Be sure to check out E. J. Montini's column in today's (Aug. 18) Arizona Republic. Headlined "Small-town woman confronts a big-time issue: Free speech." It's about a Prescott woman named Kay Anne Riley (a single mother and former Marine) who was fired by the local humane society (which has a contract with the city) because she organized and participated in a public protest outside city hall.
"We do not relinquish our rights to free speech because we live in a small town," said ACLU Legal Director Daniel Pochoda. That group has filed a lawsuit on Riley's behalf in federal district court against Prescott's mayor, city manager, and officials with the humane society.
"I felt I had an obligation to stand up for what is right and battle injustice," said Riley. "That's one of the reasons I chose to serve in the Marines."
It's the kind of investigative reporting small town newspapers like ours should be doing. We are reminded of the recent firing of a Payson town employee despite a recommendation by former Judge Ronnie McDaniel that she be reinstated.
To read the column, pick up today's Republic or go to www.news.azcentral.com. Better yet, call 1-800-332-6733 and you can have the kind of newspaper coverage you deserve delivered to your doorstep seven days a week, including the big, fat Sunday paper containing hundreds of dollars worth of coupons.
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