“I don’t want the next teenager to be a flower arrangement on the side of the road. I want them living and laughing and enjoying life.”— Bob Holmes, inspirational speaker addressing Rowan County students and parents

“What we do is treat the road for safety, not convenience for people to go to the store and change the movies out.” — Kevin Neal, N.C. Department of Transportation safety engineer for Rowan County

“I had never learned to be respectful to those who were disrespectful.” — Dr. Henry B. Waiters, on experiences he as a black man had with white sergeants in the Air Force during the Korean War

“The community knows about the heightened activities of our young adults and the lack of support as far as jobs and helping to build broken family relationships. … We try our hardest as parents, as guardians to help our young people, but at the end of the day it’s their own decisions.” — Shenita Russell, aunt of 17-year-old charged in shooting at Salisbury High School, DaJuan Russell

“We had no idea it would draw such a crowd.” — Toby Hagmaier, president, Downtown Salisbury Merchants, on the sellout crowd for Wine about Winter event Feb. 7