Category: Perspectives

To the Editor: The Statesville Human Relations Commission was re-organized in 2016 to provide the community with a resource and vehicle to stand up against acts of hatred and racism

“A leader takes his people to a different place that is better.”                                    

BY SARAH KIRKMAN When I was looking up the dates of National Police Week (May 10-16), I happened to notice that May 17-23, 2020, is National Emergency Services (EMS) Week.

BY JOSH SNOW Hospital Week has deeper meaning this year as the Davis Regional Medical Center team celebrates our work to provide safe, high-quality care for patients. The COVID-19 pandemic

BY JOHN GREEN Every year during the first two weeks of May, we celebrate National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week. This year, National Hospital Week is May 10 –

BY SARAH KIRKMAN May 10-16, 2020, is National Police Week. In normal times, there would be a big ceremony in Washington, D.C., which would draw people from all over the

BY LISA FAMILO Every day, we learn more about how COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on families, businesses, and communities. This frightening pandemic has hit homes and our community with hardships

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”                                

BY KEN ROBERTSON As I asked you to do last week, before you read this and my next few columns, please Google “Chesterton’s Fence.” The premise is that one should

BY KEN ROBERTSON Before you get started reading this and the next few columns I am writing, please Google “Chesterton’s Fence” or “Chesterton’s Gate.” The premise of the concept is

  BY MIKE FUHRMAN Incoming Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Jeff James’ academic credentials are solid, his success as an administrator well-documented, and his professional references are impressive. But the optics for

BY SARAH KIRKMAN April 19-25 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. It is a time to raise awareness about crime victims’ issues and rights, and a time to raise awareness

Less than three weeks ago Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for North Carolina and closed all schools for instructional purposes. The governor mandated three directives for North

BY JOHN GREEN, STEPHEN MIDKIFF, JOSH SNOW & JEFFREY SMITH As the CEOs of Iredell County’s health systems, we want to thank all healthcare professionals who are working nonstop on

To the Editor: The primary elections may be over in North Carolina, but there is still much political division in our state and across the country. Regardless of which candidate

Dear Iredell County Community: On behalf of the Mooresville Graded School District, our Board of Education, our staff, and our students, I want to take a moment to say “thank

To the Editor: I am writing today as a parent of two children in Iredell-Statesville Schools, as the chairperson of the Iredell County Education Facilities Task Force, and a supporter

To the Editor: Here we go again! Another School Bond vote. So why are we here when we voted six years ago? Those projects are almost all completed from the

To the Editor: Primary election day will be here on Tuesday, March 3, and I would like to urge you to vote for my friend and legislative colleague, Craig Horn,

BY JAMES MALLORY Iredell County citizens have an opportunity on Tuesday, March 3, to posture us for continued strong economic development by attracting new and expanding current businesses. Being in

BY PAUL COOK Over the last six months, as I have served as the United Way of Iredell County’s 2019-20 Campaign chairman, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with so

EDITOR’S NOTE: Iredell Free News will not publish candidate endorsement letters for the March 3 primary that are received after February 25. Email letters to iredellfreenews@gmail.com To the Editor: Permit

BY DEBBIE MARSH On Tuesday, March 3, voters in Iredell County will find two referendums on the ballot. If passed, one will fund the building of a high school in

BY DARREN CAMPBELL Interaction with law enforcement can have a lasting impression on a young person. Through our many youth outreach programs, my goal is to make this interaction a

BY ANDREW DONAWA Why have we turned away from our beliefs during our drive to get on top? If we would go back to our core beliefs, then we wouldn’t

Editor’s Note: This viewpoint was originally published by The Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer, and The Herald Sun. By Robert J. Higdon, Jr., Matthew G.T. Martin, R. Andrew Murray

BY MIKE FUHRMAN The best thing I saw last week was a community taking time to honor a man who has devoted 50 years of his life to helping families

To Our Community: Since the bond referendum has been placed on the March 3 ballot, we have heard a recurring question from those in our community who are supportive of

BY MARTIN PAGE Crowdfunding is the practice of using online sites to solicit donations, whether monetary or in-kind. A crowdfunding campaign is considered to be on behalf of the school

BY MIKE FUHRMAN Brian Summers honored the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in a most fitting fashion on a chilly Monday morning. As community residents and elected officials left

BY DARREN CAMPBELL An oath is a solemn calling upon God to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says. An oath is something that I have taken

EDITOR’S NOTE: LaToya Caesar delivered a slightly abridged version of this speech on Friday evening during the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Mitchell Community College. BY LaTOYA CAESAR It’s

BY MIKE FUHRMAN My parents taught me how to read, how to ride a bike and how to mow the grass when I was a kid. By the time I

BY MIKE FUHRMAN If you’re going to call your last-day-before-Christmas-vacation extravaganza the “Happiest Place on Earth,” you better deliver the goods. The staff and community supporters at N.B. Mills Elementary