An old journalism
adage is "all news is local." The statement refers to news in all parts
of the world. If that's true, what's on the minds of folks in small
towns along the West Coast of Oregon and Washington these days?
Bellingham, United States - While politicians provide
polls of what Americans want and think, on the ground where news is
local, a traveler finds everyday folk talk about their neighborhoods,
their lives and what's up close and happening in their towns in the
moment. Along the Oregon - Washington U.S. coastline and through small
towns near Mount Rainier people are interested in what's going on in
their own backyards above almost anything else.
As one listens to heartbeats in a piece of America's heartland, the
sounds are mostly conversations about local events and the weather.
Digital Journal found over several hours of listening during a two-day
trip, what most people considered the big news of February 20 and 21st.
The most prevalent news was the weather, as February 2010 has been
among the warmest months on record in the Pacific Northwest. As
temperatures edged into the 60's, folks were out enjoying the sunshine
and good weather. That was the biggest news, not the war in Iraq, or
the President's latest message nor the wrangles going on in Congress.
The common thread from a chorus line of folks in small towns on the
weekend was "isn't this weather wonderful, how the sun is shining and
the day so beautiful and pleasant." The comments usually ended with,
"and aren't we lucky too."
This senior woman takes
advantage of the good weather to ride her bicycle to go shopping, and
for her the big news was that good weather.
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The other big news stories along the coast were about the Winter
Olympics in Canada. Ordinary folk spontaneously talked about
outstanding athletes of the games, the ice skaters, the skiers, the
young people who brought glory to their home countries and joy and
entertainment to people everywhere, including folks in small towns.
In Bellingham, Washington there was literally no room in the inns of the
town, as people on their way to the games bunked in the motels and
hotels in towns close to the border near Vancouver B.C. Rooms that
would ordinarily rent for $49 were as high as $130, if one could find
one available during this time when so many people were coming and going
from the Olympic games. The big news in Bellingham included the
weather, the games and the crowds in the parking lots and streets as
sports fans and followers found their way to Canada to enjoy the Winter
Olympics first hand even as people were out on the water enjoying
themselves on a warm February day.
This is a view of
Bellingham Bay, where small boats were out with folks enjoying the
weather, less than one hour's drive from Vancouver B.C., the site of the
Winter Olympic Games.
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In South Bend, Washington, news crews were out from local stations as
well as Fox News, as the arraignment on Friday of Martin Jones who killed
a trooper in Longview, Washington the Saturday before the
arraignment. Jones was charged with attempted first-degree murder and
first-degree assault. He entered not guilty pleas and had his bail set
at $5 million.
The news trucks were
out in force, with folks inside to watch and listen to the arraignment
of the man who allegedly shot and killed a trooper in Longview,
Washington.
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A journalist arrived as the arraignment was underway, watching the
television and news correspondents' trucks and vans parked outside the
courthouse, the biggest thing happening in town.
Carol Forsloff was
here speaking with one of the folks in a news truck, as reporters were
inside the courthouse covering the story, an arraignment of a man who
allegedly shot and killed a trooper in Longview, Washington. He had
"the rest of the story" from getting it through to his truck.
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Just before the arraignment, the journalist learned from a grocery
store clerk, Roger Williams, how the courthouse became located in South
Bend. Williams works at Pioneer Grocery, a family-owned store in the
area, a place where he has worked for 26 years. At age 58 Williams
keeps a keen eye on things that go on around town.
This grocery store
clerk has been with Pioneer Grocery for many years and talks readily
about the town of South Bend, the local courthouse, the weather and
what's happening around town.
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Roger stopped for a moment on a busy day and said to Digital Journal,
"If you want to see something, you ought to take a drive to the old
courthouse. There's always something happening around there. The
courthouse has new stories and old ones as well. Apparently around
1900, everyone had to go to Longview, Washington for any court
proceedings. Some town citizens, were mad about all this, went to
Longview one night and stole all the files and records. They threatened
to keep them until the courthouse was moved. And so it's now located
just down the road from here."And so it was, now located on a hillside
on the edge of town, the courthouse last Friday which became the center
of big news in this very small town.
Outside a town near Mount Rainier stands a small convenient store
grocery. Inside Vincent Isakson talked of the beautiful day, the busy
weekends with people enjoying themselves. For him the news is the
weather and the people coming through the area.
This grocery story
clerk speaks in glowing terms about the weather and the wonderful people
who stop at the store on their way to visit the Mt. Rainier area.
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But the news on the side was on a glass jar, letting people know the
risks of the mountainous regions, with a message about rescues and
donations to help. In the bathroom a sign on the edge of a shelf
reminded people of the need to conserve resources, in this case paper
towels, reflections perhaps of recession concerns and the need to be
thrifty right now.
This jar sits on a
corner of a counter at a convenience store outside of Graham, Washington
in the shadow of Mt. Rainer, a stark reminder of the risks of hiking
around mountain areas.
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A drive through McCreary and a sign on a wall brought news that seems to
hit home when one stands in the town where a child went missing and is
considered endangered. Folks at the window noticed, while the man
behind the counter where the sign had been posted talked of a grieving
mother who waits for news of her child. A headline on a window up close
can be contrasted with a headline on an evening news show or Larry King
Live as a different experience, folks say, of something mainstream
titles "missing and exploited children" made real by those near the
problem.
This poster is pasted
on a window at a rest stop along the roadway just outside McCreary,
Washington, another reminder that crimes against children can happen
anywhere.
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"All news is local," but what might than mean can be found as one moves
through America's small towns where what's on their minds is expressed
in terms of everyday needs and values that make up a human experience.
This is what the old adage has meant over time and played out in the
backyards of people wherever they might live.
Carol Forsloff