THUMBS UP: Robeson County deserves a thumbs up for the way it is handling the issue of removing the Confederate monument in front of the Robeson County Courthouse. The county is working on a solution to remove the monument; and it’s keeping residents involved in the process. We’ve not seen violent crowds or angry protests. Instead, we’ve seen healthy debate and helpful discussion.

THUMBS DOWN: No virus-related deaths were reported in Robeson County last week, making it the third consecutive week with no virus-related deaths in the county. The county’s pandemic death toll remains at 523. Normally, this would sound like good news, but after posting its lowest seven-day count of COVID-19 cases in two years last week, Robeson County saw an increase in the number of cases over the previous seven days. Numbers are dropping for sure, but now is not the time to relax pandemic health practices. When Robeson County can report a trend of zero coronavirus cases, then we can give this a thumbs up.

THUMBS UP: Two drone demonstrations took place Wednesday at Emerging Technology Institute in Red Springs, where attendees saw how this new technology can be used to transport items needed to soldiers on the battlefield. We are excited about the emerging technology, but are even more thrilled that Red Springs was used as a gathering place for projects and demonstrations such as these.

THUMBS DOWN: Drunken driving continued to plague our local roads and highways. Before almost every holiday, it has become the norm to hear from local and state law enforcement that they will have increased enforcement on the roads. While we applaud the efforts of our local law enforcement we urge all residents, driving or not, to celebrate responsibly. Robeson County is one of the top five counties in the state in which speed-related crash fatalities occurred, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Transportation Mobility and Safety Division report. In Robeson County, 22 people lost their lives in speed-related crashes in 2021, which accounted for 12 more lives lost than in 2020, according to the data. Please, drive responsibly. Lives are at stake.

THUMBS UP: An ongoing collaboration between The University of North Carolina of Pembroke’s Thomas Entrepreneurship Hub and the University of North Carolina School of Law’s Institute for Innovation was highlighted during a “Celebrating Legal Service to the State” event in Chapel Hill last week. UNC’s law faculty and students shared impactful stories of how they have helped for-profit and nonprofit businesses and organizations from across the state. We celebrate this ongoing partnership as well. Here is a big thumbs up for resources like this that have a direct impact in our community.

THUMBS DOWN: The price of gasoline has seemed to hold steady or even decreased slightly in the past few weeks. As North Carolina residents, we are used to seeing lower prices at the pumps compared with the rest of the country. Still, recovery from the pandemic as well as the war in Ukraine are proving to be a big factor in the price of gas and other products. We urge a speedy recovery to both issues and a return to normal life here and abroad.

THUMBS UP: Lumberton can celebrate with Billy Pitman, who finished the Boston Marathon on Monday. Running in only his second marathon, Pitman finished in front of 13,907 other runners in a crowd of 30,000 total entrants. Pitman qualified to run the race because of his volunteer status with the Little Brothers — Friends of the Elderly, an organization that creates opportunities for older and younger people to form intergenerational friendships and join together in the celebration of life.

THUMBS DOWN: The City of Lumberton needs to find a way to help a handful of neighbors who are faced with paying taxes on property they didn’t own. When Alex Musselwhite moved into his home, he was made to believe he was living in unincorporated Robeson County, as did his neighbors. In December, he and his neighbors started getting letters from the City of Lumberton seeking back taxes from 2016, long before Musselwhite moved in. We understand that tax bills are tied to individual properties and not to property owners, but the circumstances here seem to be punitive for no good reason. We urge the city to find a common sense solution that doesn’t harm the residents in our community.