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2A OPINION 4A OBITUARIES 7A SPORTS 8A PUZZLES 9A BOOKINGS 3B CLASSIFIEDS #GRABABAGSC CLEAN-UP DAY ON B1 QUOTE ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ EDMUND BURKE Vol. 145, No. 47 NewTWO SECTIONS • 20 PAGES s&PressESTABLISHED 1874 NOVEMBER 20, 2019 75¢ Darlington, S.C. WWW.NEWSANDPRESS.NET DHEC says Lamar making ‘really good progress’ on water system By Samantha Lyles steady progress toward repair- progress.” working toward re-establishing replace key components of its “We're progressing along. Staff Writer ing and reviving its water sys- Graham observed that part- the municipal water system by wastewater processing system. Things look well,” said [email protected] tem. nerships with Darlington repairing water tanks, sinking a Greg McCutcheon with McCutcheon. At Lamar Town Council's “We've been working on the County Water and Sewer new well, replacing old water Davis & Brown and North Graham advised city leaders Nov. 11 regular meeting, anoth- drinking water and wastewater Authority and engineering firm meters and rectifying long- American Construction added to continue adjusting er update for the town's ongo- projects over here, and I've got Davis & Brown have greatly standing problems with record- that a new wastewater chlori- water/sewer rates as needed, ing water and sewer issues pro- to be honest ... when we first aided the town's efforts. keeping. nator has been installed, and assuring there are adequate duced more positive news. started, I was very skeptical Since DHEC put Lamar Working with Davis & new aerators were in place and funds to properly maintain the Buck Graham with S.C. that we were going to make it,” under a consent order in Brown, Lamar has used grant scheduled to go online later system as these new compo- DHEC/Office of Rural Water Graham said. “But through February 2016, the town has money from S.C. Department of that week. Bids for a new efflu- nents age. spoke briefly on the matter, and council's leadership, they've purchased its drinking water Commerce and the Rural ent pump system are set to be noted that Lamar has made been making some really good from DCWSA, but they are Infrastructure Authority to opened on Nov. 21. LAMAR ON 3A New school gets familiar name: Cain Elementary By Bobby Bryant employees, students and the Editor public, and distributing bal- [email protected] lots asking people to pick a favorite name. The discussion took about a Results were given to the year. The decision took about board Oct. 14, and Cain was a minute and a half. the overwhelming favorite. With no debate, the Cain got 454 votes out of Darlington County school 958 valid ballots given to dis- board last week made it offi- trict officials. Location might cial: Darlington’s new school, have been a big factor in the opening in fall 2020, will be public’s vote: The new $20 called J.L. Cain Elementary million school is being built School, and its mascot will be next to the current Cain a tiger. Elementary, named for black The Nov. 11 vote ended educator James Lawrence roughly a year-long, painstak- Cain. ing process of forming a com- Cain’s current students will mittee, gathering suggested attend the new school, as will names for the new school, get- students at Brunson-Dargan ting input from school district Elementary. Brunson-Dargan was one of the options the public was given for the new school’s name, but it only got 49 votes in the public ballot- ing. The new elementary schools being built in Hartsville and Lamar will fol- low a similar “pick the name” process, but school district spokeswoman Audrey Childers said it should go much faster with those served as a kind of trial run that the school was built in ing black educator and princi- was named after Cain “in schools now that the district for the others. 1953 and was named for J.L. pal of Mayo School for 43 recognition of his foresight, has completed naming the A plaque at the current Cain (1870-1944), whom the years. high idealism, unselfish devo- Darlington school, which Cain Elementary School says plaque describes as a pioneer- The plaque says the school tion and leadership.” City takes aim Ex-Hartsville teacher called student at more ‘blighted’ ‘ugly, fat, stupid,’ state officials say By Bobby Bryant ed from teaching for two Darlington County School allow Berry to teach again in Editor years after a series of inci- District from August 2017 S.C. public schools until properties [email protected] dents, including one in which through April 1, 2019, had his November 2021, the order A former music teacher at he allegedly called a student teaching certification sus- says. Washington Street “ugly, fat and stupid.” pended by the State Board of By Bobby Bryant 104 McInnis St. Michael Eugene Berry, Education in an order dated Editor Elementary School in BERRY ON 3A 409 First St. who worked for the Nov. 12. The state will not [email protected] 405 Second St. Hartsville has been suspend- The city of Darlington has 324 Edwards St. added approximately 40 prop- 323 Edwards St. erties to the city’s list of vacant, 305 Edwards St. “blighted/condemned” proper- 308 Edwards St. ties slated for demolition in fis- 218 Edwards St. cal 2019-20. 216 Edwards St. During a brief, half-hour 204 Edwards St. City Council session Nov. 12, 311 F Ave. council approved the new list. 133 Bacote St. The owners still can rescue 144 Bacote St. their properties by bringing 115 Reid St. them up to city codes, officials 206 Chestnut St. said. 200 E Ave. Out of 50 properties on the 326 Allen St. city’s current demolition list, 1125 South Main St. 33 have been razed; 12 were 111 Grove St. renovated by their owners and 125 Calhoun St. taken off the list. 212 Churchill St. The properties scheduled 213 Churchill St. for demolition in fiscal 2019-20 In other business last week, are: council agreed to rezone – to 241 Railroad Ave. “Basic Industrial” – 16.85 acres 502 Washington St. at Old Florence Highway, 519 Chestnut St. Avenue D and Friendship 406 Guess St. Street. The property, an empty 407 Guess St. field, was bought by Georgia- 535 Jessamine St. Pacific as part of the company’s 105 Sanders St. “Project Peach” development, 113 Tedder St. which remains a mystery. 123 Wilson St. The land that council 112 Cotton St. rezoned might be used for 109 Cotton St. expanded parking or “potential 108 Soshone Drive future development.” During 113 Sparks St. last week’s council meeting, a 115 Sparks St. Darlington resident said he was Darlington's newest eatery – S.C. House of Wings – has made some big improvements since taking over the old Central Park location at 500 143 Sparks St. worried that the rezoning Pearl St. As part of their Incentive Improvement grant program, the Darlington Downtown Revitalization Association presented business 111 Jordan St. could leave him with tractor- owners Michael Scipio and Tony Marcus with a $1,000 check to help defray the cost of new signage and building renovations. 404 Second St. trailer trucks parked in front of “To date, we've given out $9,000 as part of our Incentive Improvement program,” said DDRA executive director Lisa Chalian-Rock, who his home. But Darlington city noted that each time a business upgrades its property, there is a positive cascade effect throughout the community. “The impact of that planner Lisa Chalian-Rock said investment is over $175,000 in improvements that have been done in relation to this (grant) program, and that's not even counting the Georgia-Pacific was willing to create a “buffer zone” to pre- number of improvements people have made because they saw that somebody else was cleaning up, so they wanted to paint their business, vent that. too. That's really what we want, for small businesses to take pride in their property.” Scipio said that future plans for S.C. House of Wings include a major build-out and an outdoor dining area where guests can enjoy their food with (pending city approval) beer and wine. To learn PROPERTIES ON 3A more about the DDRA's Incentive Improvement grants, visit www.buildupdarlington.org/projects. PHOTO BY SAMANTHA LYLES Word of the Week The Pee Dee’s Oldest Independently mot juste - the exactly right word or phrasing Owned Newspaper Merriam-Webster.com NOVEMBER 20, 2019 | PAGE 2A t h e NeWS ANd Pr eSS, d Ar l iNGt o N, S.C. opinWWW.NEWSANDPRESS.NETion OP-ED letter to the editor McLeod ent from marijuana – particu- common sense that the lungs We don’t yet have all the larly those obtained off the are just too delicate and fragile answers, but as physicians of ’Tis Thanksgiving; doctors: ‘If you street, have played a major to tolerate the repeated con- the community, and for our role in this outbreak. As such, tact with the chemicals in e- community, we are taking a vape, stop now’ we advise that vaping prod- cigarettes, when while the ucts with THC should be plume of vape looks so inno- stand, now. We are going to look hard As of Oct. 15, the Centers stopped. cent. for the answers. We are going be thankful for Disease Control and The FDA began regulating For our youth and young Prevention has confirmed 33 e-cigarettes in 2016 including adults, we have crystal-clear to work hard to effectively By Bill Shepard deaths among 1,479 lung the marketing of products to advice: If you haven’t vaped treat the smoking-related ill- injuries.