I am writing this letter in regards to the lawsuit against the Village of Palmer. I am a resident of Palmer and live less than two blocks away from this group home. In many cases, I have had to ask the residents of this home to stay off of my property, as I have came home to find them snooping around my garage and house.

I ask these questions of Miss Stephens, how can one of her clients be part owner of a group home like this? How can she have a lawyer from Maryland, which I am sure my tax dollars are paying for, represent her when I'm sure this lawyer has never set foot in Palmer, Neb., to see what kind of wonderful town we do have? I would also ask Miss Stephens, since 2003, how many of her clients have wandered away from the home and had to have the sheriff's office called to find them? I agree with Mr. Bockerman and the majority of Palmer residents, when we say we don't want anymore people like Nancy Stephens in our town.

Jeff Forbes

Palmer

Palmer facility should not expand

I am aghast at Ms. Stephen's decision to sue the Village of Palmer because our elected board members voted down her Life Quest, Inc. expansion plan. As a newlywed who recently purchased a home in Palmer, I feel the 41-bed facility is quite large enough for a village whose population is under 500 people.

I am disappointed by Ms. Stephens lack of professionalism in being denied a permit and her unfounded threats and attacks on our elected village board members. I have known Mr. Bockerman my whole life. He is a respected teacher and active member of St. John's Lutheran Church where I attend. I do not know where Ms. Stephens got her statement supposedly made by Mr. Bockerman, but I do not believe it to be true and am aggrieved by her slander against him.

I am acquainted with several residents of Life Quest and have found no reason to be afraid of them. However, there are dozens more that I have never met and do not know of their past behaviors. All I know is that when the facility was first opened in Palmer, the county sheriff was making quite a few visits to them.

As a teacher I know it is better to keep low numbers if you want to successfully reach and help individuals. This is difficult to do if your numbers keep growing, but your staff does not (as was stated in Ms. Stephens' proposal). As Ms. Stephens owns at least one other facility in the state, I am left wondering if her chief concern is for the betterment of her residents or for financial gain. In either case, perhaps she would do better to just build a new full-size facility elsewhere instead of ruining her professional relationships here in Palmer.

Courtney Salmon

Palmer