A recent editorial in The Dispatch in Lexington looks askance at what is going on in Kannapolis these days. Not that it opposes biotechnology or progress ...

"But by erasing any trace of massive Plant 1 at the center of town, Kannapolis seems to be completely turning its back on its past as it rushes headlong toward its future," the Aug. 16 editorial says. "The town may be forgetting important lessons in the process. Built by the Cannon family as a one-industry town, Kannapolis made a mistake once by failing to diversify. It may be doing so again by putting all its eggs in the biotech basket....

"Having a solitary savior like Murdock would offer some advantages, but the efforts of local economic developers to recruit new employers in a variety of fields — racing technology, plastics, metalworking, food and transportation — is ultimately a wiser approach."

Indeed, diversity is what Kannapolis is after. But a huge biotech hub to go with that diversity is hardly a drawback. Big things have to happen somewhere. Why not Kannapolis?