Poli (Sigh): The Supposed ‘Scam’ Virus And Fair Finances
Needless to say, the most frustrating part about online journalism is the trolls and their nasty comments on Facebook.
They can be evil at the worst moments in one’s life and are often off-point and beyond logic.
But some of the strangest comments I’ve seen lately are the ones appearing on our coronavirus stories in which commenters allege that numbers provided at the county, state and national level are a scam and somehow part of political agenda. Many of these, I think, comes from conservatives who opposed the lockdown and hate the idea of wearing masks even though President Donald Trump (for a while) led the fight against what he described as an “invisible enemy.”
So on Wednesday, I asked Kosciusko County Health Officer Dr. William Remington what he thinks about the so-called “scam” that is often cast by commenters as “fake news.”
His short reply was “It’s real.”
For those who belittle the current virus, Remington said, “Be thankful you have not seen it upfront … That tells me you’re fortunate. These are random events sometimes … but it’s a real deal.”
He referenced the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that killed 50 million people worldwide. “That event a century ago was not a made-up event. I‘m glad this one doesn’t look like that, but it’s been close enough,” he said.
And he closed by saying he no longer looks at Facebook comments. Good for him.
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ELECTION LINEUP – So what will be the highlights in the local general election on Nov. 3? Aside from the much-anticipated presidential race between Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden, there is a scattering of contested races that voters will have to decide. Here are the contested races:
Governor
Incumbent Eric Holcomb (R) versus Woody Myers (D)
Attorney General
(will be decided through party conventions)
2nd Congressional District
Incumbent Jackie Walorski (R) versus Pat Hackett (D)
3rd Congressional District
Incumbent Jim Banks (R) versus Chip Coldiron (D)
State House District 18
Craig Snow (R) versus Chad Harris (D)
State House District 22
Incumbent Curt Nisley (R) versus Kelly Thompson (D)
State Senate District 9
Incumbent Ryan Mishler (R) versus Brandon Cavanaugh (D)
State Senate District 18
Incumbent Stacey Donato (R) versus Laura Fred-Smith (D)
Kosciusko County Commissioner (middle district)
Incumbent Cary Groninger (R) versus Travis McConnell (D)
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FAIR FINANCES – 2020 will likely be remembered by Kosciusko County fair officials as probably the worst year ever.
Not only did the fair board lose the lawsuit that will prevent motorized racing from ever returning, but officials also had to cancel the community fair because of the pandemic.
On top of that, the organization’s financial picture for the fiscal year 2019, which concludes at the end of June, are bleak. An income statement released Monday shows revenue for the year is down by $61,000 over 2018 ($201,408 compared to $262,005 in 2018). Net income is negative $27,487 for the year. Oddly enough, the amount of legal expenses paid out this year is $26,713.
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GOLF OUTING – Kosciusko County’s GOP will hold its fourth annual Republican Party Golf Outing July 22 at Rozella Ford Golf Course. Lunch is at noon. Tee time is 1 p.m. For more info, contact Joni Truex at [email protected] or Kimberly Cates at [email protected].
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MAKE IT PERMANENT – As you may know, county officials have been using the multi-purpose room in the Justice Building in Warsaw for public meetings in recent months for the sake of social distancing.
I had a chance to cover Kosciusko County Council Thursday night at the multi-purpose room and found it quite refreshing compared to the old courtroom on the second floor of the courthouse where they usually meet.
Council has been considering moving its meetings there permanently, so here are my two cents: In terms of public access, lighting, security, acoustics and seating space, the alternative is much, much better. Oh, and you can do PowerPoint presentations and slide shows in the new room which would be nearly impossible to do in the old courtroom. There is no good reason, from the public’s standpoint, to ever return to using the old courtroom.
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Dan Spalding is the editor at InkFreeNews.com.
He covers city government and politics and always welcomes your input.
He can be reached at [email protected] or at (574) 855-7612.