An Endorsement/A Word, Please

We are proud to endorse Jeff Masterson for Russellville City Council District One. Jeff isn't afraid to question the status quo--something many politicians in Russellville cannot say. The Franklin County seat will have a new mayor next month, and we predict he and Jeff will make a great team. Help pull Russellville into the 20th Century (and as our friend Steve Wiggins says, no, that wasn't a typo.)

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Every controversial or popular topic brings new readers to us here at Shoalanda. Often these readers don't know what we stand for, and with almost 1500 posts to our credit, they don't have time to go back through every one.

We do not report on the personal problems of any private citizens, unless it includes an arrest that Shoals residents need to know about or that person has thrust himself/herself into the news in some manner. We have reported on elected or appointed officials who use our tax dollars to give their cronies or girl/boyfriends a job.

Private businesspeople may do as they wish, and it's no one's business. We do not condone such behavior, but neither do we think it's our job to comment on it publicly. Similarly, elected officials may divorce, but they have not asked our advice, and we are not the keepers of their morals. We do advise each voter to research both the public and private lives of candidates before they mark their ballots.

Neither do we publish information on the arrest history of local individuals unless they commit a new crime.We hope no one judges the local politician or store owner on the basis of a 30 year-old drug arrest or the local attorney, author, or businessman on 10 or 20 year-old charges of tax fraud. These are not crimes of moral turpitude and we certainly don't judge anyone on the basis of such long past personal history. This obviously would not include convicted sex offenders who lobby for fewer restrictions or who flout the restrictions placed on them.

That being said, please feel free to send us questions concerning any matter on which we've commented. We will attempt to answer as soon as possible.

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Shoalanda