In this 21st century age of misinformation brought on by social media, the nation's top fact-checking organization has identified the greatest fib of all this year.

PolitiFact calls the misinformation over the alleged Haitian consumption of pets in Springfield, Ohio, as the No. 1 lie of the year.

It's the story that Logansport Mayor Chris Martin pivoted to in claiming the city was overwhelmed by immigrants from Haiti and he needed help from higher levels of government. But Gov. Eric Holcomb, also a Republican, did not concur and in fact said Logansport was not being overrun. But that didn't stop Martin from pandering to national media. Among the news outlets who seized Logansport as an opportunity for election year grandstanding was The New York Post, which quoted a former Logansport student who said Haitian students in the corporation were getting more attention than other students. Local media and the school corporation responded to clarify the reality of the situation, and while local residents oppose illegal immigration, an online poll on the Pharos-Tribune Web site finds most respondents don't want military intervention to deport immigrants.

As the number of signatures demanding Martin's resignation surpasses 230 at year's end, join us in making a new year's resolution to bring better, more effective and respected government to our cty. Happy New Year to all.