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In his new book, “Making Government Work,” the lifelong Democrat who spent 52 years in government — including 38 in the U.S. Senate — makes the case for the ways in which government has improved people’s lives.

Along the way, Hollings:

• Explains his evolution from Southern segregationist to champion of the poor and minorities

• Says his efforts in Congress to protect the environment were shaped by working as a youth in a polluted Charleston Harbor

“When I see him, when I leave him — even if he’s gone for five minutes — I still say, ‘I love you,’” the 12-year-old said.

His father taught him that.

Keito Jordon Sr. is on a mission to teach his son about family values, morals and how to make his way in the world.

“There are various things that a man has to teach a man,” he said.

Sturkie, a South Congaree businessman, came in third with 14 percent of the votes cast in the June 10 primary against incumbent Knotts and challenger Katrina Shealy.

Sturkie made his announcement in a letter he is distributing to supporters. “In the days following the Republican primary, many voters have asked me which of the two remaining candidates I feel would best serve Lexington County for the next four years. After careful consideration, I feel strongly that Jake Knotts is that person,” he wrote.

Knotts issued a statement after learning of Sturkie’s decision, saying in part: “I think we agree that we need a senator representing the people of Lexington County,” rather than special interests.

Knotts and Shealy will meet June 24 in a runoff because neither captured more than 50 percent of the vote.

Since the request by the insurer, Charleston-based Select Health of South Carolina, was allowed, Select Health has spent thousands of dollars with a drug company Harrell owns.

According to e-mails obtained under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act, Harrell asked the state Department of Health and Human Services to quickly review a request to allow Medicaid managed-care company Select Health to use “pharmaceutical repackaging.”

Pharmaceutical repackagers are an emerging industry. The repackaging companies buy generic drugs wholesale, repackage them into smaller amounts and sell the smaller amounts to doctors for sale in their offices.

Harrell owns Palmetto State Pharmaceuticals, a Charleston-based repackager that sells PrimaryRX-labeled generics, according to his statement of economic interest filed with the State Ethics Commission.

The family was eating breakfast at their home nearby when they heard the bombings.

James Coxe Covington Jr., then in his 20s and a U.S. Army company commander, grabbed the keys to a rifle stash and rushed down back streets to unlock it, making sure his men would have weapons to fight, his son said.

That pride is part of the reason why James Coxe Covington III traveled from Birmingham, Ala., to be with his 90-year-old father Saturday for a special Flag Day tribute at Columbia’s Memorial Park.

“We honor the flag by being with family today,” he said. “It’s not a sacrifice. It’s an honor to be able to.”

When you’ve survived a plane crash, he’ll tell you, nothing else is quite as scary.

On July 13, 2003, the then-29-year-old Wilkins was on his way with his new bride, Donyelle, to celebrate their honeymoon on Abaco, a small island in the Bahamas, when the twin-engine Cessna carrying them and eight other passengers crashed in rough Caribbean waters.

The plane landed belly first, and a woman and her young niece were killed in the crash. Wilkins quickly helped his wife and others out of the sinking plane; he didn’t have a life vest but held onto the one he gave his wife to wear.

Wilkins and his wife would spend much of the next two hours keeping the dead woman’s two children — ages 4 and 6 — from slipping out of their oversized life vests and losing consciousness while battling 5- to 7-foot waves.

Justin Almond, 26, was lying on the tracks when he was hit by a train near 3400 Howell Ave. in Columbia.

Columbia Police, CSX Railroad authorities and the Richland County coroner’s office responded to the accident, which happened about 6:45 a.m. The victim died at the scene.

- Joy Woodson

Democrats, excited about the high turnout in their presidential primary earlier this year, are hoping South Carolina can be put into play in November’s general election.

But if Tuesday’s primary results are any indication, the Palmetto State is as red as ever.

On a hot day when the state’s senior U.S. senator, Lindsey Graham, and three U.S. House members all faced primary challenges, Republicans swamped Democrats at the polls.

Graham and his opponent, retired dentist Buddy Witherspoon, got a combined 278,625 votes — almost twice the number of votes two Democrats on the ballot received.

Leroy Lloyd Saunders, 30, and James A. Sheets, 26, died at the scene about 8:45 p.m., said Lexington County Coroner Harry Harman.

They were in a 2006 Toyota pickup truck heading west in the 300 block of Industrial Drive when the truck ran off the right side of the road, Harman said. The truck hit several trees, flipped over and threw both men from the truck. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

The S.C. Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office are investigating.

• Chapin woman killed in crash on U.S. 76

The incident took place at the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill — the same place where seven other people were arrested for cheering during Fort Mill and York high school graduations last week, sparking national headlines.

Allen Brandon, 37, of Rock Hill said he was removed from Northwestern High School’s commencement ceremony in handcuffs June 6 after he stood and shouted “Go, Amanda!” when daughter Amanda Brandon’s name was called. Allen Brandon, whose late wife, Renee, lost a three-year battle with lung cancer in April, said he shouted because his wife wanted her daughter to be cheered.

“Her mom wanted her daughter recognized. She wanted me to yell for our daughter,” Brandon told The (Rock Hill) Herald. “This graduation was something she was extremely proud of and had been looking forward to.

“I stood up and said, ‘Go, Amanda!’ I didn’t yell anything obscene or use profanity,” he said. “But I was taken out in handcuffs, right in front of my 15-year-old daughter who was in tears.”

If Sanford vetoes a bill, the General Assembly, with a two-thirds vote, can overturn the governor.

Here’s a rundown of some the bills on the governor’s desk.

S.96. Bans inhalable alcohol and the machines that produce it

S.181. Allows prisoners to reduce their sentences by giving them between 1 and 20 days a month credit for good behavior

U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings makes it clear in his new biography, “Making Government Work,” from the University of South Carolina Press, that he — perhaps more than any 20th century S.C. political figure — understands the power and possibility of government.

Drawing from a career that took him from the S.C. State House to the Governor’s Mansion to four decades in the U.S. Senate, Hollings recounts legislation that he shepherded that improved the public good and helped transform America.

Hollings was the author of significant pieces of legislation — on the environment, telecommunications, trade, space and reducing the federal budget deficit — believing men and women of good will from either party could work together for the common good.

But all of that is in jeopardy, Hollings laments in the 360-page treatise written with journalist Kirk Victor, because of exorbitant budget deficits, ill-conceived trade agreements, an all-consuming chase for money in politics, partisanship and the arrogant policies of the George W. Bush administration.

There is still some vice presidential buzz on Gov. Mark Sanford — and he didn’t quash any of it by attending a secretive, international ideas conference in Virginia last weekend.

Sanford attended the Bilderberg Conference, paying his own way to sit among national and international leaders who discussed business and technological trends.

The governor, in accordance with the wishes of conference organizers, would not say who his fellow attendees were.

Previous conferences, however, have been attended by European royalty and American senators, governors and presidents. A recent attendee was Democratic presidential candidate and South Carolina native John Edwards.

Don’t call it a comeback.

After getting kicked around earlier this year for its performance running Mitt Romney’s South Carolina presidential campaign, Warren Tompkins’ consulting firm, First Tuesday, had itself a pretty good primary day last week.

None of First Tuesday’s 11 State House candidates lost their primary bid.

Even the self-proclaimed big winners on Tuesday, the unofficial firm of Sanford and Sons, couldn’t claim that percentage.

“Officers know for the most part what’s right and what’s wrong. The bottom line is ... (federal authorities) believe he went way past that line, and he’s going to have to suffer the consequences.”

— S.C. Public Safety director Mark Keel, reacting last week to news that a federal grand jury indicted a state trooper on civil rights charges. The trooper was caught on camera using his patrol car to strike a suspect who was fleeing on foot. Keel was recently confirmed by the S.C. Senate to take over as director of DPS, the agency in charge of the Highway Patrol’s troopers.

WEEKLY STATUS

Gov. Mark Sanford this week took action on 61 bills. He signed 41, vetoed 13 and let seven become law without his signature. Here are some of the highlights.

The foundation’s academic fellowship program takes place June 9-20 in Israel, where Barbieri has joined other scholars, diplomats and military officials from India, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and the United States in giving a series of lectures on various aspects of terrorism and how democratic states combat the threat.

The Washington, D.C.-based think tank’s mission is to educate Americans about the terrorist threat to democracies worldwide.

• Law school names new associate dean

The USC School of Law has named Susan Palmer its new associate dean for student affairs.

They come from many walks of life — doctors, accountants, engineers, educators — and from diverse parts of the sprawling Chinese nation. But recently they gathered to share their grief over the tragic deaths of tens of thousands in Sichuan Province, and the displacement of millions more Chinese people.

One important trait they share is the circumstance of their immigration to America.

Many left China in the 1980s when it remained a repressive post-Maoist dictatorship. Americans knew little about their country, except for the propaganda films of schoolchildren chanting “death to America” slogans and reciting Maoist slogans.

“I was one of those children,” said Dr. Richard Cheng, a Columbia physician who left China in 1986 and served in the U.S. Army and the Public Health Service before starting a medical practice in Columbia.

While the apartments mark a milestone for the 23-acre site, The Beach Co. has scrapped plans for about 20 single-family homes to make more room for what eventually could be 575 condos and town homes.

The market will dictate when future phases are built, said Dan Doyle, vice president and project manager for The Beach Co., which bought the property in 2006. Doyle said he expects it will take about a decade to fully build the property.

“It’s obvious things have slowed down. We can be very patient,” he said. “This is a long-term project.”

CanalSide is one of several residential projects planned in the city in recent years — from apartments and high-end condos to in-fill housing and exclusive single-family neighborhoods. A large mixed-use project being pushed for Bull Street would include more than 1,200 single- and multifamily homes.

The driver of the silver, four-door Nissan Infiniti and four shoppers were injured in the accident around 4:20 p.m., Forest Acres Police Chief Gene Sealy said.

Police identified the victims as Justina Gibbon, Victoria Logan, Lynda Miller, Pam Crabtree and Kendra Ogeltree Cussac. Their ages and conditions were not immediately available, and it was unclear which victim was the driver.

Police are still trying to piece together how the accident happened.

“I understand (the driver) may have blacked out,” Sealy said.

After learning Friday that West Columbia Police charged her niece’s boyfriend, Kenneth Lynch, with two counts of murder in the case, she hopes it will bring her closer to the truth.

The bodies of Portia Washington and her granddaughter, Angelica Livingston, have not been found.

It’s the first “no-body” murder case in West Columbia.

“The last two years have been like you’ve been hit with a car over and over again without any pain medicine,” said Bellamy, 59, of Columbia.

He also is a candidate for president of the University of South Carolina.

Pastides said Friday he had been informed of the withdrawals. He said he “continues to feel honored” to be a candidate for the Georgia State presidency, but he said he remains a candidate for the USC post as well.

“I’m going through with the South Carolina interview,” Pastides said Friday. “I don’t have an offer from either place.”

Pastides was a finalist for chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst last month, but he withdrew his name from consideration.

Marque Macon of Gadsden, Lakeshia Glasgow of Prosperity and Uriah Johnson of Alcolu are this year’s scholarship recipients and will receive $2,000 each.

Several community leaders also will be honored during the awards ceremony, which begins at 7 p.m.

Since established in 1998, the Carolina Scholarships — formerly the Rudolph Canzater scholarship program— has awarded approximately $160,000 in scholarships to area students.

— From staff reports

The legislation allowing the plates was one of several religious-themed bills to became law in the closing days of the state’s legislative session.

The bills mean South Carolinians attending local government meetings could soon see the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer posted on walls, pray without fear of being sued and drive home in cars with the “I Believe” plates.

Civil-rights groups are considering lawsuits. An attorney for the New York-based American Jewish Congress, Mark Stern, said the bills are an obvious endorsement of religion by legislators in an election year. His group is looking to sue over the plates.

Gov. Mark Sanford allowed the license-plate bill to become law without his signature, noting the state already has a process to allow special plates for any cause as long as enough people come together and put up the money needed to buy them.

The sum total for renovating old parks and building new parks remains a work in progress, but members of the Richland County Recreation Commission and Richland County Council who met Friday threw around a $42 million estimate. Staff members suggested that figure was low and easily could grow to $50 million.

The big-ticket items include:

• $7.3 million to buy land for a proposed golf course near Lower Richland High School

• $3.5 million to buy land for a park on Long Green Parkway near Clemson Road

The proposal is on hold until town leaders know whether other communities will join in limits across Lexington County.

“I don’t think we’re going to be a front-runner on this,” said Mayor Randy Halfacre, a nonsmoker. “We’re going to move slow.”

Smoking is banned in town buildings and parks.

She was born in Leesville, a daughter to the late Neely J. and Kathryn Burkett Miller. She retired from Wagener Manufactoring Co. She was a member of Batesburg Church of the Nazarene, and she was a pianist for the church. She was married to the late Millard E. “Smitty” Smith.

She is survived by daughters, Sandra S. Middendorf and Gwen Redd. Grandchildren are Jaime L. Gunter, Chris and Corey Senn. Great-grandchildren are Savannah and Brandon Gunter, Micah and Jacob Senn.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 Sunday night at Milton Shealy Funeral Home and other times at her home.

Milton Shealy Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.

Mr. Byrom died Saturday, June 14, 2008. Born in Tullahoma, Tenn., he was a son of the late Joseph and Evelyna Bonderant Byrom. Employed with Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad for thirty-two years, he served as Indiana State Legislative chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He enjoyed golf and spending time with his dog, Trinket.

Mr. Byrom was a member and deacon of New Life Community Church.

A loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother, Mr. Byrom is survived by his wife, Helen Byrom; sons and daughters-in-law, Ronald G. and Vicki Byrom of Crown Point, Ind., Donald R. Byrom of Chicago, Ill. and Keith A. and Denise Byrom of Irmo; brother and sister-in-law, John and Iota Byrom of Tullahoma, Tenn.; sister and brother-in-law, Lucille and James W. Thomas of Hammond, Ind.; sister-in-law, Beverly Byrom of Highland, Ind.; grandchildren, Angela Brothers, Adam, Andrew, Demi, Madison, and Chloe Byrom; and great-grandchildren, Owen and Jack Byrom and Isabella Brothers. He was predeceased by brothers, Lloyd, Frank and Hubert Byrom and sister, Helen Vaughn.

Please sign online guest book at www.dunbarfunerals.com.

Annie was born Dec. 28, 1923, in Jenkinsville, SC, daughter of Oscar F. Chappell and Belva Lever Chappell. She graduated from Columbia High School and attended the University of South Carolina. She was a member of the Main Street United Methodist Church.

She is survived by her son, John L. Paul and wife Gail of Mt. Pleasant, SC, and two grandchildren, John Leslie Paul Jr. and Mason C. Paul. She was preceded in death by her brothers and sisters, Buford Chappell, Travis Chappell, Odell Chappell, Mattie Estes, Ruth Blume, Grace Stroud, Mabel Fowler, Susan Monts and Dorothy Hinnant.

Memorials may be made to the Main Street United Methodist Church, 1830 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

The family requests memorial messages be written to the family by visiting our website at

The family is at his home, 315 Glendale Road, Union, SC.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by the S.R. Holcombe Funeral Home.

S.R. Holcombe Funeral Home

www.holcombefuneralhomes.com

Mrs. Hinson departed this world Friday, June 13, 2008, after a long illness. Born in Turbeville, she was the daughter of the late Clements Turbeville and Sarah Keels Turbeville. She was a member of First Baptist Church which she served faithfully in various capacities. Exemplifying her true commitment to the Lord, she touched the lives of those who had the privilege of knowing her. She was a devoted wife and mother and will be truly missed by those who loved her.

She is survived by her husband of sixty-six years, Guy Cecil Hinson; daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl and Ed Spencer of Columbia, Kathy and Rick Speorl of Pelham, Ala., Bobbie McMahan of Columbia and Cecile and Kevin Moseley of Little River; grandchildren, Christian Spencer of Knoxville, Tenn., Scott Spencer of Columbia, Kim Speorl of Pelham, Ala., Jonathan McMahan of Irmo, Ryan Causey of Austin, Tex. and Blake Causey of Loris; and sister, Dessaree Critchley and her husband, George, of Lexington.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, Building Fund.

Please sign online guest book at www.dunbarfunerals.com.

Born in Marietta, Ga. November 23, 1931, Mrs. Davis was the daughter of the late John Coleman Nicholson and Martha Elizabeth Nicholson. A graduate of Georgia State College for Women and a high school teacher, she was the first International Farm Youth Exchange student from Georgia in 1950. She was an influential leader of 4-H in Georgia, home demonstration agent for Green County, Georgia, director of the auxiliary units for the Greensboro,Georgia Tiger Band, and the Jesup, Georgia high school band, business administrator and food service director for camps and conference centers for the Episcopal Dioceses of Georgia and Atlanta. She owned and operated the Bridal Suite in Toccoa, Georgia and was a bridal and wedding consultant for many years. Most recently she had worked as the Secretary to Convention for the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. She was a member of The Episcopal Church of St. Simon and St. Jude.

Mrs. Davis was a loving devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and a warm loyal friend to many. Surviving are her husband of fifty-five years, the Rev. Charles M. Davis; son, the Rev. Canon Charles M. Davis Jr. and his wife, Alicia P. Davis; daughter, Christiann D. Broughton and her husband, Richard W. Broughton; grandchildren, Benjamin R.M. Broughton and his wife, Kathleen C. Broughton, Erinn E. Phillips and her husband, Chadford L. Phillips, Sara C. Davis and R. Coleman Davis; great-grandchildren, Caroline E. Phillips, Colin D. Phillips and Lillian G. Broughton; and sister, Wylene Hudson Summey.

Please sign online guest book at www.dunbarfunerals.com.

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Born in Syracuse, New York in 1922, and a graduate of Central High School there, Jean married West Point graduate 2nd Lt. Kirby Alexander Gean in January of 1943. Caring for her two children and making a home for them in posts all over the United States and abroad took much of her adult life. The love and devotion lavished on her family and close friends was transposed in later life to caring for many ailing and elderly members of her family, including her neighbor.

She was sustained, in many instances, by her life-long love for animals and gardening and was a frequent visitor at the Sumter SPCA.

This extraordinary woman is survived by her son, Kirby Alexander Gean II of Huntingtown, Maryland and her daughter, Terry Lee Gean of Olney, Maryland; her grandchildren, Wendy Renee Chaves and Justin Kirby Gean, also of Olney, Maryland; and her great-grandchildren, Victoria Marie Chaves and Alexander Gean Chaves as well as Andrew Carter Gean and Owen Kirby Gean.

A memorial service was held for Jean January 12th in Olney, Maryland. An inurnment service will be held for her in Evergreen Memorial Park in Sumter at the intersection of Weiss and Guignard Saturday, June 21st at 10:30 a.m. where she will lie beside her late husband, Larry M. Staley of Sumter, South Carolina. God bless you mother. We know you reside with the Heavenly Father, where you truly deserve to be.

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Born in Germany June 4, 1955, he was the son of Elfriede Wilhelm and the late Turner Bynum Sugg.

Mr. Sugg was the property manager for Sugg Landholding Company.

Surviving are his mother, Elfie of Sumter, S.C.; a brother, James Sugg of Southport; two sisters, Angie Owens and husband Harold of Hopkins, S.C., Linda Sullivan and husband Joseph of Sumter, S.C.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Monday in the chapel of the Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home with the Rev. John Patrick officiating.

Services will be held at 12 p.m., Monday, June 16, 2008, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 2491 Emmanuel Church Road, West Columbia, SC 29170, with burial to follow in the church cemetery. Officiating will be Pastor Russell Peek. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Sunday evening at Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington. Serving as pallbearers will be Morgan Milhouse, Ashley Tompkins, Rusty Lewis and Randall Lewis.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Justin Hooks ROTC Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 2044, West Columbia, SC 29171, make checks payable to AHSEF, memo JLHMS.

www.thompsonsfuneral.com

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Mr. Jolly was born Oct. 2, 1940, in Bamberg, SC, a son of the late Frank Barney Jolly and Blanche Spencer Jolly Taylor. He entered the U.S. Air Force in December 1957, completed 13 years in Europe and Southeast Asia and retired after 24 years of service in December 1981. He also taught the ROTC program at Sumter High School for 20 years. He liked to hunt, fish, garden and do carpentry work. He was always a friend to many and will be missed by his family.

Surviving in addition to his wife are a son, Frank Edward Jolly of Wyoming; three daughters, Donna E. Jolly of Columbia, SC, Victoria Roof of Sumter, SC and Michelle Wolf of Wisconsin; four sisters, Frances Gooding of Orangeburg, SC, Ellen J. Aull of West Columbia, SC, Lucy J. Owens of Columbia, SC and Dottie Sue Hart of Columbia, SC; and four brothers, James F. Jolly of Gilbert, SC, Norman K. Jolly of Georgetown, SC, Jerry P. Jolly of Lexington, SC, and Robert F. Jolly of Leesville, SC.

The family would like to express appreciation to Don Griffin for many years of support and friendship to Mr. Jolly.

A memorial service with full military honors will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at the Bullock Funeral Home chapel. Burial will be held at a later date in Florence National Cemetery.

Mr. Lacy was born October 22, 1982, in Jasper, AL, and passed away Wednesday, June 11, 2008. He was a son of Patricia Lacy Stewart-Hamby. Mr. Lacy was the kitchen manager of Gilligan’s restaurant in Greenville, NC. He was an avid fisherman and loved his family and friends.

Mr. Lacy is survived by his mother, Patricia Hamby of Gilbert; brother, John Stewart of Monks Corner; sister, Melody Stewart of Lexington; grandparents, Shirley and Perry Lacy and Shirley Stewart; stepfather, Neal Stewart of Salisbury, NC; several stepbrothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Mr. Jordan died Friday, June 13, 2008. Born in New Haven, Conn., he was the son of the late Louis Charles and Ruthina Bryan Jordan. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict and was a member of the VFW.

Surviving are his son, Frank L. Jordan Jr. and his wife, Sherri M. Jordan, of Elgin; and granddaughter, Grace Elizabeth Jordan.

Sign the online register at www.powersfuneralhome.net.

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Mr. Smith was born August 15, 1934, in Smithville, Texas. He was the son of the late Nathan and Gertrude Grant Smith. Mr. Smith retired from the United States Army with 21 years of faithful service. He later served as cook supervisor at the Central Correctional Institution, where he also retired. Mr. Smith was a faithful member of the Prince Hall, “Free and Accepted” Masons, Capital Lodge, #47, Columbia, SC.

Surviving are his wife, Eunice Smith; son, Michael Harrison of Greensboro, North Carolina; two daughters, Velma Harrison and Tania (Wilbur) Samon; sisters, Erner Lee Jackson of Smithville, Texas, and Essie Lee Vaughns of Houston, Texas; one granddaughter, Brooke Harrison; two grandsons, Harrison and Davis Samon; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers and five sisters.

www.leevy.com

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Born January 31, 1939, in Dahlonega, GA, she was the daughter of the late Connie Lee Payne and Ethel Sylvia Garrett Payne. Mrs. Cook had retired from Devan Manufacturing Company in Allendale County as a Seamstress, and was a member of Moselle Church of God of Prophecy. Mrs. Cook loved her family, her church and her Lord.

Surviving besides her husband, Daniel Walter Cook of the home, are three sons: Steve Daniel Cook, Ronnie Willdon Cook, and Walter Joseph Cook, all of Islandton, SC; one daughter: Benda Lee Cook Willis of Walterboro, SC; three brothers: Bishop Willard Lee Payne of Piedmont, SC, Bishop Ray Paul Payne of Elizabeth Town, KY, and Randell Leon Payne of Yemassee, SC; one sister: Marie Estell P. Grant of Estacado, Oregon; one stepbrother: W.O. McNair of Jacksonville, FL, and one stepsister: Audrey M. Byrd of Prosperity, SC. There are 11 grandchildren. Mrs. Cook also leaves behind her beloved puppy, “Snoopy” Cook.

Funeral services will be held Monday, June 16th, 2008, at 2 p.m. at the Nixville Church of God of Prophecy with burial in the church cemetery in Nixville conducted by Rev. Mike Frederickson, Rev. Michael Polk and Rev. Mack Willis, and directed by Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home of Hampton.

Friends may call at the funeral home located at 300 Mulberry Street West, Hampton, SC 29924, (803)-943-3352, Sunday evening from 5-9 and Monday until 1 p.m. when the casket will be placed in the church prior to services.

Marc was born November 16, 1942, in Charleston, SC, son of the late Marcus Russell Durlach, Jr. and Jeannette Lorber Durlach. He served in the United States Navy aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Kitty Hawk. He was a partner in Durlach, Ewing, Hungiville Commercial Real Estate in Columbia, SC, and in 1979, he founded Durlach Associates Commercial Real Estate in Charleston, SC. He was an avid sailor and a member of the New York Yacht Club.

He is survived by his wife, Dana Durlach of Sullivan’s Island, SC; two sons, Marcus R. Durlach, IV and his wife, Marni, of Charleston, SC, and John R.N. Durlach and his wife, Megan, of Mt. Pleasant, SC; two daughters, Sally J. Durlach and her fiance, Hamilton Harrelson, of Charleston, SC, and Emily N. Durlach of Charleston, SC; one brother, Richard S. Durlach of Columbia, SC; and one grandson, Neil H. Durlach of Mt. Pleasant, SC.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to MUSC Foundation “Urology Research Fund” 18 Bee Street, P.O. Box 250450, Charleston, SC 29425.

The family requests memorial messages be written to the family by visiting our website at:

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

Born in Jamison, SC, she was a daughter of the late Andrew Franklin Horger and Dorothy Mae Mitchum Horger.

Mrs. Hunter was an active member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. She had retired from the Creech Holding Corporation and was a Tuomey Regional Medical Center Volunteer.

Mrs. Hunter was a beloved mother and grandmother.

Surviving are two daughters, Linda Hunter Fuqua and husband David of Valdosta, GA, Gayle Hunter Wenzel and husband Gary of Lexington; a son, Randal R. Hunter and wife Autumn of Evans, GA; two brothers, Charles Horger and Gene Horger, both of Orangeburg; a sister, Evelyn Whisenhunt of Orangeburg; and six grandchildren.

Born July 6, 1918, in Hampton County, he was the son of Clifford Blakewood and Cora Ginn Blakewood. He grew up in and around Estill, S.C., where his mother ran a boarding house. His wife of 54 years, Martha Sauls Blakewood of Smoaks, S.C., preceded him in death January 18, 2007.

He was an Army veteran, having served in France in WW II. He was a retired Ford Motor Company employee working for Riser Motor Sales in Walterboro in the 1940s and 1950s and then for Whittle Bros. Mercury-Lincoln in Aiken, S.C. from 1953 to the mid 1970s. He owned an auto repair shop in Aiken until he and his wife retired to Leesville, S.C., where they lived on Lake Murray and enjoyed gardening and fishing. They made many friends around the lake area and had a long and happy retirement there. After his wife’s death he moved to Anderson to be near his sister, Runelle Blakewood Rockow.

He is survived by his immediate family, his sister, Runelle, his niece and her husband, Gayle and Jeff Lever of 207 Riverlake Rd., Fair Play, SC 29643, his in-laws, Janette and Ed McMurray of White Rock, S.C. and David and Kathleen Sauls of Smoaks, S.C., and numerous grandnieces and nephews. His unexpected loss is mourned by all who knew him.

The McDougald Funeral Home, 2211 N. Main St., Anderson, SC 29622, (864) 224-4343, will handle the cremation. His memorial service is planned for Monday, June 23, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Alex proudly served as a staff sergeant in the United States Marine Corp and was a recipient of the Korean Defense Service Medal for his service in the Korean War. He married Mary Paye in 1952, at Camp LeJune, NC. Alex was President and owner of the former Venus Corp in Utica, MI. He was an engineer, machinist, inventor and entrepreneur. Recently, Alex was a member of both the 3rd and 4th degree Knights of Columbus in Tryon, NC, and at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Green Cove Springs, FL.

Alex is lovingly remembered by his wife, Mary, his children, Alex “Skippy” Cuthbertson of Orange Park, FL, Terry Backs of St. Ignatius, MT, Jamie Cuthbertson of Orange Park, FL, and Mary Beth Selby of San Jose, CA. He was a wonderful Papa, and his memory will be cherished by his 6 grandchildren, Amanda, Cara, Bradley, Raymond (deceased), Ashley and Matthew, and 3 great-grandchildren, Gracie, Jeremiah and Madison. Arrangements for a service are pending. Memorial contributions can be made in Alex’s name to the American Diabetes Assn., P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.

«Obituary posted: June 15, 2008»

At least, Kevin Griffis hadn’t heard it for awhile, not until Sen. Obama “pulled it out” at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D., the week that he sewed up the Democratic nomination.

He rocked the house. Like besotted boomers doing the “na, na, na, na-na-na-na” part of “Hey Jude” with Paul McCartney, the fans sang right along.

Mr. Griffis, 34, who spent much of 2007 here in South Carolina handling the press for the Obama campaign, was there when the hit was born.

You’ve heard the story; Mr. Obama has told it often enough. He went to Greenwood on June 15, 2007 — one year ago today — as a favor to S.C. Rep. Anne Parks. He wasn’t having a great day. As he told the crowd at the Corn Palace:

Everyone in America is rightfully upset about $4-plus gasoline. Who would have guessed? This is the result of Wall Street speculators and OPEC’s international extortion. I grew up around the oil business, and I can remember when gas was only 14 cents a gallon. My father was an oil company superintendent personally honored by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his development of Catalyst Cracking refining units, which provided 70 percent of the high-test gasoline required for U.S. airplanes during World War II. I know more than just a little about oil.

Left to its own devices, American industry has the ability to provide all the oil and energy needed to drive our economy forward for eons to come.

In short, there is absolutely no shortage of available crude in and around the United States.

The problem is stupid, arbitrary laws that dictate where we can drill, where we can build nuclear power plants and where we can put refineries, complicated by a major “not-in-my-backyard” public mentality.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is not trying to force Sen. Barack Obama’s hand in his vice presidential choice. She was simply stating the facts. Had it not been for sexism, exaggerations of racism and negative publicity from the news media, she might have won the nomination.

Sen. Clinton earned her law degree and her own success apart from her husband, not by riding on his coattails. She has been tried, tested and proven. She is also a hard worker who fights for what she believes in, means what she says and does not crumble under pressure.

She said that she would stay in the race until all the votes were counted and a candidate was chosen. After the race ended, she acknowledged that Obama had won, agreed to do anything she could to help him win the election and bowed out graciously.

The Clintons have the experience that the Obamas lack, because they have “been there and done that.”

All of us called “Daddy” should take to heart the last sentence of God’s Old Testament.

In it, we fathers are given a stern and encouraging vision of our great role in our families and in a hurting world.

Wrapping up his Old Testament and looking forward to the New, God had fathers and families on his mind. God was looking forward in his history, preparing to send his son on the ultimate rescue mission. And if he reaches down, offering salvation in his hands, capable earthly hands would be needed to receive the gift.

The father’s role in the family — in particular the father’s heart for his children — is clearly a central element in the acceptance of the Messiah, the conversion of a nation and the avoidance of wrath.

Since January, several merchants have seen their list of consignors increase by double-digit percentages, and in-store stock has more than doubled.

“We have about three times as many folks trying to sell stuff at Sid and Nancy,” said Debbie McDaniel, who owns the eclectic wear resale store.

McDaniel also owns Revente, a consignment store, which neighbors Sid and Nancy on Saluda Avenue in Five Points.

“And we’re getting a lot more calls and e-mails through our Web site from people asking how consignment works,” McDaniel said.