We received a complaint last week that we don't provide enough coverage of the positive news in the local area.

This particular reader was frustrated at what they felt was excessive coverage of the same-sex marriage debate going on at the state level with Gov. David Paterson's proposal last week to legalize it, along with the story we did on a controversy surrounding an Owasco resident's wind chimes and whether a noise ordinance is needed to quiet things down.

My hunch is that most readers would agree that both of those stories were interesting and deserved front-page attention. But I also wouldn't be surprised if plenty of readers also agreed with the notion that we don't cover enough positive news.

I respectfully disagree.

If you go through any week's worth of our newspaper, and take an inventory of the headlines that appear throughout the pages, you'll find numerous examples of local stories that most people would consider positive.

Consider these front-page stories we've run in the past seven days:

• Opening night at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds Speedway in Weedsport.

• The Adams Foundation piano concert in Auburn.

• The canal cleanup efforts in the Port Byron/Weedsport area.

• A benefit for the new veterans' memorial in downtown Auburn.

• A group of friends who renovated an accident victim's home in Brutus.

• A plan to install a butterfly/hummingbird garden in Auburn.

• An effort to raise funds for food pantries in Genoa.

All of those stories received front-page attention. With our mission to deliver local news and information first and foremost, I wouldn't hesitate to put any of those stories in the same prominent position again.

But the truth is, none of those stories had as many page views on our Web site as the wind chimes piece, and my guess is that held true for the print edition, as well.

Here's the thing about positive news stories. They are a crucial part of a newspaper's portfolio of content, but they can often be taken for granted.

Having said all this, I'm by no means claiming that we're infallible. We've missed our share of positive stories. We can always do better, and every piece of feedback reminds us that we must always strive to improve.

All I ask of readers is to understand that we are always trying.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Tuesdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net