woodbridge

Please do not consider the proposal to stop publishing town and state public policies in our newspapers. Governor Dannel Malloy’s power play with the state of the Freedom of Information Act with his proposal is an assault on a taxpayer’s right to know what is going on in their town and state of Connecticut. The newspaper is still the most important place for me to know what is happening and when. People, let your legislators know you want these public policies and happenings in your newspaper and not hidden and hard to come by.
Elsie Valeski
Seymour

It is not very often I agree with your editorials, but recently I give you thumbs up!
"....the move to get rid of public notice requirements in newspapers is being pursued under the guise of saving money." Guise is the operative word here. The Malloy administration, aided by the privileged elite, is not transparent, and doing away with the public notice requirement in newspapers will only embolden this administration along with some city and town administrations.
Everything seems to be accomplished in such a way so the citizens and taxpayers are kept in the dark. Thank you for looking out for us taxpayers.
William C Nimons
Ansonia

Nick Lacobelle's letter to the New Haven Register on May 7 needs a response. The writer's remarks about Mexicans and other minorities were sad reminders of the racist attitudes that victimized previous immigrants to America.
In the early 1920s large numbers of the immigrants flooding our shores were widely considered to be of "inferior stock." The Irish, Catholics, Jews and Italians were especially singled out as unskilled, ignorant and not easily assimilated into American culture. These concerns led to the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924, which gave preference to Northern European immigrants, and set quotas for immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. After this law was passed, the numbers of Italians entering our country dropped from an annual 200,000 to less than 4,000. Although these restrictions were eased in later years, Nick Lacobelle's letter is testimony that racist attitudes persist, continuing to denigrate minority groups.
Muriel M. Diaz
Wallingford

Regarding his comments pertaining to the Middle East, somebody should ask Senator Murphy if he has any thoughts of his own or does he simply parrot the speaking points of his supreme leader Barack Obama. He even agrees with Obama that it's OUR fault Muslim extremists want us dead! We are poorly represented, indeed.
Michael Caserta
Fairfield

Concerned conservatives “worried” about the debt crisis might have an effective way to deal with it in the future, politically that is. That's because since World War II, only three presidents have left office with a higher debt to GDP ratio than when they came in, and their names are Reagan, Bush, and Bush. So how do Republicans improve the debt ratio? Based on history, vote for Democrat presidential candidates.
Norman L. Bender
Woodbridge