Opinion : Getting bad news numbers with good news

Vinton Today readers read a total of nearly 5,800 stories on Monday. (We averaged 5,000 a day last Monday through Friday).

The thing that makes me happiest about this is that all of the news that was new on Monday was of the "good" kind. There were no untimely deaths to report, no shootings, no violent crimes or other tragedies.

I used to work in papers where I would have been sent to crime scenes on Monday. Two of them, in fact.

The killing of a deputy took place in a town where I went several times at a previous job. The shooting in Ryan, too was on the fringe of one of my former coverage area.

I have covered three murder trials in my 19 years in journalism. And to be honest, I enjoyed the challenge of writing about those trials, and I still remember lessons learned and people I met while doing so. But no, I do not hope for No. 4.

On my first day at a new job -- April 1, 1996 -- I was sent to the home of a Strawberry Point police chief for a murder-homicide.

There have been lots of other not-so-good things I have had to write about since I began this career 19 years ago. And I feel that I could handle such an assignment thoroughly and yet with respect for the victims of such events, and their survivors.

Still, I prefer writing about people falling off donkeys.

But remember: What you read in Vinton Today is not up to me. It's up to the 25,000 or so people who live in our area.