Editor’s Note: Statesville High School students wrote the following letters to Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education members in response to an Iredell Free News investigation detailing the board’s secret meetings

To the Editor: If Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education member Anita Kurn thinks that adding fight classes at Statesville High School will solve the discipline problems there, we should all

To the Editor: “Oh, bless your heart.” That is the response I often get when I tell people where I work. While I am thankful for the sentiment, I would

BY BETH KENDALL There was an accident, so traffic was at a standstill. The gravitational pull of the moon causes the tides of the ocean. I stuck to a training

To the Editor: After reading the text messages exchanged between members of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education, I would like to say that I am highly disappointed in the

“Suggesting that student violence be encouraged and used for profit is not funny. It is a ‘joke’ of the worst kind — one that devalues human life and reveals your

BY BECKY WAGNER What profession provides world-class care and is considered the most honest and ethical profession? Individuals working in this career field can walk an average of 4 to

BY SHELLIE TAYLOR The study at the Green Street Cemetery in Statesville has been one of the most important and rewarding projects I have ever been involved with. Last year,

BY JOHN GREEN It seems like just a few days ago I wrote an editorial regarding National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week. Obviously, time flies, as it has been

BY JAMES B. MALLORY III Iredell County Manager Beth Mull is putting the finishing touches on her budget message and recommendations to the Iredell County Board of Commissioners for the

BY GLENN KURFEES The City of Statesville Fire Department would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Statesville Community for all the prayers, words of encouragement, and food during

BY MIKE FUHRMAN There’s something absolutely magical about the Special Olympics. In an era where reports of mass shootings, civil unrest and political rancor dominate nearly every news cycle, there

BY COOPER HALL Uniting a high school is hard work, but I watched it happen at South Iredell High on April 5 as students participated in the national walkout to

BY REV. H. STEPHEN SHOEMAKER Today is the day we call Good Friday, and on this day we gathered by the old tree standing outside the Old Jail in Statesville.

BY JANE HINSON April 3-9, 2023, is National Public Health Week. The last three years have been difficult ones for our public health team at the Iredell County Health Department.

BY SARAH KIRKMAN March is Women’s History Month, and I almost let it get by me without recognizing it. The observance of Women’s History Month began in California in 1978

To the Editor: An impact fee is typically a one-time payment imposed by a local government on a property developer. The fee is meant to offset the financial impact a

BY MIKE FUHRMAN There were a couple of very telling moments at Monday’s Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education meeting, including one in which a board member claimed he could run Statesville

Editor’s Note: This column is adapted from a presentation to the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education on February 13. BY TERRI MASIELLO For 26-plus years, I have been working to

To the Editor: When discussing the town’s property tax rate, Troutman Councilman Paul Henkel recently said, “The town does not collect money for the fun of it.” I disagree! This

BY SHELLIE TAYLOR Every February, the Iredell County Public Library staff joins the African-American community in celebrating the achievements of Black men and women in our county and promoting their

BY PAMELA JOHNSON It is my passion and dream to bring a K-8 STEAM charter school to Statesville and Iredell County. I believe that we can build an education model

BY ERIC TODD SCOTT SR. I would like to say thank you to Dr. Jeff James and the participants for the Iredell-Statesville Schools press conference. Great job! It was very

BY GOV. ROY COOPER RALEIGH — North Carolinians deserve reliable, sustainable electricity at a reasonable cost because of increasingly severe weather and aging fossil fuel plants that result could be

BY SHELLIE TAYLOR I don’t know about you, but I love a good mystery. While researching something completely unrelated, I came across a newspaper article that grabbed my attention and

BY REV. H. STEPHEN SHOEMAKER My worst course in college was German. Thank God I needed only four semesters to graduate. From my studies and experience, I am too well

BY MIKE FUHRMAN During the two years leading up to the 2022 elections, there was a carefully orchestrated effort to undermine the public’s confidence in Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education

BY AMY FUHRMAN In December, my thoughts turn to death. I know that sounds morbid — and it is — but it’s impossible for me not to think about as

BY MIKE SMITH ProPublica and The New Yorker recently published an article entitled “How Hospice Became a For-Profit Hustle,” outlining multiple instances of fraud and malfeasance targeting the Medicare hospice

To the Editor: Thanks to everyone who supported me in the campaign through their efforts and their votes. I gave it my all, but the partisan headwinds were just too

BY MIKE FUHRMAN A Statesville man who calls himself the “Puppet Master” is dangerously close to achieving his goal of taking control of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education. Iredell

BY SUSAN TOLLE It all started five years ago. 2018 brought us our first Central Piedmont Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Prevention right here in Iredell County. Our

To the Editor: Four years ago I had the pleasure of running as an unaffiliated candidate for the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education in District 7. I strongly believe that

BY WENDY GORDON PAKE Halloween at the Pake house – with a child with food allergies – always went the same: My husband and I would spill out our son’s

To the Editor: An elected official’s role, whether it be on the school board, in the state senate, or in any other public office, is to serve its community as

To the Editor: I am writing to urge the citizens of District 3 to vote for Sarah Parker Pittman for the open seat on the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education.