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Laurels to cell phones, and the way these ubiquitous and sometimes annoying devices can save lives. A 53-year-old Rowan woman crashed her car into the woods a few evenings ago, and her only communication with the outside world was her cell phone. Had she not been able to call 911 that way —even if the call was routed to the wrong county —many more hours might have passed before rescuers found her. As it was, four hours went by, and she was suffering disorientation from a diabetic condition. This was a close call.
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Dart to the tough spot Rowan County Commissioners will find themselves in as they consider a rezoning request. The planning board has split on whether to allow NASCAR driver Hut Strickland to build a million-dollar race shop and all that goes with it on rural Caldwell Road. That throws the matter in
commissioners' laps without a recommendation, only the knowledge that neighbors want to keep their peace and quiet. The Stricklands want to use their land the way they want. As commissioners ponder the issue, they have to ask themselves, why even have zoning if
you're not going to separate a proposed industrial use like this from the rural agricultural setting on Caldwell Road? The answer for Strickland should be no, but commissioners will have a hard time passing up the potential investment.
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Laurels to local Alcohol Beverage Control officers for helping out with a video game bust in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. The operation involved Mecklenburg County law enforcement and ABC enforcement agencies, as well as the N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement. Rowan officers helped because those agencies have helped here, when needed. When it comes to enforcing the law, teamwork gets better results than rivalry.
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Dart to the light sentence and revolving door that set Enochville resident Michael James Laney back on the street just five years after being imprisoned for killing his roommate in Forsyth County. This week Rowan authorities arrested Laney again, now a suspect in the brutal murder of two elderly women in Greenville, S.C. —one of whom he had been doing yard work for. If initial reports about the crime and
Laney's demeanor hold up in court, he should be bound for a life sentence or Death Row —and a textbook on keeping dangerous personalities behind bars.
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Laurels to the Hunley commission for expediting public viewing of the Confederate submarine raised last month from the South Carolina waters where it had rested since 1864. Beginning Oct. 14, weekend visitors will be able to get an upclose look at the sub, the first in history to sink an enemy warship, at the old Charleston Navy Base where the vessel will be restored.
There's been huge public interest in this project from the beginning. Besides giving people a glimpse of history in the rough, the $10 tickets will help raise money for the restoration effort.
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