Daily Archives: 03/15/2022
Enough hating — here’s what we don’t need
Strap on your AK-47, O mighty warrior. Take off your shirt so you look like a big tough macho man, hop onto your white horse and start riding south.
Keep going until you come upon a caravan of drunken misfits that has been stalled on the road to Kyiv. If you can find them.
Now, take another good swig of that vodka, Mr. Pootin. Point your troops in the direction you think they ought to go, let out a good ol’ Cossack yell and charge forth — to get your head blown off for the
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Is life so dear or peace so sweet?
There are degrees of evil. We see it on the news every day. And now we see a great evil displayed on the world stage.
Our president warned us the Russian invasion of Ukraine was coming. We were made aware it was imminent. What stunned some was the total brutality and barbarism shown by Russia.
As far as I know, most nations that consider themselves civilized don’t deliberately mow down children and their mothers. Nor do they kill
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Shining a light on government
Sunshine Week has arrived and is our annual reminder that if governmental transparency is not achieved, our democracy will also never be fully realized. Rejoice, though — the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (SCFOIA) exists and sets minimum duties of transparency on entities who use public funds here. Use it or we may well lose it.
SCFOIA provides (for example) deadlines upon how fast public bodies must respond to open records requests, how fast they must provide those records, and even what records and information must be provided without making a written request. The law also requires the public bodies to give the public notice of their date, time and location of public meetings, as well as the agenda for items to be addressed at the meeting.
A school board during a public meeting wants to add a vote to provide a contract for all vending machine sales to benefit a board member’s brother’s company. SCFOIA provides the minimum duties for how this self-dealing vote can happen. See S.C. Code 30-4-80(A).
The school board approves the sweetheart contract anyway but refuses to show you the proposed terms that all board members reviewed. SCFOIA says you only must ask at the end of the meeting and that contract is all yours. See S.C. Code 30-4-30(D)(4).
The school board scenarios above are only two of many SCFOIA can address. Too often, though, they are ignored by public bodies around the state. Whether due to ignorance, incompetence or a desire to maintain a status quo of operational secrecy, too often sunshine is not achieved in this state.
If holding public officials to account for their actions while in office is a core function of democracy, the public (and particularly the press) must be transparent about their problems with getting governmental transparency. The people must know (hopefully, from the press) when the government is breaking the law, avoiding public scrutiny.
Go to the S.C. Press Association website (scpress.org) and under the “FOIA” tab, go to the Public Official’s Guide to Compliance with SCFOIA. Put this PDF on your smartphone and use it to look up the above code sections, read the law and (eventually) cite to it when your public official tries to break the law. Finally, report your local problems with transparency and help SCPA staff when they are traveling to the S.C. Statehouse to battle forces of darkness in the legislature.
If you can do that, we won’t lose SCFOIA and democracy just might prevail.
Taylor M. Smith IV is a media lawyer who represents the S.C. Press Association and its newspapers. Smith is a partner at Harrison, Radeker & Smith, P.A. in Columbia. The Press Association is an advocate for open government in South Carolina.
Transparency improves gov’t and builds trust
Making detailed financial information easily available to the public improves the quality of government. It keeps officials on their toes and makes it easier to catch misspending and waste. Transparency builds trust with taxpayers, who have a right to know how their hard-earned dollars are being spent.
About this time each year, advocates for open-government celebrate Sunshine Week, a national initiative to promote access to public information. This year, Sunshine Week is observed March 13-19. This
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Highway 11 and election board issues
Highway 11 and election board issues
Dear Editor,
I want to write about two news stories last week.
The first is the “County council approves pause on Highway 11 development.” I praise the county council for the pause. Everyone needs to stop and take a breath when it comes to development on Highway 11.
The Scenic Highway is a jewel and it should be protected, or at least thought about for a time. I wonder who is speaking for the animals that call their home that place. While they do not have a vote, the should be represented
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Courier Obituaries 3-16-22
JOHN MICHAEL BURGESS
LIBERTY — Mr. John Michael Burgess, 51, loving husband of Tabitha Burgess, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at Prisma Health Baptist Easley Hospital.
Michael was born on July 11, 1970, in Pickens County to Shelby Joan Gossett (Thomas Rhodes) and the late William Singleton Burgess.
In addition to his loving wife, Michael is survived by his four children, Gina Norris (Tyler Moore), Tia Prewitt (Devin), Patricia Jordan (Matthew)
Daniel shuts out Wave
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — Coming off back-to-back victories, the fourth-ranked Daniel High School boys’ soccer team hosted county foe Easley on Monday night hoping to keep its winning streak going.
The Lions accomplished that goal, outmatching the Green Wave 2-0, but Daniel head coach Phillip Boyer still sees plenty of room for improvement for his team.
“I think we’re still figuring ourselves out a bit,” Boyer said. “We know how we want to play and what we want
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Fight to the Finish
Bryson leads Easley past BHP in extras
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — In many ways, Friday’s game against Belton-Honea Path was a trial by fire for Easley sophomore Brayden Bryson during the Green Wave’s 2-1 extra-innings win.
With the game going into extras and rain making the chilly spring night downright frigid, Easley head coach Gil Payne called on Bryson to pitch for the first time this season. Bryson responded with three shutout innings on
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Bowden back in town
More than 13 years after coaching his last game in the county, former Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden returned to his former church, Rock Springs Baptist Church in Easley, to serve as guest speaker at its 25th annual “Critter Cook” event on March 5. Bowden’s topic was biblical leadership. Bowden coached the Tigers for 10 years, compiling a 72-45 record, and returned to Memorial Stadium for a game for the first time since his 2008 resignation when Clemson honored his father, late Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, last fall.
Bowick, Dykes receive Quilts of Valor
EASLEY — Veterans Dr. Hubert Bowick and Kent Dykes were awarded prestigious Quilts of Valor at the American Legion Post 52 meeting on Feb. 22.
Presenting the handmade quilts were Linda Hall and Ronny Hall, representatives of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Information about the Quilts of Valor program can be found at qovf.org.
Bowick graduated from Clemson in 1944 and immediately went to Army Officers Candidate School. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1945 and served in
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login