1. “We got so much good stuff happening in Laurinburg,” Willis said. “I can’t take credit for all of it but I can take credit for this, before me, the last administration was chaos. It was terrible. There was no communication between the council members. There was zero communication to the city manager. From day one, I worked hard on that. I worked hard on my relationship between every single one of these council members.” — James “Jim” Willis, Laurinburg mayor.

2. “Our services is a service of remembrance and healing, but it’s also about celebrating the lives of so many people that we loved,” said Tanya Williams, director of family services for Scotland Regional Hospice. “Our staff and volunteers cherish the opportunity to reunite with families and this service is a reminder that we are still with you, love you and here for you.”

3. “This is a great opportunity,” UNCP student Madison Deese said. “Some people think they have to go to a big university to get to big places, but if you remain focused on your studies at a smaller school in smaller classrooms, it will take you to big places and bigger opportunities.”

4. “We encourage people to think in multigenerational approaches. Everyone is getting scammed, it’s just a different way that scammers go after you.” — Genevieve Waterman, of the National Council on Aging.

5. “We know that substance abuse is a major part of this … That’s why we’re here. We don’t really stand to benefit from this. What we’re trying to do is make a difference. I know that sounds cliche but we really are just trying to do what we can for the children and the families of Scotland County.” —Chief District Court Judge Amy Wilson

6. “We raised more this year than we did last year,” Scotland Memorial Foundation director Misty McMillan said. “So that was really exciting to see the number surpass the $68,000 mark where we had ended at the end of last year. When it hit that $70,000 I was thrilled. Diabetes is such a huge need in our service area for people to have the medication, education and monitoring systems is really vital for saving lives.”