Dear Bay Weekly:     I just wanted to thank you for Diana Beechener’s incredible article on VetDogs [March 24: Working Like a Dog] and on the run April 3. The article, the pictures and everything about it was great, and I’ve already gotten quite a response from it. I appreciate all of your help. –A.D. Schiff, MIDN USN

Dear Bay Weekly:     SUPERB! Both your editorial and the article on libraries were absolutely great.     [March 10: http://bayweekly.com/articles/news/article/magician and http://bayweekly.com/articles/letter-editor/article/libraries-are-chesapeake-countrys-town-squares]     Many thanks. –Valerie T. Ahrens, retired librarian; by email

    Buy-local campaigns are common, especially around the holidays, and on the increase. Often organized by chambers of commerce, the idea is to convince consumers to spend their money in their hometowns versus leaving town to shop at big-box retailers. According to an Institute for Local Self-Reliance survey, independent businesses in cities with an active buy-local campaign fared better than those in cities without a push for localism.

Dear Bay Weekly:     It seems that your columnist, Dennis Doyle, is once again using your paper as a forum for his advocacy against commercial fishing and for the Coastal Conservation Association and Maryland Saltwater Sport Fishing Association (week of March 13). It is no secret that both of these groups would like to put commercial watermen out of business so that they can have all the fish for themselves. Thus Doyle’s endorsement of a commercial net ban.

    Dear Bay Weekly:     We all know that the issue of when puzzle solutions should appear has been put to bed, several times. However, as a kind-of speed reader, I'm weekly dismayed as I finish reading the letters and — zip — my eyes stumble onto the crossword answers. How about a compromise? Publish in the same edition as the puzzle, but upside down. Thanks for your consideration. –Gaye Williams, Annapolis

    Dear Bay Weekly:     In May 2009 you published my Bay Reflection, “After the Strawberry Storm.”     Every spring, usually in May, when we would get a strong storm with wind and plenty of rain, my great grandfather Johnny Burns would say, “Well, that was the strawberry storm. Now we can get on with spring.”

Dear Bay Weekly:     My advice concerning the movie place and time listings goes as such: As a longtime moviegoer, I have always called the theater to confirm that they are actually showing the flick and the show times.  It is only fair to surmise that between the paper’s print and publication time the theater manager may have made changes. Bay Weekly does indicate that in the clause Showings and times subject to change.     I, for one, appreciate the theater information and hope that Bay Weekly continues to print the listings.

Dear Bay Weekly:

Dear Bay Weekly:     Recently published here was an article about black walnut trees, mainly about their impact on surrounding plants [Bay Gardener: Feb 11]. I thought to balance this article by adding something about the impact of the surroundings on black walnut trees.

Dear Bay Weekly: