It was a Sunday, March 29th, and I had made up my mind.  After 8 years of blogging about local government and schools, I decided it was time to bow out and blog about other things.  I was very sincere in that March 29th post.  So, why do I continue to blog?

I will cite three things that changed dramatically after March 29th.

First, I intended to concentrate my blog and podcasts to what is going on around the local arts scene, particularly in live theater and music.  As you know, COVID-19 reared its ugly head and most of the live theater and music venues are shut down for the time being.

Second, you are likely aware the crisis in local news coverage.  A good example is the Indianapolis Star.  With the largest health crisis facing our area in 100 years, 25% of the journalists at the Star were on unpaid furlough, due to the dramatic drop in advertising revenue.  That resulted in fewer journalists to cover it all, meaning Fishers received a lot less coverage compared to other parts of Central Indiana.

Thirdly, the death of George Floyd has raised the awareness of racial issues that have lurked below the surface of American life for a very, very long time.  When marches for racial justice were organized in Fishers, I made it a point to attend two of them, take photos and video, and let the rest of the community know what happened.

I have cut back on my work load.  Most government meetings are being held virtually, but even when face-to-face meetings resume, I do not intend to attend them in person.  Some are available via video and I can still blog post about them when the circumstances warrant.

I noted on March 29th I would continue to write commentaries about a variety of subjects.  That will continue.

So, the novel coronavirus and racial issues, along with the lack of anything to cover on the arts scene, has kept me posting about local news.  I am not sure how long this will last, but I am heartened by so many of you that have urged me on.  At the student march for racial justice at the Amphitheater, I ran across so many people who cheered the fact I was there taking pictures and shooting some video.

Again, the many kind comments I received March 29th about my past work was way beyond anything I could expect.  But father time is still around and I will celebrate my 69th birthday soon.  So, blogging in some form and podcasting will continue as long as my health holds out.