Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

2010 is an election year in Bamberg County and the state of South Carolina with several county, municipal, and state contests being held. On April 13th the Town of Olar will have a non-partisan at-large election to fill the office of mayor and four town council seats.

On the county level, the offices of treasurer and auditor are up for election in the June 8th Primary and districts two, three and six on Bamberg County Council for a term of four years.

The filing period for the county-wide office primaries is from March 16 at noon and will end on March 30 at noon at the Bamberg County Courthouse.

On the state level, the following offices will be up for election this year. Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, Comptroller General, State Superintendent of Education, Commissioner of Agriculture, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and State House of Representatives. Filing opens for party primary and convention candidates on March 16 at 12:00 noon and closes on March 30 at 12:00 noon.

On June 8, Primary Election Day, polls open at 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

November 2 is the date of the General Election.

To vote in any election a citizen must be registered to vote at least 30 days prior to the election in which he or she wants to participate.

2010 Census

The 2010 Census questionnaire arrived at households throughout South Carolina from March 15 through 17. Census Bureau officials ask you to watch for the 10-question form, fill it out and mail it back immediately in the provided, postage-paid envelope. This is the easiest way to participate in the census that takes place every decade, as required by the U.S. Constitution.

“If the people of Bamberg County complete the census form and return it quickly, then we won’t have to go out, knock on doors, and collect the information,” said William W. Hatcher, regional director for the U.S. Census Bureau. “Returning completed questionnaires saves taxpayer money and increases the likelihood of a full count. That translates into political power and federal funding for the County.”

Sports Scores

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

B-E's Will Gilland scored two goals for the Red Raiders in their 4-1 victory over Strom Thurmond in soccer action Friday. Paul Glenn and Solomon McCaskill each added a goal in the win.

In the Red Raiders baseball season opener this year. The Red Raiders defeated the Gators of Lake Marion High School 12-2 Monday night. In that game Rob Wrightenberry was (1-1, double), Mitch Whetstone and Brandon Whetstone were (1-2), Jordan Hembrick, Landon Sandifer, and Joe Crosby (double) went (1-3).

Journalism Fellow

A committee of scholars and practitioners chose Douglas Rogers, Managing Editor of The Holly Hill Observer to be a part of the 2010 class. The Science Journalism Fellows Program is part of a $20 million National Science Foundation award to South Carolina’s institutions of higher education.

“Being chosen was a tremendous honor. It was simply amazing to have such access to some of the top notch scientist in the field of stem cell research,” said Rogers. Rogers has been the managing editor of The Holly Hill Observer and The Santee Striper since 2007.

SCBT Donates

South Carolina Bank and Trust (NASDAQ: SCBT) announced that it will make a $3,500 donation to Denmark Olar District 2 High School to go towards their sports programs.

“SCBT’s main priority is to take care of its communities,” said Al Matheny, vice president and branch manager of the Denmark office. “We are happy to help our community in any way possible and are grateful that Denmark Olar high school now has the funds to make a soccer team a reality.”

2010 Dogwood Festival

The Grand Marshal for this year's Dogwood Festival is Willie B. Owens Sr.

Owens was born November 8, 1938 in Branchville and is the twin son of the late Bennie C. and Lillie Ruth Owens. He attended the McBranch Rosenwall School in the McBranch Community. After the death of his father in 1949, he and his mother along with his siblings moved to Orangeburg.

Owens graduated from Wilkinson High School in June 1956 and from South Carolina State College in August 1960, with a major in Agriculture Education. He later received a Masters in Agriculture Education in August 1966. He pursued graduate studies at Clemson University in 1972, and later he received an Educational Specialist Degree in Education Administration from the Citadel in Charleston in August 1980. He continued his graduate studies from the University of South Carolina in 1991. He was certified as an Economist Development Specialist and a Housing Development Specialist by the National Development Council in 2003.

Owens began his teaching career in Agriculture Education at Richard Carroll High School, Bamberg School District One, in Bamberg in 1960, later serving as a teacher and assistant principal.

Stray Dogs

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

Denmark Police Chief Leroy Grimes reported to Denmark City Council members at their March 15, meeting that the city is beginning to see “a lot of problems” with the number of dogs running loose. The Police Chief stated that a couple of people have already been bitten by the stray dogs. “They have begun to run wild again,” Grimes said.

In a follow-up interview after the meeting, City Administrator Heyward Robinson stated that the city had an animal control ordinance that was in line with the state code; which states in-part that a dog owner can’t allow his or her animal to run at large and must be kept on a leash. Robinson noted that one problem is that pet owners in the city have not been purchasing dog tags. The cost of a dog tag is $5.00 and can be purchased at city hall he said.

Wolf Captured

Chief Grimes also reported in the March 15 meeting that a wolf, long-suspected to be at large in the city has been captured. He did not elaborate on how the canine was captured only that “we eliminated the threat.” The wolf’s carcass was sent to the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) for testing for rabies.