Darts and laurels: Those with knowledge must speak up about about ‘cold cases’

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Laurel to the Salisbury Police Department for setting up a new website with information about the city’s unsolved murders.

Crischelle Patterson, who lost two brothers to gun violence, said it best in Sunday’s Post when she told reporter Shavonne Walker that “We all need justice.”

That’s especially true for A’yanna Allen, who was shot and killed while sleeping in her grandmothers house in 2016.

People who know something about any of the many cases on the list must speak up. But Allen’s case is particularly important because it represents a tragic example of the gun violence that plagued the city during the mid-2010s. And, as Detective Travis Shulenburger said, “there are a lot of people that know about that case and could help us clear it up.”

The website’s address is salisburync.gov/government/police/cold-cases.

Laurel to innovation like the robotic calf-feeding machine at the Piedmont Research Station.

Last month, the station received a robot that feeds 27 calves and collects data as it does so. The robot gives the calves 2 liters of milk every two hours. As research station Superintendent Teresa Herman told the Post in an Oct. 11 article, (“Calf feeding goes high-tech”) a significant commitment of staff time was needed to feeding calves. Now that time can be devoted to other projects.

Whether it’s in farming or elsewhere in our community, it’s critical to encourage businesses and institutions to embrace new technologies and innovation so that Rowan doesn’t get left behind in the modern-day economy. High schools and colleges must also ensure they’re preparing students for careers of the future rather than jobs in the present.

Another dart to the Landis’ mayor and Board of Aldermen for endorsing candidates in the 2019 election during their meeting earlier this month.

That decision may be in violation of state statute, which says public funds cannot be used to endorse or oppose the election of a particular candidate.

As UNC School of Government Professor Frayda Bluestein wrote in a blog post, “Although political use of meeting time does not literally involve use of funds, the public meeting involves the use of public resources.”

The Post has abstained from endorsing candidates in elections in the recent past and plans to do the same this year. But there’s no doubt that the town needs new people to fill offices expiring this year. Incumbents have made that easy, choosing not to run for re-election.