Thumbs up to student challenging legislation

Morning News
Published: May 17, 2008

Thumbs up to the seventh-grade students from Southside Middle School for taking the time and effort to research the Breed Specific Legislation and present their findings to Florence County Council. Several students met with the council members to discuss the legislation Thursday during the regular council meeting.
Breed Specific Legislation prohibits someone from owning, breeding or raising certain types of dogs.
Brian Harvey, a social studies teacher at Southside, told the Morning News the class put together a presentation as part of the class project on why the legislation is wrong, how it violates one’s rights, how it’s inhumane and the cost to enforce it. The students’ proposal contains several suggestions, including implementing canine safety education programs in schools and responsible canine ownership classes offered to pet owners.
Dillon City Council recently approved an ordinance that defined a pit bull as a dangerous animal and requires stricter guidelines for pit bull owners.
Florence County Council isn’t considering this type of legislation.

Thumbs down to former Wilson High School and University of South Carolina basketball standout Carlos Powell for being arrested and jailed Saturday night in Florence on alcohol and weapons charges. Powell is facing charges of unlawful carrying of a pistol and having an open alcohol container in a vehicle driven by Powell’s cousin and current USC basketball player Sam Muldrow. At 24 years of age, Powell certainly knows better. His arrest sets a poor example for the 19-year-old Muldrow and all the children who look up to him. While at USC from 2001-05, Powell led the Gamecocks in scoring three straight seasons, was the leading rebounder in two of those seasons and won an NIT championship. He did all this with an infectious smile, and he truly seems to be one of the good guys in sports. Hopefully, the arrest Saturday night will be a learning experience for Powell. And we certainly hope to never see his name in police bookings again.

Thumbs up to Darlington Raceway and another outstanding Mother’s Day race weekend. With a new track surface, a new infield access tunnel and other improvements, the Lady in Black never looked better. And, with the Mother’s Day weekend race having sold out for the fourth straight year, Darlington seems to have cemented its place on the NASCAR schedule. That’s a lot better standing than the track “Too Tough to Tame” had following the 2004 season, when it lost its fall race and was in jeopardy of losing its spring race as well. “I think the talking of not having a race (at Darlington) has been quelled. If it hasn’t, it should have,” Jim Hunter, the former Darlington Raceway president and current NASCAR vice president of Corporate Communications, said after Saturday’s race. “There always will be a place for a race here.” Those are certainly good words for fans who love Darlington Raceway and the local economy that benefits from races being held there.