Thanks for Peace Officers Memorial Service

The Marsh Family would like to thank everyone for all the support shown to us at the Rowan County Peace Officers Memorial Service held in front of the courthouse on May 19. This ceremony was held to show respect for all the fallen officers this year.   

We would like to extend a thank you to the officials from the city of Salisbury, Kannapolis and other surrounding counties. Among those in attendance were the following: the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office; Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander; County Commissioners Greg Edds, Judy Klusman and Mike  Caskey; Salisbury District Attorney Brandy Cook; Sheriff Kevin Auten; officers from the Highway Patrol; Salisbury Chief of Police Jerry Stokes; newly elected candidate for sheriff Travis Allen; and many personal friends and acquaintances.

We especially want to thank those who were part of the ceremony including Ronnie Smith who led the Pledge of Allegiance, Rebecca Sexton who put the bulletin for the program together, Mayor Alexander who read the Proclamation, The Kannapolis Police Department Honor Guard, Chaplain Mike Taylor, Rowan Commissioner Mike Caskey, and Sheriff Kevin Auten, who was the guest speaker. It meant so much to the family that the 21-gun salute was given by Billy’s squad in his honor and taps played to honor his service.

The speech and tribute given by our own sheriff was one of the most heartfelt speeches we have ever heard and we will never forget his words. It was obvious how he respects and cares for all his officers, both those currently here and those who have given their lives in service to our community. Even in our sadness, we were proud of Master Deputy William (Billy) Edward Marsh’s name unveiled on the monument during the ceremony. Thank you again for providing this outstanding memorial ceremony to all our fallen peace officers. It will be etched in our hearts forever.

— The Marsh Family

Salisbury

Paid family leave time part of solution for gun violence

The horror that unfolded in Uvalde, Texas, was the 27th school shooting this year. Attention has focused on sensible legislation regarding access to guns and what weapons are reasonable for non-military or police to own. But, as with substance use, guns are a supply and demand issue. We need to ask: What makes Americans so much more likely to want to obtain and use guns on strangers, children, family, partners and even on themselves?

Consider this: including the U.S., only eight countries worldwide don’t guarantee paid family leave (most others are Pacific island nations). Research shows that one’s lifelong emotional health depends on developing trust, during the first three years of life, that our caregiver loves us and will provide for our needs.

It is critical to understand the correlation between these two issues — healthy emotional development versus violence. It should then be reasonable to think that the single most effective “gun control” legislation our country could pass would be to establish paid family leave after the birth or adoption of a child. It would allow time for the child to develop what science calls secure attachment to their caregiver without them wondering how to pay the bills. Currently, too many parents return to work before the child is even two weeks old because they cannot afford to stay home.

While we can’t change that locally, education regarding best practices in parenting methods can also greatly assist people raising children. We learn how to drive a car, but somehow expect to just “know” how to raise children. The Terrie Hess Child Advocacy Center (704-431-2015) offers free support to any Rowan County resident who wants to learn how to best support healthy child development, up to age 16. Let’s help at least our own community’s children be emotionally strong!

— Margaret Stridick

Salisbury

Take the Sandy Hook pledge on violence prevention

We have had far too many moments of silence since Sandy Hook. Our children and community deserve real action to stop the epidemic of gun violence in our country. We’re not alone and we’re not helpless. There are many seemingly simple, yet powerful things we can do today!

More and more of our neighbors are uniting to bring the change we need. The phones in Congress are ringing off the hook with calls for commonsense gun reform, peaceful rallies are growing in numbers in cities across the country, and families and friends are gathering in their own living rooms to talk about bringing violence prevention programs to their schools. The movement is growing, and we must keep growing it.

There is reason to have hope that we can prevent gun violence before it happens through sensible gun safety laws and programs in our schools and communities that help us identify the signs and signals before a shooting happens and intervene.

To keep this hope alive and bring the change we need, I am asking everyone to take one simple action today.

Make the promise at https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/take-action/promise/and help bring Sandy Hook Promise’s no-cost, violence prevention programs to our schools and community.

— Brittany Shea

Salisbury

Don’t forget to stay hydrated this summer

The heat is already beginning to blaze and it isn’t even June yet.

As a competitive 5k runner I train a lot and the heat can be very dangerous. To avoid dehydration and heat strokes, I do some procedures that keep in the fast zone while I train.

The most important thing to do is to drink a bottle of ice water before I head out the door. This keeps my body cool from the inside out.

While running I like to stop by convenience stores and ask for ice that I can pour over my shoulders. This keeps my body warm from the outside to inside and allows me to push through the run. Throughout the whole day, it is important to aim to get 6 to 8 bottles of water for proper hydration.

— Jeff Culbertson

Kannapolis