Personal Injury Attorney in Kingstree, SC

As The Meadows at Black River State Park nears its soft opening in early 2025, the public was encouraged to attend a presentation on Monday, November 4 to learn more about this northern point of the new Black River park system in South Carolina. S.C. Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism and the Open Space Institute presented updates on the Black River Parks Initiative at the event.

“We are in the buildout process of the Black River Water Trail and Parks network, and The Meadows is the biggest buildout we have going right now,” says Park Manager John Moon. The Black River State Park is made up of about eight tracks along the river and stretches all the way to Georgetown County. The total acreage of the project is around 7,500 acres presently and will eventually consist of 12 parks along 70 miles of river from Black River Landing in Williamsburg County to Rock Trail Point in the Chopee area of Georgetown.

The Meadows at Black River State Park is located nine miles from Kingstree, just two miles south of Coopers Country Store in Salters on Hwy. 521. The Meadows will provide a fun and accessible place to relax, explore, and spend time outdoors with friends and family with a boat ramp style kayak launch, small shelter, bathhouse/bathroom and a parking area for people to park, picnic area, short little nature trail, and eventually cabins and camp sites. Moon describes the site as a traditional state park that you generally see in the park service.

The Black River State Park is the first state park to be built in South Carolina in 20 years. The State Park will not only be a site for recreation for residents and visitors, it will celebrate and preserve the history of the Black River.

The Black River’s historical roots are deep, from the indigenous people who lived along its banks and used it for foraging, hunting, travel and commerce, to the enslaved Africans who farmed the large-scale rice farms that depended on the river. The river was witness to the Revolutionary and Civil War, both including significant activity along its banks.

The state park also insures the wilderness, the animals, and endangered species like the red-cockaded flatwoods salamanders that are native to the area are protected.

The park includes new scenic and recreational opportunities for local residents and visitors including gathering spaces, camp sites, walking trails, kayak entry points, and more along the banks of the Black River. The park will be a 100-mile-or-less day trip for 40% of SC residents.

Similar initiatives in Southwest Virginia and Knoxville have resulted in a significant rise in tourism resulting in tens of millions of dollars to the local economy. Most of the benefits of tourism in South Carolina historically has benefited coastal resort towns. This new trail of State Parks in the Black River State Park network could be an economic gamechanger for small, rural, inland communities along the historic Black River.

Unlike traditional State Parks, there is no land trail connecting the State Parks in this network, instead, the river is the trail that connects each individual park on the Black River. Each park will have its own trails, but they are not connected with trails in other parks. “The main attraction that ties them together is the Black River,” says Moon.

Black River Initiative is a project of the SC State Parks, Open Space Institute, The Nature Conservancy and Winyah Rivers Alliance. The project started coming together in 2018, and was the brain child of Open Space Institute, S.C. State Park Service, and stakeholders including The Nature Conservancy and S.C. Conservation Land Bank.

The presentation on November 4 was held at the Williamsburg County Council Chambers, 201 Main St., Kingstree from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Staff from the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism and the Open Space Institute presented maps and renderings, focusing especially on “The Meadows” at Black River State Park and presented information on the Narrows track of the project located in Andrews, as well as the Oxbow Bend, a more traditional park with camping cabins and picnic areas, and Indigo Crossing track, a more primitive style camping and water access point. The partnering organizations are still in the procurement, planning and permitting process for much of the state park, but aims to keep the public abreast of changes and progress along the way. Black River State Park is not expected to be completely finished until 2030.

Following historic improvements in South Carolina annual school report cards the Williamsburg County School Board of Trustees has begun to regain control of the District.

“I am delighted to announce that this year, every Williamsburg County elementary school improved an entire rating category on the statewide report cards, and every school in the district has received a rating of at least ‘average’,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. “With academic success data moving in the right direction, the local Board is ready for more oversight of district operations.”

South Carolina Department of Education under the leadership of State Superintendent Molly Spearman took over Williamsburg County School District in 2018 citing a state of emergency due to financial mismanagement, systemic issues, and poor student academic performance.

Marva Cannion was elected to the Williamsburg County School Board four years ago. She says when she was first elected to the board, they were not making any strides to regain control from the state. It has been an arduous process.

“Right now we are just so excited because it has been such a long journey,” says Cannion, who is now Board Chair. “This achievement is the result of collaboration and teamwork. I want to give accolades to the teachers for their innovative teaching practices, to thank the students for their hard work and dedication, and thank you to all of our staff and our community for supporting the board during this journey.”

Scott T. Price, Executive Director of the South Carolina School Boards Association said in a statement to the press, “This significant step forward highlights the mutual support and collaboration between the Williamsburg Board, State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, and the staff of the S.C. Department of Education, whose guidance has been instrumental in this progress. Their shared efforts and dedication have fostered growth, ensured accountability, and created an environment where educational standards can thrive.”

He credits Williamsburg County voters who “elected a nearly all-new board, bringing fresh leadership since the 2018 takeover.”

Williamsburg County School Board will return to regular operations, with the caveat that school board meeting minutes will be sent to the State Department for review. All voting and daily business of the school district are once again the responsibility of the school board. The State Department will meet with School District representatives after the current school year assessment test scores to discuss next steps.

For Cannion, the first order of business is to develop goals for the continued success and academic growth of Williamsburg County School District. “We are excited to get on with the job the citizens have entrusted to us.”

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) now hosts a free Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) instructional program mandated by the legislature as part of the Constitutional Carry Bill H. 3594, which is now state law. The statute requires two free CWP courses to be taught in each county of the state every month by SLED, a certified CWP Instructor, or local law enforcement in that county.

SLED partnered with certified instructors and select law enforcement agencies across the state to provide these classes free of charge to the citizens of South Carolina.

IMPORTANT:

• You must have a South Carolina driver’s license or own real property in South Carolina to be eligible to take a course.

• You must bring a handgun and 25 rounds of ammunition for the shooting portion of the class. You may make arrangements with the instructor ahead of time to rent a handgun to use during the course.

• You do not have to attend in the County you live in.

• You must be at least 18 years old attend the course.

This program does not replace or change existing classes currently being taught by instructors across the State, it is the same CWP program only free for the instructional part of the course.

TO REGISTER FOR A CLASS:

• Visit SLED’s website at www.sled.sc.gov/cwp_courses

• Select the County you wish to attend the course in and press the “Find Class Date” button.

• Submit your request to be added to the class by entering the date of one of the classes available on the schedule.

• Seven days before the class, you will be emailed class details and instructor information confirming your attendance.

Students will receive at least four hours of instruction on basic firearms safety, fundamentals, nomenclature, the law of self-defense, and laws related to carrying a firearm safely and legally in South Carolina. There is a 50 question multiple choice test and a 25 round qualification course of fire at the end of the course which must be passed with a 70% score or better to pass the course. Students with questions can email cwptraining@sled.sc.gov.

The IGA in Kingstree is getting a facelift and rebranding as Kj's Market. Both Kj’s Market and IGA Southeast are both owned by W. Lee Flowers located in Scranton. The company currently operates 58 grocery stores under the IGA and Kj’s names.

“We’re very excited to transition our IGA in Kingstree to the Kj’s Market banner,” says W. Lee Flowers Director of Marketing Caitlen Propst. “Our employees, product selection, and pricing will all remain the same so you’ll see the same smiling faces, just under a new name on the outside.”

W. Lee Flowers currently owns and operates the existing 32,000 sq. ft. IGA location, however the company made the decision to transition the brand to Kj’s Market. Along with the new name, the store will also be remodeled.

Kingstree Library celebrates the fall season

Some of Kj’s Market brand concepts coming to the Kingstree store are The Butcher Shop where guests can get custom cuts of meat, whole hogs for BBQ, and Butcher’s Bundle boxes. They are also bringing Bluebird Kitchen to the location which features a hometown menu of favorites like fried chicken and chicken bog with brand new scratch-made biscuits and fresh brewed coffee. Blue Bird Kitchen will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

A unique part of the Kj’s Market brand is its connection with the community. “We believe that the grocery store is similar to a good neighbor,” says Propst. “It’s a place where you’ll find friendly, smiling faces, and a cup of sugar or an egg, if needed.”

Kj’s Market will be partnering with the community in a number of ways, mainly centered around feeding the hungry, connecting with kids, and supporting local teachers. Their first community event will be a Mural Painting event in January, where a quilt-like mural will be painted on the outside of the store. “The community mural will represent the Kingstree community and serve as a reminder that each community is made up of so many beautiful, unique aspects that bring us together… much like a quilt,” Propst says.

Kingstree golfer makes first hole-in-one

The current IGA store has 59 employees. The company plans to increase the number of employees with the remodel and new concepts. A job fair event will be held on Thursday, November 14 at the store from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the Kj’s Market brand to our neighbors in the Kingstree community. Our purpose at Kj’s Market is to create smiles and we believe the remodeled store will do just that – create smiles over fresh brewed coffee, scratch made biscuits, custom cuts from your local butcher, and from the same friendly faces and pricing from when it was an IGA. Grand opening events are planned for early 2025 and will be announced online,” said Shane Holliday, Vice President of Retail Operations at W. Lee Flowers

Kj’s Market was formed in 2006, launching its first store in South Florence on Pamplico Hwy. The brand is owned by W. Lee Flowers, a subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc. and currently operates 29 locations throughout South Carolina and Georgia. More information can be found at KjsMarket.com