As always, we’ve seen plenty of highs and lows, good and bad take place throughout the recent weeks — and some need to be highlighted.

Following are those that have been selected for an “attawaytogo” or “shameful” designation:

Attawaytogo — We applaud the Republicans in the General Assembly for a bill that gives additional protections to babies who survive an abortion attempt, but this “attawaytogo” goes out to Rep. Garland Pierce of Scotland County, who broke ranks with his fellow Democrats to support the bill. It’s good to see a politician vote his conscience and stick to his morals instead of being a puppet for the party. We hope, and assume he will, do the very same when it comes time to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s shameful veto.

Shameful — to Gov. Cooper. See above.

Attawaytogo — to Jordyn Walker and Riley Fedak for what they did for residents at Scotland Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The two youngsters made more than 30 Easter cards and handed them out to folks who didn’t have family, and brought smiles to many. It was an example of how children can show adults what we should all be doing on a regular basis to make things better for others.

Shameful — to Laurinburg Mayor Matthew Block, who just had to poke at the issue of a plaque on the new City Hall. His name isn’t on the plaque, which makes perfect sense; he claims he doesn’t want his name on it, which it shouldn’t be; yet he can’t help stir things up without bringing any kind of viable solution to the table. We shouldn’t expect any different.

Shameful — if it weren’t for shameful behavior, we’d be able to ignore Block completely, but here we are again. This time, it’s for one of his ridiculous Facebook posts touting an effort by the city of Goldsboro to establish a recreation center. Block seems to think it’s comparable what Goldboro is attempting and what he wants for Laurinburg. Of course, he’s wrong — mostly because the population of Goldsboro is about the same as that of Scotland County, which gives rise to the fact that any recreation center here should be a county-wide effort.

Attawaytogo — to all of those who participated in the annual Spring Litter Sweep in Scotland County, and to the Green Team of the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce for organizing the effort. More than 4,000 pounds of litter was picked up throughout the county.

Shameful — for the actions of one or more individuals who vandalized Scotland High School last week. Several vulgarities, including at least one aimed at a respected coach, as well as a number of broken windows were found. We hope someone who knows the identity of the person(s) comes forward with that information so law enforcement can apply the stiffest penalty possible.

Attawaytogo — to Cross Pointe Church for its recent effort to take God’s word to the streets with a mini-festival of sorts at the Washington Park playground area. Partnering with the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, the church congregation brought area residents out to mingle in an effort to begin positively changing the neighborhood.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” (Estee Lauder)