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Good morning: Today's top stories:
Hebrew Orphan Society
Friday Night Lights in Mount Pleasant
Remembering Charlie Way
Songbirds Spread Wings South For Fall
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The Hebrew Orphan Society was established in Charleston in July 1801
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Harlan Greene
Charleston Magazine
The former Hebrew Orphan Society building on Broad Street, now in private hands, served as a home for orphans right before and during the Civil War.
On July 15, 1801, the Hebrew Orphan Society was established in Charleston. Incorporated a year later, it is the oldest such Jewish charitable organization in continuous existence in the United States.
This distinction should not be surprising because Jewish people were welcomed to Carolina from the beginning, offering them freedom of religion often denied elsewhere. Having arrived by the 1690s, Jewish settlers prospered. They formed a congregation at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim in 1749, started a Benevolent Society in 1789 (not incorporated until 1830), and in 1833, purchased a building for the Orphan Society at 88 Broad Street, which they owned for nearly a century. (Although no longer owned by the society, the building, in private hands, sports a marble plaque in Hebrew on its facade.)
Records of tuition payments by the Orphan Society for five children from 1819-1820.
The society’s founders included Revolutionary War veterans David Cardozo, Gershom Cohen, and Marks Lazarus; Emanuel De La Motta and Moses Levy, some of the original founders of the US Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Masonry; politicians like Aaron Lopez and Solomon Cohen (both later mayors of Georgetown); as well as merchants and philanthropists.
The charity’s “bounty” was used to support Jewish orphans in homes and offer aid to widows and indigent children.
The Hebrew Orphan Society’s 1867 Constitution.
The building was used by both Jewish and Christian organizations, secular and religious, and in the mid-19th century, hosted a Hebrew school. It was only used to house orphans right before and during the Civil War.
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Friday Night Football in Mount Pleasant | |
Friday Night Lights: Shining in Mount Pleasantt
Posted by MPM Leave a Comment
Top Row (left to right): Mikey Rosa, Eli Nelson Middle Row (left to right): Ellison Driggers, Kaitlyn Aquino, Zach Hagedon Front: Jimmy Webb.
It’s autumn in the South, and we all know what that means: helmets crashing, cheerleaders jumping and crowds roaring. The Friday night lights are blazing, so it’s time to introduce you to three of Mount Pleasant’s brightest football stars.
At Oceanside Collegiate Academy, senior Zach Hagedon is helping build a football legacy. His senior class is only the fourth to graduate from the young charter school. This is also only Hagedon’s fourth year of football; prior to high school, he played soccer. But American football was always in his blood.
“I watched football my whole life,” he said. “I had to try it.”
He tried out, made the team, and became a key defensive player for Oceanside.
“I played linebacker my freshman year and learned I really like tackling people. That’s where I make a big impact.”
Since then, he’s settled into other defensive roles, including cornerback and safety.
“I’m looking forward to making a last run with the players and friends I’ve been with for the last four years and trying to win the state championship,” he said. “We’ve been working so hard. It’ll be nice to see it pay off.”
Next year, Hagedon plans to go to college. Coastal Carolina is his dream school, but he’ll see where the next few months take him
Over at Lucy Beckham High School, quarterback Jimmy Webb is pumped. Literally. He’s been working out hard his whole life, waiting for this moment.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 5 years old,” he relayed. “I started with flag football, then moved up through the ranks.”
He used to be a lineman, both offensive and defensive, which requires a very specific size and physique. However, after a year of diving into the weight room and nutrition planning, Webb and his coaches realized he wasn’t fitting into that mold anymore. They moved him to start at quarterback.
“I grew up playing baseball,” said Webb. “I had a good arm already, but I owe everything to Coach Hart, the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He brought me up from scratch.”
For his senior year, Webb said, “I want us to do the best we can. There’s no reason we can’t be the best team in the state. We have the talent at every position. We’ve [beaten] teams that other schools didn’t think we could. So why not us?”
His is the first senior class at Lucy Beckham.
“I think being the first class that’ll graduate, I’ve really been able to make my mark on the school. And for the younger guys on the team, I’ve tried to be a role model and leader, on and off the field.”
For college, Webb hopes to stay in state. While he’s gone to a few football camps and on a few tours, he’s not sure he’ll play in college. But there’s still a whole season ahead of him. That’s what’s most important to him at the moment.
Of course, we can’t talk about Mount Pleasant football without including Wando High School, one of the biggest schools in the state. It’s there that senior Mikey Rosa is getting ready to have the season of his life.
“I’ve been playing since elementary school,” offered the starting linebacker. “Football is my whole life. It’s my favorite thing in the world. It’s my escape from the world. Football gets my mind off everything else. You just play.”
As a linebacker, he’s a leader of the Wando defensive squad.
“You’ll see me on the field, yelling my head off,” he said. “It’s my job to recognize the strengths in the other team’s offense and get people where they need to be.”
Rosa spent much of the summer injured but has been cleared to play. The whole team’s been working hard in the weight room, implementing a new strength and conditioning program. Rosa hopes to make his own mark by being a leader and helping to shift the team culture to be even more of a winning one.
He told Mount Pleasant Magazine, “I want to help raise these freshman and sophomores and shape them into what a winning team looks like. I want to show them how to do it on and off the field.”
Unlike Hagedon and Webb, Rosa knows where he’s going to college, but he’s keeping that info close to his chest for a while. He’s excited about the future, but right now, he’s focused on the present. That means making his senior season at Wando truly incredible.
You can catch Hagedon, Webb and Rosa on the field for the next few months of Fridays, where their talents are sure to shine as brightly as the lights cast upon them. Cheers to all of them for representing Mount Pleasant. We wish them each a safe season.
Photo by Mark Staff
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Songbirds Spread Wings South For Fall
By Sarah Harper for The Island Connection
Every year, millions of songbirds migrate from North America south to the tropics to spend their nonbreeding season at their overwintering grounds.
This phenomenon is referred to as fall migration, although the season actually starts from mid to late summer. Early fall migrants are already passing through the Lowcountry, including shorebirds and some songbirds.
This week, I observed a piping plover and a Louisiana waterthrush on Sullivan’s Island close to Station 16.
The Sullivan’s Island Bird Banding Station will soon be banding early migrants, such as traill’s flycatchers, American redstarts and yellow warblers. The young male painted bunting in the photo was banded in May of this year. Painted buntings are regular breeders in the scrubby coastal habitat found here in the Lowcountry. They will depart our area to overwinter in Central America and the Caribbean. I encounter them at the bird banding station throughout the fall until about the second week of November. You can attract painted buntings to your feeders by offering them white millet. Even after the painted buntings clear out, you can still attract a variety of birds to your feeder by offering a mixture of millet and black oil sunflower seeds.
Adding a block of suet will attract an even wider variety of birds. Chipping sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, red breasted nuthatches and yellow-throated warblers are regular visitors at my feeders each fall.
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By ELIZABETH BUSH
Daniel Island News
Imagine hundreds of pounds of trash. Now imagine it in your living room.
Such is life for the plethora of animals, birds, sea turtles, dolphins and other creatures that have to navigate around refuse left behind by humans in the delicate coastal ecosystem they call home.
But soon their world will get a bit cleaner – thanks to an army of volunteers who will gather across the state in the coming weeks, including on the Daniel Island waterfront, to help clean up garbage from beaches, riverfronts and inland areas.
The 33rd annual Beach/River Sweep has been happening the third weekend of September nearly every year since 1988. And in that time, more than 154,000 South Carolinians have collected over 1,200 tons of trash. Led by the Sea Grant Consortium and SCDNR, it’s the largest one-day volunteer waterway cleanup event in the Palmetto State.
“It’s extremely important for coastal South Carolina and the entire state,” said Susan Ferris Hill, Coastal Coordinator, Beach Sweep/River Sweep, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium. “... If we didn’t organize the Sweep each year, much of the trash could still be on our beaches and in our marshes, creeks and rivers, which are ecologically important habitats, as well as economically important areas in terms of recreation and tourism.”
In 2021, at the event on Daniel Island, organized and led by island resident Andrea Kelly, some 175 pounds of garbage was cleared from marshlands and coastal areas and hauled away.
“It’s hugely impactful,” said Kelly, of the group’s efforts. “Take 100 pounds of trash and dump it in your bedroom. Let me know how you feel about that… That is the backyard of otters and dolphins and shorebirds and it’s their bedroom, it’s their living room, it’s their happy place, and it’s majorly impactful on that level.”
The 2022 Daniel Island Beach/River Sweep is set to launch from the Daniel Island Recreation Center at Governor’s Park at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 (a different date than the state events due to the Heroes Run on Daniel Island on Sept. 17). Kelly is hoping to have scores of volunteers of all ages on hand to take part.
“I’ve worked with Andrea for quite some time and she has all of the characteristics of being a great site captain and team leader,” Ferris Hill noted. “Andrea is passionate, energetic, resourceful and truly cares about the Daniel Island community! She has grown the local cleanup effort tremendously over the years. In fact, this year she is expecting over 180 volunteers, which is awesome!”
Pre-registration is not required for the Daniel Island event and those interested in helping need only to show up – ready to dig in. Volunteers will spread out to marsh and shoreline areas to conduct the clean-up.
“We create the mess, collectively, and especially here on the coast, there is such an abundant ecosystem that is so reliant on having as pristine an environment as possible,” Kelly added. “And when we go out and we boat and accidentally our plastic bottle flies out, or accidentally our Styrofoam ‘to go’ container flies out, oftentimes people don’t turn around. They think it’s not a big deal, but it is a big deal.”
Wildlife can become entangled in debris, she said, or ingest something that is harmful to them.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility because the life that depends on this ecosystem cannot clean it up, and they did not make the mess,” Kelly continued. “If you want to enjoy this ecosystem that we have, and we’re so lucky to have it…it really is our responsibility to take care of it. You shouldn’t enjoy it if you’re not going to take care of it.”
“Keeping our coast, and our state, clean is incredibly important for the creatures and people who call South Carolina home, as well as visitors,” Ferris Hill added. “… The old mantra, ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ has never been more important.”
The Saint Clare of Assisi parish based on Daniel Island has been a big supporter of the Daniel Island Beach/River Sweep in recent years. In 2021, 65 volunteers from the church joined the effort, from grade school students to grandparents, and they hope to surpass that number this year.
“The River Sweep is an opportunity to be a blessing in our immediate neighborhood of Daniel Island,” said TJ Cofield, Saint Clare’s director of child formation. “And we believe God calls us to love and serve our brothers and sisters in our neighborhood, our city, our country, and in all the world. Also, one of the main themes of Catholic Social Teaching is caring for God’s creation, so the River Sweep gives our parishioners an opportunity to do just that – take care of God’s creation and do our little bit to protect the Earth’s environment.”
Kelly is always amazed at what volunteers collect during the annual event. In the past, they have gathered up old tires, coolers, and even rolls of discarded carpet. While she has noticed a reduction in the number of plastic bags in waterways and marshes, due largely to recent legislation banning them, there has been an uptick in construction debris. Statewide, a number of unusual items have been recorded in trash tallies.
“Volunteers have found a lot of strange items – strange because they shouldn’t be dumped in the environment in the first place,” Ferris Hill added. “Fifty-five gallon drums, broken TV sets, tires, everything including the kitchen sink! But the most unusual item found was a very old, small encrusted pistol, called a ‘poker player’ that I took to the Charleston Museum to have identified.”
For more information on the Daniel Island Beach/River Sweep on Oct. 1, email Kelly at atkgeneral@gmail.com or visit the Sea Grant Consortium scseagrant.org/bsrs/.
WANT TO GO?
Daniel Island Recreation Center
160 Fairbanks Drive, Daniel Island
Saturday, Oct. 1
9 a.m.
Come help clean up our marshes and coastline! All are welcome. Meet at the tent outside the Daniel Island Recreation Center at Governor’s Park. Bring water, bug spray, sunscreen, a trash picker and gloves (if possible). A hat, closed-toe shoes/lace up marsh boots, long-sleeved shirts and long pants are also recommended. Donuts, drinks and other supplies will be provided. For more information, contact Site Captain Andrea (An) True Kelly at 919-943-5023 or atkgeneral@gmail.com.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Statewide
1,553 Volunteers
8,848.85 Pounds of trash collected
108.195 Miles covered
Daniel Island Wando River shoreline
130 Volunteers
175 Pounds of trash collected
.5 Miles covered
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Oyster Season in Mount Pleasant
The world is your oyster when it comes to how you prefer to eat them. Mount Pleasant is home to the freshest and most delicious shellfish in the Lowcountry!
From raw to Rockefeller, oysters are dished a countless number of ways in Mount Pleasant!
Local knowledge dictates that if a month has the letter 'R' in its name, that is when you can enjoy the best local oysters. Continue on below to see the most popular ways to find oysters in Mount Pleasant!
Oysters On The Half-Shell
Served raw on the half shell over a bed of ice, typically with a side of lemon and mignonette sauce.
Fried Oysters
Crispy and golden to perfection, fried oysters are a local favorite and may come with fixins such as red rice and coleslaw.
Steamed Oysters
Rather than shucking before cooking, steamed oysters are cooked until the shells pop open and then eaten with oyster knives.
Oysters Rockefeller
Oysters Rockefeller is a baked or broiled oyster that is topped with a sauce made of butter, herbs, and breadcrumbs.
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Charles S. Way Jr., a visionary business leader known for his civic, philanthropic and professional imprint on Charleston and South Carolina, died Sept. 6. | |
A city mourns the death of Charlie S. Way
By Charles deV. Williams
Mount Pleasant Journal
"He did a great job recruiting new business and serving as the voice of South Carolina business in my Administration," said (former governor) Jim Hodges. "He had a terrific business career, developing Kiawah Island, leading The Beach Company and helping lead the growth and development of the spectacular community of Charleston. Anyone who knew Charlie would describe him as devoted to family."
“He was a pillar of the community with an extensive list of accomplishments and accolades,” he said. “These are a testament to his love of the Palmetto State. He will be missed dearly.”
John Darby, president, and CEO of The Beach Co
Charles S. Way Jr. will go down in the history books as perhaps the most eminent businessman South Carolina has ever known.
And one of its biggest benefactors.
Way, who died Sept. 6, was 84.
Charlie was not only a prescient business leader but he had a reputation of supporting his community through civic, philanthropic and professional contributions,
leaving an indelible mark on not only Charleston but South Carolina.
Charlie was the former president of the burgeoning real estate development firm The Beach Co. of Charleston.
He followed in the footsteps of his father-in-law, John Charles Long (known to everyone as J.C.), a prominent Charleston attorney who purchased 1,300 acres of land on the Isle of Palms and then proceeded to pave the roads, new bridges and new homes.
HELP FOR S.C. STATE
Every time Charlie was asked to shore up a pending disaster, he answered the call.
In 2015, he was named chairman of the new SC State Board of Trustees in 2015 after state lawmakers removed all previous members amid financial struggles and nearly lost its accreditation.
Way retired from the board in 2017 after he felt the school was in good financial shape.
"When we needed him most," said SC State President Alexander Conyers. "Mr. Way brought stability to our beloved university during doubts about the institution's future. He firmly believed in SC State's mission to educate the state's minority and underserved populations, so we are forever indebted to him for his leadership, guidance, and perseverance."
Way later retired from the board in 2017 after he felt the school was in good financial shape.
Current SC State Board Chairman Rodney C. Jenkins said Way helped set a path for the university's recovery.
"The foundation he and other members of the new board set for SC State paved the way for the tremendous successes we are enjoying today," Jenkins said. "I pray for God’s continued blessings upon his family and friends during this time of bereavement and beyond."
Former South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges said Way was his first gubernatorial appointment as Secretary of Commerce and remembered him as being devoted to his family.
"He did a great job recruiting new business and serving as the voice of South Carolina business in my Administration," said Hodges. "He had a terrific business career, developing Kiawah Island ( Way spearheaded the multimillion-dollar purchase of Kiawah Island in 1988)., leading The Beach Company, and helping lead the growth and development of the Charleston area.
Anyone who knew Charlie would describe him as devoted to family.
"He and Mary Ellen were blessed with a large family with many children and grandchildren.
"When my dad died over a decade ago, Charlie came all the way to Lancaster to attend the funeral. A nice gesture from a wonderful man. He set the standard for family leadership and friendship."
John Darby, president, and CEO of The Beach Co. called Way the patriarch of the firm.
“He was a pillar of the community with an extensive list of accomplishments and accolades,” he said. “These are a testament to his love of the Palmetto State. He will be missed dearly.”
Way’s civic efforts fanned out across South Carolina and spanned fields of interest.
He was chairman of Spoleto Festival USA, helping the still-fledgling international arts festival in Charleston out of imperiling debt.
“Charlie Way’s contributions to our state, during his time in both public service and private business, are plentiful and admirable,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “His life is marked with service to a grateful state and to his loving family.”
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg commended his determination in guiding an organization in dire financial straits.
“He was the one pushing it out of the ditch,” he said. Their families have known each other since both lived in Orangeburg, and Tecklenburg’s father and Way were close friends.
Way’s work on behalf of his beloved state was vast and varied.
He was appointed chairman of the S.C State Retirement Systems Investment Panel by former Gov. David Beasley and was elected to the executive committee and board of directors of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.
He also worked on behalf of the S.C. Aquarium, the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina.
He served on the board of directors of the Gaillard Performance Hall Foundation and was vice chairman of the Gaillard Management Co.
Nigel Redden, former general director of Spoleto Festival USA, first met Way in 1985. As festival chairman, Way had become as integral to the organization as Mayor Joe Riley and College of Charleston President Ted Stern. The Redden and Way families became dear friends, with the Ways becoming godparents to the Reddens’ first child, and both broods regularly traveling together to Italy.
As Spoleto chairman, Way was second to none, Redden said. He supported artistic risk-taking even when the bottom line rendered it precarious. He attended most every performance, along with his wife Mary Ellen, deploying a good nature and dry wit for some of the festival’s more outré offerings. He often traveled on behalf of the festival and was never afraid to ask a prospective funder for a check.
That included some off-the-wall circumstances, like being game for his friend David Rawle’s notion to have The Flying Wallendas circus act at the festival, which then entailed a troupe member high-wire traversing Broad Street. Another time, when a last-minute need arose to book Mikhail Baryshnikov for a foundering event, Way produced a private plane to collect the ballet legend.
Riley recalled that it was always a plus working with Way, whom he remembers as far-sighted and energetic, whether it was on behalf of Spoleto, the founding of The Charleston Place or the renovation of the Gaillard Center.
“People like Charlie Way are few and far between. They really adjust the needle in a positive way,” he said, noting his unflagging community spirit. “Whatever it was, he was cheerful, encouraging, honest and thoughtful.”
Way’s ascent at The Beach Co. started in 1975, after he left his law practice. Over the next three decades, he transformed it into a full-service real estate firm, offering development, construction, property management and real estate brokerage.
He led the group that purchased the struggling Kiawah Island development from the royal family of Kuwait for $105 million in 1988. It was transformed into one of the most desirable, celebrated destinations in the state.
Born in Orangeburg on Dec. 18, 1937, Way was the son of Charles and Sally Wise Way. They owned several small businesses, including motels, gas stations, restaurants and liquor stores. Way got his start by helping run them.
He attended Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Ga., for two years before entering the University of South Carolina. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1959 and a law degree in 1962. He was on the cheerleading team at Riverside. At USC, he was president of Sigma Chi fraternity during his junior and senior years.
In 1959, Way married Mary Ellen Long of Charleston. The couple had three daughters, Alberta Freeman, Ellen Dudash and Sally Wise Howle, and two sons, Charles III, (C.), who died in 2007, and Leonard Darlington (L.D) Way. They also had 15 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements will be handled by Stuhr Funeral Home. A service is planned for Saturday, September 10th at Stella Maris Catholic Church on Sullivan's Island.
This story was compiled by staff and wire reports.
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Costs of climate change far surpass government estimates, study says | |
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Profile: Everett Presson
“My goodness, I have known and worked alongside Everett for so many years. He is a hardworking, high road gentleman who really has mastered all aspects of the real estate process. What makes him special? He cares about his family, he cares about his friends, and he cares about his clients. He will go the extra mile to make sure the outcome is what his clients expect…and then some”
– Nancy Roettger
Everett Presson has been a market leader in the Charleston real estate market for over 40 years. To Everett this is not just a market, it’s his home.
Having grown up in Everett’s Restaurant, the home of world-famous she-crab soup, in downtown Charleston, Everett learned early on from his parents that “our customers are the most important people in the world. Always treat them that way.“
Everett has worked diligently over the past 4 decades to develop his skills, and market knowledge to provide sound advice and successful results for his clients. His philosophy is simple. Put your clients first. Do what you say you are going to do. Return all calls the day you get them and give advice to your clients like you were giving it to your family.
He is the top producing agent east of the Cooper and his team is the top producing team at Carolina One Real Estate. Everett has career sales of over a $800,000,000 and has sold more million-dollar properties than anyone in Charleston history.
Everett grew up in Charleston, graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in advertising and public relations. He has a masters of arts degree from the Citadel and spent the first 8 years of his career as a teacher in the Berkeley county public schools. He has lived on Sullivan’s Island for 47 years is married and has two daughters.
Testimonials:
“My goodness, I have known and worked alongside Everett for so many years. He is a hardworking, high road gentleman who really has mastered all aspects of the real estate process. What makes him special? He cares about his family, he cares about his friends, and he cares about his clients. He will go the extra mile to make sure the outcome is what his clients expect…and then some”
– Nancy Roettger
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I was pleasantly surprisedP bI wProfileas pleasantly surprisedmed to be much more active. FP | |
Saturday's weather
High:87
Low: 77
Sunday's weather
High 8
Low 76
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Mount Pleasant Journal is dedicated to the hard-working people who call Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island, and the Isle of Palms home.
We promised you that we would deliver to your inbox the best stories from the Carolina coast that we can peruse for our entertainment.and the sea islands.
We consider you family since our oasis that we call Mount Pleasant has a lot of happy people who love our publication and tell us about it in the grocery stores and the plethora of restaurants East of the Cooper.
Some want us to expand into a weekly tabloid so we can add additional features and art from our area, which truly was blessed by God who gave us abundant water, a rich history, and heritage.
Our goal is to promote East Cooper businesses as well as those in Charleston, North Charleston Summerville by working with them while preserving the history and culture of Mount Pleasant.
Charles deV. Williams is the publisher and a 5-time winner of the Golden Pineapple for the coverage of tourism in Charleston. He also was awarded for his constant pursuit of the ongoing battle for Liberty Steel in Georgetown where it's been roughly two years since Liberty Steel owners had to temporarily shut down the Front Street Mill due to the ensuing pandemic, the impacts of COVID-19 and local public policy may at last close the curtain on the steel industry in Georgetown.
He worked for 40 years in the newspaper business as a truck driver, newspaper carrier, a clerk in the circulation department (in high school), and then joined the sports department as a sports writer, state editor, business editor, metropolitan editor, city editor, and business editor.
Assistant publisher Jim Parker has been honored on numerous occasions by the Press Association and has logged more than 30 years in it.
If you would like to contribute to helping us defray expenses, -- yes we have unpaid bills -- please send a check to Mount Pleasant Journal via Charles deV. Williams at 264 Molasses Lane, Mount Pleasant, 29464.
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