YOU KNOW HOW WE LOVE TO DO LISTS TO SEE WHERE SOUTH CAROLINA ITS IN AMONG THE OTHER STATES ON JUST ABOUT ANY TOPIC. ONE TOPIC WHERE THERE’S NO LIST ANYMORE IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REPORTS, BECAUSE STATES AND THE F-B-I NOW HAVE MANY DIFFERENT RULES FOR REPORTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. THE LAST YEAR THERE WAS A LIST, SOUTH CAROLINA WAS IN THE TOP TEN, A PLACE THE STATE HAD OCCUPIED FOR YEARS. A RALLY AT THE STATEHOUSE THIS WEEK CLAIMS THAT 46 PEOPLE WERE KILLED LAST YEAR BY SOMEONE THEY LOVED AND TRUSTED, FAR MORE THAN THE 30 DEATHS REPORTED IN 2023. ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN WILSON TOLD THE RALLY THAT 35 OF THE 46 WERE WOMEN AND OVER 90-PERCENT OF THE INCIDENCES WERE AT THE HOME OF ONE OF THE COMBATANTS.
AND WE TOLD YOU YESTERDAY THAT OUR NEIGHBORS IN CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAH WERE NAMED TWO OF THE BEST 5 SMALL CITIES IN AMERICA BY 750-THOUSAND READERS OF CONDE NAST TRAVELER MAGAZINE. A DEEPER DIVE RANKS HILTON HEAD ISLAND AS THE #1 ISLAND IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE NINTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR. HILTON HEAD BEAT OUT NEIGHBORING KIAWAH ISLAND, WHICH WAS VOTED THE #2 ISLAND AND THREE OF HAWAII’S ISLANDS IN THE TOP FIVE. AMELIA ISLAND WAS RANKED 9TH, TYBEE ISLAND 13TH. CONDE NAST READERS ALSO RANKED SAVANNAH’S AIRPORT #1 IN THE U-S FOR THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR.
THE BATTLE OVER BOOK BANS IN OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES IS NOW GOING TO COURT. LIBRARIANS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE A-C-L-U HAVE FILED A FEDERAL LAWSUIT CLAIMING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S RULES THAT HAVE CAUSED NEARLY TWO DOZEN BOOKS TO BE BANNED STATEWIDE ARE VAGUE AND THAT LIBRARIANS ARE BEING PUNISHED FOR DEFENDING KEEPING CONTROVERSIAL BOOKS ON THEIR SHELVES. THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THAT LIBRARIANS ARE CAREFULLY VETTING THEIR BOOKS AND IF PARENTS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, THEY SHOULD TALK TO THEIR KIDS, NOT WORK TO BAN THE BOOKS FROM EVERYONE.
CHARLESTON NATIVE AND ROCK AND COUNTRY MUSIC ICON DARIUS RUCKER HAS FOUND THE PERSON HE ‘ONLY WANT TO BE WITH’, ANNOUNCING HIS ENGAGEMENT TO CONTENT CREATOR EMILY DEAHL, WHO LIVES IN LONDON, WHO SAYS SHE’S GLAD SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO SPEND TIME PHOTOSHOPPING HIM OUT OF EVERY INSTAGRAM PICTURE. NO WEDDING PLANS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED. IT’LL BE THE SECOND MARRIAGE FOR RUCKER, WHO HOSTS THE DARIUS RUCKER WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE GOLF TOURNAMENT AT LONG COVE ON HILTON HEAD THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH.