Laurels to Rowan County commissioners for upholding the right of Rodents ‘R’ Us, a rat and mice farm, to continue operating in our environs.
Rats and mice may not have the bucolic charm of cows, but once you get past the product itself, there are sound reasons to support rodent cultivation in Rowan. For instance, rodent farming is environmentally sound. A thorough check of the Hurricane Floyd record reveals no environmental disasters related to rat farming. Mice lagoons are not a problem.
Also, if rats escape their cages, they do not pose a hazard for passing traffic the way a slow heifer does. If a rat wanders into the path of a semi going 70 mph, it’s hardly cause for panic — or even braking.
Rodent farming also represents a much needed diversification of our farming economy. With tobacco on the wane, farmers need a cash crop that can withstand deluges or drought and doesn’t require warning labels.
But before signing off completely on the idea, we would like clarification on one point. Just where are all these big snakes that the rodents are being raised to feed?
Dart to the idea that laid-off Freightliner workers should have to foot the bill for “damage” done to the rented uniforms they’re having to turn in early because they lost their jobs. After getting broadsided by a slowdown at the plant, these soon to be former employees shouldn’t have to lose their shirts on a uniform contract in the process. This is both a matter of dollars and indignity. Aramark, the uniform rental company, and Freightliner officials should work out something that is a little more palatable to the people who helped keep things rolling in the good times, and deserve a little more consideration in the bad.
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Laurels to the 200 or so people who pitched in to help remove trash and debris from Rowan County’s waterways during last weekend’s annual “Mega Sweep” cleanup, and to those who are participating in the DOT’s “Litter Sweep” roadside cleanup drive. When you see a clean roadside or riverbank, you probably have a volunteer cleanup worker to thank for what’s not there.
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Dart to the lout who vandalized the city gazebo on Hobson Street. It’s unfathomable why someone would want to deface the community where he or she in all likelihood lives, but it occurs all too often — at parks, schools, recreation centers and other public places. It’s an affront to the city as a whole.
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