After my last column about the 27 vacant county buildings, someone left a comment that stuck with me. They didn’t argue about whether the buildings exist. They asked something sharper: Who are those buildings really for? One commenter said they closed their business, tore down a quarter-million-dollar building piece by piece, and moved their family […]
The View from 95: A Lady of Yesterday in a World of Tomorrow
February 19, 2026 By
My children are not like me. They understand electronics. That’s a good thing! They don’t go to church. That’s a bad thing. They eat food from foreign countries. That is a questionable thing. Maybe it will just take time for them to get more like me. After all, I turned into my mother when I […]
My Love-Hate Relationship
February 12, 2026 By
Does anyone really like exercise? I don’t, but I have been exercising for the better part of 50 years. Tell me that someone really likes to stretch, strain, hoist weights and jump around for an hour. However, I must admit, I do like the feeling after I have done all that activity and pushed my […]
Kenny’s Corner: 27 Empty Buildings
February 12, 2026 By
(And a Whole Lot of Potential) I watched the latest Fairfield County Council meeting on YouTube. Yes, YouTube. County council meetings are on YouTube now. We’re living in the future. There were meaningful moments. A moment of silence for Brittany Goodwin. Recognition for two citizens who saved a life on New Year’s Eve. That’s Fairfield […]
Letter: Accountability Matters
February 12, 2026 By
The County Council’s 2023 IRS million-dollar fines scandal should serve as a powerful catalyst for government transparency. This case underscored the importance of robust public monthly Council reviews of the County’s Payment Register to ensure transparency and accountability for taxpayer money. In a nutshell, the scandal, spanning six years of alleged non-compliance with federal ACA […]
Guest Editorial: Newspapers are antidotes to Instagram, Facebook
February 12, 2026 By
There’s just something different about holding a newspaper in your hands instead of reading it online. The physical newspaper is a treasure trove of unexpected information. At first glance, you can obviously see what’s important to editors on a front page. But you don’t know what you’re going to learn when you start flipping pages. […]
The 10 AM Hurdle: Who’s Shaping Our Future?
February 5, 2026 By
Last week, Fairfield County asked residents to share input on the future of our community. That’s a positive step. It means conversations are happening and plans are being shaped with public involvement in mind. But one detail stood out to me: One of the community input sessions for Ridgeway was held during normal working hours. […]
Bad Decision or Best Memory?
February 5, 2026 By
I made a bad decision, but it may have been a good one. I was invited to join my long-time high school friend and her daughter to go on a Mediterranean Cruise. Great! But it meant I would be away on my husband Bill’s 70th birthday. I really couldn’t do that. He said that it […]
Letter to Editor: Preserving 300 Main Street
February 5, 2026 By
Residents and Leaders of Blythewood, Having grown up right here in Blythewood, I’ve always had a real soft spot for our town’s special charm and the history that’s part of every street and corner, the sort of place that feels like home no matter how long you’re away. I left as a young man chasing […]
Guest Editorial: Growth SC Can’t Afford
February 5, 2026 By
Who Pays for the Boom? New Census numbers show South Carolina is the nation’s fastest-growing state, adding almost 80,000 new residents between July 2024 and July 2025. Growth was fueled, the Census added, “by a sizable net domestic migration increase of 66,622 … the increase of 1.5% was the highest of any state.” But while some may […]
