Val's Dropping Out of the News Rush; It's a Loss

Val Garner

My buddy Val Gardner (with whom I often have a briskly disagreeable relationship) announced yesterday on Facebook that she's shutting down Roanoke Free Press because she only has two hands and one head.

Val has done yeoman's duty with this politically-significant website since she left the little right-wing Roanoke weekly, the Star, because ... well, because of a lot of things. She's been trying to supplement her retirement income with the Free Press, but advertisers aren't easy to catch these days, especially when you're selling the Internet.

Val does what she does--covering local politics--as well as anybody in this area has in a long time. She is passionate about it, knows it, understands it and has a feel for how people are directly affected. She has her preferences and her biases and makes absolutely no bones about them, but even the people on the other side of the political aisle from her respect that she will be fair.

I hate to see her stop and, frankly, don't expect it will go that far. We need more like her, not fewer.