The Opinion Blog

Students Show Spirit

Wednesday’s lead editorial praises the charitable efforts of local high school students.

Student groups at Georgetown and North Myrtle Beach high schools are continuing traditions of helping families in their areas have a brighter Christmas. Students at the two schools are examples of teens throughout the area who are raising money and buying presents and food for holiday baskets.

Wind in our Sails

Friday’s secondary editorial suggests local leaders seek ways to capitalize on a major new wind facility planned for Charleston.

Thanks to a $98 million kickstart (dare we say stimulus?) announced this week, coastal South Carolina may find itself poised at the forefront of a the nation's developing wind-power industry.

CCU Has Good Offer On Course

Wednesday’s lead editorial suggests that the Coastal Carolina University’s acquisition of a local golf course will benefit the school.

Coastal Carolina University has had plans to own at some point in the future Quail Creek Golf Club, the neighboring 175-acre course the university has been leasing and operating. Now, with an offer to purchase the layout for the remaining debt, ``The future has arrived before we anticipated and hoped for,'' says Charlie Thrash, director of the CCU PGA Golf Management Program.

Book Club Helps With Literacy

Tuesday’s editorial praises a local group’s annual tradition of donating money toward literacy rather than exchanging personal gifts.

Members of an area book club decided three years ago to do something other than exchange Christmas gifts. They pass an envelope with members putting in whatever amount they wish, and the Book and Brunch Club makes a contribution to an organization that promotes literacy.

This year, the club's holiday donation will be to the Literacy Council of Horry County. “What we were thinking is that if other groups, especially book groups, were aware of this idea they might consider doing the same,” says book club member Diane Schroeder. “What could be more appropriate at Christmas time than for a reading group to donate to something that promotes reading?”

Cracking Open the School Books

Friday’s editorial applauds a new state law that requires schools to post their spending online.

Following an emerging and highly laudable trend, the Grand Strand has seen a number of its local governments begin regularly posting their spending records online for anyone to see: first Myrtle Beach, followed quickly by Surfside Beach, and most recently the city of Georgetown.

Soon, thanks to a litlte-noticed but likewise commendable new provision in state law, they will be joined by some of the area's largest governing bodies: local school boards.

Last in the Nation

Sunday's editorial calls on South Carolina to follow North Carolina's lead - and every other state in the nation's - and allow immigrants to attend college, regardless of citizenship status.

Despite the usual protests, the N.C. Community Colleges board last week voted boldly and overwhelmingly to restore their "open-door" policy that controversially allowed some illegal immigrants to attend classes.

Patriotism or Partisanship?

Friday's editorial suggests that right-wing strategists let legitimate concerns about health reform go to their head and thus overreached politically with their ill-advised furor to the president's speech to students.

Last week, President Obama announced that he would be giving a speech to schoolchildren encouraging them to stay in school.

So, in an stunningly equal-but-opposite response, his most ardent detractors immediately proclaimed their intent to pull their kids out.

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.

Back to School?

Thursday's editorial calls attention to a handful of well-qualified Grand Strand students who aren't allowed to go back to college this semester.

Readers of The Sun News surely remember the plight of Dayana Rodrigues, a Myrtle Beach High School graduate whose name last appeared in our pages on the 2008 spring and summer semester President's List at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

Despite her obvious academic gifts, however, those two semesters were all Dayana could attend before the S.C. legislature passed new laws requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for college admittance. Dayana's mother moved her here from their home in Brazil when she was 14, so the college followed state law and asked Dayana and a dozen others not to return, leading to a profile in The Sun News.

Good bill still alive

Tuesday's second editorial draws attention to a possible change in the law that could benefit Coastal Carolina University and other institutions:

Among the several pieces of worthwhile legislation caught up in the budgetary battles in Columbia this year is a bill that could improve some of the complicated processes S.C. colleges and universities must go through.