BY KEN ROBERTSON  I am old enough to remember Ronald Regan’s presidency. I recall being surprised the media presented the news as if Reagan personally set the price of gasoline.

BY BLAKE PALMER The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education is currently engaged in a redistricting effort with the goal of passing a new district map by November 1. The Board

BY DARREN CAMPBELL Vince Lombardi once said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we

Dear Elected Officials: I am a retired Army LTC with 22 years of service. I speak from experience. During my entire career, I was held accountable for every penny’s worth

BY KRISTIE DARLING If you’re ready to laugh your butt off (and who isn’t these days), run — do not walk — to get your tickets for the Sharpe House

BY STEPHEN MAUNEY Recently, the Moorsville Graded School District sent out surveys to our students that created a fair amount of chatter on social media. As the superintendent of schools,

An understanding of gentrification and its impact on communities should guide local policies and decisions BY JOSEPH GLASGOW The term “gentrification” was coined in the 1960s by sociologist Ruth Glass,

Dear Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education: Thank you for the job you do for our local school system and our students. Thank you for prioritizing in-person education over the past

BY DARREN CAMPBELL Psychologist Abraham Maslow described a hierarchy of needs common to all human beings. This hierarchy demonstrates that some basic needs must be met before children can focus

 BY MIKE FUHRMAN The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education is running out of time. The new school year starts on Monday for most I-SS schools — the district’s early college

To the Editor: We Need Your Help! Aftershock Youth Empowerment is a bullying prevention and intervention services nonprofit organization located in Harmony. Our mission is to create and maintain stress-free

BY JANE HINSON I know that there is not a person reading this viewpoint that isn’t sick and tired of hearing about COVID-19. I get it. We all feel that

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