Kirk Kovach: School shootings are part of American ‘normal’

There is another reason we are starting to focus now on the heroes of these attacks instead of the shooters.

That is because the heroes are the ones who need to be remembered, and no notoriety should be given to the deranged acts of the attackers.

— Eric Shock

… Finalizes draft for first City Council presentation

It is a shame that working people cannot afford to rent a decent place to live.

The rents are not comparable to the wages, especially for low-income people.

— Sharon Davis

… Problems throughout Landis’ 2017-18 budget

This is ridiculous.

Everyone involved needs to be relieved of any duties and any association with this town. Totally unacceptable.

— Janice Lipe

Group gathers to pray for unity at ‘Fame’ …

It’s hard to have a conversation with people who won’t accept the actual history of the war and why the statue was placed there in the first place.

Why not move it to a museum or actual “private land” and put a statue in its place that honors veterans of all wars instead of the one that involved treason and fighting to continue the enslavement of an entire race?

— Jacob Parks

“Fame” is on private land. She’s not hurting anybody. Leave her alone. She doesn’t belong to Salisbury. She belongs to a group of wonderful ladies.

— Brenda Morris

Rockwell teen murdered over marijuana deal …

This was a tiny, worthless amount of weed. No one in their right mind would kill someone over it. Someone who would do this isn’t in his right mind and isn’t thinking like a rational human.

— Eric Allen Patneaude

… Council considers proposed transit system updates

The idea of serving extended times for college campuses is innovative and positive for the community. But if Spencer and East Spencer were removed from the transit route, how might that affect the continued flow of Community Transportation Program funding for the transit system?

— Jeff Morris

Letter: Be an original; plant a tree

Trees clean the air. Balloons pollute the land and sea. Which makes more sense?

— Joanne Bryla

Ask Us: What is going into the former SunTrust Bank …

This is a great idea for the N.C. Transportation Museum and a great location for the offices but a bad idea for the town taxpayers. With the town purchase of over one-third of the Park Plaza and now the bank building, that adds up to a great loss in tax revenue.

— Danny Patterson

Byron York: No question spying occurred on Trump …

Most apparent is that Russians meddled in the 2016 election and that they are doing it again. All of the intelligence agencies find this to be true. Yet, President Donald Trump does not acknowledge their meddling or do anything to try to stop it.

— Pat Bullard

Letter: Keep ‘old’ schools open

Once again we hear the cry to keep all the neighborhood schools open in spite of the significant number of open seats. Two things never get fully discussed. First, the school system is way behind in maintenance money from years of being treated as a low priority. Let’s just call that the Jim Sides effect. Two, Rowan County growth? Have you heard about artificial intelligence? About 30% to 40% of the jobs we know today will not exist in 10 to 15 years.

— Eric Marsh

I’d like to see how Ms. Johnson proposes to finance her ideas. The one thing that has been made exceedingly clear is that the money isn’t there.

— Eric Shock

Rep. Warren tours North Rowan Muddy Sneakers class

I am no fashion expert, Harry, but are you just a wee bit overdressed?

— Michael S. Young

Missing teen Michael Earley was beaten, buried …

People are so evil. Life doesn’t matter to people today.

— Deborah Dixon

… Doesn’t need one-size-fits-all minimum wage

The so-called term “a minimum wage” is a misnomer. The idiom should be “a living wage” that is relative to what it costs to provide water, food, clothing and shelter to individuals earning subsistence living in relation to where they live.

— Reginald Brown

Salisbury-Rowan NAACP calls for resignation …

We have young blacks being segregated into a few schools in Spencer and Salisbury. Black children of poverty make up an extrodinary portion of some school populations and nothing from the NAACP.

— Theo Flemming

The unprofessionalism displayed with the phone call and the defense of it were the final straws in making my decision to resign. With the vote to appoint Rashid being 3-2, this has simply left me even more comfortable with my decision to resign.

For anyone, let alone an elected official, to allow emotions dictate actions, verbally or physically, is in my opinion unacceptable, very unprofessional and unacceptable. An appology should have been and still should be rendered.

— Howard White

Letter: New placard best solution for ‘Fame’

It would be best to have signage made of something that would be as resistant to the elements such as pink granite and bronze.

— Jay Mack Williams

So if we don’t like the way your house looks, we can set up a placard with our interpretation in front of your house? This monument is private property. Evidently you don’t understand property rights.

— Donna Peeler Poteat