Our View

The basic rationale behind allowing homeschoolers to participate in extracurricular activities at public schools seems reasonable. But the devil is in the details.

The question now is, should the Justice Department approve an emergency measure from the S.C. Legislature that would retroactively change the rules for the 2012 elections?

Congratulations to the Fort Mill High School Girls’ Lacrosse Team for its dramatic run to the state championship.

In another case of the foxes guarding the henhouse, board members for the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control last week criticized federal air pollution rules because they might have a negative effect on industry.

A public school “choice” bill is advancing in the state Senate that, if it becomes law, would allow students to attend any public school in any district they and their parents choose. It’s certainly not in the best interest of our local systems.

We understand the motivation behind the bill in the S.C. House to bar independents and Democrats from voting in South Carolina’s first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary. State Republicans don’t want outsiders meddling in their affairs.

Opponents of so-called school choice bills need to be ever vigilant.

To put it bluntly, the owners of a dilapidated tower on the site of the former Heritage USA in Fort Mill have a lot of nerve threatening to sue York County if the county doesn’t go along with their latest plan to renovate the tower. If anything, the county should be suing.

This is Sunshine Week. It’s the time of year when we focus the spotlight on the need for complete transparency in government, particularly when it comes to public meetings and records.

Last month, we published two articles to inform the public that we had difficulties trying to obtain routine field reports from the Fort Mill Police Department for the police blotter section we compile and print every week. Now, we’re happy to say, without reservation, that the department – and Fort Mill town government as a whole – is firmly committed to the ideals of freedom of information.

The Fort Mill School Board wants S.C. lawmakers to change a 2007 law that restricts public schools from beginning a new academic year before the third Monday in August. They’re not alone. Last week, school officials in York said they, too, want more latitude for deciding when classes should begin each year.

Imagine this: You’re an ordinary citizen who gets involved with something that may be morally questionable, but not illegal. Say it’s an affair with the spouse of well connected local official.

If there’s one common thread that runs through success stories in all sectors of life, it’s preparation. And that’s one of the reasons the Town of Fort Mill’s S.C. Strawberry Festival has been such a big hit.

The goal of recent legislation in South Carolina and a number of other states has been to erect barriers to voting. We think it is equally important to find ways to encourage people to vote.

From excessively barking dogs and other loud noises to cars blocking common driveways, there’s a long list of nuisances residents and officials in Tega Cay want to address.