Mark Holmberg said, in his article you reprinted, “Not only do you write the first draft of history …” (“Final Markdown,” News & Features, Jan. 24).

Although I am taking his statement out of context, it explains one of the reasons I discontinued my T-D subscription. The writers are truly writing “history,” in that anyone who watches any evening news program wakes up the next morning to a paper which is nothing but historical data.

Although your paper is only a weekly, I find your coverage is local and in-depth; in other words, Style Weekly is doing what the T-D should be doing and satisfies my news needs for another week. The evening news takes care of the other days: local, national and international. Keep it up!

Dr. Dennis D. Flynn
Midlothian

I miss Mark Holmberg (“Holmberg Resigns, Sets Sights on TV,” Street Talk, Jan. 10). I didn’t think that a columnist would make that much difference in whether I read the newspaper or not, but Mark Holmberg’s departure from the Richmond Times-Dispatch has certainly impacted how often I read the paper.

On Sunday, I always read his column first, even before the comics! He had a refreshing streak of common sense that allowed him to see through the pompous and arrogant tone that so many politicians and municipal officials use. He was a voice for the people who are so often overlooked by the television and newspaper reporters. He was and is a good writer, and I hope that one of his new projects will be writing a book or putting some of his columns into a book.

Helen Robertson
Sandy Hook

Editors’ note: Mark Holmberg offers additional thoughts on the Times-Dispatch and other news media in our Back Page column on page 63.