It is often difficult to discern through the fog of letters and numbers, percentages and demographic breakdowns swirling above the cauldron of alphabet soup of state school assessments just what those assessments assess. HSAP. PASS. ESEA. Are we measuring whether or not students have mastered the material and are fully armed and equipped to enter […]

One can only imagine that there have been better times to be a member of Fairfield County Council, historically speaking. An alleged pornography scandal within the former County Administrator’s office, the true nature and severity of which is still shrouded in an official SLED investigation, was bad enough to send that Administrator packing and to […]

After weeks of turmoil and months of rumor and speculation, Fairfield’s County Administrator has resigned. May he find better fortune on his journey and in his future endeavors. For whatever his faults may have been, his record of openness (with the local media, at least) is beyond reproach. In his nearly 12 years in the […]

Somewhere in Fairfield County, stowed away like the remnants of a crashed flying saucer, there is a recreation building without a home. Once destined for a plot of land in Western Fairfield, the crated remains of the County’s former future recreation plan has become an expensive albatross; bought and paid for, delivered in full and […]

Although the public hearing for Fairfield County’s 2013-2014 budget was held three weeks ago, Monday night Council chambers were abuzz with more static than an offshore pirate radio station as citizens from both ends of the county pounded the microphone and bent Council’s collective ear. While an impressive turnout petitioned Council for more recreational opportunities, […]

The truth can be a hard thing to take, particularly if it is unpleasant. And especially if it is true. The truth is that it is easier to get a bad reputation than it is to get rid of one. And right now, Fairfield County seems to have one, and in the worst places. As […]

Time heals all wounds. Unless your wound is a leaking roof or exposed wiring. Time does not heal those things. It makes them worse. Much worse. For historic architecture, stemming the tide of time requires constant maintenance and upkeep. Occupancy also seems to help; something there is about a building that wants people in it. […]

The Town of Winnsboro’s long, arid nightmare, apparently, is over. After a year of living with the fear that FEMA tankers and National Guard airlifts may, at any minute, be their only source of potable water, Town Council lifted mandatory water restrictions Tuesday night. A rainy winter and the relief of Winnsboro’s Blythewood responsibilities by […]

In the world of Fairfield County government, apparently, there are bonds and then there are bonds. There are the quiet, unassuming bonds, from which taxpayers perceive no pain and that coast right through channels without so much as a bug on their windshield, and then there are the bonds that appear to hit every bumper […]

For the candidates who long ago threw their hats into the ring for the Town of Winnsboro’s municipal elections, April 2 is looming rather large in their respective windshields right now; and for voters in this year’s critical cycle, some serious and difficult choices are going to have to be made. It is no secret […]