News Weather

What to do on a slow news day

Spring Run, Arnoldsburg, WV (Shari Johnson, photo credit)

1-2-2022

Shari Johnson

Here I am, only into my second day of the Ridgeview News and I’m already panicking regarding having no news. It’s been a rainy, New Year’s Day and I’m sure the majority of Calhoun County is doing the same thing I’m doing. Sitting inside and watching it rain. It’s miserable, why would we want to go outside? The scanner has had little to no activity on it until the last few minutes when I found myself thinking… why isn’t there anything happening? What an idiotic thought! That’s like wishing someone ill will. Father forgive me.

When I began to ponder the notion of becoming a publisher of local news, I had no grand illusions of becoming Calhoun’s own Murphy Brown, and still don’t. I simply want to make my community a more informed community, and make elected and appointed people accountable for their decision making. But on a rainy Saturday night, on a Holiday weekend, there’s no board meetings to cover or agenda to question. 

So what’s a news girl to do? I took my grandson for a drive to see if any of the waters in the county were creating issues with travel. But at the time there were little issues with the exception of an overflowing ditch line on Spring Run Road in Arnoldsburg. So we returned home and I decided that what I could do is is spend some time pondering how blessed we are to live in a slow news location. 

(As per WCHS news) — Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency after much of Kentucky experienced severe weather on New Year’s Day. Residents reported flooding, power outages, and property damage according to a news release from the governor’s office. Rainfall throughout the Bluegrass State may total 2 to 5 inches. Heavy precipitation followed by a cold front could make emergency response efforts challenging. “It is devastating that we are once again experiencing severe weather just weeks after the deadly tornadoes hit Western Kentucky,” said Gov. Beshear. “Sadly, some counties have been affected by both of these events.”

The overflowing ditch line seems pretty pathetic by comparison. 

On the national news front in Boulder County, Colorado officials announced Saturday afternoon that 991 homes were destroyed in the Marshall Fire, including 553 homes in Louisville, 332 homes in Superior and 106 homes in outlying areas, including Eldorado Canyon. Additionally, three people are considered missing.

In another town in Colorado— Claudia Camacho Duenas is accused of killing her two children, ages 11 and 18, stabbing them to death in Glenwood Springs. 

There are murders in the news, robbery’s and a number of other heinous events, but praise God, it’s a slow news night in Calhoun County, West Virginia. There will be other days when we will likely not be so blessed, but as for today no news really is good news.