For years The Lima News used to carry a libertarian slant on its Commentary page. That’s all changed now. Some people seem to think it happened recently under our new ownership. It actually occurred about five years ago when Freedom Communications and the Hoiles family parted ways. The “New Freedom,” as we liked to call them, issued a memorandum saying it believed in autonomy of the local market when it came to the opinion pages. In other words: “Do your own thing.”
We chose to become an independent newspaper.
Some old-timers at the newspaper cringe about that decision to this day. As one of the newsroom’s hard-core conservatives put it, “An independent is worse than a liberal because a liberal at least knows what they believe.”
Funny.
But not true.
Being an independent newspaper better reflects our community. Our residents don’t all belong to the same political party, nor do all have a lock on the best ideas. Hence, the Commentary page should reflect a diversity of opinions.
That’s hard for some people to understand. They’ve turned politics into a football game where it is more important for your side to win than it is to finding a solution for a problem.
Not a day has gone by the last few weeks where someone hasn’t called accusing The Lima News of slanting the news by being either too conservative or too liberal. In most cases, I find what the caller is really saying is that “you wrote something in which I disagree, therefore you are slanting the news.”
A newspaper's commentary page is there to present a credible opinion and to stir conversation and debate.
That means we aren’t a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian leaning newspaper. No more straight tickets. Let’s keep an open mind.
ROSES AND THORNS: People flipping out and tripping out find their way into the rose garden.
Rose: To Wittenberg University wide receiver Desi Kirkman, who landed on ESPN’s Top 10 plays on Oct. 13. Kirkman caught a 19-yard touchdown pass at the goal line — and a la Cincinnati Bengals’ Jerome Simpson — flipped over a defender and landed in the endzone. The spectacular play by the former Lima Central Catholic star athlete was rated No. 2.
Rose: Retired Maplewood Principal James Cypher received one of the top awards during the Ohio Schoool Boards Association’s annual conference.
Rose: Add a student commons facility to the list of new buildings the University of Northwestern Ohio has unveiled the past five years. Others include the Hunter Engineering Building, a Barnes & Noble bookstore featuring a Starbucks Café, the UNOH Event Center, an administration building, the Ohio State Beauty Academy, the Motorsports Racing Complex, dormitories, and baseball, softball and soccer fields as well as tennis courts. Plans for 2013 include an indoor athletic complex.
Rose: To Debi Black, of Lima, who had her idea featured in the nationally-syndicated comic strip, "Pluggers."
Thorn: To Nell Lester, president of Lima-Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership. She attended a Lima City Council meeting in hopes of renting a building and left when City Council members asked to see some of the agency’s financial records.
Thorn: Cynthia A. Kline is 53 and David W. Nelson is 50. Both of the Delphos residents were arrested by local police officers for peddling marijuana, proving once again that growing older doesn’t always equate to growing smarter.
Thorn: Interstate 75 maintains its reputation for being a “high” way as state troopers arrested a man near Findlay with 1,000 ecstasy tablets worth $17,000, and two men near Wapakoneta with marijuana lollipops and other drugs worth $8,000.
PARTING SHOT: Anyone looking for a helping hand can always find one at the end of his or her arm.
Jim Krumel is the editor of The Lima News.
