OPINION: After all these years, I get the boot
Oct. 18—I never thought I would be writing something like this. It's definitely not something I saw coming.
And to be honest, it hurts.
But here I am. I've been the editor in Lima for 20 years now. A guy who has preached about transparency throughout those two decades. And now, when something happens to me, I'm going to be quiet about it?
That wouldn't be right.
It's just that at approaching 65 years of age, I was hoping to hit the retirement milestone without any stumbling blocks in the way. That would have been the perfect world, but none of us live in a perfect world, do we?
So what I thought would be a normal Thursday turned out to be the day I got the boot.
That's right.
I went out to the Orthopaedic Institute of Ohio with a badly sprained ankle and they put me in one of those big bulky boots.
... OK. Let's pause for a moment.
You didn't think I got fired, did you? After all, there was a story recently in The Lima News about Todd Benz coming in as our new general manager, and shortly after, I go AWOL for a couple of days.
That's actually the point I was hoping to make.
It can be dangerous for a person to think they're getting the full story by simply reading the day's headlines. Oh, granted, you can get an idea ... but you can also walk away believing someone got fired when instead they just got the boot.
Headlines are written to grab your attention. They're like the flashing lights on a dark crossroads. First impressions matter, and a headline can determine how many people will read an article, especially in today's era where people want their news quickly.
A good headline can be witty, contain powerful words or raise your curiosity — and hopefully are always accurate. But keep in mind the person who writes a story is seldom the same person who writes the headline. That's always been a bugaboo for newspapers. The reporters have usually finished their day when it comes time to position their stories on a page. We do ask our reporters to include suggested headlines when filing their stories. But in doing so, they have no idea how a story will be displayed in the print product. Thus, they're likely to turn in a 10-word headline when only five words are needed.
Unfortunately, all of this is a point that's been directed at people who have probably turned the page on this column long ago. So do me a favor. Tell them it's true, I got the boot.
But it was a size 11.
ROSES AND THORNS: A frequent visitor takes a walk through the rose garden.
Rose: The Lima Central Catholic girls' golf team won its fourth straight state championship on Saturday.
Rose: To Keith Bolyard Jr., of Columbus Grove, who had his idea featured Sunday in the nationally syndicated comic strip "Pluggers." Bolyard noted that Pluggers are happy to share their wealth, be it free tomatoes or zucchini.
Rose: To Nancy and Glen A. Adams of Gomer, who celebrated 70 years of marriage last Thursday.
Rose: To Kathie and Terry White of Elida, who will be celebrating 60 years of marriage this Thursday.
Rose: Around 300 migrating pelicans made for a picturesque scene at Grand Lake St. Marys when they made a stop by West Bank Road in Celina.
Thorn: To the terrible stunt done last week by a boy wearing a striped shirt in the Gloria Avenue area. He rode his bike quickly behind a woman who was walking and shoved her to the ground. Apparently, he thought it was funny.
Thorn: Crime Victim Services has seen a 20 percent increase in abuse survivors who needed their services, something spokesperson Ryn Farmer thinks is partly due to the pandemic. "People were at home and people have loss of income, there's higher rates of stress and sometimes that can result in higher rates of violence," she said.
PARTING SHOT: Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
Jim Krumel is the editor of The Lima News. Contact him at 567-242-0391 or at The Lima News, 3515 Elida Road, Lima, Ohio 45807.
