Opinion

  In death, as in life, former President Jimmy Carter can’t seem to get a fair shake, at least from the national political establishment based in Washington D.C. and the mainstream mass media.

I have been in denial.

As the year comes to a close, one of my traditions has always been to look back at the stories that shaped the year for the cities, communities and organizations that I cover as a reporter. Each year, I write a series of year in review articles that recap what were the major stories and events for my coverage area, and those articles should be coming out in the next few days.

By Arthur I. Cyr Special to the Herald Democrat   “Let a smile be your umbrella … a smile will always pay.” That is from a… Login to continue reading Login Sign up for complimentary access Sign Up Now Close

Those who regularly read my columns might remember me writing about what I wanted most for Christmas this year: pictures of my family. In hindsight, I had no idea how many I would end up getting.

Those who read my columns might have seen a recent one where I wrote about what I really want for Christmas this year. Instead of the normal stocking stuffers and traditional gifts, I asked my father for photos of the family, as I don't own any of my own.

Over the past decade of working at the Herald Democrat, I've made it a point to make some recurring stories my own. There are some events, holidays of other recurring occasions that I make it a priority to cover.

Christmas is almost here. With just a few days left, a lot of people are doing their final Christmas shopping trips.

I've said it before, and I doubt this is the last time I will say it: my work as a journalist often gives me a frontrow seat to everything that goes on in my communities. With that, I feel like I've developed something of a barometer for the places I cover.