Dart to the Hurley Park plant thieves.

City staff say plant theft happens, but it appears to be an escalating issue. Truly, what has the world come to when people are stealing flowers from parks?

Park manager Danelle Cutting says she once planted a group of lavender plants only to have the whole group pulled shortly after. Most frustrating, Cutting says, is that some of the stolen plants are given away for free during special events.

Stealing flowers and other plants from the park may produce a nicer garden at local homes, but it means unnecessary expenses for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and damage to a public space.

Leave our parks alone so everyone can enjoy them.

Laurel to the Rowan-Salisbury Schools administration for making good on a promise that could easily have been forgotten.

The school system last week announced a traditional, in-person graduation ceremony will be held for the class of 2020 at West Rowan High School on July 24 at 8 a.m. People are asked to register for the graduation so the school system knows how many students are coming.

While many have gone off to college, started work or moved on from high school, families and students will still appreciate the chance to celebrate an important milestone the same way high school graduates have done for generations. What’s more, school administrators promised the class would have a traditional graduation at an unknown point in the future.

Parents and students alike would prefer to have the graduation at their school, but RSS may expect demand won’t be large enough to allow that.

Dart to the continued delay of critical Census data.

While apportionment data (the number of Congressional seats each state receives) traditionally is released in late December, it was published in April. Easy-to-use, in-depth data to draw districts might not be ready until Sept. 30, the Associated Press reported.

That’ll necessitate quick work by the N.C. General Assembly because filing is scheduled to start in December. Legislators will need to draw maps, agree on a plan, hold public hearings and finalize a plan with enough time for candidates to determine whether and where to run for office.

In a state that just finished a decade full of bitter partisan battles about redistricting, that’s no small task.

With a new congressional district coming to North Carolina, voters will need to find out which district they fall in, too.

Already, cities in North Carolina that use districts for municipal elections are pushing back contests, giving incumbents extra time in office.

Amid COVID-19, it’s understandable that delays have affected the 2020 Census, but the federal government should work overtime to ensure accurate data is delivered as soon as possible.