I will be glad to get on to the new year. These two mid-week holidays have about killed me. It will be refreshing to get back on our regular schedule.
The new year is set to bring an abundance of change. It goes without saying that only time will tell what the big picture will be on the national level. The only thing that appears certain at this point is that there will be major change.
We can expect a lot of change on the state level. I will join many, I have discussed the matter with, and say I’m optimistic at this point.
We ended this year with a bit of a fumble. Apparently the newly elected officials were sworn in last Friday. While we normally cover such an activity, you will only find limited coverage this time. There was no official notice or request for us to cover the event. Janet, whom I rely on for most of these types of things, was enjoying her holiday with her daughter in Huntington. Fortunately, a reader shared information of Jasmine Morton being sworn in as Circuit Judge and we followed that up. Unfortunately, due to our abbreviated schedule, we do not have anything on Brent Boggs our new County Commissioner, Eddie Williams our Sheriff or Eric Skidmore our new Magistrate. I apologize to them.
It is unfortunate that we weren’t notified and didn’t cover the event in greater detail. However, we don’t automatically know when things happen in the public ranks and school system. We want to share these important events with our readers, but we have to know about them first. I hope this situation improves in the new year, though I’m not very optimistic.
I am, however, optimistic about the leadership Commissioner Boggs, Sheriff Williams and Magistrate Skidmore will bring to our local government. I wish them, Judge Morton and the other incumbents that were reelected well as they set out on their new and/or continued adventures.
2024 was not the best year we have had in our business, but we did survive. I hope 2025 allows me to continue to do what I love and continue my efforts to keep our readership informed in an unbiased and honest way. While a great deal has changed in the past year, our commitment to be a watchdog of governments and a true, accurate, source for news that affects us all, is still in the forefront of our business as it was 50+ years ago. Have a safe and happy new year. We will talk again in 2025!