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.

BY JEFF JAMES COVID-19 has undoubtedly influenced our everyday life and changed the world as we know it. In March, many were sure that this pandemic would be short-lived. Unfortunately,

BY H. STEPHEN SHOEMAKER On November 9 and 10, we remember the beginning of the public and official path to the Holocaust in Hitler’s Germany. We call it Kristallnacht, The

BY JEFF JAMES One of the most challenging decisions a school district can make involves deciding when to close schools due to weather. These decisions are not made in a

BY DARREN CAMPBELL With Halloween rapidly approaching, I have received many questions about how this year’s events will be effected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses and churches have canceled

BY JEFF JAMES Known by some, but not all, Crosby Scholars is a program that all Iredell-Statesville Schools students should explore. It is free to students in grades 6-12 in

Editor’s Note: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. BY PATTI WEST Domestic violence is an uncomfortable issue to discuss. Most would prefer to pretend it doesn’t exist or deny the

BY JEFF JAMES It is sad that our society has to deal with the issue of human and sex trafficking. Unfortunately, North Carolina is one of the top 10 states

BY DARREN CAMPBELL Over the past several weeks, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office has received an increasing number of reports from citizens and businesses about various scams. In order to

BY DIANE HAMBY Why do decent, brilliant, fair and open-minded U.S. Supreme Court justices matter? What difference could it possibly make? Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on September 18,

BY JEFF JAMES September is designated as Suicide Prevention Month. I think all of us can agree that one suicide is one too many. Suicide is the second-leading cause of

Editor’s Note: This is the first column in a regular series by the new Iredell-Statesville Schools superintendent. BY JEFF JAMES Iredell-Statesville Schools, like many of the 115 school systems in

To the Editor: September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time where we especially emphasize reaching out to those who may be struggling, as well as those who may have

BY ROY COOPER RALEIGH — This pandemic has affected every corner of our state, including our state budget needs. For many families, it has also shifted their priorities. Last week,

BY REV. STEVE SHOEMAKER What kind of sign would Jesus put in his yard? Of course, the “Son of Man who had nowhere to lay his head” had no yard,

BY DARREN CAMPBELL We have all heard the saying, “There’s an app for that.” “Dad, what’s the Apple ID?” asked one of my boys the other day. So, of course

BY WILLIAM MORGAN JR. Several few years ago, in my role as a member of Statesville City Council, I was in Washington, D.C., advocating for the Larkin Industrial Development Project

BY H. WAYNE WILKINS EnergyUnited is defining a future for our members and the community we all share – a brighter future that continues our commitment to delivering reliable electricity

Editor’s Note: This viewpoint was submitted by the president and advisory board of Our Schools First. Six and a half years ago, the children at Cool Spring Elementary had to

BY GOV. ROY COOPER RALEIGH — North Carolina has seen more than its fair share of devastating storms, particularly in the past few years. When hurricane season comes around, we

To the Editor: We have all heard recently from the Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control, that we could stamp out COVID-19 in four to eight weeks

BY BRIAN SUMMERS Today, we learned of the passing late last evening of Congressman John Lewis, an icon and giant of the Civil Rights Movement and life-long advocate for voting

BY DARREN CAMPBELL One of the most poignant and most recognized sentences in the English language, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” is

BY RACHEL ANDERS What if I told you most of what you learned about the Civil War was incorrect? What if I told you it was written by the victors,

BY MIKE FUHRMAN A friend and I were discussing the current state of affairs in our country recently when he recited a Bible verse that has really resonated with me: