Today's News

Kelly McCorkle Parkinson says prayer helped her to face barriers that many people thought she would never overcome.

Parkinson, the 2002 Miss South Carolina, was diagnosed with dyslexia and auditory processing disability when she was 5.

Teachers told her mother that she would never graduate and that the family should make alternate plans for her life.

She took dance classes as a youngster, but instructors said she was wasting her money – as they believed she would never be able to keep up.

Lancaster County's budget is 5 percent higher than last year's, and much of the increase will cover personnel increases in the Panhandle.

County Council will consider first reading of the $30.2 million budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year Monday night. Last year's budget was $28.9 million.

"Most of that's for Indian Land," said County Finance Director Veronica Thompson.

In its current form, the budget calls for no tax increase, but the budget may be revised between first and final reading. It often is.

What's in, what's not in budget?

The University of South Carolina-Lancaster baseball team won't play a game for another five months, but the program's first-ever team is beginning to take shape.

By the time the Lancers host open tryouts in August, USC-L coach Mike Prochaska said he will likely have 55 players.

Since January, Prochaska has been working with a group of 13 USCL students who are striving to be a part of the team.

The number actually was 30, but is now down to 13.

KERSHAW – The Kershaw NAACP Woman of the Year is Dianne McGriff, and she thinks she's got what it will takes to win on the state level and, in turn, be competitive nationally.

McGriff, who recently won the title from the Kershaw NAACP, is now charged with raising as much money as she can in four weeks to try to win the NAACP's S.C. State Conference Woman of the Year. She will vie for that honor with other title holders from local branches across the state.