EDITORIAL: Who says there's no good news to report?
For those casual readers of this newspaper who have been drawn into the belief that all you see in our print and digital products is bad news, let us draw your attention to Wednesday. Almost the entire front page, above the fold, was devoted to good news. After a few fits and starts, shovels wielded by Macon-Bibb County officials turned dirt to signify the construction phase of a new senior housing project on the east side of town on the former site of Henry A. Hunt Elementary School. The $11.3 million project will help breathe new life into the Shurling Drive area.
To the right of that story, the United Way of Middle Georgia announced at its annual meeting and awards luncheon that it had broken a fundraising record during its 2015 campaign. Area businesses and their employees raised $5,009,404, a half-million dollars more than last year. If anyone says Middle Georgia is not a generous community, throw that statistic at them. United Way also announced a $500,000 grant award from the AARP Foundation that will support Read2Succeed tutoring efforts that data shows is really making a significant difference in the 10 schools where it has been put into place.
And finally, there was an event designed just to make residents feel good. All of the county's nine fountains were turned on at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, and the main renovated fountain at Third Street Park was unveiled. Even longtime residents may not have realized the city has nine beautiful fountains. Many of them haven't worked in a while, but they are all working fine now, just in time for the 34th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 6:21 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Who says there's no good news to report? ."