Smaller town coverage difficult

When you ready the weekly issue of this newspaper, inevitably there is a story of some form or fact of our local government. Whether it’s the Custer City Council, the Custer County Commission or the Custer School District Board of Education, you will always find one of us at the meetings, and then a report on what happened at the meeting in (usually) the following week’s paper. Local government coverage is the bread and butter of a weekly newspaper. It’s our job to let you know what is going on with those entities if you cannot attend the meetings. It’s a responsibility we both enjoy and take seriously.
More difficult, however, is covering the other towns in our county. That isn’t to say that Pringle, Fairburn, Hermosa and Buffalo Gap’s town boards don’t deserve coverage on a weekly (or monthly basis, depending on how often the respective boards meet) basis, it’s just that we don’t always have the time or manpower to be everywhere at once. The Chronicle has two writers—Nathan and Jason—and both have plenty of work to do already.
Having said that, we have been extending our coverage somewhat as topics warrant, and we have seen that in both Hermosa and Buffalo Gap.
In Buffalo Gap, we are following the tax payment issues swirling around the town, and will continue to cover that as more news about the issue comes out. If and when something comes of all of it, we will be sure to let you know. In the meantime, at a recent town board meeting we were not at, the town board president, Glenn Scofield, resigned. So, if you’re in Buffalo Gap and want to serve your community, now is your chance.
In this issue of the Chronicle you will see a story from Laura Lindblom regarding a Tax Increment Finance District issue that has surfaced in Hermosa. We have been much more active in Hermosa, because as the town grows, so does the need for coverage there. We have made a concerted effort to cover more of the issues over there, as well as give the school there more coverage. After all, we are the official newspaper of the Town of Hermosa and the school district, in which the Hermosa School is included.
It’s no secret the town board in Hermosa has had its share of drama over the years, and that includes recently. In a coming issue, we will highlight the ongoing rift over there and what both sides of the issue is causing the problems. You can draw your own conclusions when we present both sides in an unbiased fashion.
We have also decided to dedicate a reporter to covering Hermosa Town Board meetings moving forward, as Laura will take on that job of being at Hermosa Town Hall the first and third Tuesday each month to let people know what is going on in that town. It’s impossible for Nathan or Jason to get over there on Tuesdays, as that is the day the Chronicle is being sent to the press.
Pringle and Fairburn have been lying low, but if something of significance happens with those town boards, you can rest assured we will be on it. We have a small but mighty staff, and we will continue to do our best to cover all happenings throughout the county.