Art organizations contribute greatly to our quality of life
Playwright Edward Albee recently said the budget cuts to the arts in public education will change American into a nation of barbarians.
Our county commissioners have taken a step in that direction. Voting to end the support of the arts and the Rowan Museum may be one of the worst decisions every made for the county. Cutting the Arts Council appropriation of $23,000 eliminates support of Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Piedmont Players, the Salisbury Rowan Symphony and several other organizations. The Arts Council takes very little of any if this money. The money is divided among the other five or six organizations. These organizations are critical to the quality of the life in Rowan County. The $19,000 cut to the museum will create a huge dent in this organizationís ability to provide much needed school programs which teach the history of our county and its importance to the growth of our state.
Whatever were the commissioners thinking when they cast their votes?
ó Sue Davis
Salisbury
Police leaders keep learning
During the first week of its announced reorganization, the Salisbury Police Departmentís new leadership team participated in a three-day management and leadership training seminar at the department. This particular training was planned by the police chief nearly a year ago, but delayed until the new leadership team was in place.
The training, which was conducted by Paul Cash of Safety Force Training Co., took place from March 22 through March 24. Cash, who has extensive personal experience in law enforcement leadership and who conducts leadership and management training nationwide, was contacted by the chief shortly after he took office in March 2010 about his desire to have this training conducted.
During the training, every member of the departmentís leadership team, from sergeant to the chief of police, learned and gained refreshers on up-to-date leadership techniques for law enforcement professionals. Much of the training provided over the three-day period focused directly upon leadership within the Salisbury Police Department, as was arranged for by the chief. The in-house leadership and management training was paid for by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, another arrangement made many months ago.
Though our department is blessed to have a well-trained and highly professional staff at all levels, I feel strongly that, regardless of the rank one achieves, we should never stop learning and that there will always be room for further development and improvement. While I expect all of my staff to uphold a high degree of professional standards, I expect my leadership team to live and operate by an even higher degree of standards. I believe that one of the best ways for us to continue to move the Salisbury Police Department forward in a positive direction is for my newly designed leadership team to learn and train together so that we are all operating at the same level of professionalism.
ó Rory B. Collins
Salisbury
Collins is the chief of the Salisbury Police Department.
A day that changed our lives
On April 7, 2010, our lives changed because of a terrible accident, and it is hard to believe a year has passed.
We cannot adequately express our thanks and appreciation to city of Kannapolis employees; firemen, EMTs, police officers and 911 dispatchers. Their decisions saved Weston Edwardsí life. They did not know him or love him like we do, but they cared for him with intensity, compassion, expertise and willingness to fight for his life.
Many thought he would not survive. But through their efforts, along with expert medical care and the grace of God, he did. We are blessed to know people and churches everywhere were praying for him and truly cared about our family. People still stop and ask how heís doing! What a blessing to live in such a wonderful community!
Our family is thankful his friend and others called 911 so quickly, for the lady bending over him before the emergency personnel arrived, the friends, family, co-workers, and church members that brought love, gifts and prayers, a ramp by Ikeís Construction, a Fatz CafČ fundraiser and the Kannapolis intermediate and Kannapolis middle school students and staff that helped him transition into a fairly normal 13-year-old seventh-grader.
We realize he is truly a miracle because so many circumstances had to happen correctly for him to survive. We are thankful he had courage and determination to get well and overcome the odds he faced. Jeremiah 29:11-13 tells us that the Lord has a plan for our lives, and now Weston has the opportunity to plan his life and live it as God wants him to. God still answers prayers, and we have been reminded how precious life is and how important our faith can be.
Thank you from the family and friends of Weston Edwards.
ó Mr. and Mrs. Keith McCombs &
Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Edwards
Kannapolis