Two events that shed light on a broad spectrum come to a confluence this week.
On Sunday, March 13 Daylight Saving Time resumes, which means—if you can’t remember whether to spring or fall backward or forward—that in most parts of the U.S. we all get an extra hour of sunshine at the end of the day.
As a gardener and walker, I find this change a gift every year, freedom from being stuck inside in the dark for most nonworking hours.
For a journalist, Sunshine Week March 13-19 is similarly freeing. Sunshine Week was launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors — now News Leaders Association — and has grown into an enduring initiative to promote open government.
We have only to look at the situation in Ukraine, where one of the first things invader Vladimir Putin did was shut down the Russian press from providing a true depiction of events.
An informed citizenry can hold an international despot accountable. In our communities, an informed citizenry can hold a city council, water board, county commission, school or hospital board accountable.
Like most weekly newspapers, we have a shoestring staff, but we strive to provide you, our readers, with the information you need to know about how your tax dollars are being spent.
We also strive to let our readers know if elected officials are being transparent in meetings, policies and protocols.
Being an elected official in a small town is no cakewalk. For many it’s a volunteer position, and even those who are paid receive a salary that’s nowhere near comparable to the that in the private sector for similar responsibilities. It takes a commitment to community to serve as an elected official in a small town, and we recognize that.
In Texas, keeping the citizenry informed is complicated by the fact that we have a state legislature that only meets every other year. In West Texas that’s complicated by the fact that the state capital is more than 300 miles away and with legislative gerrymandering (aka redistricting), state house and state senate districts in this region keep adding counties.
Our weekly newspapers are committed to a capital report, week in, week out, and report on how your state house and state senate elected officials represent the rural areas we live in.
We celebrate the sunshine in all forms this week and hope you get a chance to enjoy the warmer, sunnier days ahead.
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