To the editor:

I would like to report that while Kansas University fans were gearing up for the KU-K-State football game and homeless men were playing chess at 10th and Massachusetts streets, my husband and 20 apprentices and journeymen from Local 441, Lawrence Plumbers and Pipefitters, were out servicing furnaces for the low-income elderly residents of Lawrence.

This local union organization has participated in the “Heat’s On” program for the past 15 years. These men volunteered their time Oct. 9, and Chaney Inc. and Huxtable/AD Jake donated parts and materials.

I was very disappointed when I opened the paper Oct. 10 and saw that the Lawrence Journal-World did not feel that this community service project warranted coverage. I was as excited as every KU fan that we beat KSU in football and enjoyed reading about the game, so I figured there would be a story in the Oct. 11 paper. There was no story then, either, but there was a great story about the men playing chess at 10th and Massachusetts streets, while the Lawrence Police Department were writing a citation for blocking the sidewalks.

When the Journal-World was notified that “Heat’s On” would be Oct. 9, the person said she couldn’t guarantee any coverage. I certainly understand that both the KU-KSU game and the chess game at 10th and Massachusetts were newsworthy, but I feel the men from Local 441, and Chaney and Huxtable deserve to be recognized for their long-standing commitment to this community.

Sarah Cottrell,

Perry