“I think the community feels that they have lost a lot.”

—  Rev. Dale Cline, pastor, St. Enoch Lutheran Church, on feelings of hopelessness and frustration that may have led to vandalism of church cemetery

“Criminal activity knows no boundaries.”

— Kevin Auten, Rowan County sheriff, on combining resources and information with Salisbury Police to deal with gang violence in the city

“This is not a statistic we should be proud of. It affects everything in our county, such as crime, nutritional needs and education.”

— Sam McNeely, Salisbury High School senior, on the 24.8 percent poverty rate

“Going into a fitness center while you are morbidly obese is tough. You think that everyone is looking at you. … There ain’t nobody in the gym worried about you. They all have their own pain and struggle.”

— Vinson Smith, A.L. Brown graduate, who has gone from 500 to 238 pounds through exercise and better eating habits

“Without memory, we’re hardly ourselves.”

— Tom Mayes, vice president, National Trust for Historic Places, on why old places matter