The Rockingham County school board will interview all 13 people who applied to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Dr. Jim Austin. 
Austin died in early June, and the board won’t interview the candidates until Aug. 27. The interviews are scheduled for 2 p.m. at the central office in Eden. By the way, they are open to the public, and we encourage residents to attend.

Considering the slumping economy, weighed down by high gas prices and their residual effects, people – families, in particular – are choosing to vacation close to home.
Call it a “staycation” if you will, but people apparently are discovering the beauty and diverse recreational opportunities that North Carolina – and most especially Rockingham County – have to offer.

Luther Martin, who is 18, will face the death penalty in the killing of 11-month-old Antonio Bridges at an Eden motel room in June.

County officials and residents know that large-scale industry is not returning to Rockingham County, at least not how we remember it. We must turn to tourism, and we must work toward developing a strategy to promote the county beyond not only its borders but our state lines as well. We know what we have to offer, but much of the state does not. We can bring attention to our county, as evidenced by the PBS piece, but it takes hard work and a concerted, professional effort.

Parents of students in N.C. schools this weekend will take advantage of a tax-free holiday. Students – parents, really – are given a list of items needed to start the school year – calculators, notebooks, pencils, crayons, backpacks, plastic food bags, etc.
As they say, it adds up, especially if you’re buying for several children.

American troops continue to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is becoming more intense and problematic by the day. In some way, we should honor our troops each day—so we cannot forget. If not, who knows whether our children—and their children—will remember the troops’ sacrifices and their dedication to America some 60 years in the future.

This week’s killing in Reidsville comes just days after a woman was stabbed to death in Danville, Va., and several weeks after a baby was slain in an Eden motel room.

If Rockingham students prepared for tests like the school board addresses major issues – such as building and renovating schools – we’d see a whole lot of head scratching and a landslide of bad grades.

The Lord’s Ford Pantry in Eden has given so much to the community that’s it’s time the community returned the favor.

Tilapia is bad for you, worse than doughnuts and cheeseburgers. Might as well eat a double-chili-cheeseburger buried in pastrami, corn dogs, onion rings, eggs and Utah fry sauce as eat a fresh, farmed-raised tilapia.

Business owners throughout Rockingham County are optimistic about their chances, noting downtown revitalization – in both cities – and the increased foot traffic on the towns’ streets. We’re pulling for them.

Wentworth, which bears the name of the second marquis of Rockingham, should be proud of its history and its recent progress. It should also prepare for growth.

A state inspector gave the shelter only “conditional approval” until operators could control the temperature, which was 82 when he reviewed the facility June 11. It was 9 a.m. A day later, a thermometer inside the shelter read 95 degrees mid-afternoon.

This zest to regulate is fraught with problems, not the least of which is that it simply doesn’t work.
People still get hurt, and they continue to take advantage of those who are weaker and more vulnerable than them.

The abduction of a 17-year-old Madison boy, reportedly at knifepoint, leaves us with many questions and few answers.

Rockingham County has a shortage of qualified paramedics, and it’s a situation that must be reversed. We can rest assured 911 calls will be answered, but we must remain cognizant of the need for qualified paramedics and offer competitive pay packages when recruiting or retaining these professionals.

The weekend is filled with entertainment options, and that’s a good thing. It’s also not so good, because when so much is happening an event invariably suffers – not to mention the fans. There was likely little the organizers could do prevent the confluence of so many big events over a single weekend, but the scheduling conflicts are certainly something to think about when planning for next year and beyond.

The All-America designation is a good start, but much work lies ahead. Let’s celebrate, and then get back to work.

Life is filled with too many variables and uncertainties that foresight and extended planning, though preferable, are all too often derailed by daily events and human frailty – not to mention a respect for one’s civil liberties. So, we get by mostly on good judgment and simple common sense.

One Rockingham County resident died over the holiday weekend and another was seriously hurt in separate incidents that should never have happened.

Going somewhere? Well, then pack up the kids, the pets and the credit cards – those that haven’t reached their spending limits. An average fill-up costs about $60 on the low end and, if you get 30 miles per gallon, that should be good for about 600 miles. If you have a big SUV or pickup, divide the mileage by two and double the price tag for gas.

The drugs are in the mail. Or are they?
Eden police and Rockingham County prosecutors were waiting for the illicit drugs, 21 rocks of crack cocaine, but never received them from the State Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab in Raleigh. The SBI was testing the drugs, which is routine.
What isn’t routine – or should not be – is sending illegal drugs through first-class mail, an act that for private individuals would result in felony charges and jail time. What happened to the drugs remains unclear, though we know Eden police sent them by certified mail – requiring a signature upon receipt – and the SBI sent them via first class mail, which is neither tracked nor insured.

The idea of buying local is gaining momentum. Some people in other parts of the country see the idea as trendy and fashionable – the “in” thing to do. We see it, quite simply, as smart. 

In Mayodan, voters got it right in passing liquor by the drink. The county, however, got it wrong by failing to approve a quarter-percent sales tax. And the margin of victory for the “against” side – some 8,000 votes – means people simply didn’t understand the issue.
Really, how many people are going to vote “for” a new tax without understanding why officials are asking for the money or to where the money is targeted? The ballot issue simply asked people whether they would approve a tax increase, and unless people took the time to learn about the issue, the natural reaction was to vote no.

Voters in Mayodan approved liquor by the drink, and we applaud them. This issue gained attention throughout the county, and people weren’t shy of stating their opinions on the Web site and in the newspapers

We’re seemingly getting only one side of the story – from the proverbial left. To borrow a line from Paul Harvey, Rockingham County voters have so far failed to hear “the rest of the story.”
Surely that will change in the months leading up to the general election in November.

State Treasurer Richard Moore promises to be “laser-focused” on bringing jobs back to places such as Eden and Reidsville. We will see.
But as we head into Tuesday’s primary, we believe Moore is Rockingham County’s best choice for N.C. governor.

We all should do what we can to get Reidsville a place in the national spotlight.

As editors – and readers – we do our best to ensure all work is original and attributed accurately. But sometimes things get through, such as a recent letter to the Rockingham papers

Approving the measure May 6 could lead to construction along U.S. 220 in the form of restaurants and hotels, which are sure to be filled at least twice each year when NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series comes to nearby Martinsville, Va. One need only assess the lack of hotels and places to eat between Greensboro and the Virginia border to realize the dearth of such accommodations.