the editor talks with you

Next week is a special one for Lexington County Chronicle readers and those who bring it to you each week.

26 years ago, a new newspaper was born here. Despite our competitors’ predictions, it’s still here and they’re gone.

By chance it happens that this is National Newspaper Week also, an inauspcious occasion until you think about its history..

Just about everybody in the known universe celebrates some special day or week for themselves. But this is a week to celebrate, not newspapers, but the vision of the framers of the Bill of Rights who forbade Congress to make any law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.

Over Labor Day 1992, we cleaned and painted Quincy Wingard’s little house on North Lake Drive across from Lexington Elementary School, courtesy of Kristin and Richard Hook, its owners.

Our merry band included Rebecca Kelly, Hilda Crain, David and Mark Bellune and their parents. Together we had been working on a business plan for a new newspaper for more than a month and were ready to publish a 12-page announcement that the little fellow was ready to roll.

We included a poll asking 17,000 prospective subscribers what they wanted to read and offering them a half price subscription as charter subscribers for the princely sum of $8 for the first year.

Before we published the initial edition, almost 1,000 people had subscribed.

We published all of their names in a full page “Thank You” message.

Here it is 26 years later and that little newspaper is still crowding its way in print into your mailbox each week and online into your email inbox. Thank you.

This would not be a real progress report if we did not include a bit of 26-year history. Because we have always believed that you expected us to ferret out wrongdoing and stand up for you, here are a few of the ways we have done it – with your help. Our readers have always been our tipsters.

news you helped us uncover included:

1. A multi-racial group’s efforts to rebuild a burned Baptist church. We received some phone threats about that.

2. The mismanagement of our hospital’s finances by a previous administration. Not surprisingly, your editor was treated well in his infrequent visits to the hospital. The staff was always friendly and professional.

3. With the help of a Babcock Center board member, we reported on abuse and neglect of the vulerable adults in the center’s care. That led to 3 lawsuits, none successful in proving we were wrong.

4. In June of 2015, with the help of a County Councilman, we began reporting on SC Electric & Gas’s excessive rates. In more than 3 years, we have published more than 500 news articles about SCE&G’s mismanagement of its $9 billion nuclear project, the venality of its executives and the slavish approval of Public Service Commissioners to its climbing rates and those of equally-incompetent Carolina Water Service.

Those are just a few of the highlights you have helped us uncover. You tipped us to many other stories about the human side of life, its tragedies and comedies.

It truly has been a joint effort between all of us, We say thanks to you, our partners.

Free inspiration

Need a speaker for your club or organization? Editor Jerry Bellune amuses and inspires local groups. You can email him at JerryBellune@yahoo.com