There is an axiom in journalism that says, “if it bleeds, it leads.” I complained about this to one of my English professors in college, and he rebutted that covering a plane crash is news, one that lands safely is not. But given the amount of turmoil over the past four to five months, I felt we all needed a break. As I was walking along Fourth Street in Williamsport on a beautiful Tuesday morning on the last day of June, preparing myself mentally for the weekly Lycoming County Commissioners Public Meeting, I decided to only feature in my County Hall Corner article things that were positive.

I could not help but smile and wonder if God had a sense of humor as I rounded the corner and approached the Executive Plaza. Standing outside the entrance were eight protestors from Roads to Freedom carrying banners, signs, and what appeared to be an American flag but with a very unusual star design (not sure what that was meant to represent). I knew why they were there. Their request for funding had been denied at the meeting last week by a 2-1 vote, and now they obviously were going to make another appeal.

As I entered the conference room, the group followed behind me and lined up against the windows and positioned themselves to be able to be in the sight lines of the live stream camera. As I sat down at the long table in the back of the room, I saw Ed McCoy, Chief of the Adult Probation Office, sitting at the far end of the table. I was going to greet him after I had got my computer out, but as I was doing so I could not help but note that he was in a rather serious altercation with Commissioner Rick Mirabito. I could not help but overhear, and realized it was over the protestors. It appeared that McCoy had called for additional deputies for the meeting and Commissioner Mirabito took offense to that. I had missed the initial discussion, but however it started, the volume and the temperature rose considerably very quickly.

Commissioner Mirabito was still loudly arguing as he went to his seat at the front of the room, with McCoy likewise responding, but it subsided when Commissioners Scott Metzger and Tony Mussare entered to begin the meeting. However, as soon as the opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance had been given, Commissioner Mirabito asked to make a comment before deliberations to bring to attention the dust up he had just had with Adult Probation Chief McCoy. When McCoy asked if he could make a rebuttal, he was denied by Chairman Metzger due to protocol.

But Commissioner Mussare decided to make a comment, and noted that there is a heightened tension in our country and thus it is prudent to take precautions. Commissioner Metzger also decided to respond and added that this was not just theoretical as a Williamsport City Council meeting had recently been disrupted to the point where the Council had to declare a recess. Metzger warned that anyone seeking to disrupt their meeting was going to be ushered out. And all of this drama had happened in just ten minutes!

I was deeply discouraged and was even wondering if I should just skip a week due to mental fatigue. But then, just when the meeting appeared to be descending into a bad horror movie, a ray of sunshine broke through. The first order of business was a Proclamation to recognize June and July as Dairy Month and Ice Cream Month. Featured at this proclamation was Katelyn Taylor, the Lycoming County Dairy Maid Princess. Katelyn has been featured in my LION columns twice in the past year, and she richly deserves it. She came to the podium and noted that the dairy farmers need our support, and again reminded everyone to get their “three dairy products a day.” (A mantra that I have heard from her so often I cannot get it out of my brain, nor should I try). All three commissioners made very kind remarks to Katelyn noting her hard work in championing the cause of local dairy farms and then presented her with the proclamation.

As much as I could have liked to focus on just the positive, that is not the world we live in. There is a lot of uncertainty right now, and it is not easy for those who are leading us through this quandary. However, this is where we are as a country and this is where we are in our county — we have trials and triumphs, challenges and celebrations, problems and possibilities. Remembering our recent Independence Day, we recognize that we have come a long way as a country, and yet also realize that we have a long way to go.