Good news: Sometimes, you just have to point to the positive

Wayne County had a busy weekend.

From the touching lantern ceremony and the walk/runs to raise money for cancer patients at the Cures for the Colors event to the fun and pickles at the N.C. Pickle Festival, there was plenty to see and do.

And if that were all, it would have been enough to classify this weekend as full.

But there was more, much more.

A group of volunteers worked to clean up and to beautify downtown, while another crew picked up trash along the Neuse River.

Also on the agenda this weekend was a fundraiser for the Wayne County Museum and a gathering in support of Communities in Schools.

Phew.

There was plenty to write about in this spot -- all sorts of issues at the local, state and national level that deserve commentary.

You know the drill.

But, this weekend, we were motivated to do something a little different.

It was striking to see just how active and involved this community is becoming -- and we thought that deserved a mention.

So we decided to take a break from the heavy stuff to point out one simple fact: No matter what the politicians do, no matter how much we think some decisions are circumspect, the bottom line is this community's strength really is its people.

And that is a reason to deviate from the drama -- if only for a short time.

This county is growing. We have new businesses, new transportation hubs and new possibilities, including a good shot at some new air refueling tankers.

And as we count those opportunities, we also look to the other ways that our community is improving.

We are working to build stronger schools and to improve the arts offerings in our area.

We are investing in a new agriculture center and a convention center, too.

We are working to continue to make sure this county has a trained and ready workforce, while continuing to see growth at both our local community college and the four-year university down the road.

We are taking a chance on a new downtown, while thinking about the next steps for the city and county.

And we are also creating more opportunities to support each other -- both through traditional events and new ones.

There is no better prescription for success.

So we pause today to honor those who do the work -- and to point out the positive -- in hopes that future weekends will be even busier.

Published in Editorials on April 25, 2015 11:47 PM