Flood-Control Channel Rescue

Re “Cleaning Up and Fessing Up,” Feb. 5.

I was disappointed and angered by your feel-good article on the two teenage girls who were rescued out of the flood control channel. Your pictures showed two smiling and unhurt girls surrounded by lots of smiling, happy rescue workers and newsmen. The quotes attributed to the two girls were sprinkled with lots of cute comments in “Valley speak” but nowhere did it mention how sorry they were for risking the lives of the helicopter pilot and the firemen. Nor was it mentioned in the article how many thousands of dollars this rescue cost the taxpayers.

My biggest concern is the signal that the article sends to other foolish and irresponsible kids. When these two girls go to the school they will be treated like celebrities. I wonder what kind of punishment, if any, the parents will hand out. If my 14-year-old daughter pulled a stunt like this, she would be grounded for a long time.

It seems every winter a lifeless child’s body is fished out of that channel. Why not send the message that the “river” is not fun and exciting but dangerous. The most appropriate pictures to accompany this article would have been the shot taken of the last bloated corpse pulled out of the channel or the picture of the grief-stricken faces of that child’s parents.

KELLY CHASE

Van Nuys

* Like, I was amazed . . . like, they knew better, and, like, they should be grounded for a year. . . .

How about some front-page headlines about the two girls who got themselves caught in the flood-control channel and what they are going to do to repay the community for their stupidity, and what it’s going to cost their parents, in dollars and cents, for this rescue.

The community ambulance bills for its use; the Fire Department should bill for its use in rescuing someone from their stupid adventures.

ROBERT P. JOHNSON

Panorama City