Darts and laurels: Logical link for city-county

Laurels to the spirit of cooperation the city of Salisbury is trying to bring to local tourism efforts. Too bad it's off to a rough start. Admittedly, the city put county officials in this awkward situation. The county considered its own Tourism Development Authority sufficient for all concerned. But the city sought and won legislative approval of a tourism tax increase, anyway — over county objections — and now the city wants to commit the revenue toward a partnership that county officials are leery of. Building trust in this relationship will take time. But what's good for Rowan County is good for Salisbury, and vice versa. Visitors to Rowan County don't stop at the city limits; in fact, most of the occupancy tax is collected in the city. Commissioners might object to this new relationship, but practicality should prevail. Working together makes more sense than operating separately.

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Dart to counterfeit checks, an increasingly common scam. Such a check may come with a promise of sweepstakes winnings or a job as a secret shopper. Or, in a frequent scenario reported here, someone sees on the Internet that you're selling something, they send you a check for more than the price and ask you to wire them the difference. The check turns out to be fake, so any money you've wired is just lost. The checks can look awfully authentic and bear the name of a well-known company. But the very premise should raise suspicions — someone sending a large check and asking you to wire money back. Also be wary if you've been told that you've won a lottery from a foreign country or that you can receive a commission for transferring money through your account. When in doubt, call the N.C. attorney general's office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM toll-free within North Carolina and report what you have. Beware of strangers offering money. They're intent on taking yours.

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Laurels to the Stanback families of Salisbury for their support of protecting a historic trail in McDowell County. Fred and Alice Stanback and Bill and Nancy Stanback donated funds to the Conservation Trust of North Carolina, which partnered with other groups to take on the $3.67 million project. Some 1,488 acres of land owned by CSX Corp. will be permanently off limits to development or logging. It includes part of a centuries-old trail that played a role in the American Revolution and offers dramatic forested mountain views to travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Milepost 325 to Milepost 329.5 — a strong draw for tourism.