BY JENNY MEDLEN School districts should require masks indoors for all students and staff in elementary and middle schools. Sure, these words are from the N.C. Department of Health and

BY KARISSA MILLER I recently disconnected from daily life and lived on the Idaho Main Salmon River for six days. My husband and I, along with 22 other people, ditched

BY DARREN CAMPBELL One of my primary directives to the deputies, detention officers, and staff members of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is to be citizen-focused and responsive to all

BY KRISTIE DARLING Theatre in the manner of Shakespeare in the Park has always been a favorite of mine, and over the years I’ve had the pleasure to see many

BY JOSEPH GLASGOW The recent drive-by shooting of 8-year-old Ah’Miyahh Howell highlights need for fresh approach to improve opportunities in Statesville’s Southside community. The Southside community is known by many

BY JEFF JAMES Summer reading camps have been around for many years. Typically, Iredell-Statesville Schools works within our district and also with agencies across the county to provide reading opportunities

BY GOV. ROY COOPER Hugging our friends. Cheering on our local sports team in person. Eating indoors at our favorite restaurant after months of take-out. We’re now able to do

BY JOHN ALLEN I write to remind you that Thursday and Friday will probably be the last-ever broadcasts of the “Rush Limbaugh Show.”  Many of you are of course busy

BY JEFF JAMES  In August of 2020, Iredell-Statesville Schools students started the school year from their homes, something we never dreamed could happen. We all limped through the first weeks

EDITOR’S NOTE: Iredell Free News is excited to publish the winning essays in American Renaissance School’s end-of-year “I Can” Essay Contest. Participating students were encouraged to write essays inspiring their

BY M.G. SPIESE We enter this weekend, as a nation, recognizing the Memorial Day holiday. The significance of the day is generally overlooked — honoring members of the Armed Forces

BY JOHN GREEN Each May, we celebrate National Hospital Week and look to thank our healthcare team for the tireless and selfless work performed to make our community healthier. Thinking

BY JEFF JAMES On November 23, 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper signed N.C. Executive Order 180, mandating masks for North Carolinians. Gov. Cooper was able to mandate masks because of the

  BY AMY FUHRMAN The hardest words I have ever spoken were telling my two children that their Uncle D had died by suicide. Their anguish in the minutes, hours,

BY BECKY WAGNER In 2020, the American Nurses’ Association (ANA) decided to honor Florence Nightingale — who would have celebrated her 200th birthday on May 12, 2020 — with the

BY DARREN CAMPBELL We have all received one of these calls: “Good afternoon, we are trying to reach you regarding your car’s extended warranty” or “ I am Agent Jones

BY BRYAN DUNCAN Hunger hurts. We saw it. It was on the faces of many who drove through The Big Pop Up event held a few weeks ago. We saw

BY SARA LEWIS While growing up, we all heard someone tell us that the only way a community can truly be successful is to work together to chip away at

BY JEFF JAMES Iredell-Statesville Schools returned to full-time face-to-face learning in pre-K through 12th grade on April 7. For many students, April 7 was like the “first day of school”

BY JANE HINSON Every single person in Iredell County has been touched by public health in some manner. If you’ve ever eaten food prepared at a restaurant or football concession

BY DARREN CAMPBELL There is no better investment of time than that which is spent working with a child. Teaching children right from wrong is one of the most important

BY JEFF JAMES As it currently stands, Iredell-Statesville Schools is operating in Plan A for students in grades K-5 and Plan B for students in grades 6-12. I-SS has worked

BY CLYDE WOOD I write today with optimism for the future and a grateful heart for our team’s resilience over the past year. The pandemic has demonstrated how interconnected we

To the Editor: The Iredell Clergy For Healing and Justice, an interfaith and interracial organization of local faith leaders, wishes to express our support for the vote of the Iredell

BY JEFF JAMES I think we can all agree that students need to return to school. After what has been an unimaginable year, it’s time to give our children the

BY SEN. VICKIE SAWYER We are currently engaging in discussions at the N.C. General Assembly about how to treat the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. In my opinion, the PPP

TO THE EDITOR: Were you upset or even just plain mad with all the issues during this past election? Are you happy that in North Carolina we didn’t have the

BY JEFF JAMES I get asked at least once a week about the N.C. Education Lottery. I’m reminded of that old Wendy’s commercial that begs the important question: “Where’s the

Editor’s Note: Bryan Duncan delivered the following address during Mitchell Community College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Friday, January 15. BY BRYAN DUNCAN Thank you for taking time from

BY DARREN CAMPBELL In January of 2020, the world started learning about COVID-19. The following month it hit home when we learned of the first positive case in the United

BY JEFF JAMES Like many of you, my prayer was that COVID-19 would run its course by now, and we could return to some form of normalcy in our daily

BY DARREN CAMPBELL I think that it would suffice to say that this Christmas was different for most of us. This year has been met with many challenges and quite

BY JEFF JAMES Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! As we head into the holidays, my hopes and wishes for all our students, staff, and stakeholders are to have a

BY FRANCIE HARTSOG This past year has been one we will never forget. I can’t remember another time in my life coming close to the chaos we have lived through.

BY ROY COOPER RALEIGH — When I announced North Carolina had its first known COVID case on March 3, most of us didn’t expect to be living like this in

BYJEFF JAMES As a resident of Iredell County my entire life, I have watched Iredell County grow from a population of 50,000 in the 1960s to 167,000 residents in 2020.