Laurels to the example of forgiveness set by First Baptist Church of Gold Hill. After a man was arrested on charges of stealing items from parked cars at the church, the congregation and Pastor Toney Parsons said they had forgiven the suspect, who was being held in the Rowan County Jail with his wife, also charged. Forgiveness, of course, is what the Bible teaches us to practice, yet that divine inclination is easily thwarted by the human impulse toward ěan eye for an eyeî vengeance and retribution. While actions inevitably have consequences, itís best to let the judicial system sort that out, for several reasons. Revenge may bring short-term satisfaction, but a growing body of research suggests a forgiving spirit has longterm benefits, including lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system. Forgive and forget? Not necessarily ó more like, forgive and move on.

Dart to an increase in workplace fatalities in North Carolina last year, including two in Rowan County. The 48 fatal accidents statewide is a 40 percent increase from 2009, and labor and safety officials canít pinpoint any particular factors in the increase. However, two circumstances predominated: objects falling onto workers, or workers losing their footing and falling themselves.

Laurels to some straight talk from former state GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer, whose farewell comments offer an insiderís perspective on the take-no-prisoners style of politics, even among party members. ěI had worked in Jesse Helmsí campaigns which tended to be knock-down, dragged out affairs,î Fetzer said. ěI had run for mayor of Raleigh in a city that had never elected a Republican. The campaign for chairman was the most miserable experience Iíve ever encountered. Things were said about me that I could not believe ó vicious lies. I spent $20,000 defending my name in a lawsuit.î While the vitriol isnít confined to any particular medium, Fetzer zeroed in on the online world in this suggestion for Robin Hayes, the new chairman: ěIf I could give you one piece of advice, please ignore the idiot bloggers. I donít know those these people are and why they have time to do this stuff. But they need to get a life.î