To Chet Jessup, who organized Friday’s annual memorial to local law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Although this year’s ceremony was in Jonesville, the annual event is one set aside to memorialize those officers from the region, including Mount Airy and Surry County.

The officers who have lost their lives did so protecting the rest of the community, and often leave behind widows and children to grieve over their loss. We should never forget those sacrifices, and it is good to see Jessup keeping these memorials alive.

*****

To the voters of Surry County who turned out to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election. While the turn-out is disappointing, at less than 40 percent, given the fact the election was a primary, with no national issues or contested national races to speak of, that is not too bad. Still, it is a shame that more people do not regularly exercise their responsibility to vote at every opportunity.