“All interstate lanes are now open, and Rowan is open for business. Please take a number and enter in orderly fashion.”

— Greg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County commissioners, on the reopening of traffic lanes on Interstate 85 after three years of construction to widen a road considered vital to economic development

“We fought through a lot of adversity, but we came up one play short. That’s football.”

— Joe Nixon, football coach at West Rowan High School, after a 27-24 overtime loss to Statesville last Friday

“These men gave their all, their ultimate sacrifice. As his sister, I’ll never, ever forget that dedication to our country and our freedom.”

— Debbie Rinehart, whose brother, Army veteran Carl Wayne Thompson, was killed by a sniper in Vietnam in 1971 and is one of 40 veterans whose names are engraved on the Rowan County Vietnam Veterans Memorial that was dedicated Monday

“If you walk a mile in someone’s shoes, you can understand their life.”

— Trinity Parker, a fourth-grader at Faith Elementary School, where students observed World Kindness Day on Wednesday by wearing mismatched shoes to symbolize walking in someone else’s shoes

“You’re the one that has to be strong for everyone, but sometimes I believe that you forget to take care of yourself.”

— Capt. Melonie Thompson of the Salisbury Police Department, during a “Winning the Battle” training session for first responders Wednesday in Salisbury designed to help them cope with the stress that comes with those jobs

“Everywhere I go, they want to name the streets after me.”

— Patrick Broadway, an Air Force veteran joking with dental hygienist Sherry Roseman at last weekend’s free dental clinic for veterans at Beautiful Dentistry