People do some funny things

People do some funny things to get where they think they want to go, things they probably never envisioned themselves doing before. I know that’s what I’ve been doing lately. It’s not always a bad thing, either.

I don’t think The State Journal can be considered a typical newspaper. A majority of the full-time reporters aren’t that far removed from college. It feels like a more serious college paper without the gossip and drama. And… really…slow…computers.

In my first two weeks on the job, I’ve had two stories on the front page, covered my first election and got a complimentary dessert for one story. I’ve also been ousted for a factual error on-line, struggled to come up with my own story ideas and typed pages and pages of court documents. It hasn’t all been Woodward and Bernstein. Then again, the job has had its moments.

For my first story, I was sent to cover a reception at the Senior Citizens Center in honor of a man that had made significant contributions to the center and the community. Yawn, right? Actually, it was one of most uplifting ceremonies I’ve ever attended, and I met an amazing, real-life hero in 97 year-old Frank Sower. I could only include a fraction of the contributions he had made to the city of Frankfort in my story, but his life is a testament to the value and impact one human being can have in the world. Three years removed from the century mark, the guy still has a hop in his step and a twinkle in his eye. He totally reminded me of the possibilities this life can bring if one is willing to devote themselves to something greater than themselves and invest in the idea of community. Truly a great man.

I also received a unique opportunity this past weekend when I got a chance to tour the CNN Election Express, the techno bus that CNN has been using to cover primary elections in every state. I had to work through CNN’s personal relations people, which was a little annoying when they tried to dictate everything, but the story turned out to be pretty solid and the bus is a one-of-a-kind creation. Only someone that’s really into TV news production can understand the full magnitude of the bus’s technological capabilities, but I figured out pretty quickly that it’s a little nicer than the school bus I used to ride every morning. The seats were much more plush, too.

Tuesday was Kentucky’s primary election, and I was assigned to cover the Republican race for the 6th Congressional District in the state. It turned out to be the best race of the night.

A local Frankfort man who had never even graduated college lost the election to a Lexington attorney by less than 1,000 votes. Neither really had much of a political history and neither were expected to challenge the incumbent Congressional representative in the general election, but it was still interesting to speak to each candidate after the results came in and get their reaction. It almost felt like sports. Maybe I should have gambled on the mayoral race.

Anyway, that was my first endeavor into covering politics. Like I said, people do some funny things to get where they think they want to go. And sometimes, they are better for it.