Opinion

I have heard a lot of talk about the new judicial center, also known as the courthouse, much of which has been positive but a great deal which can described as critical and/or questioning.

Perhaps the most descriptive talk about the judicial center is the size. Now while I use the term judicial center it should be pointed out that much of this facility is for nonjudicial categories.

In that I mean that our system of government which is much like the federal government in which we have three branches, executive, legislative and judicial.

The Paws in the Panhandle story in the April 7 edition of The Lancaster News contained some incorrect information.

The very first sentence, which said, “Over 5,000 animals have been euthanized at the county shelter in the past year,” is way off the mark. If the writer had checked the facts or if Gloria Davey, director and founder of Paws in the Panhandle, had given correct info, that would not have been a problem.

The Kershaw Chamber of Commerce would like to thank everyone who participated in the Kershaw Spring-A-Thon this year.

It was through the efforts of many that made this another successful year.

We would like to thank our sponsors, Haile Gold Mine, Stevens Foundation, town of Kershaw, Founders Federal Credit Union, Kershaw News Era, First Citizens Bank, Gus’ House of Pizza, attorney Robert Davis, Dr. John Howell and Small’s Food Center.

As the fans filed out of the high school basketball game last season, an elderly lady stopped and said, “Robert, those articles you write about your family, keep on doing that. We really like them.”

If so, and I believe it because I hear it often, then you get a double Howey dose today.

Today is graduation for the Lancaster County class of 2010.

For 2010 Lancaster County high school graduates, today is the day.

Ask any of those 766 graduates at Andrew Jackson, Buford, Indian Land and Lancaster high schools about that today and you will likely get a wide smile and a reply like, “That’s it. The big day.”

You can wager that mortar board tassel that a pumped fist, or a high five will likely follow.

Have you reached that point yet where you’ve said, “Enough, it’s time to do something abut the violence in Lancaster County.”

We believe many residents here feel that way. There have been four murders in the county since the start of the year.

The shooting death of a 3-year-old girl earlier this month has many, many people here mad.

Jaylen Elaine Jackson was apparently caught in the crossfire of a gunfight when she was hit in the head by a bullet and killed.

Calvin Miller doubted his faith just a little. Volunteers and organizers of the April 24 Family Promise yard sale were told if they raised $10,000, an anonymous donor would donate $10,000.

The volunteers worked hard to organize the yard sale. Representatives from 15 churches met once a week for six weeks to plan the fundraiser.

Miller, who is chairman of Family Promise, a network of local churches that provides homeless families with children food, shelter, clothing and counseling, was worried they couldn’t raise that much and thereby would lose that $10,000.

Talk about a twist of fate. In one edition of The Lancaster News, we printed a story about Lancaster County Emergency Medical Services winning a prestigious state award at its annual meeting in Myrtle Beach.

In that article, Lanny Bernard, EMS director, touted the accomplishments of his 52 full-time and 25 part-time employees who work hard to provide life-saving care to Lancaster County residents.

Just days later in another article, Bernard was defending EMS response time to calls in the northern end of Lancaster County.

Cora Jane Caston Wallace always wanted to be a writer. But that was not an option for her. In fact, she had to quit school because her parents needed her at home. The day her mother said she wasn’t going back to school, Wallace cried all night.

Wallace later went to work for Springs Industries. She married Monroe Wallace and they had four children. Their youngest child, Suzanne, was diagnosed at an early age with a rare condition called congenital pseudoarthrosis.