Good News

On Monday it was announced with Governor Kaine’s budget plans that he had set aside $3 million for a state park in Powhatan County.

That’s big news for the county and the many people that have worked tirelessly over the last couple years to make the park happen. Granted, the reality of a park is still a couple years away and the funding ultimately rests on the General Assembly’s shoulders, but this is a major step in the right direction.

The inclusion in the Governor’s budget also reaffirms the belief by park planners and supporters that Powhatan County is a location deserving of attention from tourists, which speaks volumes about this county and its setting.

It also bodes well for the county’s economic future.

Congratulations to Powhatan.

Common Sense

Generally speaking, community papers (and all news publications) should shy from editorializing upon developing news stories, especially those that will require future objective reporting, often by the editor.

A case in point is the recent arrest of an outgoing Powhatan School Board member on cocaine possession charges. That story has not yet run its course; the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and there’s not much to say beyond that about the specifics of the arrest.

I can, however, say that it is incumbent upon any elected official to carry his or herself with the dignity and character entrusted in that person by the people that elected him and citizens he or she represents. It could also be noted that inherent in an elected official’s responsibility is the duty to carefully choose the people that he or she associates with and the situations in which they place themselves, regardless of personal action.

But all of that goes without saying, right?

Interesting too is the fact that a news release relating to the incident in question was not sent to local media (i.e. us) until well after the arrest, conveniently after our press deadline. Of course, getting the news is our job, not local law enforcement’s, so that hardly seems worth mentioning.

PowhatanToday.com

Powhatan County may never be heralded as a technological mecca. And that’s okay. But the Internet is an undeniably valuable tool in today’s world (assuming you have access to it), and that is why we have launched a new Web site: PowhatanToday.com.

While Powhatan Today has long had a basic online representation, this site will mark a dramatic improvement. The site will be updated on a weekly basis after the paper’s regular production and be controlled by Powhatan Today staff.

PowhatanToday.com is a new look with some new elements, but nothing too complex or drastic, which is what was intended. It’s a very user-friendly site, and interactive, too, allowing visitors to comment on stories and content.

We hope to also use the new site as a way to keep you informed of what’s going on throughout the week. Being a weekly paper, stories can be a few days old by the time you get your hands on the paper each week. We’ll be making an attempt to keep the Web site as current as possible, posting news as it happens whenever possible.

We have more big plans for the site down the road, and it will grow with the paper and with the county. We hope you’ll take the time to check it out for yourself.

P.S.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the staff at Powhatan Today.