Once again, Syracuse New Times reporter Ed Griffin-Nolan is out in front of a major international story, this time about Pope Francis’ decision to start the beatification process of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador.
This week’s Sanity Fair column profiles a local man who had a front-row seat to the murder and martyrdom of a courageous man who stood up against the forces of tyranny in his country and paid with his life. Now the Vatican is recognizing Romero’s courage and leadership and intends to make him a saint.
Slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero is pictured in an undated file photo. Oscar Arnulfo Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador, in 1917. He was assassinated March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in the chapel of San Salvador’s Hospital of Divine Providence. He was a vigorous defender of the powerless and the poor and a critic of unjust military and government actions during a time of civil unrest in his country. (CNS file photo) (March 7, 2003)
Ed has a passion for this part of the world, having traveled there many times. The subject of Sanity Fair this week has also been inspired to keep on serving this part of the world, and Syracusan Kip Hargrave is bound for Central America to continue this legacy of service.
Griffin-Nolan aims to bring interesting and important stories to our readers. He was one of the first to point out the danger of transporting rail cars loaded with crude oil through populated communities and asking “Could This Happen Here?” (See his story from the April 1, 2014, issue of the New Times.)
This week, residents of Fayette County, W.Va., are asking “How did this happen here?” after nearly a dozen rail cars derailed and exploded, causing evacuations and pollution of local water supplies.
How many more of these accidents do we need to experience before something significant is done to improve the safety, and the ability of first responders to provide aid to these disasters?
As the publisher of the Syracuse New Times, I’m proud of our writers and contributors because they not only bring you interesting and entertaining articles, but also point out significant issues that we as a community need to address.
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William Brod is the publisher of the Syracuse New Times.
Larry Dietrich (editor-in-chief) is currently out of the office.
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