Mission Statement:
To endeavor to bring to all residents of the Five States the most current and important news from across the entire Five States region. Never yellow, the Five States Herald vows to serve only the people of the Five States, from New Austin to Lemoyne, free of charge now and forever.
Time moves on and the Five States are to be left behind
By Lucien Privitt
Months ago the BHTNC, a group of private investors disbanded. The group formed when the Five States legislatures and Congress opted to ignore the Five States. In the early days of the BHTNC the Five States was an exciting place to be. The group invested in new jobs, bringing prosperity to many. Companies brought new products to the market to take advantage of the growing economy in the Five States. However, support slowly began to dwindle. The BHTNC began shifting its investments to a West Coast city called Los Santos. In Los Santos the BHTNC found a quicker return on their investment, eventually leading to the group disbanding and ending all investments in the Five States. New products stopped arriving, with companies content to offer special sales on the same items over and over. The company Flock of Sparrows became famous for regularly putting its canned beans product on sell or even giving it away for free at times.
With the BHTNC gone, residents were hopeful that Congress or the state legislatures would step in to support the Five States. That support never came. This week, the five state legislatures in the Five States have issued a joint statement. They officially announced that investment in the Five States has dried up. They further stated that they will no longer seek new investments or seek new job creation. This is not a complete end to the Five States, as it is believed the telegram system will provide some jobs from out of state employers. Beyond that, however, the Five States will be left to its own devices to grow stagnant or even more wild. Residents are responding to the news differently, with some stating they long accepted the decline of the Five States but find peace and joy in the countryside. Others, however, are planning to move away for good. What will you do?
Armadillo residents have a question for everyone else: first time?
By Jose Chavez
As talk about the perceived abandonment of the Five States makes its way around the region, Armadillo residents are shrugging. “Have these folks not been abandoned before?” asked an Armadillo resident, “we’ve been abandoned multiple times and you don’t see us worried about it!” Indeed, aside from the local sheriff office, the government has completely abandoned the town after a series of plague-like illnesses. Support is minimal and mostly in the form of the previously mentioned Sheriff’s office. Residents in Armadillo have become used to the situation and have found ways to cope. “I like to walk around a lot,” said another resident, “I like to look at the abandoned businesses and on occasion, look at the alcohol I can’t afford.” The advice from Armadillo is to accept what the future brings and make the most of it. “There are still things to do for many, though I suppose there are some who have done everything they can,” said the Armadillo local, “but at least the alcohol hasn’t run dry.”
Woman nearly mauled by bear
By Jane Duran
A man and a woman were traveling near O’Creagh’s Run when they were attacked by a bear. The man escaped but the woman was not so lucky. He rode into Annesburg asking for help, saying he lost his wife. “The fella said he and his wife fled a bear,” said a local deputy, “and that she was right behind him until he turned around and noticed she was gone.” A few deputies went searching and the woman was found alive, though in a state of shock. She had been rescued by local Hamish Sinclair, who also offered a different story than the man’s. “I heard the bear and saw them riding away,” said Hamish, “but he turned and shot her horse dead, leaving for bear prey.” Hamish, however, grabbed his rifle and shot at the bear, scaring the beast off. The woman was shaken but only minimally wounded, with a few scrapes. The deputies returned to Annesburg and the man returned as well, alone. Hamish saw to the woman’s care before arranging for her to leave the Five States without her husband.
Bison hunted aggressively this week
By Nick McCrary
The West Elizabeth government offered a gold nugget bounty on bison which had devastating effects on local wildlife. The bison population in the United States has been in severe decline for years now. The West Elizabeth state government wants to expand building in the state and see the bison as a barrier to their goals. This is not the first time bounties on bison have been offered, however, it is the first time the response has been so significant. I asked a hunter in Blackwater why he was taking advantage of the bounty and he said, “ain’t much else to do and with the Five States being abandoned, what’s a few more dead bison?” The Blackwater butcher said he has purchased more bison hides in a single day this week than he has in the last month. For others, gold nugget bounties are the only new jobs in the Five States. “I’ve long retired from bounty hunting and not I’m a trader,” said one cowpoke, “but gold nugget bounties are a nice way to supplement trading income.” Naturalists are concerned and believe at the rate bison are being killed, they may be completely extinct within the decade.
Funeral Planned for “Death of the West”
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Every era must come to an end; nothing lasts forever. Time is the cruelest master we all obey. Take your pick for the metaphor to best describe the passage of time. Some celebrate time moving past us; many more mourn it. We often are in search of lost time, as if finding it would bring it back. Perhaps that’s why many cowpokes are prepared to mourn for the era we are rapidly moving past.
Come next week; there will be a funeral held in the Five States. Not for any one person, great or small, but for the times in which we live. Some are not yet ready to part ways with the Western Expansion era, or the entire 19th century.
Some may call such behavior foolish or overly nostalgic, but it’s hard to be mad at people who are saddened when our time has passed, rightly or wrongly. The changing of the seasons is an emotional experience, and we all go through it many, many times in life. We skate over frozen lakes and drink to our heart’s content, but such actions are not frozen in time; they are eventually just memories. Memories that will one day fade as our bodies shut down. So I raise my glass to the Wild West and the 19th century!
Violence in Valentine over a hat
By Emery Cosberry
A man traveling through Valentine grabbed a resident by the arm and dragged him into the general store. According to witnesses, the cowpoke then said, “this hat, see this one right here!” while pointing at the hat on the residents head. The hat was not terribly distinctive, other than the fact that the hat was not available in store or via catalogue. “If he has this hat then someone sells it, find it for me!” the man demanded. The store clerk merely shrugged and said he did not know the maker of the hat and could not order it. The man then let out his frustrations on the resident, beating them until unconscious and stealing their hat. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the crime by shooting the man dead. The stolen hat was shot off, leaving a clean hole through it. Additionally, it was covered in mud and blood when it was returned to the groggy owner.
Saint Denis docks overflow with people looking to book exit from the Five States
By Aloysius Levron
Saint Denis is by far the most populated and busy city in the Five States. A thriving economy supported by a train station and several docks, Saint Denis offers everything a Five States resident could want or need. Following the announcement that the Five States will be abandoned by the authorities, however, the city’s docks are busier than ever. “We’ve had an overflow of folks trying to book passage out of the Five States,” said the train station clerk, “seems they see no future and are trying to make an exit.” While most of the ships using the Saint Denis docks are cargo ships, there are a few passenger ships and if demand to exit holds, there will likely be a few more next week. All current passenger ships out of Saint Denis for the next few days are booked up. Several soon to be former residents were so desperate they booked room on cargo ships. “I’m leaving in an hour,” said one such individual, “offered to pay my way and help out as I can.” A ship captain told me he has never seen people offer to pay to work. “It’s insane, they want to leave so they pay and offer to work, wish all my employees were like this.”
Disaster Ballads Continue!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Have you ever felt just blue from the news you read? Of trials and tribulations humanity has gone through and frequently failed at? Well, what is painful for the heart is fonder for the mind, according to some anyway. Where one sees tragedy, some see triumph.
There exists a genre of music that sits between memorial and exploitation, there is no official term for it, but the catch-all word is, disaster ballad. A song written about a terrible event, usually right after the event happened. For example, when Chicago caught fire years ago, dozens of songs were written about the event within days, if not hours of the fire starting.
Is this respectful to the dead? Or just a quick easy way to make money? It’s often the latter, occasionally the former, and sometimes even both at times. Some songs are very thoughtful in what message they convey; some are terribly written with an exceedingly poor melody. You never know what you’ll get; it’s like poker, a game of chance dressed up to look nicer.
At the moment, ship disaster ballads are the big-ticket holders; whenever a ship goes down, there’s a song; the worse, the better. Only humanity could somehow make music empathic and greedy at the same time.
Lizzie Arlington celebrated a year after her historic save
By Rutherford X. Downing
One year ago, Lizzie Arlington took to the baseball field on behalf of the Reading Coal Heavers. Miss Arlington was brought to the field in the 9th inning on a carriage pulled by two white horses, tasked with ending a 5-0 game against the Allentown Peanuts. Many Coal Heavers fans were dismayed at first, stunned that the team’s manager would risk such a commanding lead. Despite loading the bases, however, Miss Arlington gave away no runs. The short performance was historic and being celebrated by women and sports fans alike. Suffragettes have also attached themselves to Miss Arlington, saying, “if a woman can play baseball with men then she can vote with men!”
Independence day was celebrated on Wake Island
By Ivy Seager
The United States celebrated independence day this year by claiming an island in the Pacific Ocean. The island is isolated and does not have a local population. The United States plans to use Wake Island to monitor the Pacific Ocean for threats. Though the island has been visited by other island nations in the past, not permanent settlements were established. Still, the claiming of Wake Island is controversial. The United States is still fending off accusations of being an imperial power and this comes not long after the annexing of Hawaii, a formerly independent nation. Some are hopeful that the United State’s expansion is temporary and just a means to deter aggressive nations. Only time will tell if that optimism is well placed.
The Five States Herald 