It's 2014: Are all our schools proficient yet?

It's been 12 years since President George W. Bush signed No Child Left Behind with a beaming Ted Kennedy by his side. According to the terms of the law itself, every public school was now supposed to be adequate.

Closure of children's center is a huge loss for everyone

The little girl and three of her siblings had been sexually abused by a relative. Her parents agreed to let me talk to the girl, 10, and two of the older siblings, as long as I did not identify them in any way.

Facebook is about to pay you to have a family

Last week, Apple and Facebook announced new plans to help female employees freeze their eggs, according to Forbes.

Churches have important role in breast cancer awareness among African-Americans

"Think pink" is America's mantra in October, as breast cancer awareness takes center stage in sports stadiums, advertising campaigns and even religious worship services.

$3,650 will makes you one of the world's wealthiest

Someone with at least $3,650 in net worth -- including the value of their home, car and investments, but excluding debt -- is among the world's wealthiest half, while the other half owns less than 1 percent of total global wealth, according to this year's Global Wealth Report from Credit Suisse.

Mom calls out Toys 'R' Us

Susan Schrivjer, a mother from Fort Myers, Florida, has created a petition against the popular toy store Toys 'R' Us for selling action figures of the characters from AMC's "Breaking Bad."

Ministers sue over same-sex marriage enforcement

A new debate over same-sex marriage in Idaho may come down to a single point: whether ordained Christian pastors can only be protected when they perform marriage ceremonies in a church.

'Illusions of Fate' twists together choices, magic

"ILLUSIONS OF FATE," by Kiersten White, HarperTeen, $17.99, 275 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)

Amid sermon subpoena debate, 'church autonomy' issue rises

One day after news that Houston city attorneys had subpoenaed sermons and emails from church leaders presumably opposed to a local human rights ordinance, the civil liberties questions remain.

Have a soda — and a 50-minute run

A researcher who has spent four years calculating the calorie burn that juice, soda and other "treats" would entail believes people would make better food choices if they knew the truth: If you drink a soda, then you'd need to run for 50 minutes to burn the calories off.

Which is more deadly, rumors or the Ebola virus?

Which is more deadly, rumors or the Ebola virus? In the U.S. there has been three patients with the disease. Reading the headlines one gets the impression that the whole nation is overrun with this horrific modern day plague. Sadly, we know that Ebola kills at a frightful rate. Unfortunately we overlook the danger of rumors.

Evangelical Christian pastors frame environmentalism in religious terms

For the past five years, Mitch Hescox has served as president and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network. For 18 years before that, he served as a local church pastor. And for 14 years before that, he worked in America's coal industry.

Playing favorites can increase chance child will use drugs, alcohol

Parents who favor one child over another may increase the chance at least one of their children will abuse substances, according to new research that also says a child's perception of favoritism matters more than whether it's actually true.

Films with women leads are scarce

This past summer, women ruled at the box office. Hits like "Lucy," "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Maleficent," each earned north of $40 million during their respective opening weekends, Box Office Mojo reports.

Wage gender gap might be hurting women's retirement plan

Women save a larger percentage of their incomes for retirement than men, but men end up saving more, says a new study by Vanguard. But no matter the gender, Interest.com found that only Nevada retirees are collectively prepared for retirement.

Dogs end skid by drubbing mistake-prone Caps

While their problems at the plate continued, the Camden High baseball team is not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ariail - April 13, 2018

Editorial: Mike Culp

As a man who had a keen wit and a self-deprecating sense of humor, Mike Culp rolled with a joke as well as anyone.

Column: DSS claims it’s ‘making progress’

When we published my two-part "Orphaned and homeless" in-depth look at a teenager named "J.M." and how a jury found the S.C. Department ...

Column: My Atlanta angel

Writing amounts to solitary confinement. The hours alone reward you though when a book comes out: meeting folks who love books. When book events conclude ...

Column: Pride in city based on many aspects of life

The pride we feel for our city is based on many aspects of life. Chief among them -- loving people, generous businesses, dedicated community service organizations ...

Column: The downing of a president

WASHINGTON -- We've seen this movie before.

Letter: I believe in freedom of speech

I believe in freedom of speech.

Letter: Heartfelt thanks to ‘Good Samaritan’

I want to extend my deeply heartfelt "thank you" to the kind, compassionate, good Samaritan who came to my aid after I was involved in ...

GLORIA JUSTINE JENKINS

A celebration of life service for Gloria Justine Jenkins, 58, will be held Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 4 p.m. at Powers Funeral Home ...

DOUG KING

A service to celebrate the life of James Doug King, 87, will be held Saturday at noon. at Powers Funeral Home, Lugoff, with burial to ...

J. GWYNNE WILSON, M.D.

J. Gwynne Wilson, M.D., age 92, a physician specializing in Radiology, died on April 2, 2018, at home in Sausalito, CA. Born and raised ...

BMPFD gets V-SAFE grant

The Buffalo-Mt. Pisgah Fire Department (BMPFD) recently received a $22,440 grant from the state of South Carolina through the Volunteer Strategic Assistance Fire Equipment ...

Elgin mayor graduates from MASC Institute

Elgin Mayor Melissa Emmons recently graduated from the Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government. Graduates received their certificates during the Municipal Association of South Carolina ...

First Palmetto announces quarterly dividend

The board of directors of First Palmetto Financial Corporation, parent company of First Palmetto Bank, has declared a quarterly dividend of $455 per share of ...