Regarding the op-ed “Ray Rayner was a lasting gift to Chicago’s children” by Michael Peregrine (Jan. 3): Through all the years and all the morning programs, “Ray Rayner and His Friends” was by far the best morning show. Maybe the fact I was an elementary school child in the late 1960s and watched the show before walking to school with friends biases my thoughts in this regard, but Rayner brought something to me that no other morning show did — joy. Whether it was Rayner reporting on sports by clumsily writing the previous day’s scores on a chalkboard (including Slippery Rock) or performing terribly on some craft project, he always did so with a laugh and happiness that was infectious.

I learned from Rayner that maybe my sports team wouldn’t win that day or that my school art project wouldn’t be what I had imagined, but regardless, we all could still enjoy life with the right, joyful attitude.

— Keith Duncan, Upland, Indiana

Quite a career day

In 1957, Ray Rayner’s daughter Christine was in my kindergarten class at Oaklane School in Northbrook. The teacher hosted career days during which fathers came to tell us about their jobs. Mr. Berkebile was an airline pilot. Mr. Breitkopf’s company made packaging for candy (and brought a lot of boxes that we all had fun putting together). My dad was a railroader (I still recall the diesel locomotive that he drew as he talked). But, wow! Mr. Rayner was someone we all knew right away. His presentation was the most entertaining of all.

Thanks to Michael Peregrine for sparking the memory — and, yes, you can tell someone grew up in Chicago when they pat their shirt fronts for a little note.

— Nann Blaine HIlyard, Winthrop Harbor

Chicago’s priorities

On my daily dog walks through Lincoln Park, poop bag in hand, I often find myself dipping into the alleys behind multimillion-dollar homes to make a “deposit.” Behind the meticulously maintained garages sit rows of city-issued garbage and recycling carts — four, five, sometimes six bins per household. Regardless of the number, each homeowner pays a flat $9.50 a month for trash removal. It’s a revealing place to think about Chicago’s priorities.

In my six-unit condo building, we pay many times that amount to a private hauler for the same service.

I don’t claim to understand much about Chicago’s new budget, from video gaming revenue to restructured liquor taxes. But I do understand inequity when I step in it. Chicago’s system funnels more than $250 million a year into subsidized garbage pickup for single-family homes — while multiunit buildings foot the full bill themselves.

It’s a policy that stinks more than anything my dog leaves behind.

— John Mjoseth, Chicago

‘Textbook for life’

Many years ago, I attended a workshop for teachers at Tribune Tower on a Saturday. We learned a phrase that I have never forgotten: “The newspaper is your textbook for life.”

I began stopping on my way to my classroom each Friday morning to buy a dozen newspapers, one for each student in my classroom; all of them had behavioral challenges. I would write out a worksheet, similar to a scavenger hunt, asking students to find answers to questions that would require them to scan several pages of the paper.

The room fell silent as each student studied all the sections of the paper, sometimes becoming absorbed in articles that were not related to my questions on the worksheet. It was not important to me that the worksheet was completed accurately — only that they spent time learning to read a daily newspaper. And some very interesting discussions followed based on things they had learned.

Today, I’m a retired teacher, but I still begin every day with my “textbook for life.”

— Ellen M. Peirce, Chicago

Stop-start on cars

I’m giving David McGrath a split decision on his list of innovations he wants back (“The innovations I’d like to see deep-sixed in 2026,” Jan. 1).

He’s absolutely right about restaurants that are too loud for conversation. Throughout history, meals have been communal events fostering fellowship — and not about a group of people eating together without being able to commune.

But, as far as the auto stop-start feature on cars, he’s wrong. Yes, it’s an annoyance. But there aren’t going to be many absolutely pain-free ways to fight climate change.

If we are unwilling to pay even this small price, just how is this going to work out?

— Mike Koetting, Chicago

Noisy restaurants

What a gift it is to read David McGrath’s op-eds. A writer, who with the skills of a gifted neurosurgeon, manages to reach into my ever-softening hard drive of a brain and extract my exact feeling of frustration trying to carry on conversations with my friends at a restaurant table. While at the same time listening to a conversation from Table 14 across the room about how there never seems to be anyone working at certain big-box stores to help find what they need.

It truly is a loud, loud world out there — at least to us oldies.

Well said, David. Well said.

— Reg Green, Manteno, Illinois

Bad NYE telecast

ABC absolutely failed in its coverage of the New Year’s Eve celebration for Chicago! With all the hype about the national coverage with New York, I thought there would be more time spent in Chicago. New York switched to Chicago just before midnight, and Chance the Rapper did one song and did the countdown to midnight. ABC showed the fireworks and then switched to Las Vegas.

In years past, the local channel did a much better job.

— Daniel Cook, Woodridge

Underwhelming party

It was great Chicago was featured on ABC on New Year’s Eve, but there was nothing there in the way of entertainment for hours!

Chance the Rapper performed just before midnight, and the fireworks were (as always) spectacular, but for the prior three hours, the network cuts to Chicago were completely embarrassing.

I counted at least eight on-camera appearances by Chance during which he had zero to add. And of course Mayor Brandon Johnson trying to whoop it up, but there was no there there.  A shameful showing for the Second City.

The blame is squarely on Johnson for the failure.

— Jay Seifried, Chicago

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