Proof that thousands vote prior to the local newspaper so much as beginning its local election coverage.

Chris Morris handily downplays the independent candidates in his business-as-usual preview of the race for District 3 Floyd County Commissioner, but the point lies elsewhere.

Given the advent of early voting, the News and Tribune surely must move coverage of local campaigns forward, as well as its General Election Voters Guide, so that they'll appear before ballots are cast.

When we raised this issue previously, the then-editor tepidly ho-hummed it with an excuse about deadlines. However, compelling evidence exists, as stated by Floyd County Clerk Christy Eurton at last week's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting (October 18).

That's right: At least 4,000 votes were cast before the newspaper began its local election coverage with the release of the Voters Guide after Eurton's words to BOW. If I were an an advertiser, I'd be concerned.

Perhaps Hanson could tie the election coverage debut to a cooking class ...