Rowan already working on animal control issues
I’m writing in regards to Jennifer Simons of Seaford, Va who wrote about the conditions of the Animal Shelter in Rowan County (“A true moral test,” in Tuesday’s Post).
You are correct in that conditions could be better, but the commissioners and the Animal Shelter employees are working on it, and we have already come a long way in bettering conditions for our unwanted animals. In the meantime, since your various shelters are in a much larger metropolitan area, maybe you could suggest that the people there help us by taking some of our animals and finding homes for them. Keep in mind that more than half of the animals surrendered in Rowan County are Pit Bull or Pit Bull mix, and your area would soon become over run with Pit Bulls. Thank you for you offer to help the good citizens of Rowan better the conditions of our Animal Shelter. I feel sure they will take your suggestions into consideration.
— Edie Lesslie
Salisbury

Veterans deserve better
To the Salisbury City Council:
I understand you are considering the county commissioners’ application for a special use permit to place government offices into the Salisbury Mall (West End Plaza).
While pondering this decision, please take our county’s 13,000+ veterans and their families into consideration.
The Veteran Service Office (VSO) works out of a cramped office space which is drastically undersized. We have two Veterans Service officers working in less than 300 square feet. This does not count the space taken up by two desks, nine file cabinets and our copy/fax machine. With this arrangement we are unable to serve two veterans at the same time due to privacy concerns and HIPAA regulations. If two veterans have appointments at the same time, I have to disconnect my laptop and search the building for a private space to do business.
Current estimates show our veteran population will significantly increase over the next decade due to the draw-down of the active duty forces. The numbers of Afghanistan and Iraq campaign veterans due to come home is astonishing.
I pray that each of you to come for a visit and see the conditions in which we operate.
On behalf of our veterans and their families, I am asking that you to approve the county’s request ASAP.
— Rick Johnson
China Grove
Johnson is a Veterans Service officer for Rowan County.

Plant a tree instead
When you release balloons, the person it helps most is the person who makes and sells balloons. Why not plant a tree, a bush, a flower. Plant something.
Why not go to Rowan Public Library and check out the movies, “Bag It” and “Bully” in your friend’s memory. After watch them, then you have something to teach your little children.
As the Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.”
— Whitey Harwood
Mocksville