Content about Labor

A half a dozen puppies run to Bailey Connor as she opens the gate to their pen and crouches down to pet them. Bailey, 14, volunteers at the animal shelter at least three days a week.

“I just love being around all the dogs, it brings a smile to my face,” she said.

The Second Chance Animal Shelter (formerly known as Clarendon County Animal Shelter) prides itself on being a no-kill place for dogs and cats. Since opening in the January 2007, the shelter has been called home by more than a hundred of these animals.

Hands Outstretched to People Everywhere is what H.O.P.E. stands for. Debbie Bishop, a member of the Clarendon Baptist Church in Alcolu came up with the catchy name.

“We were on our church’s couples retreat talking about creating an outreach program locally, and this is the name that came to mind,” Bishop said. “This is something that we want to do to help all people who need assistance in our community.”

The Christian Prayer Riders and Smokehouse Restaurant in Turbeville will be hosting a benefit ride for B.J. Wilkes this Saturday, July 17. Wilkes was born with only one pumping chamber in his heart. Doctors told his parents that they would have to operate once he got older.

As of May, Wilkes has had surgery twice to correct his condition. He is only four-years-old.

County Council concluded their last meeting with a balanced budget. In their previous meeting on May 10, the budget had reflected a deficit condition for the 2010/11 fiscal year. 

Total appropriations made for next year will be about $23 million. About $17.9 million will go to the county’s general operational budget and the rest will go towards special service districts such as the Clarendon County Fire Department, F.E. DuBose Career Center, Harvin Clarendon County Library and Clarendon Memorial Hospital.

In the last two weeks Alvin Michael Greene has become a national media sensation.

With much focus being devoted to his filing fee and his felony obscenity charges, we still don’t know his whole story or what he represents.

The Clarendon Citizensat down with Greene to attempt to get a better understanding of the first African-American nominated in South Carolina for the U.S. Senate, since the Reconstruction Era.

The American Legion, Department of South Carolina, will sponsor Palmetto Boys’ State 2010 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia during the week of June 13-19, according to George E. Callaway, Education/Youth Activities Chairman of the local Williams-Burgess Post #68 in Manning.  Hoyt Collins is Post Commander.

On any given morning you can find Quillon Curtis Lee sitting on the bench at the entrance to Laurence Manning Academy greeting students. An educator for nearly four decades, Lee has been a quiet leader of the school since its opening in 1972.

“Mr. Lee is one of the most professional and dedicated educators I have met in my 20 years in the field,” said current LMA Headmaster Dr. Spencer Jordan. “He is so concerned with finding potential in every student while trying to keep his students motivated. He is a role model for all educators.”

Anyone who has attended a parade in our community has witnessed Shriners in action. They zoom across the street in their too-tiny cars in high formation, thrilling their audience with their mastery.

But ask just about any Shriner what their real work is about and they will tell you, “raising money for our Children’s Hospitals.”

It was uplifting news all around as Clarendon officials received word that Georgia-Pacific, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals, had acquired the Grant Forest Products facilities in Englehart and Earlton, Ontario, as well as its South Carolina plants in Allendale and Clarendon.

The Legislature is moving closer toward the conclusion of this year’s session. We have not yet finalized the State Budget and will take another pass at it the week of June 14.

If you have questions or concerns about any of the reports below, please let me know. Have a great week.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) the Clarendon County Republicans will host three candidates for the U.S. Congress seat currently being held by Congressman James Clyburn.

The Clarendon County Development Board is the extension of the Clarendon County Council, which has been designated to devote its full time efforts to economic development. John Truluck, our Economic Development Director and his staff have a volunteer advisory board that is appointed by the Clarendon County Council, both to assist him and to make recommendations to the County Council. Each council district is represented on the advisory board.