Letters to the editor: Reading and children; Congressman Bentz; Breast reconstruction

Published 9:44 am Friday, July 25, 2025

Don’t let your child’s reading slide

Summer is perfect for playing outside and relaxing with friends, but it’s also a critical time in a child’s literacy development. In Oregon, summer break often results in a concerning and preventable setback: the “summer reading slide.” Students lose up to 20% of their school-year reading gains and are less prepared for the next grade level.

This issue is urgent because, according to the Oregon Department of Education, 60% of Oregon 3rd-graders are not reading at grade level.
The good news is that the solution is simple and fun! Studies show that reading regularly and ensuring kids have access to books can effectively combat the summer slide. At SMART Reading, we encourage families to integrate reading into daily life: visit the library, keep books available in the car, share bedtime stories, or connect your outings—like beach trips or ball games—with related reading material.
Variety matters, too: comic books, magazines, and audiobooks all count as reading. And when children see adults reading too, their motivation soars.

By making reading a regular part of summer days, we can protect students’ literacy gains and help them return to school ready to thrive. For more reading tips, visit www.SMARTReading.org/families.

– Jennifer Zardinejad, Bend

Where is Mr. Bentz? 

I have been trying to communicate with Representative Cliff Bentz for over a year and have been unable to get any kind of a response. I have emailed him at least 100 times about various topics and I have called his office several times. I have not received any reply of any kind. So I ask, is he alive?

– Timothy McCarthy, Bend

More complete article needed on breast reconstruction

The front page article about breast reconstruction entitled “Best Reconstruction” (The Bulletin, July 16) was well intentioned but woefully incomplete and misleading. As a breast cancer survivor of 32 years and former breast cancer nurse navigator, I can tell you that decisions about breast reconstruction that a woman with breast cancer must make are complex and personal. There are several options for a woman to choose from, and these options involve multiple clinical considerations. There is no best reconstruction of the choices available.  There is the personalized choice that is made by each woman with comprehensive clinical guidance.

I would like to suggest that The Bulletin staff meet with some of the dedicated providers serving Central Oregon and write a more accurate and thorough article about this topic. For starters, they might meet with the R.N. Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator and the microsurgery fellowship-trained plastic surgeon, both of whom are providers at the St. Charles Cancer Center. This surgeon does the breast DIEP flap reconstructive surgery that is mentioned in the article. There are also other experienced and dedicated practitioners in  Central Oregon who are knowledgeable about this complex decision making process.

Senate Bill 1137, which helps address needed insurance coverage for breast reconstruction following breast cancer surgery, and the impressive, epic advocacy by one woman to facilitate its passage, both deserve front page recognition. And so does a more accurate and comprehensive article about breast reconstruction options for women with breast cancer.

– Pam DiDente, Bend