Features

Randy Cook is a pretty good carpenter, as evidenced by the kitchen of the High Point Circle home he shares with his wife, Crystal, and their three children.

Spotless and neat, the kitchen walls bear new paint, cabinets have been repaired and new floor covering is down. Family photos hang on the refrigerator.

Randy has plenty of time on his hands these days to fix up the house that he moved his family into less than a month ago.

Just like many around Lancaster whose lives revolve around a shrinking housing and home repair market, Randy Cook can’t find a job.

Heaven Craig’s compass was working just fine Saturday afternoon as she rode to Heath Springs on the L&C Railway’s Santa Express with friends Ty’Keahja McIlwain and Ari Adams.

She may have been riding southbound in the Hollywood Beach dome car, but Heaven knew she was headed to Heath Springs’ North Pole Adventure.

“That’s where Santa is,” the giggling 5-year-old said.

She was right, too, and had a chance to visit with the jolly old elf at the Heath Springs depot just as the sun was starting to set.

On Dec. 7, 1941, a young Lancaster man – U.S. Army Sgt. Paul D. Robertson – found himself in the center of America’s entry into the World War II.

Robertson, an electrician in the 259th Quarter Master Corps of the 7th Bomber Command, was stationed at Hickam Field on the island of Oahu in Hawaii when the war broke out. Hickam is adjacent to Pearl Harbor.

That day, Robertson received a near-fatal chest wound from flying shrapnel when the Imperial Japanese Air Force started its ugly Sunday morning bombing.

Bella Swan is a clumsy 17-year-old girl and Edward Cullen is an elegant “vegetarian” vampire. They live in the rainiest town in the United States – Forks, Wash. 

Their supernatural, best-selling, modern-day romance, written by Stephenie Meyer, has ignited a global cult following that has taken a $70 million bite out of the weekend box office.   

Sometimes, the best recipes go through a lot of hands before making it to the table.

This version of Pumpkin Mousse is a good example of that.

Kimberly Gulledge of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life sent me a Thanksgiving card that included the recipe.

Suddenly, the light bulb above my head went off.

It seems that Wal-Mart had donated some leftover pumpkins to the culinary arts class at Lancaster High School.

Just before the start of every University of South Carolina home football game, Jessica Bradburn gets caught up in moment as the strains of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (the theme to “2001: A Space Odyssey”) roar over the public address amid 80,000-plus screaming fans.

She has one of the best vantage points in Williams Brice Stadium, to see up close what’s been called one of the most electric entrances in college sports.

Forests have traded their green leaves for a crisp fall wardrobe of gold, red and orange. 

As you enjoy in this breathtaking display of natural beauty, take a moment to consider this rich land and its historic people. 

The Catawba Indians have lived in this region for more than 13,000 years. 

Their traditional foods include turkey, squash, pumpkins, corn, deer, nuts, beans, duck, dove, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, sugar berries and honey. 

Although winter doesn’t start until Dec. 21, there are some no-cost and low-cost steps that can be taken to reduce household energy consumption and costs on a daily basis.

Take advantage of heat from the sun

– Open curtains on your south-facing windows during daylight hours to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home. Close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

Cover drafty windows

When 100 of South Carolina’s World War II veterans fly to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15 to tour the monument placed there in their honor, two Lancaster men will be among them. John Maltese, 86, of Indian Land and L.J. Vincent, 92, of Kershaw were selected for the very first Honor Flight South Carolina. They will visit several landmarks, including the National World War II Memorial in the nation’s capital.  The purpose of the nonprofit Honor Flight South Carolina is to fly veterans like Maltese and Vincent to and from the memorial free of charge.