Volume 18, No. 4A
“A Companion for People who Live, Work, & Play in Elgin, Lugoff and Camden”
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ng-term plans for nsider what each uickly! Do your other capacities. is wife are always elginhvac@aol.com he citizens of our (803) 272-6535 cell manner are office (803) and 419-2880 have served John our Cook ? ur town would be d by and let this s can not always nding our Elgin or! k of ar? know there ut toItime!” also share their individual views regarding current topics which impact the community. ty of column your family f this is to provide all of our town councilmen a place to not only give the minutes of anley uncilwoman Melissa Brazell-Emmons
CSD nnounces 2013 Event rkleberry Country Fair
Story Page 6-7
Dine In or To Go! 803.408.2757
April 8, 2022
Robbins Leaving KCSD
Letter Submissions It is the policy of The Elgin News to encourage reader participation on its editorial page. Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. Because of space limitations, we must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Letters of 200 words or less will be published unless they contain language or content that the editors feel is inappropriate. Examples of content that will cause letters to be rejected include the following: • Disrespectful comments regarding a group's or individual's ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, culture, or race. • Poor taste. • Endorsements for or complaints about individually named commercial products or services. • Personal attacks. The Elgin News will not knowingly publish factually incorrect information. Only letters written exclusively to the newspaper will be published. Letters to a third party or those written to more than one newspaper are not accepted. Letters written in response to other letter writers should address the issue at hand and, rather than mentioning the writer by name, should refer to the headline and date the letter was published. Discourse should be civil and people should be referred to in a respectful manner. Letters referring to news stories should also mention the headline and date of publication. All letters must be signed and include the writer's street address or route address telephone number, which will be used for verification purposes only. We welcome your input. You may write to us by e-mail at elginnews@gmail.com or by regular mail at:
Letters to the Editor The Elgin News P.O. Box 152 Elgin, SC 29045
Cate Goff, Editor (803) 513-5108
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Fred Davidson, Sales Manager (803) 466-4604
The Dorchester School District 2 Board of Trustees has hired Kershaw County School District (KCSD) Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins as its next superintendent effective July 1. Robbins has served as KCSD’s superintendent since 2018 and has 14 total years of experience in the same position including three school districts in Indiana. “While I am excited about this new opportunity in Dorchester County, I am extremely proud to have served in KCSD and of all that we have achieved, especially during a pandemic,” he said. “I know that this school district will continue to thrive and be successful.” During his time as KCSD superintendent, the school district was named as one of the first five pilot eLearning school districts in the state, and students in all grades K-12 received individual computing devices. KCSD was also one of the only school districts in the Midlands to offer both face-to-face and virtual instruction for all students on the first day of the 2020-21 school year and was the third district in South Robbins leaving KCSD to become the next Superintendent Carolina to receive Purple Star status. “I give a lot of credit to our school board for its leadership,” Robbins for Dorchester School District 2. said. “Their support was critical in our being able to accomplish all that we have.” Under Robbins’ leadership, the school district implemented all-day four-year-old kindergarten, Delayed Start Wednesdays to provide time for teachers to work in Professional Learning Communities and a modified year-round school calendar. Robbins has also overseen the response efforts and construction to rebuild North Central High School after it was destroyed by an EF-2 tornado as well as the consolidation of three elementary schools into the new North Central Elementary School. In addition, three of four KCSD middle schools were designated or re-designated as national Schools to Watch this school year.
LE Hall of Fame Banquet LEHS will be hosting a Hall of Fame banquet at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 23 to celebrate our new inductees, which include: Ben Connell, Laurie Funderburk, SGM Thomas Payne, Lori Pindar, and Sean Quigley. Alumni and community members are invited to participate in this celebration and can order tickets for the catered event for $30 on this website: msha.ke/lugoffelgin50th There are a limited number of tickets, and they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Also, on the evening of April 23, the school will officially
name the road between Wildwood Lane and Highway 1 between the three campuses, Willie Mickle Drive. Mr. Mickle served as LE’s principal from 1978 - 1992. During his time as principal, he encouraged, inspired, and motivated the community to perform in ways that created meaningful change that was instrumental to the growth of the community and student body. Please join us for this event and continue to submit nominations for our Hall of Fame in the future. Nominations can be submitted to the Lugoff Elgin Alumni page on Facebook.
The Elgin News builds community and brings people together by informing everyone about local businesses, services, schools organizations, government, activities, events and other information useful for becoming involved. It helps those who live and work in Elgin to get to know each other as people and to become friends. The Elgin News accepts no responsibility for the contents of the advertisements or articles. Advertisements and articles are accepted with the full responsibility of the advertiser for worth and accuracy. Readers who wish to comment or have concerns regarding advertisements contained herein are urged to phone the Elgin News at (803) 513-5108 or (803) 466-4604. The Elgin News will discontinue accepting advertising from firms of alleged dubious reputation. Rates are net - discount agreements must be reflected on the publication order. Invoices due on receipt. Tearsheets and proofs available upon request. Advertising setup, changes and publication verification are provided at no charge. 15% agency comm. is 30-days firm. Photography charges negotiable. By-line articles are the property of the contributor and may not be reproduced without permission.
The Elgin News, PO Box 152, Elgin, SC 29045 · (803) 513-5108 Cate Goff, Editor · Fred Davidson, Sales Manager · Email: elginnews@gmail.com April 8, 2022
April 8, 2022
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Celebrations Of Springtime By: Liz Simon, Staff Writer
As we are almost three weeks into the beautiful season of spring with its “April showers that bring May flowers”, how are you enjoying the longer days of sunlight? Has Spring Fever come to your house? Have you adjusted to the time change? Were you pranked or tricked last Friday for April Fool’s Day? I researched this interesting date and learned that it has been celebrated since 1582 when the old Julian calendar became the new Gregorian calendar in Europe. It seems there was a lot of confusion and mixing of dates when the calendar records changed during the Middle Ages, and some folks were still following the old one. I know today some jokers go all out especially with pranks on social media. My sister-in-law Jenny's birthday is April 1st, and my husband Billy always enjoys making her laugh with his jokes and pranks. He tries to pull these tricks on me especially April Fools’ Day, as my students always did when I was a teacher. Laughter is one element that we need in our daily lives. In fact, some in the medical profession say that laughter is the best medicine to reduce stress and improve our health. When we laugh, our muscles are relaxed for up to 30 to 45 minutes after laughing. Laughter decreases the stress hormones and triggers the release of endorphins. Laughter also burns calories; laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories. When we laugh, we breathe in more oxygen into our bodies. Remember this free medical advice next time you need to de-stress! Now here are some fast and interesting facts you can laugh at about me. When I was young, I can remember spring was the time for the new church outfits for Easter Sunday. When I was a preteen, I had to wear white pat-
ent shoes with white lace socks and of course, white short wrist gloves with whatever pastel or flower print dress my Nanny bought me. When I was in the seventh grade, the mothers of my classmates decided it would be appropriate “to allow” the girls to wear nylon hose with a garter belt. Pantyhose was not invented or created until I graduated from high school in 1965. This wonderful fashion must-have coincided with the marketing of the miniskirt. I think the miniskirts will always be around as a fashion statement! As we begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday this weekend, we turn our thoughts away from the materialism of our world. I am heartbroken with all the sadness and ugliness in our world today. According to religious leaders, the most spiritual time in the Christian year is only a few days away. I do not remember in my lifetime a more shattered world than the images of the cruel killing war in Ukraine from social media and TV. In doing my research on the time Jesus lived here on this earth, was crucified on the cross made from a dogwood tree, was raised from the dead: thus, defeating the power of sin and death forever, I discovered facts that I did not know. The facts I am presenting happened in 1958. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began a study of solar eclipses by charting the speed of stars and planets and their interaction. NASA created historic maps of eclipses through the centuries. According to Karen Bouchard, who works for Focus on the Family, she studied the scientists’ work on the occurrence of a lunar eclipse April 3, 33 A.D. It lasted for two hours and 50 minutes. In the scientists’ notes, there was a question mark with the words “Crucifixion of Christ?” For almost three hours there were dark skies over Jerusalem on that date. Scholars put the crucifixion of Jesus Christ somewhere between 26 A.D. to 36 A.D. There are 2.4 billion Christians in our world who will celebrate Jesus’s resurrection (Easter) next week; however, there are 1.2 billion who do not follow any religious affiliation. When you decorate or see Easter eggs, remember painting eggs for Easter came from a Ukraine tradition. Pray for Ukraine! Pray for those who do not believe. Pray for our world.
LEHS Strength Team Wins State
The Lugoff- Elgin Strength Team was crowned the 2022 SCHSSCA State Strength Meet 4A STATE CHAMPIONS! Sky Harter, Ty’lek DeJesus and Quinn Koumas were Individual Champions and All-State. Blease Campbell was also All- State, and broke the state record in broad jump.
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April 8, 2022
From the Chief 's Desk
In this article of the Chief ’s Desk, I would like to talk about being vigilant as a citizen. Police Offices are trained to constantly be on watch for criminal or suspicious activity. But most of the time our information that we receive about crime is passed on by citizens. We are here to serve and protect, we want everyone to feel safe when in the public and in their homes. And with your help, we can increase these chances. Luckily now, most of us have video cameras on our homes and even in our vehicles, this used to not exist. But with new technology, you are able to help us protect and solve more crimes than ever. We ask that if anyone has any knowledge or evidence of suspicious activity or crime, on matter how old or new, please forward this to us (anders@elginpolice.org or call 803-438-9917). We assure you that all information will stay anonymous.
Chief Alan Anders
Elgin PD Incident Reports
Homeless Assistance: On March 24, 2022 around 1730 hours, Officer Sinclair observed a female walking on Main Street in the Town of Elgin. The female appeared lost and disheveled and Officer made contact with her while she was walking toward the end of Rose Street. The female identified herself as Victim and told me she did not have any identification on her. Dispatch advised Victim was clear in NCIC and provided Officer her SCDL number. Officer asked her how she arrived in Elgin and she stated she was dropped off and was looking for some place safe to stay. Officer asked her if she had any family or friends nearby and she told Officer she has a brother in North Carolina. Officer asked her if she could take her to the shelter in Camden if room was available and she said Officer could. Officer contacted Food for the Soul and received approval for Victim. Officer drove her to the shelter and walked her inside and waited until she was greeted and checked in by the staff. Telephone Calls, Obscene and Harassing: On 04/01/2022, around 1130 am, Complainant called and reported harassing phone calls. Complainant stated that she received a phone call from Denmark, SC. Per Complainant, the female caller, identified herself as Subject, was rude and hung up. Complainant called her back and asked her not to call back or the Police would be called. Subject then reported Complainant to the Denmark Police and told them she had been threatened by Complainant. Complainant stated this was not true. Then a male who identified himself as the Denmark Police Chief called Complainant and threatened prosecution. As of time of report, Complainant has not received anymore calls. Disorderly Conduct: On 04-01-2022 Officer was dispatched to Food Lion to meet with the Manager, Complainant. Officer met with Complainant at the customer service desk where she told me that Subject called the store and started yelling and cussing at her. Subject started cussing and using profane language on the phone so Complainant hung up on him. Complainant said it was not too long after she hung up the phone with Subject, before he came walking into the store looking for Complainant. The Complainant was at the customer service desk when Subject approached her and told her she was a little white fat bi*^h and she needed to
go suck a &^**^%%k . Complainant kept her cool and asked him to leave the store then called 911. After he finished yelling at her in the store, he left the store. Complainant saw him get into a Gray Altima SC. Complainant stated he called earlier on the phone and stated that a manager n told him he could get two cases of Ensure, valued at $60, for free. Complainant told him that the other manger was not at the store and she was not able give him anything for free. Subject was later located, issued a UTT for Public Disorderly Conduct and issued a Trespass notice from Food Lion. Civil Disturbance: On 04-02-2022 while Officer was passing Elgin Town Hall, I heard two people arguing in the parking lot. Officer made contact with both the white male and white female and she stated they live on Ivo Circle, but she needed to come to Town Hall where it was safe to call KCSO. The unknown woman said she and her boyfriend, who live together, got into an argument at the house. She further stated he hit her and threw a brick at the windshield of her car, shattering the glass. Her boyfriend, Subject, would not get out of her car so he rode with her to Elgin Town Hall. Officer notified KCSO to meet them at Elgin Town Hall where Officer waited with them. Subject was arrested by KCSO for DV 2nd. Vehicle vs. Pedestrian accident: On 03/22/2022, around 0945 am, Elgin PD was dispatched to Jeffers Rd. in reference to a vehicle vs. pedestrian accident. Upon arrival, a white 2011 Toyota Corolla was parked in the middle of Jeffers Rd. There was a male with a dog laying on the far left shoulder. The male, later identified as Victim stated he was walking his dog on Jeffers Rd, on the far left side facing oncoming traffic. Victim stated that the female driver of the white Toyota drove on the wrong side of the road and struck him and his dog from behind. EMS and KC Fire Station 13 responded and assisted. EMS took Victim to Richland Hospital, the dog was taken by the victim's wife to the veterinarian. The driver, Subject, showed signs of possible impairment and stated that she was prescribed Methadone. SCHP was called to assist with the SFST. SCHP performed SFST, they determined that Subject was not impaired. EPD completed a collision report and issued a UTT to Subject for left of center. Subject had her landlord pick her up and drive her home.
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April 8, 2022
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KCSD Students Celebrate Letterland Day
Elementary students across the district celebrated Letterland Day earlier this week. Students participated in parades dressed as their favorite characters from the Letterland literacy program as well as other related activities throughout the day. Letterland is a unique, phonics-based approach to teaching reading, writing and spelling. The Letterland characters transform plain black letter shapes into child-friendly pictograms and they all live in an imaginary place called Letterland.
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April 8, 2022
Who is Tom Marable?
• Candidate for Kershaw County Council Chair • Longtime Kershaw County resident (LEHS Class of 1987) • Highly Decorated, 23-year Military Veteran; AH-64 Apache Instructor Pilot with +4000 flight hours and four Combat Deployments • Confident leader that has had to make life or death decisions under the stress of combat • America-First Republican that strives to stop the spread of government in Kershaw County • Candidate for the citizens voices of Kershaw County - true servant of the people
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April 8, 2022
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Blanketing Families Seeks CJWL Scholarships Art for Community Garden
Blanketing Families is searching for artists, crafters and creatives to help beautify the Elgin ComThe Camden Junior Welfare League scholar- munity Garden. If you're interested in participating, reach out to Blanketing Families on Facebook, ship application is now available for college-bound or email them at blanketingfamiliesinc@gmail.com. They are interested in murals, crafts, bird houses, high school students from Kershaw County. knitting for trees, scarecrows, garden aprons, brick art for trails - and anything else you might create! Students entering college for the first time who are 18 or 19 years of age are eligible to apply. Scholarships are available to students who plan to pursue a career that involves helping people, such as nursing, healthcare, social work, education, ministry, etc. Your chosen career path and accompanying essay should reflect the League's motto: "My part Join us for an evening of fun for the whole family! Visit the kid’s corner with activities from is to improve the present moment." Online appli4-H, story times, games and crafts! Learners of all ages are invited to classes and guided hikes cations are due April 15, 2022. The CJWL is exgiven by foragers and foresters. cited to have the assistance of community partners Come enjoy Food Trucks, the Book-mobile, and a sunset hike with a view of the Wateree to fund additional scholarships this year, including River! Experience our 10 miles of trails on our 800 acre preserve for education and learn about Canfor Southern Pine, Mighty Wash Auto Spa, upcoming classes, workshops, school programs and other opportunities. Visit with community and the Camden Jaycees. The link to the online organizations to learn about other resources throughout the community. There is no better way application can be found at camdenleague.org. to celebrate Earth Day! Our Preserve is located at 247 Chestnut Ferry Road, Camden SC, and out event will run on Earth Day - That's April 22nd from 4-8pm.
Clemson Extension Announces Nature As A Teacher Program
Easter at Ebeneezer
Ebeneezer UMC at 1019 Ebeneezer Road in Lugoff invites guests to an Easter Sunrise service on Sunday, April 17th, at 6:30 am. Additionally, they will host a second Easter service at 9 am. For questions, call 803.428.2434.
803-432-8521 | www.midcarolinacu.com
*All loans subject to credit approval. New loans or refinance of non-MCCU loans. Certain conditions may apply, see a loan officer for complete details. Effective 4-01-2021. Rates subject to change without notice.
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April 8, 2022
Career Day at Lugoff Elementary School
Students at Lugoff Elementary recently enjoyed learning from many community members during their annual Career Day event organized by guidance counselor Katey Hancock. Students in all grades were able to learn about different jobs from guests from EMS, the fire department, KCSD, the armed forces, an animal rescue, a construction company, and more! Students and staff had a great time learning from our community friends! Top Right: Mrs. Haigh's third graders enjoyed hearing about what it is like to work for the Department of Natural Resources. Bottom Right: Mrs. Leslie Martin's fourth graders learned about what life is like in the Army. Below: Some grade levels also had fun dressing up on Career Day. Here Mrs. Jenna Atkinson's students give us a peek at their future careers.
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Upcoming KC Library Events
Weekly Outdoor Events Weekly on Wednesdays 10:30 – 11 AM in Camden Get Set to Read Storytime: Settle on a blanket outside on the back lawn for stories, songs and fun. For ages 3-5. Weekly on Wednesdays 11:15 AM – 12 PM in Camden Baby Storytime: A fun time of stories, songs and movement for the very young on the back lawn. For ages 0-2. Weekly on Thursdays 10:30 AM – 11 AM in Elgin Get Set to Read Storytime: Settle on a blanket outside on the front lawn for stories, songs and fun. For ages 3-5. Weekly on Thursdays 11:15 AM – 12 PM in Elgin Baby Storytime: A fun time of stories, songs and movement for the very young on the front lawn. For ages 0-2. In-Person Events Sat., April 9 | 11 AM – 12 PM | Elgin Matt Kip’s Edibles: Learn how to prepare and
April 8, 2022
use your foraging finds in this informative program with the Elgin demonstration kitchen (donated by the Meadows family in memory of Mrs. Betty Poole). Tune in on Zoom on Thursday, April 7 to our Wild Edibles Information Session at 6 PM. Forage along with Matt from the comfort of your own home as he discusses what we’ll be preparing. To sign up for the Zoom on April 7, email amys@kershawcountylibrary.org Tues., April 19 | 5 - 6:30 PM | Camden Chess Club: Welcome to a chess club for all ages and skill levels! Thursday, April 21 | 4 – 5 PM | Camden Recycled Bottle Bubble Art: Join us in the courtyard at the Camden library to create art using watercolors and water bottles by blowing bubbles. For ages 6-12. Fri., April 22 | 10:30 – 11:30 AM | Camden Earth Day Art for Tots: We’ll have fun with an Earth Day story and painting in the Camden library meeting room. Dress accordingly. Ages 2-6. Thurs., April 28 | 6 – 7 PM | Camden Library Book Club: Join us to discuss The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin. New members welcome!
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Duke Energy Gives $5,000 WW Rotary Club Gifts Towards KC Robotics' Trip Dictionaries To Students
Duke Energy’s Government and Community Relations District Manager Quinetta Buterbaugh (middle row, green shirt) presented the KC Robotics team with a $5,000 check for its trip to the World Championship. After winning the state finals, the team is raising funds to help cover the costs of its travel to the FIRST Tech World Championship in Houston, TX, April 20-23. KC Robotics is open to any Kershaw County student in grades 7-12. Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students design, build, program and operate robots to compete with other teams in head-to-head challenges. One of the team's mentors is Paul Sullivan (back row, blue shirt). For more information about the team, check out its website at kcroboticsteam.org or find them on Facebook and Instagram.
Members of the Rotary Club of West Rotary-Lugoff recently visited Blaney Elementary to present new dictionaries to each BES third grader. Above: Rotary members Julian Burns (left) and George Gibson (right) speak with Mrs. Weaver's third grade class after presenting dictionaries.
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April 8, 2022
Kershaw County Sheriff ’s Office
A Safe and Successful Carolina Cup 2022
We had another great year at the 87th running of the Carolina Cup. The College Park days are gone and we are now seeing a more family friendly event. The day started with a briefing to all law enforcement officers working the event. My message was to challenge them to arrest twice as many as last year. Then I advised the officers who didn’t work last year that we made NO arrests on the race course last year. In other words, my goal is to not have to arrest anyone. However, law enforcement does not control arrest numbers. Those numbers are decided by the people who come out to the event. An arrest is only a reaction by law enforcement to an individual’s unacceptable
conduct. We were fortunate that the vast majority of participants were able to have a great Sheriff Lee Boan day while being orderly and responsible. The Carolina Cup is the largest event annually in Kershaw County. This event is becoming a family friendly event for our community to be very proud of. In the past, many attendees never even saw a horse while at the Cup. I believe more people are starting to actually see the horses while attending now. Law enforcement will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure order is maintained and this event keeps moving in the right direction.
Stover Students Participate in March of Dimes
Students and staff participated in the walk to raise money for the March of Dimes March for Babies of the Midlands. The school wide event raised $1937 for the cause: the health of moms and babies in our area. “The March of Dimes walk was a great opportunity for the entire school to come together and support a good cause. The kids had fun and supported their community at the same time,” commented teacher Koehler Beard. April 8, 2022
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