Summerton S.C. Blog: July 2016

21.7.16

Local Clarendon County Football Team Upcoming Schedules - August 2016

The following are links to the upcoming 2016 Football schedule, roster, and stats for Summerton and other local high schools across Clarendon County, SC:

Most of our county High School football teams will start their season on August 19, 2016.

* Check out MAXPREPS, a CBSSports.com web site for team standings and more complete statistics across the state.

16.7.16

Looking for a Job near Summerton, SC - Summer/Fall 2016

Summer/Fall 2016: Summerton is a small town in rural South Carolina that has become known as a wonderful place to vacation, raise a family, run a business - or retire to, when all is said and done. The deep spiritual commitment and sound family values of its people are reflected in the many churches and close-knit residential communities in Summerton and the surrounding area on the shores of beautiful Lake Marion.

Are you looking for a job in Summerton, S.C., or the surrounding area? Unemployment has dropped to about 6.5%, but there are still quite a few jobs available nearby in Manning, Santee, Sumter, Orangeburg, etc. Check out the following links:

Summerton and Lake Marion are well known across the South for offering a wide range of outdoor recreational activities like camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, boating, and golfing to its many visitors. So, make sure you visit the Summerton SC: Nature & Outdoor Recreation web site.

Visit Santee Cooper Country During Festival Time

Visiting South Carolina soon? Make sure you take time to visit the Santee Cooper Country, half way between Columbia and Charleston, S.C. You might want to visit during one of the many local festivals held during the year.

Festivals are often large outdoor events typically centering on the celebration of some unique aspect of a particular community - e.g. geography, history, or culture.

Some of the many annual Festivals or Outdoor Events that take place in Summerton and the surrounding Santee Cooper Lake Country (i.e. Lake Marion & Lake Moultrie) include:

Other Selected Information Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SRHptCaRA4&index=84&list=PLJk-fAaNGSmRG5Qx_2ndGl2l7v7_S6vZI

Santee Cooper Lake Country Video

For more information about the area, make sure you visit the Summerton SC: Nature & Outdoor Recreation web site.

10.7.16

Horseback Riding Around Summerton and Santee Cooper Country

Giddyap! Horse riding, or equestrianism, generally refers today to the skill of riding horses for competitive sporting or recreational purposes, e.g. dressage, show jumping, fox hunting, trail riding.

When you visit Summerton and the surrounding SanteeCooper Lake Country, you will find many opportunities to participate in a variety of equestrian activities. For example, check out the following sites:

The University of South Carolina upset Georgia last year to win the National Collegiate Equestrian Association's National Championship. It marked the Gamecocks' third national title in the program's history. They previously won the National Championships in 2005 and 2007. South Carolina finished the 2014-15 season with a 12-5 record. Paige Stopperich, a member of South Carolina’s equestrian team, recently won the American Quarter Horse Association’s Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation 2016 World Championship.

Selected Information Sources

47th Running of Elloree Trials

Make sure you take the time to visit the Summerton SC: Nature & Outdoor Recreation web site.

7.7.16

SC Senator Kevin L. Johnson, Final Legislative Update for 2016

Legislative Update - June 2016
SC Senator Kevin L. Johnson
District 36- Clarendon, Darlington, Florence, and Sumter Counties in South Carolina

This will be my final legislative update for this year. The session has ended and we will reconvene a new session on the second Tuesday in January 2017. As I stated in previous issues, I was disappointed in the progress that was made by the General Assembly; however, I am somewhat pleased that some progress was made during the last month of the session.

My Diploma Bill passed on the last day of the session. That means that any SC high school student that did not receive their high school diploma only because they did not pass the exit exam can now contact their school district and receive their high school diploma. We also passed the SC Farm Aid Fund Bill which allocates $40 million to provide grants to farmers who suffered as a result of the flood of October 2015. We passed a bill that would provide an income tax deduction for Military Retirees and their spouses. We also passed a bill to shorten the legislative session by three weeks. These are just a few of the bills that we passed during the last month of the session.

Perhaps the most important piece of legislation that passed near the end of the session is the road funding bill. Although this is not the full bill that we need, it goes a long way in providing funding that will begin to address some of the deplorable conditions of our road system. In this bill we were able to allocate $200 million that will be bonded to provide $4 billion to the transportation department. This funding will replace 400 bridges that are structurally deficient and load restricted and will expand and improve our interstates.

After trying for four years, an Ethics Reform bill was passed. Although this bill does not represent total ethics reform, it is a step in the right direction. The two major components of this bill is public disclosure of private income sources by appointed and elected officials and the fact that legislators can no longer investigate other elected officials. That task will be done by an independent panel.

Finally, we passed a $7.5 billion dollar General Fund Budget, which includes $1.2 billion of new revenue. In this budget we were able to provide more funding for public education, local government and much needed funding for several of our state agencies. The 61,000 dedicated and hardworking state employees will receive a 3.25% cost of living adjustments and the increase in their health insurance premiums are also covered. This ended up being a somewhat productive session and I hope you know that I enjoy having the opportunity to serve the citizens of South Carolina and especially SC Senate District 36.

Please remember to visit www.scsenate.gov to see the bills that I have sponsored and co-sponsored as well as to receive more information about the aforementioned bills. As always, please feel free to contact me at any time that I may be of service. Contact Information: Senate Office of Kevin L. Johnson, PO Box 142, Columbia, SC 29202. Email: kevinjohnson@scsenate.gov You may also contact Ashley Stewart, Administrative Assistant---Office Telephone: (803) 212- 6048