Agassi philanthropy a boon to minority kids

To the editor:

I am a soon-to-be 80-year-old black American, retired after two reasonably successful careers (military and civilian). I have been reading and hearing about Andre Agassi throughout his career ("The Grandest Slam," Friday Review-Journal). I have considered him a great humanitarian and philanthropist ever since he started his academy.

Having been born and reared in the segregated Deep South, with its segregated, inferior black school systems, I know what his project means to those black children fortunate enough to study at his academy and to be shown the path to a successful life. I regret that there was not an Andre Agassi in my area during my youth. What a different life I might have had.

May God bless and keep Andre Agassi. I wish for him the "Midas touch."

Major E. Magwood

Las Vegas

Expensive vision

To the editor:

Regarding Lynnette Curtis' Thursday article on North Las Vegas ("City pays $500,000 for 'vision' "), I totally agree with Mayor Shari Buck that the deal is a bad one.

When are cities going to go to school on all the other scams pulled on all the other cities? North Las Vegas is no more going to enter the global market of business and finance than any other city in Nevada. It is fine for a city to dream, but its dreams need to be in tune with the facts.

Otis Harris is a "local developer" and a "self-described economic activist." He has no identified contacts. It's a con. The $500,000 is the tip of the iceberg. Is there some way we can hold the City Council responsible for the results of its foolishness?

Let me conclude with the single most important reason North Las Vegas and every other city in Nevada will not be successful in bringing business to their city: labor base.

There is none capable of meeting the needs of the global market.

We can build commercial, industrial and residential like no one else. And we do pretty good at meeting the gaming needs, but really, where is the labor base necessary to lure high-end global and financial businesses? They do not import employees.

Barry C. Bender Sr.

North Las Vegas