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June 17, 2009

LETTERS: June 17, 2009

Reader compliments and questions news staff

I wish to compliment The Evening News and The Tribune for recently performing its role as “watchdog” by exposing local law enforcement’s practice of overcharging local residents for copies of incident reports.

I cannot agree more! When laws are on the books, those laws should be enforced.

But, this recent article leaves me a bit curious. For months, it has been public knowledge that Theatair X has been keeping hours and conducting business in a manner that are both in direct defiance of an ordinance passed by the Clarksville Town Council years ago.

Why is your editorial board so quick to point out the law when it involves how much the local police are charging for photocopies, yet you remain strangely silent when a local business in a highly regulated industry decides it does not need to obey local laws?

Your editorial does not even leave local law enforcement room for ignorance, if they have been unknowingly charging more than they legally should for incident reports.

As the piece mentioned, if you or I were to be pulled over for speeding in a zone where we didn’t know the speed limit, it is still no excuse for breaking the law. Again, I agree.

So, then, how much more does Theatair X deserve to be publicly chastised for knowingly — not ignorantly — operating as if it is above the law?

— Vince Garmon, New Albany

Editor’s note: We urge the enforcement of ordinances on the book, whether aimed at Theatair X, other businesses or residents. We have covered the Theatair X story extensively. However, until fairly recently, only one citation had be levied against Theatair X. For the most part, there were merely accusations. Printing such accusations against a private business can become a legal matter. We will continue to cover this story as it makes its way through the legal system.

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