January has seemed to attack me. Whether it is the colder weather or the fact that the holidays are over and I never did get into the spirit of things (though I did get sad over taking down the tree), I am not sure.
I made the statement at the office that I feel as if I have fallen and can’t get up. My schedule is out of whack and I can’t seem to get back on the right track. I have not been to the gym this year though I have been walking on the boring treadmill and doing other exercises. Before the holidays I was advidly going to the gym three to four days a week.
Usually, I write this column on Friday and have no trouble. Today, which is Friday, I stared at the blank page for more minutes than I want to admit. When I said something to Linda, she informed me I wasn’t the only one who has contracted the January doldrums and that I should write about it. So I am! Thanks, Linda.
Even the glitter filled floor from the Christmas decorations didn’t brighten my day. It usually does because after all there is just something about glitter that makes you smile.
The colder weather has affected my joints somewhat but I am sure if I can get back in the groove of things, it won’t really bother me. I am more than willing and ready to bounce into this new year. Last year was just so-so on most fronts and I believe there is much more excitement for this year on the horizon. God has great things in store.
Waiting on His timing is sometimes very hard to do. We are impatient and we want things right now. Me included. But His timing is perfect and if we try to force things, it never works out.
We have been talking about this year at the newspaper. It is always a challenge to move forward as a community newspaper with technology changing all of the time and trying to get your budget to match up with those changes. We did a few things right last year but there are somethings we want to change and add.
We feel we upped coverage in some areas and we are trying to broaden that coverage as much as is possible with just one full time and two part-time people. We just can’t cover everything or be everywhere and if things need to be investigated which they do sometimes, it can slow the whole process down for us. So, we have to rely on the public to help keep us informed and help cover some of those things. We certainly do appreciate the support and help we get and we cannot thank you enough.
We released a video of a local traffic stop which went viral and was picked up by other news agencies a couple of weeks later. Please know that we did not just release it without thought. We held on to it for a few weeks, talking about the ramifications, legalities, etc. After consulting our Georgia Press attorney, just to cover all the bases, we decided it was the public’s right to know what is going on, and that was our deciding factor.
We are just as embarrassed about the situations as are some citizens and some family members of those involved. We do not have a vendetta against anyone but expect no one to be above the law, and for corruption to be brought to light. It is nothing personal against the mayor, her family or the city. Some things just shouldn’t be tolerated, and there are right and wrong ways to do things. City business should be open and above board and an elected official is not above the law. When that happens and people do nothing about it, things only get worse.
In spite of what some may think, this is not the kind of news we live to report. We like the good news as well but we also have to tackle the tough issues where entities use taxpayer monies. We serve as the watchdog for the taxpayers and the citizens. It’s a duty we don’t take lightly. Sometimes, we can’t get to the bottom of things though in spite of best efforts. We keep those on a back burner just in case we have a breakthrough somewhere.
We have lines we cannot cross as well, and we try to not blur those lines either.
We hope that you will continue to support our efforts this year. Any suggestions to further our cause are appreciated as well and our doors are always open. We are contemplating doing news bites in a few weeks through our Facebook page. We are trying to move into the age of technology which can sometimes be hard for our budget.
If you think it’s easy, come follow us on a deadline day.
We would like to add more feature stories on people and their accomplishments so if you know anyone that would make a good story and wouldn’t mind telling it, please let us know that as well. It takes us all  working together.
Know that we do care about our communities and we pray for them and its leaders on a regular basis. We hope that you will do the same and pray for our staff as well, as we strive to do the very best we can with the resources we have for the job. Thank you for reading. Blessings to you. © 2016
VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com