Thursday’s second editorial takes on
a more obscure topic: Fighting invasive species in South Carolina:
Students of S.C. agriculture know all
too well the frustrations and problems brought to the South by the invasive
kudzu bug. The Asian insects, which were first discovered in the U.S. in 2009,
emit a foul odor and a stinging chemical. In colder months they can invade
homes and vehicles. They feast on legumes such as soybeans and can reduce a
farmer’s soybean yields by as much as 60 percent.
Tuesday’s second editorial highlights
the good work of one of the lesser known nonprofits in the area:
Kristi Falk is on a mission: “to get
people in the area healthier.”
The former owner of a health food
store in Conway, Falk parlayed that experience first into five years of putting
on the Wellness Expo of Myrtle Beach at the city’s convention center. From
there, she founded the Wellness
Council for South Carolina in 2006. The nonprofit council seeks to teach
local residents how to be healthy people in all aspects of their lives, whether
nutrition or recycling, exercise or emotions.
Thursday’s editorial highlights some bills from our local legislators that deserve to be passed in the time left in this session:
There’s never enough time for our legislators to debate, refine and pass every bill proposed each session. Most ideas will never become law. But though the sand is running out on the current two-year session, there is still time in the coming months to pass some of the well-considered proposals from local leaders.
A few that are still worthy of consideration:
S. 461 | Sen. Ray Cleary’s mandatory recycling bill passed the Senate last year, but thus far hasn’t moved very far ahead in the House. The Murrells Inlet Republican’s bill would require every business with a liquor permit to at least investigate the possibility of a recycling program. Those businesses that find a recycling program that costs the same or less than their current trash pickup would be required to take advantage of it.
Friday’s editorial explores the cons and possible pros of trying to cap gas prices:
We all share the frustration with rising gas prices that led to North Myrtle Beach Sen. Dick Elliott’s proposal for a year of statewide price controls on wholesale gas sales. The prices we’re paying at the pump this month are nearly a dollar higher than they were a year ago.
But would Elliott’s suggestion really work? We have major doubts, not least because it would represent a rejection of our state’s free market underpinnings. On Wednesday night, Myrtle Beach resident John Bonsignor thanked Elliott for his work and asked, “What’s going to be the big deal for one year? Let’s see what’s going to happen in one year.”
Thursday’s second editorial turns our attention to Horry County’s rural life:
With the beach’s focus squarely on retail, accommodations and leisure industries, it’s sometimes easy to forget that much of Horry County is dominated by family farms, some of which go back generations. Agricultural industry provided the backbone of the region’s economy for decades before tourism grew to its current juggernaut status. The recognition this month of Thompson Farm and Nursery near Conway as South Carolina’s Small Farm of the Year brings that reality back to the forefront.
Friday’s editorial celebrates a number of recent steps forward in powering our region through alternative energy:
It feels almost unnecessary to reinforce the importance of preserving our environment to coastal residents. The livelihoods of those on the coast have been tied to the natural world for centuries and will continue to be long after today’s Earth Day has passed.
The recent census numbers attest to the continuing rapid expansion of our region, with many newcomers no doubt drawn by the natural beauty of our beaches and waterways. As we burst our historical bounds, it’s important we do it deliberately and smartly, and that we don’t squander the natural resources we steward.
Friday’s editorial looks at the merits of a few local but less visible bills moving through the General Assembly these days:
As the legislature swings back into action, the news coming from Columbia follows thick and fast. This week saw the passage in the House of the Higher Education Transparency Act, which would require public colleges to post their spending online. And the state’s budget work and restructuring continues to make headlines.
But beyond the larger items that dominate the news lie a number of smaller items, bills and resolutions that have received little attention and may go nowhere at all. Whether they eventually become law or not, we believe it’s important for citizens to know what their elected representatives are doing with their time, and to that end, we like to keep an eye on some of the less visible movements afoot at the Statehouse:
Thursday’s editorial hopes legislators will overcome their qualms about a fee increase to institute DNR’s proposed rule to limit deer hunting and begin a tagging system in the state.
Some readers will see in their Neighbors section today that 8-year-old Trace Scott of Myrtle Beach harvested his first deer last week, a proud accomplishment for the young man.
Announcements such as these could become rarer in the coming years. The state’s deer population has fallen 25 percent from its peak of more than 1.1 million animals in the late ’90s, and the state has no limits on how many deer a hunter can take each year. That could change with a proposal from the state Department of Natural Resources this past week.
Sunday's editorial recognizes the restoration of local pines lost in April's wildfires through federal stimulus money.
Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve longleaf pine trees lost to the devastating April wildfire will be replaced with some of the money in a $1.74 million federal stimulus grant to the S.C. Forestry Commission.
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