Trinity-Byrnes registers for SAFE Grant for independent schools
On July 20, Gov. Henry McMaster announced a new grant program benefiting families who are enrolled, or wish to enroll, in any independent school in South Carolina. Eligible families may receive a grant up to $6,500 per in grades K5-12 enrolled in an independent school in South Carolina. The Safe Access to Flexible Education, or SAFE Grant, will be awarded to 5,000 students who attend an independent school. The SAFE Grant was developed...
McMaster’s better at closing schools than reopening them
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster needs to learn the Pottery Barn rule: If you break it, you own it. In March, as the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting the state, McMaster seemed not to hesitate at all in ordering the shutdowns of all public schools in South Carolina’s 46 counties. That was probably the right thing to do for health reasons, and it made the governor look decisive and bold. But by July, as school boards across the state were...
FMU will reopen Aug. 17; first three weeks will be online
Francis Marion University will reopen for the fall 2020 semester on Aug. 17 with three weeks of online classes for all students before moving to a mixture of traditional, online and blended classes Sept. 8. FMU announced its fall schedule following months of planning and discussion by the university’s senior staff. The executive committee of FMU’s Board of Trustees reviewed and approved the plan, which includes dozens of new safety...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Thank you, Howard Garland, for telling the truth about water/sewer woes
(This letter is in response to a July 15 column, “Darlington’s Water Woes,” which quoted a presentation by City Manager Howard Garland on how the city’s water/sewer problems had developed.) Howard speaks the truth. I moved to Lebanon, Ill., in 1981, and water/sewer pipes were over 100-150 years old. Our newly elected mayor, Bill Best, was pushing a proposal to do a $1 million renovation to our water and sewer system. Our town...
‘Conversation’ about law enforcement planned
The S.C. Highway Patrol and Orlando Hudson invite you to “An Open Conversation About Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve.” The event is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at Dominion Church, 1030 Pearl St., Darlington. Speakers will include Hudson, a Darlington native and former star MLB player, and Highway Patrol Col. Chris Williamson.