Darts and laurels

Laurels to the Rowan-Salisbury School System’s “Dedicated Dozen.” That would be the 12 teachers who recently earned National Board Certification, giving RSS nearly 400 teachers who’ve attained this status. This is worthy of celebration because it’s considered one of the most meaningful accomplishments for educators. But beyond the certificate on the wall, there’s the commitment required to achieve it. Teachers devote hundreds of extra hours toward gaining this certification. The fact that only about 2 percent of teachers nationally achieve the accreditation speaks to the rigors of the process.

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Laurels to improved methods of forecasting tornadoes. Researchers say they’ve taken the first step toward being able to forecast the severity of tornado seasons, just as they already do with hurricane predictions. The research, conducted by Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society, found that tornado activity is strongly linked to two factors — heavy rain from thunderstorms and extreme windshear. Eventually, it could enable emergency planners to better prepare for heavy bouts of tornado activity. More preparation and public awareness also might help reduce the death toll from twisters, which last year reached 550 deaths in an unusually violent storm season.

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Dart to increasingly callous treatment of the homeless in cities across the country. Here in Salisbury, Rowan Helping Ministries wants to expand so that it can get more people off the street and into safe, secure quarters. However, homelessness is being criminalized in many U.S. cities, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. In a survey of 234 cities, it found that 16 percent make it illegal to sleep in public places; 22 percent prohibit loitering; 24 percent prohibit begging. The homeless are already among our most vulnerable citizens, exposed to predatory human elements as well as the weather-related ones. The trend toward further victimizing them is criminal in itself.