No clue who told me this. Is there any thruth that next year the whole state will be open to crossbow hunting?

Good, keep it that way...

I'm in the minority that I think it would be good to open it up state-wide.

Remember that traditional archery guys had the same feeling when compounds came around. They thought it made killing deer way too easy and there would be nothing left. Now crossbows are hearing the same thing from the compound guys.

Crossbow hunting = more hunters buying tags or taking up archery, including older people who can't pull a bow and younger kids who can't pull the bow.

I'm all for it.

It is a competitive issue. Bow hunters against cross bows concern themselves with someone having a perceived advantage over them so they object.
But I no longer bow hunt due to strength issues though I may buy that string mechanism that holds the string back and has a trigger, that would help my cause. I don't qualify for a medical waiver either, those are hard to get.

I am a certified crossbow hunter. After hunting with a crossbow let me tell you from experance that it's not as effective as most people believe it is. You still have to know the distance to your target and I would not shoot at a deer over 40 yards out. They are much harder to shoot a good group with than a strong person with a good compound if you are shooting the crossbow offhand. I always try to shoot off of shooting sticks or brace my elbows on my knees. The only 2 advantages I can see is that the bow is already cocked so there is no movement to draw which is when most deer catch the movement and you don't have to practice as much. But like any hunting implement gun or bow I still practice often and all year long. The big disadvantage is they are very noisy and an alert deer at 30 or more yards will jump the string.