Laurels to the honors paid Friday to the late Gov. Jim Holshouser, who did much to improve education and commerce in the state. Holshouser had strong ties to Rowan County, starting with his chief of staff, Phil Kirk, a local legislator and Salisbury High teacher when he went to work for the governor. The “Holshouser” name stumped constituents from other parts of the state; Kirk once counted 63 different spellings among letters to the governor, from “Hosehours” to “Holeshower” and even “Jimhol House Jr.” But Rowan had its own share of Holshousers, not to mention loyal Republicans. In 1974, the first stop on the Holshouser’s “People’s Day” tour was the town of Faith, where he was greeted by Eugene McCombs, then chairman of the county commission. Holshouser spent 14 hours touring Rowan and listening to constituents that day. In 1975, Holshouser handed out awards during the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association ceremony, where one winning sportswriter — disappointed that Miss North Carolina wasn’t around for a kiss — laid one on the governor instead.

Dart to a form of bullying that hits close to home. While anti-bullying efforts typically focus on school peers, a new study finds that bullying by a sibling can be just as damaging as bullying by classmates in school, linking the behavior to increased risk of depression and anxiety in victimized children and teens. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire-Durham collected data from nearly 3,600 kids ages 17 and under with at least one other sibling in the household. The study doesn’t indicate how pervasive sibling bullying may be, but it indicates the consequences can be just as severe, if not more so, than with other forms of bullying, with impact lingering past adolescence into adulthood.

Laurels to some statewide recognition for the work of the Salisbury-based LandTrust for Central North Carolina. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission this week awarded the LandTrust the 2013 Excellence in Wildlife Management Lawrence G. Diedrick Small Game Award. The annual award is given to recognize excellence in land protection and management efforts that enhance natural habitat and promote biological diversity. The award is named for former Wildlife Commissioner Larry Diedrick, a lawyer from Rocky Mount who died in 2002. Diedrick was a passionate outdoorsman and longtime advocate for wildlife conservation practices. You can find more information about the LandTrust’s work at http://landtrustcnc.org.