… Now it’s Simone Martin’s turn on the civil rights battlefield

Great article on a young achiever. Hope she returns to Rowan to continue her law career.

— Greg Dunn

Simone, I am very proud of you and your accomplishments. Your future looks bright. Thanks, Mark, for an excellent article.

— William R. Kennedy

Simone, congratulations on the path you chose and best wishes on your continued success. It appears you have the intelligence, beauty and talent of your parents and your Aunt Drucie, who was very outgoing in high school. Keep letting the Lord order your steps and you will be fine!

— Libby Stout Curtis

Simone, you are perfect in example for young women everywhere. So proud of you; every time I read one part of your article I was awed by the next, and it just kept getting better. God’s blessings in all you do.

— Linda Shaver Deyo

… Rowan County prayer ruling could come in the next two to three months

Well written! I also think that the county will lose and (or) it will go to a full panel. Rowan had a unique mix of the “adjudicators” themselves, giving the prayer and all prayers being 100 percent Christian.

This far exceeded the approval of secular prayer in Justice Kennedy’s opinion in Town of Greece where prayer was given by volunteer religious leaders and was only 85 percent Christian.

Our boys were “pushing the envelope” after Town of Greece approved secular prayer and I think they knew it. Now to see if Judy, Jim and Greg have wasted tax dollars to show how pious they are.

— Todd Paris

… Better Loafing bakery will offer fresh bread to Salisbury

Thrilled to read we can finally get a good loaf of bread in Salisbury.

— Mary Lynn Connor

Fresh bread in the ‘Bury! I can’t wait. Congratulations, Tom.

— Mike-o Martelli

Will you please make square hamburger buns like Bill’s Bakery did? No one else is.

— Landmark Church

I really miss a bakery like Andrews Bakery! It was the best bakery in town, run by two of the nicest people in town! I hope your shop offers some of the things they did!

— Judy Pesco

… Leonard Pitts: Planned Parenthood gets poetic justice

Typical case of someone believing they can ruin other people’s lives and break the law because God is on their side and told them to do it. This is not unlike politicians who say God told them to run for office and then they subsequently lose. God has a great sense of humor when it comes to religious zealots and sociopaths.

— Chris Borre

“But it feels good to see truth pull even every now and then.” Yeah, but only if it damages someone on the right.

— Bruce LaRue

… Steve & Cokie Roberts: The Sanders attraction

Steve and Cokie Roberts are progressives whose whole lives have been spent feeding at the left trough. I laugh, shake my head, and ignore them.

— Stephen Owen

Bernie Sanders has almost no chance to win this year but his ideas will gain popularity over the next 20 years, in my opinion. The poor are gaining population more than the rich; the poor will start demanding more help when they gain political control. See history of Brazil, for example.

— Doug Sokolowski

… Governor McCrory speaks at Chamber of Commerce Gala

It was a wonderful event!! Great job Volunteers, Elaine Spalding & the whole Rowan County Chamber. Congrats to the winners!

— Veleria Levy

Congratulations to all and especially to Ann Pressly. You couldn’t find a more energetic and hard working volunteer anywhere! Well done!

— Mary Ann Johnson

… Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar to open in Salisbury

We go to the one in Carolina Beach every year we are at Kure Beach. Hope to enjoy this one in Salisbury!

— Peggy Pinyan

Thank you so much,  Salisbury Post. Thanks also for the comments, folks. We are super excited!

— Shuckin’ Shack

… China Grove could shift control of police department to town manager

Two words of advice for the Town of China Grove:

1. Don’t do anything like Salisbury City does it.

2. Leave Eddie Kluttz in charge of your police department.

— Phillip Bradshaw

What is the benefit of such a shift?

— Barney Barnhardt

… Who was Frank B. John?

Very good article, Susan. Mary Lynch, a professor at Livingstone College, died the same way.

Those heaters were dangerous because the gas pressure would drop, extinguishing the flame, and then become re-pressurized, causing the room to be filled with deadly fumes. (That’s one theory.)

— Reginald Brown

… New Kannapolis City Schools superintendent

How much is this going cost taxpayers? What is the Cain buyout? How much was Cain making a year? How much was Buckwell making a year? How much will Buckwell make under his new contract? Watch out taxpayers.

— Larry Cole

I’m a fiscally conservative Republican. Tax money being wasted is always a concern. However, I’ve had an inside view of KCS System. I can say without hesitation that this decision was not made lightly. There is a long history of people retiring out of this position after years of service.

KCS is blessed to have an excellent group of leaders that try to make wise decisions with the funding that they have. They have a few people that are amazing grant writers. This school system has gotten more outside funds than most ever see.

The school board is full of some very caring citizens. This was not a waste of money. In high school, I interned at Woodrow Wilson under Dr. Buckwell’s supervision. He made quite an impression on me. He is genuine, invested in our community and just what our system needs.

I’m staying home with my kids until my littlest one starts kindergarten. As a teacher, I’d love to work for him. As a parent with a kid starting kindergarten in KCS next year, I’m very excited about this change. Money isn’t everything! Our children are our future!

— Erica Vermiglio

… John Hood: NC is on the hook for higher ed more than other states

Mr. Hood advocates for his boss, Art Pope. “Republican politics in North Carolina are characterized by a tight interweaving of elected officials with think tanks and advocacy groups. At the center of this network is Art Pope, who funds the Pope Center for Higher Education as well as several other conservative think tanks.” (From “Ayn Rand Comes to UNC,” an article in The New Yorker)

—Karen Puckett

… RSS recognized in White House announcement

This would have been great to happen when I was in school.

But I was stuck learning how to make Microsoft Paint-styled animations instead of useful things in computer classes. The computers in our class would crash if you tried opening a second tab in the Internet Explorer (bad).

Yet the library PCs (Macs) were able to do way more than anyone ever needed to do in a library.

— Roger Stevens

… Buddy Poole heading to the Super Bowl

Glad to see Buddy and wife able to attend the Super Bowl. One of the best kept secrets in Rowan County is Memories 1280 radio. They report on local news and cover high school and Catawba College sports.

The best, though, is their music format. Anyone who loves music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s should tune in to this station. It’s hard to find a station who plays this music anymore. …

— Randall Barger

… Letter: Candidate Trump should not be bullied or laughed at

You need to step back and actually listen to what Trump says. He is the biggest bully of them all.

— David Puckett

Donald Trump is an adult. Adults, especially ones that expect to be the leader of the free world, should know how to control their emotions and temper. True leaders don’t discriminate against people because of their ethnicity, looks or religious beliefs. They also don’t have baby fits and act like 2-year-olds. Does he fit any of this criteria? I don’t think so.

— Robin Hager

… Kannapolis native Janet Ward Black receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine

Well deserved. Janet is a woman of faith, first and foremost. She is a mentor to many and example to all.

— Jeff Harvey

… Dr. Chris Magryta: Micronutrient No. 4 — Selenium

I would love to see a good write-up about kefir grains, the good and bad, if so. They say that fermented foods are very good for us. The kefir that is in grocery stores is OK, but I use it in my morning smoothies. The grains can be used until they die (they have to be fed in order to stay alive). Kefir is used in other countries and seems to be here now. When I first checked into it nobody knew what I was talking about. But it is showing up in stores.

— Joyce Prevette

… Fibrant finances

Kudos to David Post for finally forcing the truth out of staff and council incumbents.

— Todd Paris

Comments here counting expenses and debt service but conveniently omitting $2.9 million in revenues is pure distortion. For example, the truth is that the Enterprise Fund shows a profit, not a loss.

If you are interested, the city’s last audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, can be viewed at: http://www.salisburync.gov/…/Documents/FY2015%20Audit.pdf

— Alan Rutherford