Off the leash

Bulldog Bands, the new wrist fashion, are all the rage. Specially designed for Camden High School fans and alumni is a trendy, wearable statement of school spirit. Emblazoned with four powerful words, "Welcome to the Pound," the bands symbolize the strength of our Bulldog family, spreading Camden High pride.

Demons edge Chester to take MPCU Holiday Classic

Trailing former Region 3-AAA foe Chester heading into the finals of last weekend's 19th annual May Plant Credit Union Holiday Classic wrestling tournament, host Lugoff-Elgin used five winning performances (from as many wrestlers) in the championship finals to edge the Cyclones, 228-216, to capture its own event. <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; ...

Farmers Home Furniture opening

Farmers Home Furniture has opened its doors in Springdale Plaza, offering a selection of furniture, appliances, electronics, bedding and outdoor equipment. Manager of the new retail business is Steve Waltz; credit manager is Deron Croft. Established in 1949, Farmers Home Furniture is headquartered in Dublin, Ga., and has 167 locations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The new Kershaw County store, located at 1670 Springdale Drive, Suite 13B, is open from 9 ...

Area students earn degrees from Francis Marion

Francis Marion University awarded 303 degrees during commencement exercises Dec. 18.

Holiday closings

Local government offices will observe individual schedules for the Christmas holiday.

Wordplay

NEW YORK -- Words matter. Just ask Google, which now has arranged for anyone to search millions of books online and track how many times a particular word has been used through the ages, thus suggesting how much we think about (and, by inference, value) certain things. Or ask WikiLeaker Julian Assange, now free from prison and enjoying "mansion arrest," who gained notoriety as well as accolades for exposing the private words ...

Obama-Clinton's tag team show

When President Barack Obama turned over his news conference to President Clinton like a tag-team wrestler and left the room to attend a Christmas party -- leaving Clinton to take questions from reporters about Obama's tax-cut deal -- he gave the astonished chattering classes plenty to chatter about:

Miss LaRoche, Mr. Ross exchange vows

Katherine Rose LaRoche of Camden, and Jesse Darrell (Justin) Ross II, of Lugoff, were united in marriage on October 16, 2010, at Grace Episcopal Church in Camden, S.C. The Reverend Charles E. Seastrunk, Jr., Chaplain of the South Carolina House of Representatives, performed the five o'clock p.m. ceremony. Music was provided by Mrs. Kitty DeLoach. A reception immediately followed at Louise C. Proctor Hall in Camden.

Noted and passed

&bull; It's been much colder than normal here in Kershaw County and many people are ready for an easing of the temperatures. But one friend suggested recently we should be thankful; he had checked weather information on-line, and for a recent week in Fairbanks, Alaska, the high temperature -- the high -- was negative 28 degrees. The low was negative 51. Those readings make our recent nights in the teens seem absolutely balmy.

Robert Ariail -- Dec. 20, 2010

School Christmas memories

For whatever reason, while I was doing yard work during the Thanksgiving weekend, I started thinking about my favorite Christmas memories from my own school days. (This probably qualifies as ancient history for most people.) The daydreaming made the raking and mulch-spreading a lot more pleasant.

Hooked on iPad Scrabble

WASHINGTON -- I could write more about the tax deal, but you're probably tired of hearing about it, and, to be honest, I've been too busy playing iPad Scrabble.

Ministry to serve first meal Friday

Food for the Soul Soup Kitchen and Emergency Shelter will open the doors of its new 5,000-square-foot facility at 110 E. DeKalb St. in Camden to serve its first meal Friday, Christmas Eve. The public is invited to join in the meal and to tour the new center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On with the parade

A refurbished 1921 Seagraves pumper truck cruises down Broad Street carrying a crew from the Camden Fire Department during the Kershaw County Christmas Parade Dec. 11. Onboard the pumper were Camden Fire Chief John Bowers and his wife, Gwen. Capt. Johnny Mullis was at the wheel, accompanied by his 6-year-old daughter, Savannah.

Learning about others

Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Baron DeKalb Elementary School completed various activities including the Trust Walk (visual); Muffled Directions (auditory); Mirror Reading (learning); and Mouth Writing (physical). These activities and others are designed to give students and teachers the opportunity to experience some of the challenges encountered by people with a disability. "Awareness: The Key to Friendships," is an educational program sponsored by Family Connection of South Carolina, Inc. This program teaches understanding and sensitivity ...

Music City finish mimics 2012 Colonial Cup

NASHVILLE -- On a spectacular afternoon of racing at the 72nd annual Iroquois Steeplechase, Jacqueline Ohrstrom's Demonstrative edged past Divine Fortune at the finish line to win Saturday's $150,000 Calvin Houghland Iroquois (Gr. 1) by a head.

CHS 4 x 100-relay team third in AAA state meet

Led by a third place finish from its 4 x 100-meter relay team, the Camden High boys' track team finished in 12th place at last weekend's South Carolina High School League State Championships held at Lower Richland High School in Hopkins.

The IRS

There are jokes aplenty about the Internal Revenue Service, but the latest revelations about that agency's conduct in targeting conservative groups is no laughing matter. In reality, it's not about conservative groups or liberal groups or apolitical groups. It's about the abhorrent idea that the IRS would single out any kind of organization or individual to harass -- and indeed it is harassment. <p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align: left; text-indent: ...

Deacon Marion Jenkins

Deacon Marion Jenkins, 68, of 5545 Pisgah Road, Rembert, died Sunday. Friends may call at the residence. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced at a later date by Brown's Funeral Home, Camden, who is serving the family.

Josephine G. Warner

Mrs. Josephine G. Warner, age 90, of Lugoff, SC, (formerly of Clarksburg,WV) passed away Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Myrtle Beach Manor in Myrtle Beach, SC, following an extended illness. She was born in Philippi, WV, August 14, 1922, a daughter of the late Herbert Edward Golden and Grayce Booth Golden.

Alfred H. Rohrig

Teresa Lynn Hough

Jak Smyrl collection purchased by USC library

The University of South Carolina (USC) Libraries is now home to a collection of more than 5,000 images, plus correspondence, sketchbooks, and even early elementary-school artwork Camden's Oscar Jackson "Jak" Smyrl, The State newspaper's first staff artist, who passed away in 2007.