Letter writers came out in force this week. We have printed 18 of the 22 letters to the editor we received before the deadline of Monday at 3 p.m. We will print the remaining four letters next week. Putting the weekly puzzle of news stories, letters, obituaries and more together each week is challenging, especially when you have a lot of items to work from and only so much space to put it in. Rather than running letters on three pages, we opted for two. Two of the remaining four letters are political endorsements which can be run safely next week. Readers/letter writers are reminded that political letters are not published the week preceding the election on Nov. 3. So all political letters must be submitted at the latest by Monday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.

Boothbay select board member Desiree Scorcia did the right thing in our minds by leaving a meeting where her fellow board members were not wearing masks, and did not do so after she asked them to put masks on. Masks should be worn in buildings, even if you maintain a distance of six feet or more and even if the room where people are gathered is well-ventilated. In an Aug. 27 Washington Post article sent to us by Sandra Perkins in Seattle, “A team of infectious-disease experts argues in a new analysis, published this week in the journal BMJ, that six-feet protocols are too rigid and are based on outmoded science and observations of different viruses. Other researchers say six feet is a start – but only a start – warning that more space is almost always better, especially in poorly ventilated areas indoors.”

The high school fall sports season is about to begin. We’re hoping that our local athletes will be able to compete safely and that fans will adhere to the rules while viewing the games. Let the games begin and may we all remain healthy.