Laurel to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, which made quick work of a murder case last week. On Jan. 28, the Sheriff’s Office began investigating the murder of Lakyn Jade Bailey, who was found dead at Country Cupboard after being shot elsewhere. Detectives said Bailey had been involved in illegal drug sales at a motel in Statesville and had driven to Rowan County. By Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office had charged Joshua Wade Kennedy with counts of murder and attempted robbery. On Friday, a second suspect, James Christopher Rife, was charged with murder and attempted robbery in the same incident. While both Kennedy and Rife are innocent until proven guilty, that the Sheriff’s Office was able to gather enough evidence to file charges against both men in short order is proof of the good work its officers perform on a daily basis.

Dart to Rowan-Salisbury Schools for allowing its early college students to remain in moldy, leaky temporary buildings at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Students moved from the college’s 200 building in 2012 into the temporary buildings, but, seven years in, the classrooms appear to be less-than-temporary and school system administrators said last week they were unaware of the problems. If there’s a bright spot to the grim situation, it’s that the school system acted quickly after early college students spoke during a school board meeting. The problem is that the same students spoke at a county commissioners meeting months earlier. We hope the school system acts quickly on student concerns and that the early college isn’t housed in deteriorating, temporary buildings much longer.

Laurel to Tom Harrell, County Manager Aaron Church and Commissioner Mike Caskey for quickly finding an alternative site for weekly veterans coffees at Thelma’s Down Home Cooking at West End Plaza. On Thursday, the N.C. Department of Revenue closed Thelma’s for nonpayment of taxes, which meant the weekly event that attracts dozens wouldn’t have a place to go. As reporter Mark Wineka wrote in Sunday’s Post (“State closes Thelma’s restaurant for nonpayment of taxes”), Caskey, Church and Harrell met Friday. Church’s friendship with the grandson of one of the founders of K&W paid dividends, as the cafeteria in the West End Plaza area offered space for the veterans coffee on Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. as well as pastries. Keeping the Tuesday staple going is important for the many veterans who live in our community, and the trio should be commended for working quickly to make that happen.