It’s the one comment I have heard the most in my nearly 30 years in journalism: “There’s never anything good in the paper.”

That sentiment was echoed last week by two different callers concerned there was too much negativity in the T-R and not enough “good news.”

The truth is that while we have an obligation to print articles that are sometimes unpleasant, we also take seriously the fact that we have an opportunity to publish stories and photos that inspire, enlighten and entertain.

And as I tried to point out to the two callers that phoned last week, the T-R does indeed print a great deal of “good news.”

Take for example that just within the month of June — the photos you see above are representative of some of the stories we published that would be considered positive, perhaps even uplifting.

This is just a few, but here it goes:

• Our continued series on area military veterans.

• Champion go-karter;

• Father’s Day tribute to a Marshalltown man;

• University of Iowa student from Marshalltown to lead the marching band;

• Tons of area prep sports coverage;

• Lennox employee thankful for life-saving efforts recognized at luncheon;

• Mega-10 park improvements;

• Stretch of roadway officially named after the late Marshalltown Mayor Gene Beach;

• Neighborhood block party showcases community pride and togetherness;

• New Sub City owner takes over business;

• Gladbrook couple named grand marshals for annual Corn Carnival;

• ISU solar car makes visit to Marshalltown;

• Local law enforcement offers equipment checks and installs car safety seats for free;

• Gold Star ceremony recognizes sacrifices by the families of Vietnam War soldiers.

The newspaper is a repository of information, some good, some bad. Our charge is to provide both.

But I will tell you that majority of news that we print is positive. Whether it’s a wedding announcement, a feature photo of kids or animals, or a story about someone making a positive difference, we showcase that.

This is our community, too. We understand the value of the news — both the bad, and most assuredly, the good.

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Contact Jeff Hutton at 641-753-6611 or jhutton@timesrepublican.com