The Tribune story regarding the recent census data that show Alexander and Pulaski Counties as the state’s poorest missed the point in many respects. It seems as though the Tribune had the story written before coming down here, because in spite of the fact that it was given much positive information about Cairo and the surrounding area, the Tribune printed the negative and one-dimensional story of Feb. 14.
In talking with the Tribune, I gave many examples of the positive attributes of our area in order to provide a broader context into which the necessary discussion of our harsh poverty and the gloomy census data could be understood. The City of Cairo and our two-county area deserve a broader look at some unique accomplishments and some very real progress.
As for myself, I feel badly that all the Tribune was able to do with my efforts to provide context was to come up with a negative, incomplete and out-of-context quote tailored to fit the downbeat feel of the story and the preconceived notions of our area of southernmost Illinois.
