Editorial Summary: South Carolina | Hilton Head Island Package

Index-Journal. August 12, 2022.

Editorial: Over 130 Stellar Years, Candidates, Voters, and Electors

It’s long, but worth it.

The reference here is how long Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries has been in operation here in Greenwood and across the state with its satellite campuses which were once primarily geared towards rescuing orphaned children. Last week, she celebrated 130 years of service.

Bravo for your longevity and even more for the impact your installations have had on countless children, young adults and families. Connie Maxwell was one of the most successful people who might very well have had a harder life otherwise.

The midterm reviews are a few months away, but they’ll come soon enough. Election Day also has a hyper-local flavor with a number of popular seats open at the municipal and school levels. And that’s where our thumbs-up comes in.

We have more than once expressed our dismay and disappointment when a local office is up for election to fill a vacancy, but no one shows up to run for the seat. More than once, it took a last-minute written announcement for the seat to be filled.

Here, however, we see an election season coming in which not only incumbents want to continue serving the public in one office or another, but also new faces, people who also see themselves as fit for office or, perhaps, more suited to the office than the incumbent.

That’s what our system is for, folks. People run for office, voters give them a yes or a no, then voters can choose to return them to office, if the incumbents seek re-election, or voters can replace them with another candidate than they deem more qualified.

On the subject of the elections, we also need to give a thumbs up to the very many people who did not participate in the Greenwood City Council Ward 2 Special Election.

Yes, we know voter turnout in special elections is largely doomed in the first place, but that should be for city residents and Ward 2 residents especially when less than 1% of eligible voters turned out for vote in a race to fill the unexpired term of Patricia Partlow, who died in May.

There were around 1,800 voters who had a 12-hour window to go to the polls on Tuesday, but only 101 showed up. James Jones and Robert Dean Jr. have at least shown enough interest in serving Ward 2 residents that they have applied for office, so far more than 101 residents should have taken the time to vote for one or the other. Congratulations to the candidates for their candidacy and congratulations to Jones for his victory.

But again, kudos to voters who didn’t vote. Don’t complain about anything Jones or the rest of the city council does regarding Ward 2. You lost that privilege by not voting. Oh, and for a little more perspective, know this: the special election comes at a price. Poll workers and paid staff at polling stations do not work for free, and voting machines have associated costs. This election topped the $4,000 prize.

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Times and Democrat. August 16, 2022.

Editorial: Deer season means extra attention to safety

The story goes back over 20 years to Mankato, Minnesota. We have already cited it as a tragic example. Time has made it no less relevant, especially with the start of deer hunting season in South Carolina.

Unfortunately, what happened could have been another in the series of tragedies that have surrounded South Carolina hunting seasons over the years.

Here is the Associated Press account:

“John Leif remembers waking up in the woods after his 16-year-old son accidentally shot him in the head while they were squirrel hunting.

“Chris was laying next to me, he was so limp,” Leif, 50, said. “I grabbed him and hugged him, sobbed and cried. I laid my head on his chest. I wanted to die.’

“Investigators say Chris shot himself in the head out of grief, believing he had killed his father.

“’I’m sure he thought I was dead,’ his father said. “It tears my heart out, the mental anguish he had to… go through.”

“Father and son had traveled to the family property about 100 miles southeast of Minneapolis to put the finishing touches on a new deer stand in preparation for the opening of deer season. They decided to hunt squirrels.

“‘The last thing I remember was seeing a big gray squirrel in front of me,’ Leif said. “I ran up and said, ‘Chris, there’s one! Come on! !” And the more I think about it now, he was probably aiming, getting ready to shoot, and I ran right past him. … We were side by side. It was so fast.

“After Leif regained consciousness, he tied a jacket around a tree as a landmark and started walking to seek help. He was disoriented but managed to get into his truck and drive to his house. a neighbour.

Sportsmen and women will be in full force by the end of stag season on January 1, 2023. South Carolina continues to have the longest stag season in the nation.

Tragedy can happen. As heartbreaking as Minnesota’s history is, any hunting accident can hurt and distress someone. And they’re happening in South Carolina. The worst year was 1994, when 57 people were injured and eight died.

A few safety reminders are in order:

• Make sure your firearm is unloaded when transporting it in your vehicle or walking to your range. Keep safe for an extra measure.

• Leave gun safety on until ready to fire. (If you drop your weapon, the safety will provide some protection.)

• It is wise to wear a visible international orange hat, coat or vest during deer hunts. Even wildlife photographers and other nature enthusiasts should use common sense and choose to wear a hunter orange hat, coat or vest.

• Do not shoot at rustling bushes or rustling leaves. Only shoot when you actually see a deer within range. Be sure of your target.

• When you hunt in a club or in a group, stay on your stand until a previously agreed time. Don’t lose patience and wander around – you might be mistaken for a deer.

• Remember that bullets, buckshot and arrows travel a long distance across a field or in the forest. You must therefore know the territory and know if there are any houses, schools or businesses that could be hit by munitions that miss their target.

The coming weeks and months will be busy for hunters, who should remain aware that other outdoor enthusiasts will be sharing the space. Use common sense in any situation. Please.

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Post and courier. August 16, 2022.

Editorial: As the pandemic subsides, child hunger remains with us

As school resumes, parents and SC administrators should be aware that they will need to be more proactive in ensuring children receive appropriate meals so they can learn.

The federal government has not extended a waiver that provided meals at no cost to all public school students, so only those determined eligible will receive meals at no cost.

If they are not attending a school that is part of the Community Eligibility Program, they will need to complete a meal request form. It’s a significant change from the past two years, and the state Department of Education has released a video to provide guidance.

We urge parents and school officials to be careful and do all they can to ensure students are getting the nutrition they need to succeed in the classroom — and out. Lack of healthy foods is linked to several physical and mental health problems and poorer school performance.

Nationwide, school breakfast and lunch rules were suspended in 2020 to help ensure children are fed amid pandemic disruption. But that policy ended in June and the old rules are back in effect. Families will be entitled to nutritional assistance based on their income and family size; students from families with incomes below 130% of poverty are entitled to a free lunch.

While the COVID pandemic has evolved significantly over the past two and a half years, the challenges it poses regarding hunger and food insecurity have not. Surveys show that more than 10% of all residents along the South Carolina coast have had their eating habits disrupted due to a lack of money or other resources, but the figure is 15%. for the child population. In real numbers, that’s about 161,000 people in the state’s 10 coastal counties, including 45,540 children.

“The need is greater than it has ever been,” says Nick Osborn, president of the Lowcountry Food Bank. “Inflation, the impact of rising fuel costs, continues to have an effect on people’s ability to buy food, but also on the choice they make, when it comes to rent. , utilities and fuel.” Of course, the picture here is a little different than in other communities across the country.

Although COVID is not as dangerous as it used to be, persistent inflation has kept family budgets under pressure on food banks, which continue to have to buy more food instead of receiving donations and which continue to have to pay the shipping costs.

While young Americans are not at risk of starvation, their food insecurity often manifests in lower quality diets that affect their health and quality of life. “It creates health problems, like diabetes and obesity or being overweight,” Osborn says. “There are health implications, and those who are food insecure are less productive and economically viable.”

The Lowcountry Food Bank has programs to help students: Backpack Buddies, which sends school kids home with food on Fridays so they have something to eat over the weekend; Kids Cafe, an after-school feeding program in schools and daycares; and Popup Produce, which distributes fresh produce to schools and other locations. The food bank’s efforts are made possible in part by our donations, so those who are interested should consider participating in its 2nd annual Walk to Fight Hunger, a family-friendly event scheduled for September 18 at Wannamaker Park. For more information, visit lowcountryfoodbank.org.

One of the biggest jobs of government is to provide high quality education to all students, which should be considered more of an investment in our future than a current expense. As a new school year begins, let us recommit ourselves to ensuring that as many students as possible are ready to learn and are not held back by what they have – or have not – eaten at school. course of the last days.

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