Thumbs up to those who give back

Thumbs up again to everyone who has helped people in the community be extra thankful this Thanksgiving. That includes comedian James Stephens III, a Dillon native, and Charlotte, N.C.-based Campus Crest Communities, who gave away 100 free turkeys at Outreach Family Church in Dillon; Pee Dee Health Care, which offered a community Thanksgiving dinner Sunday at Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology in Darlington; Eads Chiropractic, which sponsored Tuesday’s annual giveaway of 100 turkeys on Darlington Public Square; the staff and volunteers at Manna House who served the traditional feast to the hungry on Thursday, as they have each year since the early 1990s; the staff of and donors to both Manna House and Harvest Hope Food Bank, which are getting more requests for assistance than ever; and all others who went out of their way to demonstrate the holiday spirit.

Thumbs up to Nucor Corp. for planning to invest $45 million during the next five years at its Nucor Steel South Carolina Steel Mill in Darlington. Though the expansion won’t result in the creation of more jobs at the plant at 300 Steel Mill Road, the plant already is Darlington County’s fourth-largest employer. As Darlington County Council Chairman Billy Baldwin said, it’s important for Nucor to reinvest in technology and modernization at the plant to remain competitive and keep its workers employed. The Darlington mill produces concrete reinforcing bars, hot rolled bars, rod, light shapes, structural angles and channels using 100 percent recycled steel. The expansion will include improvements to the existing steel mill facility, and more investments will be made through the expansion of the existing baghouse, the acquisition of land and growth in the mill’s special bar quality capabilities. Goz Segars, the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership chairman, said it best: “In the midst of the national economic situation, it is gratifying for Nucor to show their confidence in our community by announcing this investment in their Darlington mill. Existing industries are the backbone of our community, and we must continue to look for opportunities to support them.”

Thumbs up to Florence County Council for approving almost $300,000 toward a new S.C. Justice Department court case management system so as to secure an addition to nearly $1 million from the state for the system. The systems is in three parts: one apiece for the jail, courts and solicitor’s office. Twelfth Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III told council he wants to ensure the new system would allow his office to continue to view records maintained by the jail and clerk of court’s office, and county information technology officials said they’re working to ensure that type of access will continue after the transition. Florence County Administrator Richard Starks said the system has been installed in 20 of the state’s counties. But he said the state could mandate the new system and the county would then have to pay the entire cost for the hardware and software. Florence County hopes to make the switch while the state money, which comes from a federal grant, still is available. With the economy being the way it is, it’s smart for council to get that additional funding in hand while it’s there.