The Cocklebur

• The Cocklebur: The Cocklebur Forums find a new home?

  Almost since the moment the Cocklebur community sprang to life in the spring of 2006, there's been discussion of the need to move to a platform. [...]
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  Posted: May 12, 2008, 10:49pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Quit while you're a head(case)

  I have a tendency to start things. I enjoy taking risks. Doing things that seem far-fetched, idealistic, heck, just plain silly. What I don't do very well is end things... [...]
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  Posted: January 04, 2008, 11:19pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: A good New Year's resolution "4" our community's children.

  I've always been impressed by Anderson School District 4's superintendent Gary Burgess, and the recent diversity initiative to help impact student outcomes is a sophisticated and worthwhile look at a serious problem, even if the Pollyanna word "diversity" does make me feel a little queasy ... [...]
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  Posted: January 01, 2008, 3:15pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Preston vs Wilson exposes gaps in how we account for the cost of government services

  I've opined a lot on my disgust with the Preston-Wilson saga, which to me has betrayed the trust of good people everywhere in their belief that government and its elected representatives are there, above all, to serve us. But I am going to confess to being plenty interested in [...]
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  Posted: December 27, 2007, 12:43pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Who's got the best shot at removing Anderson County Sheriff?

  It was an open secret for years that Former Anderson County Sheriff's Office Captain John Skipper was going to take a second shot at beating David Crenshaw for the chance to be the top man in local law enforcement. The question is: He is the right man at the [...]
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  Posted: December 25, 2007, 3:13pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: With the true spirit of the season, God would always get the attention

  My Saturday column was my once-a-year meditation on the problems the Christian church always seems to have in persuading non-believers that having Jesus in your heart really does change your life for the better ... [...]
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  Posted: December 22, 2007, 4:27pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Returning Joes are a no ordinary gift to Anderson

  Most of you are aware that I'm a huge fan of the Anderson Joes. For starters, they got me interested in a game that to me was even more boring than cricket, which is hard to believe. So the news that the Anderson Joes will be returning was [...]
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  Posted: December 20, 2007, 6:24pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Christmas without the boycotts wouldn't be Christmas

  Another Christmas season. Another boycott. Christians sure know how to make the most of their best PR opportunity of the year don't they? [...]
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  Posted: December 19, 2007, 11:12am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Thank you for (thinking about) not smoking

  The contrast between the city of Clemson's bold decision to move forward on a smoking ban and the city of Anderson's decision to let people know how they feel couldn't be starker.... [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2007, 12:00pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Joey Preston starring in "Job Abandonment"

  It feels like I'm watching a bad movie. The Cardgate fiasco involving Council member Cindy Wilson's questioning of county credit card spending proves that Administrator Joey Preston is politically deaf, dumb and blind.... [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2007, 8:16pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Word to "do nothing" Council: So sewer me!

  The Anderson County Council obviously has been so busy doing the people's business over the last decade, it apparently didn't have time to prevent itself from being frozen out of two big projects involving its neighbor Oconee County. [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2007, 10:33pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Bored of the board of education debate

  The outrage over having a home-schooling Clemson mom sitting on the State Board of Education befuddles me... [...]
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  Posted: December 12, 2007, 4:40pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: A "vista" of opportunity

  I'm one of many folks who would like to see the Anderson County Development Partnership to be focused almost single-mindedly on the Anderson-Clemson Alliance and the Clemson Research Park, so it was good to see the group's proposal to turn what amounts to a business park into a mixed-use [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2007, 9:09pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Money for nothing! Tell me ain't so!

  You might call it chutzpah. How else to explain why the developer of the new $29 million shopping mecca across from Target, set to house Kohl’s, etc., is requesting financial incentives from the County and the City... [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: "Hide and Go Seek" no strategy for government accountability

  I don't know what Anderson County is spending on its PR, but whoever is giving advice to the Power That Is sure should teach Anderson County Administrator Joey Preston how to defuse, not inflame, questions about financial accountability .... [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2007, 5:03pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Educator was right on the money...

  I don't know how many folks saw this week's guest column by adolescent psychiatric nurse Dalton Blankenship detailing her frustration with the education system's fixation with money. If you did, I'm sure many of you were nodding your heads .... [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2007, 8:45pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Zoom Zone runs out of gas

  My Saturday column was about the struggling Zoom Zone Showcase. Without any clear clear vision or strategy for this event since its inception, I suggested that economic developers leaders should leave this idea that's run out of gas by the side of the road and move on to better [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2007, 4:04pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Barrett shows he's "Zooming" toward the governship.

  U.S Rep. Gresham Barrett's speech at the Zoom Zone showcase was a recitation of his small business, pro-military, anti-Washington political stump speeches (including a replay of one of his best jokes) but there was a new strain to his rhetoric. [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2007, 7:08am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: The "Z word" strikes again.

  How wrong could I have been?. A few weeks ago, I predicted that suburbanite Powdersville residents would overwhelm the South's strong "Absolute property rights now; Absolute property rights forever" crowd in the fast-growing area that's still transitioning from farm to bedroom community. [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2007, 3:29pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Let's get ahold of ourselves before going nuclear

  As a child of the 1980s, it's hard for me to think about nuclear power without thinking about Chernobyl. Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chief Christie Todd Whitman's recent speech at Clemson University reminded me about how much my feelings have changed on nuclear energy since the fears of [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2007, 3:59pm EST
  

• The Cocklebur: No coming down off the wall, Nehemiah Corp!

  Special thanks to Nehemiah Corp. for saving one of Anderson's lesser known historic gems in the old Kennedy school. The fact that they're doing it and helping low-to-moderate income folks is an awesome bonus, courtesy of a pot-pourri of government tax incentives and other programs that are so easily [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Proposal doesn't explode on impact

  The unveiling of a proposal to raise $12 million a year for road infrastructure from impact fees related to new growth is the kind of savvy method of handling infrastructure costs that may just pass muster with a tax-allergic public.... [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2007, 9:24am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Only seven states finer than South Carolina in small business policies

  We've heard a lot about Gov. Mark Sanford's concerns about small business in South Carolina, mostly to argue for tax relief (and to cut back on the recruitment incentives given to larger businesses). So I was a little surprised to read about the latest report from the Small [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: A cheaper way to serve your time

  Given Anderson County's struggles with its overloaded detention center, I argued in a column several months ago that we need to reconsider who gets to spend time behind bars at the taxpayer's expense. So I was thrilled to see that Oconee County's new home detention program appears to [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Chiquola Club saga dressed up to the asi-nines

  Anderson County Council Chairman Bob Waldrep's oh-so public "rejection" of a complimentary Chiquloa Club membership for the Anderson County Council as though it were an attempted bribe cheapens the seriousness of government ethics. [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2007, 11:33am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Anti-illegal immigration campaign contains chilling prejudice

  I don't know Clemson City Council member Margaret Thompson, but I sure wish her campaigning against illegal immigration didn't include a call to terrorize illegal immigrants, or in the words splashed on the front page of the Anderson Independent-Mail "intimidate the hell out of them...If we don't do something [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2007, 10:49am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Only seven states finer than South Carolina in small business policies

  We've heard a lot about Gov. Mark Sanford's concerns about small business in South Carolina, mostly to argue for tax relief (and to cut back on the recruitment incentives given to larger businesses). So I was a little surprised to read about the latest report from the Small [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Only seven states finer than South Carolina in small business policies

  We've heard a lot about Gov. Mark Sanford's concerns about small business in South Carolina, mostly to argue for tax relief (and to cut back on the recruitment incentives given to larger businesses). So I was a little surprised to read about the latest report from the Small [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Ron Wilson not zoning out his constituents

  Ron Wilson's political antennae are first rate, and so it was no surprise to me that he decided to unilaterally move forward with zoning in his Powdersville district just a week after a community planning meeting at which support for the idea was high... [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2007, 11:36am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Chamber recognizes that running for office isn't academic

  I was glad to see the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce decide to continue with its candidate academy, designed to help and encourage (and hopefully not intimidate) those with an interesting in running for elected office... [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Pro and con can't consolidate arguments for combining school districts

  I'm excited that Anderson County school officials are pursuing research into school consolidation for Anderson County's five school districts. The call for research too often is a way of kicking issues down the road, but in this case, the matter is sufficiently complex -- and the potential benefits potentially so [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2007, 6:00am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Romney gets his mitts on Sen. Bryant

  In a move that may surprise some, Sen. Kevin Bryant, who has made a point in his political career of emphasizing his Christian faith, is endorsing former Massachusettes Gov. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, for president.... [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2007, 11:24am EST
  

• The Cocklebur: Area thirsts for more common sense in local water pricing

  For once, I'm glad that local officials are threatening a lawsuit. When it comes to the Anderson County Joint Water System proposal to improve water flow to the rapidly growing northeast of Anderson County, I think city officials are asking the right questions about whether the $21.2 million [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2007, 11:28am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: City French kisses goodbye to amateur Soiree

  The news that Main Street Events, the company that brought us Downtown Sounds, will be taking over management of the Soiree Festival is good news for the Electric City, guaranteeing that the event's quality will improve and giving that company an increasing stake in making downtown a true destination.... But [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2007, 6:10pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: JamesDuncanisclueless.com

  It's not often I feel sorry for people who throw themselves into the vortex of public opinion, but Anderson University's James Duncan just bought himself a whole lot of trouble after the half-baked character assassination of NewSpring Church and its pastor Perry Noble over its latest billboard campaign parentsareclueless.com [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2007, 11:06am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A drought in Corps criticism in South Carolina

  In my decade in Anderson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bashing has been a political staple almost as much as the war of words between the Anderson County Taxpayers Association and the Anderson County Administration, so it's notable that we haven't heard the usual howls during this severe drought even [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2007, 8:03pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Adieu Ms. Credeur!

  It's a shame that Debra Creduer will be leaving her post as downtown manager for the City of Anderson. Despite its only being two years, I think it's fair to say that she did leave a mark, having improved relationships with the practically mutinous merchants who forced out the previous [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Taxpayer's name heist was priceless comedically but could cost them politically

  It was fun to see the my good Cocklebur friends Julia Barnes, Mary McAbee and James Rubinstein engage in a little high jinx in claiming the legal right to the name of the Anderson County Taxpayer's Association, which has hitherto served as the identifier for a sturdy band of [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Static over Anderson's "Electric City" generator overamped

  I think the city deserves some tough questions about it's failure to plan for the conservation, restoration and display of a historic electric generator now planned as the centerpiece of a $100,000 downtown pocket park built by a group of local worthies. But the whole controversy seems more than a [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Joey Preston nicely roasted but not burned

  If you're wondering about the details of Thursday's United Way roast of Anderson County Administrator Joey Preston, you've come to the right place because I've collected all the gags so you can read them for yourself. (Or watch the video.).... [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2007, 10:40am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Imagining a smarter way to lobby for community pride and progress

  I wish the Imagine Anderson implementation committee had resisted the temptation of making a new tax the centerpiece of its "coming out party"... [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2007, 6:59pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: South Carolina's getting lapped by other states in auotmaker recruitment

  The Spartanburg Herald Journal's recent story analyzing South Carolina's failure to become the much lauded "Detroit of the South" caught my eye this week, since I've long been critical of our state's commitment to the big picture economic development .... [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2007, 2:42pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A big fat Greek festival

  God bless Alexandria and Cleo Stathakis,, Bill Stathakis and George Rozakos, the masterminds behind the Anderson Greek festival. Not only have the founders of the Anderson Greek festival and the small army of local Greeks who organize it made the celebration an institution in just its second year, but they've [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2007, 8:40pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A fee-in-lieu of jobs

  Am I the only on who noticed that the Anderson County Council's fee-in-lieu happy ways now extend to giving favorable tax treatment to companies even when they're not creating any new jobs..? [...]
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  Posted: October 11, 2007, 3:29pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Shifting neighborhood crime out of "park"

  It's not surprising that there's a lot of sympathy for Gracie Floyd's latest crusade against crime in her district, specifically requesting a a curfew on a park at Susan and Booker Streets... [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2007, 6:10pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A "Great One" to watch

  Consider yourself lucky if, like me, you've ever visited with Robert Clarkson at his home on Concord Avenue. If you haven't had the pleasure, you should certainly check out his recent 20-minute video with the Anderson Independent-Mail. He's certainly eccentric. [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: From start, East-West connector was road to nowhere

  I guess it’s not technically a waste of taxpayer money… [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2007, 8:22pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A "terrifying" loss of perspective

  After making his political debut more than three years ago at an Anderson Independent-Mail candidate forum -- a performance so unhinged it made Howard Dean look rational -- Anderson County Council's Michael G. Thompson earned the respect of many skeptics with his measured approach. That was until he went on [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2007, 4:16pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Don't let the smoke get in your eyes

  The opposition seen by the city of Clemson when it comes to banning smoking is to be expected when our smoking rate is fourth highest in the nation behind Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi and Delaware(!). That's a whopping 28.1 percent among men and 21.2 percent among women (though [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2007, 9:02pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: City Council must refurbish homes strategy

  The Anderson City Council's retreat focused on housing issues Friday -- as it should have ...I do still question the core approach -- extending low-interest loans to spur homebuying (in combination with some form of subsidized new home construction.) Anderson simply hasn't been able to spur much of any [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2007, 6:57pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Protecting the rights of sex offenders?

  In a recent column from my native England, I noted America's resistance to using extensive camera surveillance as a crime-fighting tool. But even given America's libertarian ways, I was still a little surprised to read Anderson County Sheriff David Crenshaw's comments about his apparent distate for sex offender tracking [...]
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  Posted: September 27, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Another tipping point for downtown's fortunes

  Using the words "tipping point" has become something of an intellectual fad after Malcolm Gladwell's acclaimed bestseller by the same name explained the perplexities of trends. But I think it describes the situation in downtown Anderson pretty well right now. [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2007, 10:39pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Another one bites the dust ...

  Anderson County Council member Ron Wilson doesn't strike me as the kind of man you want to make an enemy. So, despite the brief hiccup over the County Council's discretionary spending fiasco that gave Anderson County Council member Cindy Wilson a brief popularity boost, I'm returning to my prediction that [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Finally an end to the biggest waste of taxpayer dollars since NASA's $19 million toilet

  Apparently, lost in the shuffle of Tuesday's Anderson County Council meeting was a welcome piece of news about the ongoing legal spat over the release of the legal vendor files -- to date the only crusade of Anderson County Council member Cindy Wilson and her allies that I've joined ... [...]
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  Posted: September 20, 2007, 7:29pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Radio decision is signal of intelligent life in County Council

  So the Anderson County can make serious public policy at Council meetings after all. The Council's apparent willingness to take on millions more in debt to build out an 800 MHZ radio communications system may not please a few of the fiscal hawks out there, but it was the right [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2007, 12:05pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A cable barrier

  I'm glad to see the Anderson City Council negotiating for some kind of government access cable channel, but I'm still wondering why elected officials in Anderson won't back a PUBLIC access cable channel? [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Transit system needs to go off the rails

  The city of Anderson made a big deal recently out of the increased ridership of its transit system, but I think a lot more could be done to increase ridership, beginning with transit on demand. [...]
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  Posted: September 13, 2007, 5:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Don't repeat the mistakes of Clemson Boulevard

  The Anderson County Council set the stage for the intense (and ugly) commercial development of S.C. 81 North in 1999 when in one epic meeting it decided to zone all frontage land from city limits to the Interstate as general-commercial or neighborhood-commercial -- against the advice of its staff and [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2007, 5:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Dropped connection

  More than a year after former Anderson mayor Richard Shirley and his successor, Terence Roberts, promised action within 90 days on reviving the $16 million East-West Connector after the state pulled it's funding, we still don't have any plan on the table to get this vital road built.... [...]
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  Posted: September 06, 2007, 5:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: The great divide

  This Presidential election cycle will have it's fair share of big issues, such as the Iraq war, health care and the economy, and that means that much-needed tax reform could take a back seat, more's the pity. [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2007, 5:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: amphitheater needs a lift

  The William A. Floyd Amphitheater at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center is having its annual weekend in the sun this weekend -- a little later than normal -- and there will be the usual remarks about our county's beautiful recreational facilities... [...]
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  Posted: August 29, 2007, 2:43pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Will Gina Humphreys please report to the principal ...

  Council chairman Bob Waldrep didn't win many friends when he blasted Anderson County Administrator Joey Preston and Anderson County Finance Director Gina Humphreys as tweedle dum and tweedle dee, but it sure got the results we've all longed for... [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2007, 10:34am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Apologia: The art of politics

  The apology as a piece of political theater was quickly made into an art form by Bill Clinton, turning it from an discipline of humility to an exercise in political calculation. As big city as our local politics has become, I'm going to avoid easy cynicism and give Council member Larry [...]
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  Posted: August 23, 2007, 9:47am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: County Council shocker!

  Just in case you were in a Chinese military prison for the last seven years, you should know that the Anderson County Taxpayers Association wants Joey Preston out of of his job. They sent a press release saying so. Yup. Apparently, we must be dumb as rocks, 'cos we [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2007, 8:17am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A Brill-iant strategy

  My Saturday column was a quick valentine to Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau chief Glen Brill, who has done astonishing things to make Anderson County seem like a really fun place for someone to hang out for a day or three. [...]
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  Posted: August 18, 2007, 5:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Sound counsel on counsel for Council?

  Anderson County Council Chairman Bob Waldrep's noises about asking for the Anderson County Council to hire separate counsel is exactly the type of thing that sounds reasonable given the situation the Council finds itself in. [...]
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  Posted: August 17, 2007, 10:11am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Anderson in line for a tipsy turvy 2008 election

  I think those up for reelection to the Anderson City Council should think again about advancing Sunday alcohol sales to a referendum in April 2008. [...]
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  Posted: August 16, 2007, 8:53am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Pleas for jail expansion fall on deaf ears

  If past experience is anything to go by, Anderson County residents will greet the most recent news of jail overcrowding with a shrug, or worse, claim that it should be part and parcel of punishment for breaking the law. [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2007, 10:33am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Random thoughts on the day after the night before

  I was glad that Bob Waldrep called out Anderson County Administrator Joey Preston and Finance Director Gina Humphreys as Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Their inability to transparently and responsively provide basic financial reports to the Anderson County Council has, more than anything else, contributed to the persistent perception [...]
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  Posted: August 09, 2007, 10:13am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Back to the circus

  These days everyone expects the Anderson County Council to be a form of grim entertainment, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. Where are the adults? [...]
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  Posted: August 07, 2007, 3:35pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Doctoring a feverish health care debate

  I waded into the HMO-infested waters of the health care reform debate in my Saturday column. After listening to the health care industry propaganda being spouted unthinkingly by politicians and average Americans alike, I, as a Brit, with actual experience of free-at-the-point-of-use universal health care, couldn't resist bringing some [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2007, 2:31pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: If at first you don't succeed ...

  Everyone, including me, has made quite a big deal about the differences between "maverick/moderate" Sen. Lindsey Graham and conservative "purist/technocrat" Sen. Jim DeMint. But they have one thing in common we should all be proud of: Pluck... that produces results ... [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2007, 1:19pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Barker is Clemson U's architect for extreme makeover

  Clemson University has always been the Upstate's pride and joy, but mostly because of its national championship winning football team. When I arrived here a decade ago, I was amazed at just how little attention the business community paid to its research , tech transfer potential and its general economic [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2007, 11:52am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: ... On a need to know basis

  Longtime readers of The Cocklebur know that I've been enthusiastic about the opportunities created by the Internet and modern technology for governments to communicate with (and potentially get direction from) their constituents. One of the areas that seems most obvious is the idea of sending email "alerts" or RSS feeds [...]
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  Posted: July 31, 2007, 6:38pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Dan Cooper is my man!

  It's not exactly a secret that I think Gov. Mark Sanford will go down as one of the worst South Carolina governors in history, despite the fact that he has surprisingly strong support among average state residents. That's why I admire many Republicans, notably Piedmont Rep. Dan Cooper, the chairman [...]
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  Posted: July 23, 2007, 12:00pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: The County has a boo-boo!

  My Saturday column questioned the structure of Anderson County's EMS system, which puts the responsibility for serving half the county's 911 calls in the hands of seven rescue squads at a cost of $3.2 million annually. (The other half of the calls are serviced at the penny-pinching rate of [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2007, 10:52am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A heatbreaking work of staggering stupidity

  It's happened again. Anderson County Council bombthrower Cindy Wilson pitches a napalm shell 100 feet in the air, and the Anderson County Council rushes to push her out of the way -- and gets blown up in the process. The move guarantees that discretionary spending will now be [...]
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  Posted: July 19, 2007, 8:27pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: fee fie fo fum, I smell a chance for a true statesman

  The results of the Anderson County impact fee study probably surprised no one. So did the ridiculously shortsighted response from the development community-dominated Anderson County Planning Commission, who were more interested in Philosophical Jenga games about "where impact fees would lead" rather than what they can do [...]
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  Posted: July 19, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: No playing around this time

  I'm glad that the City of Anderson is reviewing it's recreation master plan. The efforts at the turn of the decade focused mostly on developing four new massive quadrant parks, along with the Anderson Recreation Center. This time, I hope we see more of a focus on smaller-scale [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2007, 5:27pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Anderson Mayor should press on his agenda

  I've been impressed with Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts' leadership during his first year in office. My Saturday column ponders whether he's set his stamp on a true agenda for change... [...]
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  Posted: July 13, 2007, 7:20pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Pick up your cross, Corey

  Cory Burnell is waiting on the Lord when it comes to finding a job in the financial servics industry in South Carolina so he can lead Christian Exodus in its mission to create Christian government from its new home base in Anderson County. [...]
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  Posted: July 12, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: GOP Censure is overboard

  It's the local GOP's prerogative to "censure" the Anderson County Council for it's tax-raising habit. I'm one of many who saw this year's 8-mill tax increase as a disgrace to the conservative cause, but I think this kind of thing is just plain ridiculous... [...]
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  Posted: July 11, 2007, 12:12am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Holden up

  No surprises that Mike Holden dodged jail time for his putting campaign funds in his personal bank account. Chrissy Adams is taking pains to explain the decision, probably partly because she received so much flak for not prosectuing the Feltman's for making a fake 911 call in the Catergate investigation. [...]
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  Posted: July 10, 2007, 11:45pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Oops, there it is!

  I wrote a blog post a week ago about how I thought there was a general lack of seriousness from the Sheriff about not having a valid drivers' license. Well, it turns out that the Sheriff's Office he runs was actually serious about the status of drivers licenses for [...]
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  Posted: July 10, 2007, 10:26am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Gresham For Governor

  Maybe there's something in the air. There's a lot of talk about who's jockeying for governor in 2010, so much so that it practically dominated an impromptu discussion with a political establishment insider and good friend at a recent Anderson Joes game... [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2007, 11:34am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Catergate last rites

  It's a week since the details of the Catergate investigation finally came to light and I'm still feeling dirty about reporting and write about this shameful episode in the history of Anderson County. My Saturday column calls on everyone to take the appropriate action in response to the cases [...]
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  Posted: July 07, 2007, 2:02pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: No sting in the tale...

  The Independent-Mail's Doug Staley continues to do great work in unraveling the more serious threads of the Catergate soap opera, most notably whether a sworn law enforcement officer lied about the existence of a sting and whether the cost of the investigation was worth the result. On both counts, I [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2007, 7:44pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Wilson's silence speaks volumes

  The PDFs of the Catergate investigative files posted at IndependentMail.com appear to imply that Cindy Wilson had some level of association or involvement in the Catergate affair: Either she was consulted or at least made aware of some of the attempts to entrap or harass Anderson County Administrator Joey Preston. [...]
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  Posted: July 03, 2007, 12:09pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Smelly landfill bid not in the garbage yet

  I still don't get the behind-the-scenes dealing in Anderson County's spat with Oconee and Pickens counties in rejecting the tri-county landfill bid of $2.84 million, and I don't blame Pickens County for being chary about reopening bids. [...]
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  Posted: July 02, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: "Catergate" disgrace

  There's a wise saw in the news business about the best time to release bad information: Friday afternoon. So I was one of a team of editors and reporters who had to cancel their evening plans so that we could pore over the salacious, vulgar, and frankly, gossipy details [...]
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  Posted: June 30, 2007, 11:39am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Sheriff Crenshaw takes us on a ride

  Sheriff Crenshaw likes to come across as just the most likeable fella you ever saw. But his downhome Southern charm isn't enough for me to overlook his nonchalance about driving without a valid drivers' license. [...]
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  Posted: June 29, 2007, 9:27am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: A "Graham-nesty" end to immigration debate

  South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is crowing about his success in leading the charge to derail the comprehensive immigration bill, sending out an email with a video clip of himself on CNN. [...]
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  Posted: June 28, 2007, 6:18pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Hold the champagne

  I've long been concerned about the pace of income growth in South Carolina so it was encouraging to see us do better in the latest batch of data, making us the 10th fastest growing state, with a 2.1 percent increase in the first quarter, according to the U.S. Bureau [...]
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  Posted: June 28, 2007, 6:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Art lovers aren't fish out of water in Anderson

  Everyone should be proud of the Anderson County Arts Center, which seems to hit everything out of the park no matter that our artistic community, though vibrant, is still small. For me, the Fish Out of Water public art exhibit is making a welcome return after the original helped the [...]
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  Posted: June 26, 2007, 8:53pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: The Thompsons twinned

  Anderson state Rep. Michael Thompson, surely one of the local politicians to watch in coming years, has matched himself with the insurgent Fred Thompson campaign. This after Gresham Barrett, our future South Carolin Governor signed onto the bandwagon .... Nick, Just an FYI: I formally joined the Draft Fred 08 committee and endorsed [...]
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  Posted: June 26, 2007, 7:39pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Gresham new plot point in immigration thriller

  The U.S. Senate appears to be moving forward with consideration of the immigration bill, which has bitterly split our state's U.S. senators. So I thought it was nice to see U.S Rep. Gresham Barrett be so politic when asked about whom he sided with ... [...]
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  Posted: June 26, 2007, 7:28pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: The Thompsons twinned

  Anderson state Rep. Michael Thompson, surely one of the local politicians to watch in coming years, has matched himself with the insurgent Fred Thompson campaign. This after Gresham Barrett, our future South Carolin Governor signed onto the bandwagon .... [...]
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  Posted: June 25, 2007, 12:00pm EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Tax hike bankrupts local conservativism

  My Saturday column declares the last rites on so-called conservatism in Anderson County with its decision to levy an 8-mill tax increase It's obviously hyperbole to claim that conservatives won't continue to factor in local elections, but the movement's clearly burned out if it can't control spending even when [...]
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  Posted: June 23, 2007, 12:00am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Parking is for downtown lovers

  Be excited! The city of Anderson's go ahead on a new $8 million parking deck could be the first step toward spreading the downtown revival beyond Main Street. [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2007, 10:39am EDT
  

• The Cocklebur: Coke is sweet for Graham

  God loves you, Lindsey! Yup, there are times in life when you know you aren't responsible for your success. Whether you know it or not, you're always the receiver of blessings from the Almighty. When it comes to the possibility that State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel's liking for blow may have [...]
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  Posted: June 21, 2007, 10:41am EDT