‘Yes’ on Connect NC bond to upgrade RCCC facilities

As chair of the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustees, I am excited about the Connect NC Bond coming our way on the March 15 primary election ballot. This bond is a statewide infrastructure bond that will have huge implications for those of us who live in Rowan County. If passed, our community college would receive $7.2 million to continue much-needed upgrades to Rowan-Cabarrus facilities, offering state-of-the-art learning experiences for the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus counties.

As a result of your ongoing support and the 2010 Rowan County bond referendum, the college recently completed construction of a new Fire & Emergency Services training facility, a newly renovated and constructed health and science building with 16 new classrooms and labs, a new face and entrance to Salisbury from Interstate 85, and updated campus access to meet ADA requirements. Still, additional renovations are needed in many other facilities on the college’s North Campus.

In Rowan County alone, this bond would fund about $3.2 million on renovations to North Campus buildings 100, 200, 500 and 700, and would also dedicate an additional $1 million for phase two of the Fire & Emergency Services training facility, which would include a training tower, tactical training facility for law enforcement, an outdoor classroom with restrooms, and a needed extension to the sewer and water line.

Friends and neighbors, I encourage you to learn more about the Connect NC Bond Initiative and consider its impact on our community colleges when you vote on the bond referendum on March 15. By voting “yes” on the bond, you enable Rowan-Cabarrus Community College to continue much needed improvements to student facilities.

— Carl Short

Salisbury

Kudos to CG police

It is far less often we hear good and nice things said about our police officers. Especially China Grove Police Department, with the very good men and women who comprise this office.

Thanks for a great concern from several people and the help of three special men of the department, someone was helped. When we realized someone was unable to get out of bed and had no one home with her, these fine gentlemen came to her rescue. By searching a way into the house and getting EMT on the spot, she got help.

Thanks for their quick response to our need for help; they arrived before we could get back to our destination.

Never think these men and women aren’t doing all they can to help our community. We have always had good and fast service from China Grove Police Department.

Thank you, China Grove.

— Shirley Alexander

China Grove

Spectacle of an election

What have we come to in America? We sit and watch candidates for the most powerful position in the world call each other petty names and the crowd cheers. We sit and watch candidates say it is OK to assault those who don’t agree with them and the crowd cheers. We have even had one candidate say he could go out and shoot someone and he would not lose people’s support.

This is the most ridiculous spectacle for the citizens of our country to watch and still the candidates get people’s support. We need to sit back and think about who we are. The persons who continue to support candidates who make ridiculous promises they cannot keep need to take a step back.

Even after almost eight years, many people still can’t deal with who has been our twice-elected president. But it is even worse that people are now making our election process into a reality show. It is not and we must realize the seriousness of this election. Sanity needs to make a comeback.

— Ralph Walton

Salisbury

Good service from city

It seems we spend a large amount of time dealing with both public and private organizations usually complaining about poor customer service. And, unfortunately, poor service gets most of the publicity. However, there are times when this is the exception and not the general rule.

I recently moved into my new house in The Gables off Faith Road. Being a senior citizen faced with all the tasks that moving requires such as having utilities transferred or started, forwarding mail and newspapers, notifying everyone involved in our life of our new address, etc. I really just wanted to leave town and hope it would all came together voluntarily in my absence.

One of my first tasks was to have my water meter installed, a prerequisite to getting all other services started. That is when I first came in contact with Lana Vallair of the Salisbury Customer Service Department. That was my lucky day. Lana calmly walked me through the process of having me recorded as a citizen of Salisbury and, with minimum effort, getting all my city services commenced. She even made an extra effort to have my Fibrant service transferred just three days before the Super Bowl so I would not miss the event. (I can’t image what the Fibrant customer service personnel thought of that request.) Although unsuccessful she did get my service installed on Monday after the game.

Throughout the process Lana remained unbelievably cheerful, gracious, and most of all, very professional. Lana’s Supervisor, co-workers, and the citizens of Salisbury are blessed to have someone of this caliber working for and with them.

— Ken Cannon

Salisbury

Poston’s strong bloodline

My nephew, Andrew H. Poston, has continued a proud family tradition of offering himself to public service. My grandmother, Andrew’s great-grandmother, Annie Overman Miller, was the great niece of U.S. Senator Lee S. Overman. This means that Senator Overman was Andrew’s fourth great uncle. Overman served gallantly in the U.S. Senate from 1903 to 1930. He was born in Salisbury and is buried at Chestnut Hill. Senator Overman is the pride of our family, but Poston could easily share that title with him one day. We should vote to send a strong Southerner to Raleigh, and who better than a family member of one of the greatest politicians to ever come from the city of Salisbury and the State of North Carolina?

From an early age, Andrew has been interested in civics, education, and government and has earned a B.A. from UNC Charlotte in history and political science and is currently working towards his M.A. in Education. Lest it be said that he is a child of privilege, Andrew prefers to make his own way and has paid his way through college himself and is a young man of remarkable industry.

Andrew Poston would represent us in Raleigh with the same fire, vigor, and passion that Senator Overman did in the Senate for 27 years, but being that Poston and Overman come from the same bloodline and are cut from the same cloth, we knew that he would do a stand-up job. We in the family are fully supportive of his efforts, and feel that Senator Lee S. Overman would be quite proud. We submit him for your approval with our strongest recommendation.

— Brian Scott Miller

Salisbury

Button up, Trump

Please tell me why Trump never buttons his suit coat! What kind of fashion statement is this? His tie looks five feet long! Nauseating!

— Bill Poole

Salisbury