Opinion

I just read that the dog tethering bill passed the S.C. Senate. I am absolutely livid.

How dare so many responsible dog owners be lumped into a bill that is geared to reduce dogfighting. This is totally against my rights. I understand that the government wants to rid the state of dogfighting, but this is unconstitutional.

What about all of us who tether our dogs during the day and release them all night to guard our livestock? What about all of us who have our hunting dogs on trolley systems until the hunt? These are loved working dogs.

Gonze Lee Twitty’s recent Pioneer Award from the NAACP is most fitting for a man who has put others first in his life of service.

Twitty, 89, has lived a productive life of paving the way for others in need of a helping hand.

“He’s been out there for a long time helping those who can’t help themselves,” said Charlene McGriff, second vice president of the local NAACP and a member of the committee which selected the winners.

In the past year, we’ve been reminded more than once what an important resource the Catawba River is – not only to us in Lancaster County, but to residents of many counties in both South Carolina and North Carolina.

First there was the drought that took hold last summer and brought water-use restrictions to communities in both Carolinas that draw water from the Catawba. Then there were the water wars that erupted between North and South Carolina after the cities of Concord and Kannapolis in North Carolina proposed to draw 10 million gallons a day from the river.

In Shannon Catoe’s letter, “Citizens face worse issues that threat of vouchers” in the April 27 edition of The Lancaster News, she uses slight of hand and sleaziness to refer to Mandy Powers-Norell as “out of touch and foolish.” It seems Ms. Catoe has a hard time believing that the masses are really that concerned about school vouchers. In several conversations that I’ve had, vouchers are indeed the “hot button item.”

The Humane Society of Lancaster County Inc. would like to give a very heartfelt thank you to all those who helped make our first Fur Ball a huge success.

There are so many to thank that I won’t be able to list them all. So if you are not mentioned, please know that we know who you are and the omission is one of space only.

I want to respond to Jeffery Donahue’s letter “Parents who want best for kids not elitists” in the April 18 edition of The Lancaster News.

No one is being selfish at all. It is just that everyone can’t afford to send their children to private schools. My children have learned perfectly fine for the last five years and are on honor roll. They are not being rushed to learn. That is why they have after-school programs.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer answers questions about aging issues.

Question: When I was watching the news the other evening, I saw the reporter talking about the government making a law that would change how television works. They said that if you didn’t have cable television, your TV would not work any more and that you would have to get a new set. Will my television really quit working next year?

I begin this letter by introducing myself once again as a proud wife and mother, as well as a conservative Republican by choice. I recently commented in The Lancaster News editorial section regarding the upcoming Senate District 16 election setting Rep. Mick Mulvaney, a Republican, against Democratic candidate Mandy Powers-Norrell for the vacated seat in November. Apparently, my letter stirred some attention to this race.

We would like to thank the Raos, the Lancaster County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Committee, the sponsors and all who contributed to the law officers memorial in any way. We were so pleased with the memorial service and dedication on April 16 and honored that our dad, B. Frank Sowell’s name was placed on such a beautiful monument. Thank you all for such a wonderful tribute to these fallen officers.

The Sowell family (Reba Sowell Hallman)

Lancaster