The (Columbia) State on the S.C. Board of Education's reprimand of two school boards, July 31:
Only time will tell whether state officials made the right decision when they gave two failing schools more time to turn things around, rather than launching another state takeover; we certainly hope they did.
But the decision by state Education Superintendent Jim Rex and the state Board of Education to publicly reprimand the school boards that were supposed to be working to improve those schools was undoubtedly right – and long overdue. We hope it signals a new willingness to hold school boards responsible for their actions – or lack thereof.
The (Rock Hill) Herald on Doug McKown's resignation as coroner, July 30:
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Doug McKown's decision to resign as York County coroner was appropriate both in terms of the public's interest and his own.
McKown's career as coroner was abruptly interrupted in 2006 by allegations arising from his presence at the sale of cocaine by his girlfriend to a police informant. After he was charged with felony cocaine violations, McKown was suspended from office by Gov. Mark Sanford.
McKown was acquitted of the felony charges at his trial in May. But he was sentenced to a year's probation after being convicted of unlawfully possessing a prescription drug, a misdemeanor charge tied to a half-pill of Viagra that police found during a search of his home.
After the trial, McKown was reinstated as coroner. He immediately sought back pay from the county for the time that he had been under suspension. County officials disputed McKown's claim that he was entitled to the money.
But that issue now may be moot. McKown has resigned less than two months after returning to office in the wake of a July 17 incident in Lincoln County, N.C., where authorities say McKown was drinking beer while driving a county vehicle and traveling with a man suspected of smoking crack cocaine inside the car.
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