Dorchester News

Helping Out highlights some of the many charitable events and activities going on in the Charleston area.

South Carolina is second in the nation for most DUI-related traffic deaths. Last year, nearly half of the state's 920 highway fatalities were attributed to drunken drivers, the S.C. Highway Patrol said.

S.C. Highway Patrol Capt. Christopher N. Williamson has been named the new commander over the troop that oversees six Lowcountry counties, including Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate overwhelmingly overrode Gov. Mark Sanforda s veto of the so-called port restructuring bill, nixing the statea s chief executive of his ability to remove members of the S.C. State Ports Authority board at will.

The final school bell is the sound of summer vacation for the Green Wave of Summerville High School.

The idea of merging Dorchester County's two school districts isn't new. But it has gained renewed momentum.

SUMMERVILLE a ' Imagine a woody parkland with schools and a vocational-technical school right in the heart of the crowded Oakbrook suburbs.

Rick Skelton, of West Columbia, talks to Megan Crumbo at the South Carolina Connections Academy booth during the annual career fair for South Carolina teachers at the state fairgrounds, Monday, June 1, 2009.

ST. GEORGEa 'A stop to suburban leaf burning and one more pass at fine-tuning a tight budget face Dorchester County Council tonight.

Talk of merging Dorchester County's two school districts, an idea that over years never seems to move forward yet never seems to go away, is again circulating among school board members and residents.

SUMMERVILLE -- School teachers and other county workers got a little jolt in the paycheck this week, courtesy of a building boom that hasn't quite quit in Dorchester County.

Map shows bypass to steer traffic around town, but there are big "ifs" Tuesday, May 19, 2009 SUMMERVILLE a ' The two-mile-long, $15 million extension of the Berlin G. Myers Parkway to U.S. Highway 17A south of town might not be the end of the road.

By Jenny Peterson Summerville Journal Scene The countya s $41.2 million balanced budget next year calls for no tax increase and continues to fund county services and a number of county projects.

MONCKS CORNER a ' With hiring freezes and budget cutbacks, counties are shuffling workers to keep from cutting services or laying off people.

ISSUES : Fiscal responsibility, providing more funds for public safety. Aggressive annexations outside town limits to provide revenue and manage growth.

Students crowd the hallways at the end of the school day at Summerville High School on Friday.

SUMMERVILLE a ' Palmetto Row is right off Gahagan Road, within a mile of the town's historic district and Dorchester District 2 schools.

SUMMERVILLE a ' The Dorchester School District 2 will make up for a $9 million budget shortfall next year mostly by not replacing employees who have left, and requiring those still employed to take between two and four unpaid days off.

If you feel as though Charleston-area roads are less crowded, you're not alone. Well, actually you are - at least more alone than you were last year, according to a national scorecard from a company that tracks traffic patterns across the country.

The S.C. Senate approved cutting $50 million from local governments Thursday, part of the debate to balance a $5.7 billion state spending plan.