“I don’t think you can make any decision that’s wrong when you put the student’s best interest at heart.”

— Travis Billings, candidate seeking to fill the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Board of Education vacancy left after Susan Cox resigned

“We have to acknowledge our mistakes before we can correct them. So I think that it’s really meaningful that you’ve done this.”

— Bryan Beatty, speaking as the Rotary Club of Salisbury granted posthumous membership in the organization to his father, the late O.K. Beatty   

““Treat all guns as if they’re loaded. Talk to children about gun safety, but it’s not a substitute for storing guns securely.”

— Sgt. Russ DeSantis, Salisbury Police Department spokesman after a 14-year-old was shot and killed as a group of juveniles passed around a gun

“This is a chance for their voice to be heard and if they’re passionate about something that’s going on in this community, this is a great way to share that information. We want to hear from everybody.”

— Alyssa Harris, Rowan County health director on a survey for the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment

“It didn’t demoralize us. It didn’t defeat us. It brought us together. … The bottom line comes down to this: you attack us, we are one people … We are the United States of America. And we can fight amongst ourselves — that’s our prerogative. But if you attack my brother or sister, you’ve attacked me.”

— Rep. Harry Warren, who represents Rowan County in the N.C. House speaking at a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks

“You’ve got to take care of your ground, or it’s not going to take care of you.”

— Jacob Watson, who manages Wetmore Farms on the honor of receiving the Outstanding Conservation Farm Family of the year award

“I’m not sure you can recover from this big of a mistake.”

— Trish Fore, trainer in an emailed message to medical examiner Lakisha Hayes, who was later fired after not finding a gunshot wound in the head of a car crash victim

“This thing is never going away. It will be with us until we croak.”

— Sam Morgan, alderman in Spencer as the town extended additional sick leave time to vaccinated full-time employees who miss work due to COVID-19