Opinions

There’s a lot being written about newspapers closing and news deserts, where there are no sources of local news. It’s definitely happening but there are places where local newspapers are hanging in, if not exactly thriving. Community papers that are surviving tend to be locally owned or in small groups of 5-10 newspapers with the owner active in daily operations.

May 3, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Martin D. Brown is Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s third appointee to the position of chief diversity officer of the state of Virginia in his short stint as governor. Mr. Brown’s time in this important job is now up since he has repudiated in a recent speech at VMI the entire basis of the mission for his office. He is wasting taxpayer’s money. He gets paid $160,000, plus benefits, perks and travel expenses.

If nothing else, the YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge has a serious public relations problem with regards to our local branch, the Rockbridge Area YMCA. Two actions the YVBR has taken this year has left us and many Rockbridge area citizens wondering if our local Y has lost all vestiges of control of our local Y’s operations.

May 1, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: “Let’s take a moment right now to kill that cow. DEI is dead,” said Martin D. Brown, who was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in November. “We’re not going to bring that cow up anymore. It’s dead.”

April 28, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: The recent vote by the Lexington City Council to facilitate the placement of a war memorial at Jordans Point Park came as a surprise to me. It seems like there was very little thought or discussion about this before the vote to approve.

May 1, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: While the Gold Star monument is attractive and poignant and serves a noble cause, I do not feel that Jordans Point Park is the right place for it due to these concerns: — It is disturbing that this tiny natural oasis is going to be transformed with marble and five tons of concrete. Coming after the recent tree cutting fiasco, it feels like an additional affront. How much green will be destroyed for this? With more projects slated to follow such as a gazebo, playground, and possible sports courts, will the park have any natural elements left? We can’t afford to lose any more green space.

May 1, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Given the recent atmosphere of outrage and anger over memorials placed in public spaces, one would have expected City Council to have at least paused to think, and perhaps seek some public input, before giving their blessing to the Keuhners’ request to place a memorial to Gold Star Families at Jordans Point.

April 27, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: How nice to see the photo of developer John Adamson in last week’s paper asking the public for ideas and opinions on how to use the upper floor of the former Grand’s building!

May 2, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Our YMCA has great staff, equipment, and programs at an incredibly fair price.

April 26, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: I offer another suggestion on how to protect civil conduct during speaking events on W&L’s campus. This bookends my earlier paid letter titled “Broken Windows.” (Disclaimer: this is not intended as legal advice.)

May 1, 2023 Editor, the News-Gazette: In steering us towards defaulting on our debt and sinking our nation’s economy, Rep. Ben Cline and his colleagues are attempting to hold hostage funding for crucial programs. How many of his constituents really want to see deep cuts to services our most vulnerable children and seniors depend on? Is this really the time to drastically reduce opioid addiction treatments? Or railroad safety inspections?

April 30, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: A significant milestone was recently reached by the Cats Unlimited organization. The milestone is that since 2004 when Cats Unlimited was started, they have worked with the local veterinarians to spay/neuter 8,000 cats with their low-cost spay/neuter program.

Last month “J. Lane, W&L, Class of 1974” placed a commentary in this paper about two recent events at W&L under the title above.

We like to think that those of us in the local news business provide a vital service essential to the proper functioning of a democracy. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution enshrines the right of free speech. This right can only be exercised by an informed citizenry. This newspaper and other local news outlets perform the function of keeping citizens informed.

April 19, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Not long ago, America was a place where racism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, white nationalism and Christian bigotry, while whispered between adherents, were thought too embarrassing to be publicly acknowledged. No more. Trump tapped into the hate that has always existed.

April 24, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: We are thankful to ever so many local friends, many of whom are active volunteers assisting daily, for their hugely generous support for the three Ukrainian families now living in Lexington.

Lexington takes its trees seriously. The late Rev. LaVert Taylor, an African American minister and member of City Council, once chided his colleagues on Council for what he viewed as their caring more about trees than the city’s troubled youth. We wouldn’t go that far but it is definitely true that many Lexington residents are passionate about their trees.

For as long as I can remember I have loved makeup. Of course when I was little, I was discouraged from wearing it, but that didn’t stop me from secretly exper imenting with it. I can remember wanting to emulate Marcia Brady’s shimmering eyeshadow by smearing Crest toothpaste on my eyelids. Bad idea. I’m really surprised I didn’t blind myself.