Water quality a priority with Forestry Commission Harvesting Guidelines

Landowners planning to cut timber can protect the environment by using water quality guidelines. Free services from the SC Forestry Commission can help prevent erosion and protect streams during timber harvesting.

The guidelines, called Best Management Practices (“BMPs”) for Forestry, help logging operations avoid environmental impacts. On request, Forestry Commission specialists will provide on-site recommendations and assistance with a free Courtesy Exam.

“BMPs are a part of good forest stewardship. They are designed to protect streams and also contribute to scenic beauty, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation,” says the Commission’s Guy Sabin. A Courtesy Exam almost always results in higher compliance with Best Management Practices.

The Forestry Commission also monitors logging operations and cooperates with SC Department of Health and Environmental Control to take action when failure to follow guidelines affects water quality. Experts say that South Carolina loggers get high marks with 98.6% overall BMP compliance.

Coastal Plain League Alums Highlight 2009 MLB All-Star Teams

Three former Coastal Plain League standouts were recently named 2009 MLB All-Stars. Boston’s Kevin Youkilis (Florence, 1999), Detroit’s Justin Verlander (Wilson, 2002) and Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman (Peninsula, 2003) were all named to the 2009 MLB All-Star Teams for their respective leagues.

Youkilis, the starting first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, is making his second appearance as an American League All-Star. He is currently batting .301 this season, and has hit 14 home runs and knocked in 47 RBIs for the Red Sox in 2009. The Red Sox are currently holding onto the number one spot in the AL-East standings going into the week.

While with the Florence RedWolves in 1999, Youkilis batted .284 and racked up 16 RBIs. He also went onto be named as the starting third baseman for the South Division CPL All-Star Team. He is also a member of the Coastal Plain League’s All-Decade Team.

Also making his second appearance as an AL All-Star, Verlander, leads the AL with 130 strikeouts. The Tigers right-hander has an 8-4 record and a 3.54 ERA. Thanks in part to Verlander’s dominance on the mound, Detroit currently holds the top spot in the AL- Central standings.

As a member of the Wilson Tobs in 2002, Verlander had an ERA of 2.68 and a record of 1-4, yet still struck out 54 batters in his seven appearances on the mound before being selected as the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft. Verlander was also selected to the CPL’s All-Decade Team in 2006.

Zimmerman, meanwhile, was selected as a MLB All-Star for the first time in his career. The Nationals third baseman is off to the best start of his career, after posting the longest hitting streak of 2009 – 30 consecutive games – earlier this season. On the season Zimmerman, is batting .293 and he has slammed 13 home runs while bringing in 47 RBIs.

While playing with the Peninsula Pilots in 2003, he earned team best marks in batting average (.331), hits (47), slugging percentage (.423) and total bases (60). Numbers like those saw Zimmerman named to the CPL’s All-Decade Team.

Furthermore, in the Final Vote race for the last spot on the NL All-Star team roster is former Fayetteville SwampDogs player and current Arizona Diamondback, Mark Reynolds. Reynolds is one of five NL players up for that final spot, giving fans the opportunity to vote and choose which one will make the team. Reynolds leads all third baseman in home runs and RBIs with 24 and 61 respectively. On the season, he is batting .269 with 81 hits. Back in 2003 as a SwampDog, Reynolds had 11 hits, nine RBIs and three home runs in his 16 games.

Fans can help vote for Reynolds by visiting http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2009/fv/ballot.html. Voting for the final spots on the MLB All- Star Teams ends Thursday at 1 p.m., with the winners being announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter. The 80th MLB All-Star Game will be on July 14 in St. Louis.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com.

BI-LO Launches Campaign to Promote Local Farmers and Produce

As summer heats up, BI-LO stores are ripe with an abundance of fresh, flavorful local produce. The crisp, cool program in South Carolina seeks to educate customers about the benefits and variety of produce options that are available throughout the summer and into the fall, thanks to local farmers across the state.

The company’s local produce initiative is designed to help showcase the farmers BI-LO partners with to provide locally grown produce. The produce is of the highest quality, freshness and sustainability – all major criteria for any Walter’s produce sold at BI-LO. To ensure that the local produce meets Walter’s high standards of quality and freshness, it is inspected three times: at the farm, at the warehouse and at the store.

BI-LO ensures that its local produce is left untouched until it’s fully ripened, packed with the maximum amount of flavorful, natural nutrients. This attention to detail results in produce that’s sweeter, juicier, longer lasting and extremely healthy. The company only works with farmers that yield the best, most consistently fresh produce.

“Nearly 50 percent of BI-LO’s produce comes from farmers across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee,” said Bob Denomme, Director of Produce with BI-LO. “Throughout the summer months we hope our customers will taste first-hand our extensive selection of high-quality, fresh and affordable local produce.”

Hot days, humid nights and rich soil make South Carolina one of the best places in the country to grow produce. BI-LO’s local produce campaign highlights partnerships with local farmers in South Carolina, including: Phil Sandifer Farm of Blackville, S.C., Randy Johnson Farm of Pageland, S.C., who grow watermelons, Rawls Farm of Pelion, S.C., who grow greens, Titan Farms of Ridge Spring, S.C., who grow peaches, Coosaw Farms of Fairfax, S.C., Hillard Farms of Santee, S.C., who grow mustard seeds, turnips, collard greens and rutabagas, Northside Greenhouse of Travelers Rest, S.C., who grow flowers and John’s Island Charleston Farm of Johns Island, S.C., among many others.

In addition to the great quality and price benefits customers gained by buying local, they are also helping out the local economy and protecting the environment by purchasing locally grown produce. Selecting this produce not only supports the farmers, but also the distributors and drivers that transport the product from the fields to the stores. On average, trucks carrying local produce emit four times less emissions than trucks carrying produce grown in the global market, so the miles to deliver the product are reduced by transporting local produce, lessening greenhouse emissions and driver’s reliance on oil for gas.

SF standout returns to Florence, will play for FMU

Francis Marion University softball coach Stacey Vallee has announced that former South Florence High School standout Brittany Cannon will be transferring from Santa Fe College to FMU and will play for the Patriots this coming season.

Cannon, a 5-8 native of Florence, is a left-handed center fielder. She played two honor-laden seasons for coach Chris Ahern at Santa Fe.

This past spring, she earned first-team All-American honors from both the NJCAA and the NFCA. She was named the FCCAA state Player of the Year following both of her seasons with the Saints. She was also a first-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman.

In 2009, she batted a school-record .508 with 74 runs scored, 12 doubles, 10 triples, six home runs, 40 runs batted in, and 51 stolen bases (in 53 attempts). She compiled a .528 on-base percentage and did not commit an error in 60 fielding chances. She helped lead Santa Fe to a 47-9 record and a Top 10 national ranking. She ranked seventh in the NJCAA in stolen bases, 12th in batting average, and 22nd in on-base percentage.

As a freshman, she set school records for hits (115), doubles (23), triples (15), and runs scored (85), while batting .491 with six home runs, 49 RBIs, and 50 stolen bases. She helped lead the Saints to a 62-5-1 record, the state championship, and a spot in the NJCAA national championship game.

She ended her two-year career owning the school’s career marks for hits, average, doubles, triples, runs scored, and stolen bases.

At South Florence, she played for coach Bobby Jones and helped the Bruins to a pair of AAAA state championships (2006, 2007). She earned numerous All-State honors and was named Miss Softball as a senior by the High School Sports Report.

“We are so excited about Brittany returning to Florence and attending Francis Marion,” said Vallee. “She may arguably be the most decorated recruit our program has ever signed. Her stats and honors speak for themselves. She will immediately fill our void in center field, and add power and speed to our line-up.”

Cannon will join nine players who previously committed to the Patriots: infielder Tristan Faile of Lancaster, S.C., catcher-outfielder Olivia Ferguson of Roanoke, Va., catcher-first baseman Annie Hegar of Jefferson, N.C., catcher-infielder Meghan Heiser of Sacramento, Calif., shortstop Jessica Hogan of Asheboro, N.C., right-handed pitcher Cea Knox of Myrtle Beach, right-handed pitcher Rayna McClinton of Columbia, left-handed pitcher Murphy McConnell of Milton, Ga., and utility player Jamie Ross of Cape Coral, Fla.

Francis Marion finished the 2009 season with a 32-19 record, and narrowly missed earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Dog Days Begin

The dog days (a period of 40 days starting July 3 and ending August 11) are named for the Dog Star, Sirius, which is visible with the rising Sun at this time. Ancients associated this sky picture with the hot days that coincided with it.

From Old farmers Almanac

Carolinas Hospital System Announces Director of Patient Financial Services

Carolinas Hospital System is pleased to announce that Robert Boos is the new Director of Patient Financial Services. Prior to joining Carolinas Hospital System, Boos served as Associate Director of Healthcare for Navigant Consulting, Inc.

He has over 20 years of business office management experience, including serving as Associate Director of Healthcare for Navigant Consulting, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois; Revenue Cycle Director for MedCath, Inc., a 12 hospital system based in Charlotte, North Carolina and as a Central Business Office Director for a five-hospital 1,080 bed system for Tenet Healthcare System, Delray Beach, Florida. His professional affiliations include: American Association of Healthcare Administrative Managers and Healthcare Financial Management Association.

AME Church returns to Florence in growing numbers

For several years now the African Methodist
Episcopal (AME) Church has been gathering in Florence for its annual Christian
Education Leadership Congress which will begin Monday, July 6th through
Friday, July 10th at the Florence Civic Center. This 2009 AME Leadership
Congress is expected to generate a direct economic impact of $1.4 million and a
rollover in the amount of $3.5 - $4.9 million for the Florence area. Additionally,
the conference is expected to draw over 2,000 attendees per day contributing to
an increase in the purchase of food, accommodations, products and services for
the Florence area.

“We strive to provide our community with an array of civic engagements similar to
the AME Convention” says Tina Dean, Director of Sales and Marketing for the
Florence Civic Center. “We provide professional conference coordinating for the
group not only to host a successful engagement, but to also supply economic
value to the surrounding area via the several thousand patrons in attendance.”

This year’s AME Leadership Congress will feature dynamic worship experiences
each evening, Monday through Thursday at 7 p.m., with the closing service on
Friday at 10 a.m. Powerful preaching will be delivered all week long from
Reverend Merrit Graves of Mt. Zion AME Church, SC; Bishop Violet Fisher,
retired Bishop of United Methodist Episcopal Church; Reverend Carey Grady of
St. Peters AME Church, Lisle, IL; retired AME Bishop Zedekiah Grady and Dr.
Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple Church, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Jamal Bryant
is the son of AME Senior Bishop John Bryant and currently serves as pastor of
The Empowerment Temple, the fastest growing church in the AME
denomination.

Each day, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., the AME Leadership Congress will also
offer workshops on a variety of subjects such as Black Church History,
Entrepreneurial Exploration, and Youth and Young Adult Biblical Studies. For a
complete listing of activities contact the AME Church at (803) 935-0500 or
www.ame7.org.