More time, not less, needed for Census work

August 11, 2020

Giving Americans a month less to respond to the 2020 Census may be the most ridiculous proposal to come out of Washington this year. The idea should be discarded. Original plans for the Census called for an Oct. 31 deadline for people to respond to it with information about themselves and their families. But Census Bureau officials reportedly want to change that to Sept. 30. During this, of all years, people ought to be given more time to comply with government mandates, not less. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 epidemic has slowed collection of Census data. Moving the deadline ...

Technology saves debates at Farmfest

August 10, 2020

Like most other major gatherings this summer, Farmfest was canceled. Instead of thousands of farmers and others interested in agriculture traipsing around the Gillfillan Estate near Morton to look at the latest farming technology and products, and viewing test plots, everyone is staying home. One of the most vital features of Farmfest is carrying on, however. The political forums and debates that have become “must see” for those interested in farm issues and “must participate” for those seeking the farm vote are still taking place on the Internet. Zoom is being used to bring ...

Et Cetera …

August 8, 2020

Kids returning to school Fairmont Area Schools’ leaders spent many hours developing a plan to allow students to return to classrooms this fall, given the COVID-19 pandemic. They also surveyed parents to gauge their thoughts. In the end, Fairmont has chosen in-person learning, a plan people support and one that makes sense given the case numbers locally. We congratulate administrators and all involved for doing their research and moving ahead. Will votes be diluted? We are pleased to know there are many interested citizens who have chosen to file for Fairmont City Council. ...

Processing of tests hits wall, needs boost

August 7, 2020

In many respects, COVID-19 is all the U.S. health care system can handle, and more. As of Thursday, 159,000 Americans had succumbed to the disease. Though enormous progress has been made since the pandemic first breached U.S. defenses last winter, challenges remain. Among them is processing of COVID-19 test kits. Some states have reported delays of as much as two weeks in informing people whether they tested positive or negative. In many ways, we in this country are better equipped than those in most other countries to battle the disease, however. Even some developed countries are ...

Americans would do well to remain skeptical

August 6, 2020

Russia and other foreign foes continue to probe election mechanisms and the political network in this country in attempts to find ways to commit mischief electronically, it is being reported. With the presidential election three months away, that comes as no surprise. The vast majority of digital election systems in the U.S. appear to be secure. But candidates and political organizations’ communications may be at risk. Let us not permit worry about the security of elections and sabotage of candidates to distract us from the primary digital danger, however. It is our own gullibility ...

Resource officers can and do help many kids

August 5, 2020

Mistrust of law enforcement has become widespread to the point of becoming dangerous. One need not be a defender of the tiny minority of “bad cops” to recognize that. Of course they need to be purged from police and sheriff’s departments. George Floyd’s brutal death at the hands of a few Minneapolis police officers has united Americans in demanding that. But some critics insist that any law enforcement presence in schools needs to be eliminated. Critics say the presence of officers and deputies intimidates minority students and contributes to a “school-to-prison pipeline” ...