Commercial Truck Insurance in Darlington, SC

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — A student at West Florence High School is in custody after bringing a knife to school Tuesday, according to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO).

At approximately 8:15 a.m. there was a disturbance in the nearby cafeteria and the Student Resource Officer (SRO) noticed a student waving an object at other students, according to a release from the sheriff's office.

The SRO determined that the object was a knife and ordered the student to drop it, the release said. The student then reportedly threatened the SRO with the knife. The SRO took the student to the ground and the knife was secured.

No one was injured during the incident.

The student was transported to the SC Dept. of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

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There is reportedly a video circulating on social media of a fight between two students at the school. It shows one student with a large knife yielding it to another boy.

West Florence High's principal sent the following message to parents earlier Tuesday morning:

Hello West Florence High School Family,

We are sharing this as information to you in our efforts to communicate with you and keep you informed regarding your children at West Florence High School. This is to inform you of an incident that occurred at West Florence High School this morning. Earlier this morning, an altercation occurred in the cafeteria during breakfast. During the altercation one student pulled out a knife. The School Resource Officer was nearby and within seconds was able to secure the student and the knife. Despite some reports already circulating, no one was stabbed or injured during the altercation. School Administration and Law Enforcement are addressing the situation. The student has been arrested and will be transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. The student will also face consequences according to the Student Code of Conduct. We do not condone violence of any kind in our schools. We ask that parents and the community help us to continue to educate our children about the importance of keeping schools safe and free from weapons and violence. Please know that all students and staff are safe in the building and the school day will proceed safely and securely as normal.

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ABC15 reached out to Florence One Schools for a statement.

DARLINGTON — Brick by brick, Darlington County’s new courthouse is going up just a few hundred yards from the heart of downtown Darlington.

The new courthouse is easily visible from the existing courthouse. Standing inside the lobby, there’s a glimpse of orange traffic cones blocking off the construction zone. From the fourth floor, inside Clerk of Court Scott Suggs’ office, there’s a clear view of the nearly finished red brick building.

After a few failed attempts for a new courthouse, construction is nearly complete. The new building is expected to make everyone who works in the existing building — court employees, judges and government employees — safer.

Suggs, clerk of court since 1997, has seen several attempts to build a new courthouse. Each attempt fizzled for one reason or another— not wanting to raise taxes to foot the bill or proposing a building that was just too big and expensive.

The plan that put the new courthouse in motion was different.

Building a smaller facility meant only for the courts and court personnel wouldn’t cost as much as building a new facility for everyone, Suggs said. Renovating the existing courthouse for the other government agencies after the courts move would be doable.

The county used reserve funds — money it already had — to foot the bill for the new courthouse. The $15.4 million courthouse will steer a large amount of traffic away from the cramped existing courthouse.

“I feel sure all the people who have to function in the court system — the public defenders, the prosecutors, all the staff, the judges, all those — will find this facility more useful and user friendly,” County Administrator Marion Charles Stewart said. “Safety is a big deal there.”

Judges can run into a variety of people on their way to the courtroom, Suggs said.

Having the judge’s chambers at the end of a hall can be a challenge. A judge would pass the public defender’s office and the parole and probation office and a holding cell — and maybe someone they just sentenced or someone he’s about to see in court.

The current courthouse renovated a more private area for the judges. A quiet corner with less traffic and an elevator that takes them up right behind the courtroom. But the judges felt isolated, Suggs said.

“It’s just not a safe environment for any judge to have to traverse to get to the judge’s chamber in the courtroom,” Suggs said.

Judges will have a private entrance at the new courthouse along with secured courtrooms. They won’t have to come into contact with anyone unless they want to, Suggs said. And there will be more room for everyone.

The existing courthouse can be a tight squeeze.

Some courtrooms are so close that lawyers can nearly reach out and touch one another from their counsel tables, Suggs said. The judge’s bench is almost close enough to touch.

With so little room, the existing courthouse can only hold two court sessions at a time. The new courthouse will be able to hold four at once.

The Clerk of Court, Register of Deeds Office, two resident family court judges and a resident circuit court judge will move into the new building. The government agencies in the existing court building will remain there and the building will undergo renovations to help fit their needs.

Once it’s complete, the new courthouse will be the third courthouse in just a few hundred yards.

Sort of.

The new courthouse and existing courthouse will sandwich a mural of the county’s fifth courthouse, which was removed in the 1960s.

Together, the three will represent more than 100 years of Darlington County history.

“This is something to look at and be proud of,” Suggs said.

The new courthouse — originally set to open in November — will likely be complete and functional in early 2024, Stewart said.

DARLINGTON — Seven candidates discussed how they would address issues with Darlington’s water and sewer system at an Oct. 17 candidate forum.

Darlington’s Nov. 7 general election will seat three at-large council members and the mayor.

The candidates for mayor include incumbent Curtis Boyd, Damain Prince and Scott Pruitt. Candidates for the at-large council seats include incumbents Bryant Gardner, John Milling and Howard Nettles along with challengers Angela Nikki McRavin, former mayor Gloria Cheeseboro Hines and Albert “Bar B Que Sauce” Johnson.

Hines and Prince did not attend the forum put on by Darlington’s League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to empowering voters.

The audience packed Darlington’s Grand Old Post Office.

Each candidate had three minutes to respond to a question about how they would address the city’s ailing water and sewer system while keeping lower-income residents in mind. Here are the main takeaways from each candidate:

Bryant Gardner

After noting that his own bills have gone up in recent years, Gardner — an incumbent running for an at-large council seat — said the existing administration has been proactive with water and sewer repairs. Gardner said the venture has been costly but that the city has used $1 million over the last four years to match $10 million in grants which have helped improve infrastructure. He said utility bills had to increase to help shoulder the cost of improving infrastructure.

“I don’t want to have a higher bill, just like everyone else,” he said. “But I understand that I’m going to have to replace my roof, and I’m going to have to save the funds to do that.”

Gardner said if the city did not raise utility bills, then the state would force the city to sell its infrastructure to purchasers who would “dramatically go up on our bills at a level that we have never seen.”

He said he has spoken to department heads and found that the city could create a relief fund by increasing utility bills to assist low-income individuals. The increase would total less than $12 per year, he said.

Albert Johnson

Johnson, a lifelong Darlington resident, is running for an at-large council seat. He said he is dedicated to helping residents with their personal problems.

He said he wants to help solve problems and ensure that each resident’s voice is heard. Johnson said he would put all of his energy into one term to show residents what could be accomplished in that time.

“I want everybody in Darlington to feel like the city loves them back,” he said.

Johnson did not mention the water and sewer system.

Angela McRavin

McRavin, one of the challengers running for an at-large council seat, called for more transparency and better communication. She said appropriate use of resources would help ease the strain of water and sewer issues for residents.

Residents wouldn’t mind bill increases if they knew ahead of time, she said. She suggested including flyers alongside bills to warn residents of possible increases, creating a website and having a phone line for questions.

“They just need reassurance,” she said. “Most of us don’t mind, again, as long as we know that those funds are being put to good use and for the betterment of our community, because we all understand there are issues that need to be corrected.”

She called for the city to continue to seek infrastructure grants.

McRavin also said that the city should partner with the county and nonprofits to create a domestic violence shelter.

“We need to make certain that we are caring for our citizens,” she said.

John Milling

Milling, one of the incumbent council members running for an at-large seat, said it’s difficult to strike a balance between fixing infrastructure issues and addressing what residents can pay.

He said council members see the upticks on their bills as well, but that the city needs funds to fix infrastructure in order for Darlington to see population and business growth.

He also called for more openness from City Council. He suggested the News & Press, a newspaper in Darlington, do weekly or monthly articles about what the city is doing.

“There are things that we are attempting to do to better communicate what’s going on in the city,” he said.

Howard Nettles

Nettles, another incumbent running to keep his at-large council seat, said he is committed to finding solutions on behalf of concerned residents.

He didn’t want to have bill increases, he said, but knew they had to happen.

He said increasing the utilities bills have allowed the city to improve infrastructure but agreed with McRavin that more notice should be given when there are increases.

Nettles said he would be open to finding a way to offset bill costs for those who are unable to afford them.

The city will continue to seek grants going forward to help repair infrastructure, he said, adding that the city’s existing approach will be beneficial.

“If we don’t continue on the path we’re on now, it’s never going to get any better,” Nettles said.

Scott Pruitt

Pruitt, who is running for mayor, said the city needs to do more infrastructure repairs with existing resources.

Using city work crews to complete infrastructure repairs around the city would save money, he said. He called for the formation of crews that work at designated locations on a regular schedule.

He also said the city needs to apply for more grants to help pay for the repair of infrastructure. The city should have people identifying grant opportunities because there are so many out there, he said.

Pruitt said he used a grant to repair his historic home on Broad Street in Darlington.

He called for expanding Darlington’s city limits. Newer neighborhoods around Darlington are up to code and don’t have infrastructure problems, he said. He suggested the neighborhoods could be self-sufficient with grocery stories and small businesses.

Pruitt also expressed concern about rising water bills.

“When you have to make a decision, if you got to pay a water bill or you got go to the grocery store, that’s a big deal,” he said.

He called for more accountability from the city.

Curtis Boyd

Boyd, the incumbent mayor, said infrastructure repair is well underway.

“Look at all the infrastructure that has been fixed,” he said. “$10 million worth of work that’s been fixed, being fixed and going to be fixed.”

The director of Darlington’s water and sewer system told Boyd that mechanical repairs to the sewer system would be complete within the next year, Boyd said. Multiple sinkholes, water pumps and mechanical issues have been fixed, he said.

Boyd also said the existing administration has tried to assist low-income individuals before when utility bills went up in 2022. That year, bills were increased for those using 5,000 or more. Bills were first increased in 2020.

He said the city notified residents three months before the 2020 increase.

Boyd disagrees with selling the infrastructure because the city would have no control over it, he said.

DARLINGTON — Darlington High School senior Reese Morgan cannot rest until the job is done — and done right. That internal drive has led her to great success in the classroom, on the volleyball court and beyond.

Morgan, 18, is one of The Post and Courier Pee Dee’s Academic Achiever recipients for the month of February.

Each month, a panel of judges picks two recipients, one boy and one girl, who are outstanding in terms of academics, extracurricular activities and volunteer work. Nominations are submitted by public and private schools in Florence and Darlington counties.

Morgan’s drive has been with her from the beginning, she said.

Morgan’s mother, Jenna, agreed.

When Morgan was in the third grade, she was inconsolable over the "B" she received in her Social Studies class.

“That "B" killed her,” Jenna Morgan said.

She said it showcased the first glimpses of her drive to succeed.

“In anything she does, she likes to be as good as possible,” Jenna Morgan said. “She's just always had that drive and determination.”

Michelle Ward nominated Reese for Academic Achievers. Morgan thrives in her social studies class, Ward said.

Ward is coordinator of the Early College Honors Program and social studies teacher at Darlington High School.

Now, Morgan has a perfect GPA — even including her dual credit college courses — putting her at the top of her class and on track to be the Class of 2024 valedictorian. She will graduate in May, not only with her high school diploma, but two associate degrees.

Morgan earned her associate degrees from Florence-Darlington Technical College through the Early College Honors Program at Darlington High School, its magnet program.

Recently, Morgan had a big chemistry test that she was worried about. Her mom encouraged her, she said, letting her know that she would be fine, and that if she wasn’t, there was always next time. Once the test was over, Morgan said she felt a major sense of relief in remembering her mother’s words.

Morgan made a 98 on that test.

West Florence High School senior is naturally curious

She isn’t just excellent in academics, she’s also the family comedian, her mother said. Morgan keeps her mother and the rest of the family laughing — no matter what.

Those relationships ground Morgan during difficult times, she said. She relies on time spent with loved ones to keep her centered when life gets busy. A bright, constant smile helps keep people close, Ward said.

“She’s so kind and welcoming to people, and that's endearing,” Ward said. “That’s something that you don't find a lot of.”