Quotes of the week: From basketball to politics

Published 12:00 am Friday, February 19, 2016

“This is not to say that we
condone what took place last Friday night. … But our issue is that we don’t think ejecting upwards of 20 additional players that didn’t deserve the ejection, much less the consequences,
is fair.”

— Dr. Art Paschal, athletic director, Rowan-Salisbury Schools,

on appealing the early end to
Salisbury High and North Rowan’s
basketball seasons because of a fight

“One announcement like this is painful, but two within 30 days can knock a county for a loop. We must not let that happen. Good things are happening in Rowan County.”

—Greg Edds, chairman,

Rowan County commissioners,

on layoffs at Freightliner in Cleveland

“He was worried about cancer beating him but we told him, cancer didn’t beat you. The
way you lived your life, you
beat cancer.”

— Travis Hairston,

speaking of son Stephen Gilmore,

who died Sunday at the age of 19 after first being diagnosed with cancer when he was 3

“It is the heavy hand of big
government by the party that says they’re about small
government. It’s hypocrisy.”

— Holly Jones, Buncombe county
commissioner and lt. gov. hopeful,

referring to the General Assembly-enabled takeover of the Asheville water system
and other state actions affecting
local governments