She is old and she is little, so it is no wonder I barely noticed her that day in the middle of Old Beatty Ford Road, but I did. I pulled over, and she would come up to me for a pat on the head but ran when I tried to pick her up. My husband brought a leash and food, but no go. Huge trucks from Vulcan and Stalite all stopped or slowed, carefully avoiding this dog on a mission to find her home. Several people stopped to help: the truck driver who tried to lure her with his lunch sandwich; the lady who was on her way to Charlotte to see her mom who spent a long time with me sheltering the dog; the Windstream guy who tried gently to chase her down; and my good-hearted neighbor who persevered and finally caught her. She took her to the vet in Mt. Pleasant who confirmed she has no ID chip.
In this time of terrible strife and evil in the world, this old dog and her rescuers reminded me that there are many good people out there, and they are right in my back yard. Like so many, I already have our quota of pets. Alas, with no options, sadly I took the sweet gentle pooch to the Rowan County Animal Shelter. The shelter said her 10-day adoption period would begin three days after arrival. There is a donation of $35 toward her adoption fee.
So, if you know who has lost or who would want to give a good home to a very old, gentle dog, please contact the shelter (704 216-7768). I will keep updates posted on the Historic Village of Gold Hill Facebook page. I pray I don’t have to put her eulogy there.
— Sandy Hickman
Gold Hill

I wonder if our county commission has a plan on how to deal with a future complaint coming from ultra-sensitive citizens who will be expressing that they have been horribly offended to the core of their souls at the West End mall when they see remaining retailers having Christmas decorations in store windows and Christmas sales signs.
Or they display a manger scene or have a Christmas tree in their store. Would this not be a violation of church and state? Surely the commission is aware of this and complaints will most assuredly arise since all of this will be in a government-owned facility. And what about Easter, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and other religiously oriented sales/decorations that retailers use?
I can see it now. One to three overly sensitive individuals, along with the ACLU, will be dropping their antireligious hate bombs on the Rowan County Commission and suing us for millions of dollars because they saw all the terribly awful things that offended them. And if they succeed, the retailers will surely leave the mall and go somewhere that they can sell their products and services without fear and reprisal from the hateful.
— Donald Schumacher
Salisbury

Please imagine for me: You are 80 years old and live by yourself. Your family does not live nearby to help. You are on a fixed income making less than $900 a month.
There is rent to pay, along with utilities, medical expenses and groceries to buy. There are some health issues. You are a diabetic. You have severe arthritis making it difficult for you to move around. They have said you can no longer drive, and you are sitting here thinking “I have groceries to buy — what will I do?” This is a typical phone call that Meals on Wheels of Rowan receives on a daily basis. This could be you or me.
Meals on Wheels each weekday provides a meal, safety check and friendly visit to the homebound of Rowan County. Currently, we are serving an average of 205 meals per day on 27 routes that run throughout Rowan County. Meals on Wheels is one of the 15 Rowan County United Way Agencies. The funding that Meals on Wheels receives from the United Way helps to fill the gap between what the client can pay for the meal and what Meals on Wheels pays to have the food provided.
Your United Way dollars helps Meals on Wheels to continue our mission “To provide a meal and friendly visit to the homebound of Rowan County.” The Rowan County United Way Campaign officially kicked off on Friday, Sept. 12. In the coming days and weeks, volunteers will be asking for your support of the Rowan County United Way. As the director of Meals on Wheels of Rowan, I see first- hand the difference your giving makes. Thank you for saying “yes.”
— Rita Sims
Spencer

Sims is executive director of Meals on Wheels of Rowan.

On Saturday, Aug. 16, at Kelsey Scott Park from noon-5 p.m., Saving Our Youth, NC, hosted its first annual Back to School Book Bag and School Supplies Give-A-Way, along with Three 36 Customz, 1st Diamond Divas and Take Off Entertainment. Ciera S. Bronson had a vision and the drive to give back to her community and the youth. With help from her family, friends and other organizations, the event was able to give away 500 book bags loaded with school supplies.
The guest entertainer was Ms. Shenita Russell (DJ Neak). We were more than grateful to have her as a part of this event. She did an outstanding job on the 1s and 2s. We also would like to thank barber Michael McGorda Jr., Spa Diva Mobile Kids Spa from Charlotte, Laretta Angel with Angels of Heart Homecare, BYDY Clothing, Rhonda Rankin, The Phoenix Steppers, Salisbury Fire Department, Salisbury Police Department, Edward King (who had elephant ears, cotton candy and popcorn), DeRye Wiley with 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, Sherry Hawthorne and Dewayne Holmes for providing the stage. A special thanks to our Carolina artists who came out and rocked the mic for the youth (Young Stella, Suave and Young Crim).
Thanks to all of our volunteers who also helped make this event a success. Please be on the lookout for more Saving Our Youth NC events.
A special thank you goes out to Ciera for having a vision and sharing it with the children in the community. Ciera, know that your family and I love you and we are very proud of you.
Please follow Saving Our Youth NC through social media:
Facebook: Saving Our Youth NC
Twitter: savingouryouthnc
Instagram: Savingouryouthnc
— Evelyn Clayborn
Salisbury

The Obama Administration’s feeble attempt at protecting the U.S. reminds me of a parable I once wrote. A boy walking home from school one day came upon a very large rattlesnake lying in his path.
Instead of killing the serpent, the lad decided to ignore the problem and just go around it. How easy, he thought to himself. Trekking along the same path a few days later he again encountered the viper; except this time she had a dozen venomous offspring with her.
Obama knew about — and ignored — this ISIS “JV team” problem months ago. They have now built their terrorist organization into a catastrophic threat that is growing daily, with great resolve.
Worry not, can’t cross our “secure borders.” We’re going to whoop ’em without boots on the ground. Flawless Obama! Was this guy even successful as a community organizer? Smart leaders surround themselves with expertise. Obama surrounds himself with indebted political favors. You know, primarily Chicago mob personnel — perfect had he been elected to Chicago’s City Council.
Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi is the decorated Marine rotting in a Mexican jail since last March. Obama could have secured his release in one day with a simple phone call. So, why would a president trade five terrorist leaders for one deserter — and leave an honorable veteran of two tours in Afghanistan decaying in prison? How does this sound?
The deserter’s father made a video praising Islam — while Sgt. Tahmooressi accidently crossed the border with “privately owned firearms” in his possession. Maybe Obama sees the good sergeant as a redneck “clinging to his guns and religion.” He hasn’t even called the soldier’s mother, last I heard!
Cheer up, however, there’s good news. Our own Kay Hagan voted with this inept president in 24 of every 25 opportunities presented!
— Randy Biggerstaff
Kannapolis
My wife and I really enjoyed the article by Josh Bergeron as per the residents of The Gables. If you really want your lifestyle destroyed, you should live next door to Gildan. Our front door is less than 100 feet from the property line; Gildan’s construction company has taken every inch up to the line. They even used machinery to reach at least 10 feet over the line to cut limbs off of our trees. We went to all the town meetings in Granite Quarry and were promised all sorts of things: trees, shrubs, etc. to be planted between us and them, but so far, nothing!
We complained about heavy machinery starting up at 6 a.m., so they started at 7. We have even had heavy machinery parked near our house at nights and weekends with the “back-up alarm” going. The alarms are loud enough to be heard over engine noise, so it’s doubtful the operators didn’t notice when they left. A Duke Energy worker showed me a land plat map and said the building was 100 feet closer to us than originally designed. My family has owned our tract of land since 1957, and it’s really disheartening to see this happening. We would like to know why no one is using the industrial park near I-85. That is what it was designed for.
— Sonny and Phyllis Benfield
Salisbury

Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s. More than 5 million Americans are living with the disease today. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated to total $214 billion in 2014. Without a way to stop the progression of the disease or a cure, this number is expected to grow to 16 million with the disease in 2050 with a cost of $1.2 trillion (in today’s dollars) by 2050.
September is World Alzheimer’s Month. You can register as an advocate at alz.org/advocacy and keep informed of legislation that is pending and ways you can lend your voice. Join us at an upcoming Walk to End Alzheimer’s — the Rowan-Cabarrus walk is September 20th at the NC Research Campus and a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Join us a volunteer, lending your skill sets to help us achieve our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s. Contact us, or refer us, to friends, colleagues and families needing support and resources as they face this disease. We have a 24 Help Line 800-272-3900 and numerous support groups and education programs through our 49 counties in central and western North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.alz.org/northcarolina.
— Katherine Lambert
Charlotte

Lambert is CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Western Carolina Chapter.