-- Rustypelican

"Its brings me great heart ache to think at one point these guys were innocent little children that somehow got lost along the way. Or were given wrong directions. To think about all the sleepless nights, energy, hard work and sacrifices their mothers did for them was all for nothing. I dont know how i would be able to deal with losing my kids to BS likes drugs, or simply a color especially at such a young age!"

-- AsquaredP

Trash talking

What happened: Opponents of Fresno's effort to outsource the city's home trash service delivered seven boxes of petitions to the City Clerk's Office late Friday afternoon, taking a big step toward a possible repeal of the controversial plan. But the drama is far from over. City and Fresno County officials will immediately begin a review to see whether enough valid signatures were gathered to perhaps force a citywide vote on outsourcing.

What it means: A top official in Mayor Ashley Swearengin's administration said the petition campaign almost certainly will lead to a cash-flow problem that forces immediate cuts to services such as public safety, parks, administration and programs such as senior hot meals.

What readers said:

"If the union trash people want to go into the trash business and competitively bid for the job of collecting the trash...go for it! Otherwise, trash your petitions. The city council has every right to demand the best deal. That's what they're elected to do. If they make a bad deal we can vote them out...unlike the union trash!"

-- srcruiser

"Our private refuse service in Fresno County cost over $48 a month. These prices include the company never leaving the pavement or when they knock over your can, your responsible for cleaning it up. It's very poor service. This gives you something to look forward to when you go to private service."

-- catjet

"I can't understand how we got to this point. With so many more important issues facing the City of Fresno we're involved in a big stupid fight over garbage collection. No wonder we taxpayers are fed up."

-- bigchucky