Archive By Section - Editorials
Noted and passed - March 23, 2015
• Friday, we reported a grand jury finally indicted 22-year-old Stephen Ross Kelly for his alleged kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of Briana Rabon. We say "finally indicted" because Briana was killed more than a year ago. While we cannot be certain -- grand jury proceedings are secret, and for good reason -- we suspect the indictments were handed down now because the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) only recently completed its forensic examination of evidence it and the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office collected. Briana, by all accounts, was a bright young lady who, at 18, had her entire life ...
Editorial: Economic development
Kershaw County Council Chairman Julian Burns, in the infancy of a four-year term he says will be his only one, isn't making any secrets about his No. 1 priority: economic development. Burns is hanging an "open for business" sign out for Kershaw County, and he's making the rounds to drum up support. Good for him.
Editorial: GOP in SC
Though it's nearly a year until South Carolina's first-in-the-South presidential primary, Palmetto State voters are going to be barraged by candidates, and it all starts this week as Republican hopefuls begin flooding the state to build support for their White House bids. Unlike the Democratic tussle, in which Hillary Clinton is virtually being handed the nomination, there is no front-runner in the GOP, but lots of wannabes. Several of the candidates coming into the state this week are fresh off appearances at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where many of the attendees stood just to the ...
Editorial: Homelessness
Our recent front page story on homelessness in Kershaw County highlighted a part of our community we sometimes don't want to think about, much less see. We suspect it's because of homeless stereotypes: those who live on the streets or in their cars with no job or prospect of one whether due to poor life choices or ill luck.
Editorial: Alternative power
Older Kershaw County residents will remember the oil embargo of the 1970s, when there were long lines at service stations here and across the nation. Since then, there's been a never-ending quest for the United States to become more energy-independent and to develop clean, alternative sources of power. Wind and solar have been touted for decades, by some as a cure-all, but they still remain a tiny percentage of all the energy created.
Editorial: March Madness
With March Madness -- the annual NCAA college basketball championship tournament -- almost upon us, Kershaw County hoops fans are no doubt ready for the excitement of the lose-once-and-you-go-home affair. Adding special flair this year is the fact that Kentucky is attempting to become the first team to go undefeated since the Indiana Hoosiers pulled off the feat in 1976.
Noted and passed - March 9, 2015
• Kershaw County School District Superintendent Dr. Frank Morgan made a wise move a week ago in having County Planning Director Carolyn Hammond speak to members of the Kershaw County Board of School Trustees on county growth projections. As the debate continues to ramp up about whether or not to bring a pair of construction-related referenda to voters in November 2016 (see today's front page), trustees -- and the public -- needed to know more than 2,100 lots are slated for new homes during the next few years, primarily in the West Wateree. Among those is Coldbranch, which will build out ...
Editorial: Gerrymandering
Here in South Carolina, as in so many other states, gerrymandering -- in which political parties redraw the lines of voting districts to suit their own purposes -- is a fact of life. It was done when Democrats controlled the state, and now it's done by Republicans. One of the nationwide side effects of gerrymandering is creating more partisan divide. Because districts are set up to be safe for one party, there's not much interest in candidates having to appeal to independent voters or those who aren't hard-line adherents of either party. And, by the way, the word gerrymander ...
Editorial: Crape scolding
One thing which makes Camden so appealing is its attention to and love for trees. The city is graced with thousands of them, and they add immeasurably to the atmosphere of our municipality. The Camden Tree Foundation and its many volunteers work tirelessly to plant new trees and keep existing ones healthy, and the city of Camden has had the foresight to hire a professional to oversee the arboreal health of the area. But a recent newspaper column by the town's urban forester, Liz Gilland, was a bit troubling in its tone.
Noted and passed - March 2, 2015
• We were very glad to see Kershaw County Council recognize ALPHA Center Executive Director Paul Napper recently. Napper has served as The ALPHA Center's director for three decades. In all that time, he has also managed to find the time to serve on numerous local, state and even federal boards and commissions. Most recently, he stepped down from a seat on the KershawHealth Board of Trustees only to fill an open seat on the Central Carolina Technical College (CCTC) Area Commission two days later. As always, Napper was humble in receiving council's resolution honoring him, saying it really ...
Editorial: Big money Dems
The ever-present cable news shows are already fixated on the 2016 presidential campaign, with the Republican race a wide-open affair and the Democratic nomination said to be Hillary Clinton's for the asking. Of course, we'll point out Clinton was also the overwhelming favorite in 2008 until Barack Obama came along and stole her candy. But one thing's for sure, no matter whom the parties nominate: massive amounts of money will be spent.
Editorial: Giuliani’s comments
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who's never been accused of being circumspect, went over the top last week when he accused President Obama of not loving his country. Giuliani has refused to back down from his comments, and some in the GOP have defended him while others have said they wouldn't have made the same statement. Politics, of course, is involved, as both Democrats and Republicans are already jockeying for position for 2016.
Noted and passed - Feb. 23, 2015
• We're sad to learn of Joseph Bruce's pending retirement from KershawHealth and the KershawHealth Foundation (see our front page), but happy for him as he reaches that point in life where he can choose do what he appears to enjoy: namely traveling to the United Kingdom and other points abroad. Bruce had the difficult job of following foundation founder Vern Ketchem, who died just months before Bruce joined KershawHealth in late 2007. When we consider all the foundation has done since then, we believe Ketchem would be proud of Bruce's work. He and the foundation board launched ...
Editorial: FOIA steps
Legislators in Columbia have taken a couple of nice steps towards making government in South Carolina more open and accessible. Transparency is the word used most often these days, and while it's a bit overused, it's pretty accurate. The House of Representatives passed on second reading a bill requiring agendas at public meetings, setting up a Freedom of Information (FOI) Appeals Office and cutting the time for a response from 15 days to 10. None of them are earth-shattering, but they're solid.
Editorial: Looking for spring
It's usually about this time of year when Kershaw County residents begin to grow weary of winter and wish for the warm temperatures and blooming flowers of spring. That feeling is being magnified this week as colder-than-normal air envelopes South Carolina and the rest of the Southeast, sending the mercury into the low teens, with some days possibly barely getting out of the 20s.
Articles by Section - Editorials
Editorial: Car seat check
Ensuring that children, especially small children, are safe while traveling in a car is, obviously, a priority for most parents. By now, everyone knows to ...
Editorial: Tennis Center
It's finally official: the city of Camden's state of the art tennis complex is open.
Editorial: Clean Community Commission
We are pleased to see the return of the Kershaw County Clean Community Commission.
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.
Editorial: Sam Wright
We would like to join the community in celebrating the achievement of one of Kershaw County's most famous sons, Mr. Sam Wright.
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