MASONS 1B 2A OPINION 4A OBITUARIES 7A SPORTS 2B PUZZLES 5B BOOKINGS 7B CLASSIFIEDS QUOTE ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ EDMUND BURKE Vol. 143, No. 17 NTWO SECTIONS e• 16 PAGwES s&PreESTAs BLISHsED 1874 75¢ APRIL 26, 2017 Darlington, S.C. WWW.NEWSANDPRESS.NET IRS serves two search warrants in Darlington Early in the morning on Police Department Chief Danny side along the first block of Tuesday April 18, around a Watson. “They are in control of South Main Street were dozen Internal Revenue both scenes and we are there to blocked with cones from the Service agents converged on assist only.” evening of April 17 to the Darlington. The agents entered DPD officers were posted morning of April 18, but regu - two businesses and – according outside the two businesses for lar traffic flow was not hin - to witnesses – began removing crowd control purposes and dered. boxes from the two tax prepa - pedestrians were not permitted A spokesperson for the IRS ration businesses located in access to either the businesses said that one of the search war - downtown. or the sidewalks directly in rants was for Premier & “The IRS is serving search front of them. Partners but would not provide warrants at two locations on Areas along the west side of the name of the other business Law enforcement officers stand outside the Premier & Partners building in downtown Darlington. the Square,” said Darlington the Public Square and the east or the reason for the warrants. PHOTO BY MELISSA ROLLINS Council discusses budget, plans for city’s future lows: By Melissa Rollins Editor Inside the city limits, water [email protected] and sewer rates will increase In a work session Tuesday, 3 percent (25 cents) per unit, April 18, 2017, Darlington going from $8.75 to $9 per City Council members and unit. An additional 3 percent city department heads dis - increase will be added each cussed the current fiscal year, year until 2020. next year’s budget and several Outside of the city limits, projects that will be coming the increase will be 5 percent down the road for the city. and an additional 5 percent Council also held a work ses - will be added each year until sion Monday, April 17. 2020. The increase will bring Freddie Kinsaul, Director out of city water and sewer of Utilities, presented council rates for the next fiscal year to with a plan for the next five $19.87 and $21.67, respec - years. He included what he tively. considers to be the priorities Residential and commer - for the Water and Sewer cial charges for sanitation will Department over each of the each increase to $23. next five years. Among those Darlington Police Chief priorities: repairs on pump Danny Watson told council stations, fire hydrant repair that because of several grants and upgrades to wastewater his department had received, During an event April 18, a curtain is removed to reveal the newly installed name of the lobby at the Clemson Extension. treatment plants. it was able to recoup a sub - PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA LYLES Also on Kinsaul’s budget stantial amount of money layout was a proposed change spent in several areas during on the rates for water and the 2016/2017 year, includ - Lawson honored by Clemson Extension sewer, both inside and out - ing vehicle purchase. side the city limits. Pee Dee REC is a wonderful way The proposals are as fol - By Samantha Lyles CITY COUNCIL ON 3A Staff Writer to welcome every future visitor [email protected] to the Pee Dee.” Clemson Extension's Pee Askew spoke of the gracious Dee Research and Education welcome “Mr. Laurie” provided Center recognized Darlington when he first joined Clemson, Coker hosts sustainable native and Clemson University recalling that Lawson took him graduate Laurie Coke Lawson on a farm-by-farm tour to last week for his lifelong dedi - acquaint him with local produc - energy forum 400,000 years. The United cation to South Carolina agri - ers and personally introduced By Samantha Lyles culture by naming their lobby him to members of the legisla - Staff Writer Nations has undertaken six in his honor. tive delegation. [email protected] massive studies, including At the Tuesday, April 18 ded - Lawson's peerless familiarity Renewable energy, bio - more than 2,000 scientists ication ceremony, speakers with Pee Dee farming results mass, climate change, agri - from 100 countries, from a Mark Smith (Pee Dee REC direc - from a long and distinguished cultural biodiversity, frack - range of disciplines, to look tor) and George Askew (Dean of career spent in the fields of ing, and environmental jus - at these questions. Those Clemson's College of Lawson Farms, established in tice were the topics of dis - studies parallel the studies Agriculture, Forestry and Life 1834 and operated by his family cussion at a special forum done by our CIA, the Sciences) hailed Lawson for his for six generations, and serving held April 20 at Coker Defense Intelligence College. Agency, the Department of decades of farming knowledge Laurie Coke Lawson is congratulated during the surprise ceremony. the needs of farmers as head of and his deep love for Pee Dee South Carolina’s Farm Services Coker professor Mal Energy, the Department of agriculture. people across the state of South authentic. He treated me like he Agency. Lawson also served as Hyman presided over the Homeland Security, the Askew also read the follow - Carolina say that Laurie Lawson had known me his entire life. the state executive officer for event, and opened the Government Accountability ing from a letter written by Dr. was the finest southern gentle - For those who have had the United States Department of evening by addressing cli - Office, EPA, NOAA, and John Kelly, current president of man they had ever met. Nobody privilege of knowing him, he has Agriculture Farm Services, a job mate change and national President Obama's Climate Florida Atlantic University and they ever knew loved agricul - been a role model of honesty, that required him to oversee the security. Action Plan. All of these former vice president for Public ture more than Laurie Lawson. integrity, and statesmanship. USDA’s 33 South Carolina “We've always had cli - studies predict more floods, Service and Agriculture with He would always greet people We have all been blessed to have offices and the state office in mate change, but now we've famine, fire, blizzards, mass Clemson: with a big smile, a generous the privilege of being influ - Columbia. filled the atmosphere with migration, disease, resource “During my 28 years at heart, and true kindness. His enced by men of such wisdom. more greenhouse gases than Clemson, I frequently heard demeanor was genuine and His name being enshrined at the the Earth has seen in the last LAWSON ON 6A COKER ON 3A Burr breaks powerlifting world record Darlington after traveling to better; in fact, she broke a By Melissa Rollins Editor San Diego, California to take world record. [email protected] part in the CETC US Open. “I set a new all-time world Stacy Burr may have just Burr said that invitations were record for the 148 division,” taken part in an invitation- sent to the top five people of Burr said. “I beat the previous only powerlifting competi - each weight class, which record by 58 pounds. It was a tion, but that doesn’t change means that lifters from little bittersweet for the previ - how she views herself. around the world, not just the ous record holder; she was “I put my pants on the same United States, were there. there to see me beat it.” way as anyone else,” Burr “It was beautiful just to be Burr said that she is joked. invited,” Burr said. “It was the extremely proud to have bro - And while that may be the biggest powerlifting event to ken the record, especially case, the Coker College gradu - date. There was over because of how much she beat ate has had an impressive few $200,000 given out in cash it by. years in powerlifting circles. prizes.” “When someone sets a new Burr recently returned to Burr said that the addition record, it is usually by ten of prize money was nice pounds or something like that,” because typically powerlifting Burr said. “I beat it by 58 events don’t have a cash prize. pounds. That was crazy.” “People don’t do it for the With competitors from all money,” Burr said. “It is about over the country and all over the pride and about making the world, Burr it is humbling. yourself better.” And Burr did make herself BURR ON 6A Stacy Burr is pictured here during one of her lifts. Photo Contributed. Word of the Week The Pee Dee’s Oldest grimalkin: a domestic cat; especially : an old female cat Independently Merriam-Webster.com Owned Newspaper APRIL 26, 2017 | PAGE 2A THE NEWS AND PRESS, DARLINGTON, S.C. op iWWW.nNEWSANDPRESionS.NET OP-ED OP-ED The cost of war One SC Woman Making a (A debt that can Difference – Globally et goes for foreign aid; the Lindsay Graham about the by 66% in sub-Saharan Africa. By Phil Noble never be fully paid) simple truth is it’s less than importance of nutrition for In just 2016 alone, the This is another column in 1%… and Pres. Trump’s pro - women and children primari - ONE Campaign obtained an occasional series about posed budget would cut this ly in sub-Saharan Africa. €730 million more from the By Bill Shepard people in South Carolina who amount by one third.