The Opinion Blog

Long Fall From Grace

Saturday's editorial explores the trajectory of Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce's path from a well-liked community fixture to, frankly, an embarrassment to that same community, and suggests she step down so the town can move forward.

As news of Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce's fourth arrest since her 2007 election played across the Grand Strand this week, many doubtlessly wondered how she was ever elected in the first place.

'Sober or Slammer' campaign

Friday's editorial promotes the S.C. Department of Public Safety's anti-drunk driving campaign heading into Labor Day.

Contrary to what the young drivers in the television spots say, there is absolutely nothing cool or acceptable about drinking and driving.

Transparency Is Credential of its Own

Wednesday's editorial urges Gov. Mark Sanford to respect the process by which the Horry County School Board chose an interim board member:

Nearly drowned beneath the din over how long our governor will actually remain our governor this past weekend was a significant issue of local interest: the question of who will succeed ousted Horry County school board member Chris Shannon.

Detectives dedicated for Donovan

Tuesday's lead editorial notes the end of one of the Grand Strand's most enduring mysteries.

Forensic science and good police work have confirmed that bone fragments found in January are remains of Alice L. Donovan, abducted more than six years ago.

Horry officer testifies to "confidence" in Sotomayor

Former Horry County Police officer Chuck Canterbury, now national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, testified on behalf of Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday, defending her commitment to the Second Amendment and calling her "a jurist in whom any beat cop could have confidence."

Worth listening to

Friday's secondary editorial highlights an upcoming series of radio shows about an issue that plagues this area particularly:

The Safe Families Initiative wants to share some hard numbers to hear: South Carolina ranks second-worst in the nation in terms of numbers of women killed by men. And Horry County has the fifth-highest rate of domestic violence cases per capita in the state: a staggering 2,844 incidents in 2003, according to the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse.

Putting the world back together

Friday's lead editorial praises efforts to bring a nationwide program aimed at keeping at-risk young people out of jail.

Earlier this week, the former mayor of Philadelphia addressed a crowded boardroom at Coastal Carolina University about his latest effort: the Amachi Mentoring program for children of prisoners.

The U.S. has an "estimated 7.3 million children who have one or both parents under some form of state or federal supervision," according to the Amachi Web site. "Without effective intervention, 70 percent of these children will likely follow their parents' path into jail or prison." But providing a reliable, positive role model will help two-thirds of those children improve their grades and give them better chances of staying out of prison, said former Mayor W. Wilson Goode.

Kids' Parole Board: Vacancy, or Vacate?

Friday's editorial takes a look at the problems facing the Juvenile Parole Board:

Decrying what he saw as a broken system inadequate to deal with a new generation of evil, Greg Killian of Myrtle Beach resigned his post at the state Juvenile Parole Board this month and called for its abolition. His frustration - while possibly an extreme position formed after five years of fighting on the front lines - raises one of society's most vexatious challenges: how to deal with the worst of the worst among our children.

After the board released a teen convicted in a controversial and tragic drag-racing death, Killian resigned, saying when the juvenile parole board was first established, the types of crimes that now come before it were never envisioned: gang-initiation killings, children raping other children, what he called a dozen or so unredeemable "super-predators" who showed up every month. The justice system for children is usually based on rehabilitation rather than punishment, but Killian says that dichotomy should be abandoned.

Justice delayed, denied?

Wednesday's editorial addresses questions lingering around the prostitution charge dropped against an Horry County Councilman - especially given the length of time it took to clear him.

Nineteen months ago, Marion Foxworth of Myrtle Beach was charged with loitering for prostitution, and 14 months after that, the Myrtle Beach city attorney added a prostitution charge.

AG McMaster bungled Five Rivers plea bargain

In today's editorial, The Sun News considers S.C. AG Henry McMaster's handling of the Five Rivers criminal case plea bargain and finds him wanting as a candidate for governor:

Attorney General Henry H. McMaster's office took over prosecution of the Five Rivers Community Development Corp. case, but the attorney general's assistants acted more like they wanted to be done with the case than to press for justice for the people of Georgetown County.