Bell tolls for victims of domestic violence
Monday night, Oct. 6, the Family Crisis Council of Rowan County, a United Way Agency, held the 2014 Domestic Violence Awareness Candlelight Vigil on the courthouse steps. The bell tolled 49 times for the number of deaths in North Carolina from domestic violence since Jan. 1 of this year. Two of those victims were from Rowan County. You may ask how that can be.
Domestic violence is a means of intimidation and violence to influence and control a partner involved in an intimate relationship. It is not always physical. It can be in the form of mental abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and isolation.
One in four women and one in eight men will experience physical violence from their partners in their lifetime. Twenty-five percent of female high school students report an experience with domestic violence. One in three teens annually experience abuse or threats from their partners. It is estimated between 3 million and 10 million children witness domestic violence annually.
Wake up, Rowan County; we have a solemn responsibility to be caretakers of our mothers, our sisters, our brothers, our friends and our co-workers. Begin this month, proclaimed by our governor, Pat McCrory, to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month; assist the Family Crisis Council in standing up for the social justice in Rowan County. Each one of us can help transform this community.
Pray for the lives lost due to the senseless act of domestic violence and celebrate the lives of those that have survived. If you want information on how you can assist or if you know of someone that needs our assistance, please call our Crisis Line at 704-636-4718.
— Renee Bradshaw
Salisbury
The writer is executive director of the Family Crisis Council.

Schools teach facts
So what are three schools in North Carolina doing violating the Constitution and teaching nonsense as factual? It takes effort to ignore science and objective reality and offer in their stead a bunch of malarkey.
The world was not created in seven days; creationism (by whatever name) has nothing to do with science or objective reality.
The schools should be enjoined from pushing fairy tales to impressionable kids, and the factually-challenged currently employed as “teachers” should be replaced with thinking adults who live in the real world.
— Dennis Hawley
Weaverville
Bible teaching?
After reading the article ‘Salisbury Bible classes under fire” in the Post on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and now seeing that the board has decided to keep the classes for the time being, I’d like to ask my fellow Christians one thing: Do you really want the local school system, or any U.S. government school system, to have a hand in “teaching” the Bible to your child?
The U.S. educational system (not including the majority of teachers, who are likened to struggling passengers on the Titanic sacrificing themselves to rescue children while the ship sinks), is extremely lucky if its policies result in children being able to read, write and think critically on any topic, let alone one as life-changing yet personal as faith.
I say let the public school system continue to do what it does best — a curriculum excelling in mediocrity. As for me and my house, we will be just fine without the public school system “teaching” the Bible.
— David Cook
Salisbury

Respect Granite Quarry officials
I appreciate Mark Wineka’s fair and concise report on the Granite Quarry Oct. 6 town board meeting. I also appreciate Alderman Mike Brinkley’s defense of our town to RowanWorks. His comments were assertive and justified. When a man says something like that, it’s assertive. When a woman says it, it’s something else. But I digress.
Mr. Van Geons, the only impugning to your integrity was committed by you yourself when you approached an open town meeting conducted by duly elected, properly sworn public servants in a town that has been chartered and sanctioned by the state of North Carolina according to North Carolina laws.
From what Mr. Wineka reported (and I trust his journalism), certain requests were made to Granite Quarry without prior notification or a chance for the town to be included in any of the discussion, planning and ultimate decision making with the particular incidence regarding development of the Heilig Road/Julian Road area.
It appears you approached the town board, presented them with what was to be done, advised them of the consequences if your request was not honored and left them stunned and shocked. The fact that you received what you requested speaks volumes about the integrity of Granite Quarry’s town board.
Please, in the future, Mr. Van Geons, include our municipality in any plans that will ultimately impact us, especially financially. Even though we do not live within the city limits of Salisbury, it wouldn’t be a particularly huge leap for us to understand what is happening. We are all in this together and even though Salisbury is the county seat, that does not negate our right to be advised of any plans the city or county may have. Thank you for attending our town meeting and thank you for your work on behalf of all Rowan County residents.
— Gail Cauble Gurley
Granite Quarry