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South Carolina
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Lee Bandy
Rusty Boggs
William Bradford, Jr.
Sara Bruner
Barry Byers
Andy Cole
Corny Cornwell
Mary Davis
Wilbert T. Fields
Jane Green
Bob Chatham Harris
Carl Kilgus
Jane Lareau
Vii Leinfelder
Buddy McCarter
Johnny McCracken
John Lewis McDonald
Steve Porter
William Rickenbaker
Bud Shealy
Ruth Ragsdale Sitton
Mac Thrower
William Young Warren Ripley
Remembering Those We’ve Lost...
See Page 8 for full necrology

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SERIES OF SPORTS ARTICLES
Open Division
FIRST PLACE:
Fort Mill Times
Mac Banks
“Charlotte Knights Baseball”
This is Part I of a series look-
ing back at Knights Stadium
during the final month of the
team’s existence in Fort Mill.
By Mac Banks
mbanks@comporium.net
FORT MILL — The Charlotte
Knights have a rich history in
Fort Mill, and Beverly Burnette
has been there for every pitch.
Burnette, who works in guest
s e r v i c e s, h a s
been with the
Knights since
day one. Scratch
that. Burnette
hasbeenwiththe
Charlotte O’s
since day one
when the club
started in 1976.
She seen the
resurgence of mi-
nor league baseball in the Queen
City and she was there when it
left to come across the border to
Fort Mill. And God willing, she
will be there when the moving
vans load the last item up and
take the Knights back to Char-
lotte after this season.
“I have outlasted every gener-
al manager we have ever had,”
Burnette joked.
Burnette has always worked
intheguestservicesdepartment.
ShegotstartedwiththeO’sbyac-
cident; she was going to try it out
for a summer and ended up stay-
ing for 37 seasons.
“My sister and I were going to
the Olympics that year and I was
going to be gone half the sum-
mer, and Frances [Crockett, for-
mer O’s general manager/own-
er]said‘Tryitandseeifyoulikeit
and you will know,’” she said.
On a typical work day for Bur-
nette, she guides people through
Knights Stadium, telling them
where the bathrooms are, where
they can get a program, where to
buy peanuts and things like that.
The guest services window is
located on the main concourse,
so Burnette gets to see some ac-
tion in left field, unless a vendor
sets up in front of her.
“Idon’tgettoseeawholelotof
thegame,”shesaid.“Iftheyputa
cart there, I don’t have a clue.”
A retired art teacher from Cen-
tral Cabarrus High School in
North Carolina, Burnette has
seen thousands of minor-league
players pass through Charlotte
Please see KNIGHTS 2B
Beverly
Burnette
After the Knights
Burnette
has been
the one
constant
This is part II of a series look-
ing back at Knights Stadium
during the final months of the
team’s existence in Fort Mill.
By Mac Banks
FORTMILL—Knightsplayers
have come and Knights players
have gone, and through it all
have been Gene Fortner and
John Ansell.
Die-hard Charlotte Knights
fans, both were season ticket
holders before the team arrived
in Fort Mill in 1989, back when
when the team was still called
the Charlotte O’s. Fortner has
beenaseasonticketholdersince
1978 and Ansell since 1986.
And nothing will change next
yearwhentheKnightsmoveinto
a new, 10,000-seat, $54 million
stadium in uptown Charlotte.
When the Knights, the Tri-
ple-A farm club of the Chicago
White Sox, move, so will Fortner
and Ansell. They have secured
seats next to each other, just like
they currently have at Knights’
home games in Fort Mill – right
along the first base dugout in the
front row.
Thetwo arenotjustfans, they
are Knights loyalists. So much
so, that by the end of the season,
Fortner will have seen his
1,620th Knights game.
“I was in the hospital two
weeks (in 1995), my father-in-
law died, and I missed one game
because it was the last game the
Charlotte Checkers played in the
old Coliseum,” he said. “Other
than that, I have seen every
game.”
1,620 games later ...
MAC BANKS - SPECIAL TO THE FORT MILL TIMES
Gene Fortner (left) and John Ansell take in one of many
Charlotte Knights games together.
Long-time Knights fans reflect on team’s time in Fort Mill
Part III of a series looking back at Knights Stadium dur-
ing the final months of the team’s existence in Fort Mill.
By Mac Banks
FORT MILL
T
he second time around, the Charlotte Knights are
hoping the saying, “if you build it, they will come”
lives up to its meaning.
Because the first time around, that didn’t happen.
And one thing that has hurt the Knights’ chances of stay-
ing in Fort Mill has been attendance, which in turn has hurt
the bottom line of the team for years.
According to final attendance reports from the Internation-
al League website, the Knights finished either second to last
or last in attendance in the 14-team International League
every year since 2002.
Since the Knights joined the International League in 1993,
they have always finished in the lower third of attendance. In
their first year in the league, even when they won the In-
ternational League championship, they finished seventh out
of 10 teams in attendance.
They did the same in 1994 and they dropped from there. In
1999 after the expansion of the league to 14 teams, and after
claiming their second International League championship,
attendance did rise slightly, up to 12th.
This year, the Knights are on course to finish last in the
International League in attendance, having drawn 218,821
fans through 61 of 68 potential home games. Their average
attendance this season is 3,587 people per game. They have
six more scheduled home games left from Aug. 28-Sept. 2.
However, the attendance woes should change for them
next year as they move into the brand new $54 million BB&T
Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte. The 10,000-seat stadium is
expected to help not only in attendance, but make up for the
financial struggles the Knights have had in Fort Mill.
“You look at the demographics of it,” said Knights’ Execu-
tive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Rajkow-
ski.
“You got a city with over 80,000 people working in the
center city. I think there are over 20,000 that live in the cen-
ter city. The difference in our business is that Monday
through Wednesday night here in Fort Mill we may draw
1,500 to 2,000 people here. There you will be able to draw
4,000 to 7,000 people, depending on the weather. And that is
the ability to make money or not make money. It still cost the
MAC BANKS - SPECIAL TO THE FORT MILL TIMES
A sparse crowd of 3,711 watches the Charlotte Knights in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday against the Durham
Bulls at Knights Stadium.
Low attendance key
factor in relocation
DEEP-SEATED PROBLEM: Knights Stadium
This is the final installment of a four-part series
looking back at Knights Stadium during the final
months of the Charlotte Knights’ existence in Fort
Mill.
By Mac Banks
FORT MILL — Call it fate, call it what you will,
but sometimes when a relationship starts, things
just aren’t meant to be in the long run.
That can be a summation of how the relationship
between the Charlotte Knights and York County
unfolded over the past decade.
The relationship wasn’t bad, according to both
Knights’ executive vice president and chief operat-
ing officer Dan Rajkowski and former York County
Manager Jim Baker, who now works in Virginia as
City Manager for the City of Chesapeake.
However, it was a relationship where the Knights,
the Triple-A farm club of the Chicago White Sox,
knew where they wanted to be in the future and
York County didn’t stop them from trying to get
there.
“My relationship with Jim Baker and council
members was a positive relationship,” Rajkowski
said.
“We did have an extension and put some money
into the ball park and enhanced it for the fans. Our
relationship wasn’t negative. I think from our pro-
spective, I kind of looked at it as what is best for
this franchise. And what I think our organization
and our ownership looked at it, what was the long
term viability of the team in Fort Mill under the
current circumstances and lease.”
Rajkowski said it came to down to making a
decision in the team’s economic survival.
“What we did, was look at it from a financial
perspective and can we survive the way things are
and the answer is no,” he said.
“At that time, we had some conversations with
elected officials about what the future was; that this
franchise needed enhancements, some incentives to
The BB&T Ballpark, under construction, will be ready for opening day next year.
Queen City too much to resist
KNIGHTS MOVE: Fort Mill couldn’t compete
Charlotte Knights Executive Vice President Dan
Rajkowski: ‘Development didn’t happen around
[the Fort Mill] facility like many had anticipated.’
Share your thoughts, memories
What will you remember most about the Knights?
Do you plan to see the team play in Charlotte?
Stop by our website or Facebook/FortMillTimes, or
email ballpark photos to news@fortmilltimes.com.
All submissions become the property of the Fort Mill Times and can
be reproduced in any format.
.com
PHOTOS BY DIEDRA LAIRD - dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

ILLUSTRATION
Open Division
THIRD PLACE:
Charleston City Paper
Scott Suchy
“Doomsday
kit”

ILLUSTRATION
Open Division
FIRST PLACE:
Free Times
Jason Crosby
“Our Dumb
State. Vol. 9”

EVENT MARKETING
Associate/Individual Division
FIRST PLACE:
Charleston Regional Business Journal
Jane Mattingly
Influential
Women in
Business

PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM
SECOND PLACE:
S.C. Farm Bureau
Bill Johns
Member Benefits Campaign

PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM
FIRST PLACE:
S.C. Farm Bureau
Bill Johns
Member Recruitment Campaign

E-NEWSLETTER/PUBLICATION
FIRST PLACE:
Charleston Regional
Business Journal
Daily Journal

EDITORIAL/COLUMN
IN SUPPORT OF FOIA
AllWeekly Division
HONORABLE MENTION:
Greenville Journal
Susan Clary Simmons
FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK
Call out the hypocrites
A bill intended to make citizen access to public records easier and less costly
is once again headed to a vote in the S.C. House, where it is expected to pass as
handily as it did last year.
The question is whether the state Senate will balk – as it did last year – at Rep.
Rick Quinn’s last-ditch amendment to make the law apply as equally to the law-
writers as it would to the rest of government.
A similar version of H. 3163, which aims to strengthen the state’s notoriously
weak Freedom of Information Act, was derailed last year in the Senate – in re-
taliation for the self-same “poison pill” amendment that seeks to open legisla-
tive email and internal correspondence (now exempt from the FOIA) to public
inspection.
“Poison pill” is not Quinn’s choice of adjectives. His point is fair play. He said
then, as now, that legislators are hypocrites to demand transparency from oth-
ers and shield themselves. No other state in the union “has a South Carolina-
style ‘special’ exemption for state politicians. It truly is outrageous,” he wrote in a
Greenville News guest column.
Quinn is correct, of course. What gives the bill’s supporters heartburn is the
threat of losing all its other reforms should his wholly justifiable amendment sink
the bill again.
While legislative transparency is definitely a bonus, the changes this bill envi-
sions are tilted toward the secretive and obstructive behaviors common to state
bureaucrats, school boards and city and county governments, the far greater of-
fenders of open records laws.
South Carolina’s FOIA is one of those laws that looks good until you realize
how easy it is to circumvent. All H. 3163 would do is edge its provisions from
ridiculous to tolerable.
The bill proposes to cut from 15 to 10 working days the time allowed govern-
ment agencies to say if they will even comply with a request for public records;
compel most documents (if the answer is yes) to be turned over within 30 days
(currently there is no deadline); reduce the costs public bodies may charge for
providing said documents; and establish an Office of Freedom of Information Act
Review to hear appeals should records be denied (now the only recourse is to hire
a lawyer and go to circuit court).
That this is even considered “reform” explains why the Palmetto State ranked
50th in the nation for access to public information in a study released last sum-
mer. South Carolina’s failure to provide an appeal process or impose penalties on
agencies that violate FOI laws was a prime factor in the high “corruption risk”
awarded South Carolina by the State Integrity Investigation, a project of the Cen-
ter for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International.
That rating played a sizable part in the governor’s decision to create an inde-
pendent Ethics Reform Commission chaired by former attorneys general Travis
Medlock and Henry McMaster, who, as luck would have it, share Rick Quinn’s
view of legislative hypocrisy. Their report recommends that comprehensive eth-
ics reform include the deletion of the FOIA exemption for “memoranda, corre-
spondence, and working papers in the possession of individual members of the
General Assembly or their immediate staffs.”
Elected leaders and government bureaucrats forget too easily whom they
serve; all this legislation seeks to do is remind them. As Quinn said, lawmakers
have had a year to think it over. Only the basest hypocrites will vote “no” this
time around.

EDITORIAL/COLUMN
IN SUPPORT OF FOIA
AllWeekly Division
THIRD PLACE:
Union County News
Graham Williams
Had they obeyed the law, Union County's school
trustees could have avoided the embarrassing situa-
tion they've created for themselves in recent weeks.
Two months ago, Columbia attorney David Duff
briefed board members about the Freedom of
Information Act and how it applies to their meet-
ings. He reminded them about what
can and cannot be discussed in exec-
utive session and told them not to
change their agenda during a meet-
ing. He also warned them to stick to
the issue they are discussing in exec-
utive session and avoid “topic drift.”
His words apparently fell on deaf
ears.
Trustees violated the state's
Freedom of Information Act at least
three times in their attempts to pre-
vent Jessica Sherbert from speaking
to them in open session about incon-
sistent policies.
Not only did the school board stifle public discus-
sion about district policies, they tried to switch
Sherbert's place on the agenda from “public com-
ments” to executive session. Even worse, a board
member confirmed that they discussed Sherbert's
request while they were behind closed doors for an
unrelated contractual matter.
The board's initial concern about allowing
Sherbert to speak was that she might mention some-
one's name or that a person could be identified by
their title. Then how do they explain the email
released by the school district when Chris Booker
was pulled from the North-South All Star Game?
Since Booker was the only Union County High
School athlete chosen to play, the email all but
called him by name.
When reporters' protests prevented them from
having their way, trustees voted to table the issue
until their next meeting.
Last summer, each trustee was provided a copy of
the Freedom of Information Act, courtesy of the
S.C. Press Association. Had even one of them taken
time to read it, they would have realized that their
actions violated the law.
Instead, board members acted blindly, like lem-
mings following each other over a cliff. As a result,
the public is left with the impression that trustees
feel like they are above the law.
Voters elected these board members with the hope
that each one would do what's best for their chil-
dren. Disregarding the law is probably not what
they had in mind.
Graham
Williams
Trustees’ actions
set bad example

EDITORIAL/COLUMN
IN SUPPORT OF FOIA
AllWeekly Division
SECOND PLACE:
The News & Reporter
Travis Jenkins
StopThe folks that make the rules are not exempt
from following rules that apply to them.
In June, the South Carolina Court of Appeals
ruled that amending the meeting agenda of a
public body once a meeting has begun does not
jibe with the state’s Freedom of Information
Act.
The court’s ruling stated, in part “To allow an
amendment of the agenda regarding substan-
tive public matters undercuts the purpose of the
notice requirement.”
That ruling certainly makes it tougher for
government bodies to carry out their business.
Some things do come up between the time an
agenda is set and a meeting is held. The court
touched on that in its ruling, saying matters of
convenience and timeliness do not matter where
the Freedom of Information Act is concerned.
“We recognize our decision may be inconve-
nient in some instances, but the purpose of
FOIA is best served by prohibiting public bodies
governed by FOIA from amending their agendas
during meetings.”

EDITORIAL/COLUMN
IN SUPPORT OF FOIA
AllWeekly Division
FIRST PLACE:
The Independent Voice
of Blythewood
and Fairfield County
James Denton
The Price of SecrecyT h e r e ’ s
no substi-
tute for
disclosure.
The more
the people
know about
what their government is doing,
how they’re doing it and why, the
more perfect is our union. After all,
let us not forget that the people are,
essentially, the government. That
was true in the beginning of this
great experiment with Democracy,
some 230 years ago, and it remains
true now. Those venerated halls of
power, from the White House to the
County Courthouse, belong to the
citizens. So whether it’s something
as complex as domestic spying with
an army of Orwellian robots or as
seemingly simple as emails transmit-
ted by a county administrator, all of
those things belong to all of us. The
circuit board inside a government
drone, the computer used to transmit
emails, even the internet bandwidth
through which those emails were
transmitted – all of it, and more, was
paid for with your tax dollars.
Therefore, you already own all of
that information. So there should be
no additional cost associated with a
citizen getting access to any of that
information.
Fairfield County, however, appears
to have a different point of view; at
l h d
The Voice
Speaks
James Denton
editor
hardline stance with the Columbia
TV station is baffling. To attempt to
charge anything, let alone the ex-
orbitant amount of $29,000, flies
in the face of the very spirit of the
FOIA. That the County was willing
to spend $12,000 in an attempt to
obfuscate these records only casts a
dark cloud of secrecy over the whole
email affair.
The Fairfield County School Dis-
trict, on the other hand, was hit with
a similar FOIA request by a local
news outlet not too many years ago.
While the District, at the time, was
not in its best days of compliance and
openness, they did indeed comply,
hand-delivering a large cardboard
box of paper copies of six months’
worth of Board member emails. And
at no charge to the local media.
If the School District can handle
such a request, what could the Coun-
ty’s argument be?
When the County first got into
this ugly staring contest with the
broadcast media last spring, our
unsolicited advice to them was
simple: Just give them what they’re
asking for. If you fight them, you
lose; even if you win.
The Freedom of Information Act is
not just a tool for the news media. It
is for everyone. But in reality, it is a
law that should be obsolete. Public
records are public. You’ve paid for
them. You own them outright. Get-
h h ld b

MAGAZINE
OR SPECIAL PUBLICATION
THIRD PLACE:
GSA Business
Market Facts 2013 2012
Sponsored by
MARKET FACTS2013
SPONSORS

MAGAZINE
SECOND PLACE:
SCBIZ
Fall 2013
SCBizNews
1439StuartEngalsBlvd.
Suite200
Mt.Pleasant,SC29464
CHANGESERVICEREQUESTED
Fall 2013
Economic Development in S.C. | Special Section: Cities Mean Business | S.C. Delivers
Brewing
industry
S. C. beer makers help
craft favorable laws
Jaime Tenny and husband, David
Merritt, co-owners of COAST
Brewing in North Charleston.

MAGAZINE
FIRST PLACE:
Lake Wylie Today
Fall 2013, Issue 3
LakeWylie
Fall 2013 | Issue 3
The
Green
IssueReduce your footprint and save money
by using tips from our local experts
Alpaca
Farming
A pack of alpacas makes
a family farm complete
Chamber
Spotlight
Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce
news and information
TODAY

FEATURE SPECIALTY PUBLICATION
OR MAGAZINE
AllWeekly Division
THIRD PLACE:
The Press & Standard
2013 Lowcountry Rocks
try2013
Taking Flight
The Lowcountry Regional Airport isn’t
just a blip on the radar for aviators.
Rice Festival
Revived
How Colleton’s premier festival ascended
back to prominence.
Kickin’ Back
with Kevin
A conversation with Colleton County’s
affable administrator.
Old 21
Journey down the road that connects
the rural communities in the
heart of Colleton County.

OR MAGAZINE
AllWeekly Division
SECOND PLACE:
Greenville Journal
TOWN
COMPLIMENTARY COPY
T O W N C A R O L I N A . C O M
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
CONNECTION IS THE
HEART OF COMMUNITY
T O W N C A R O L I N A . C O M
of
Essence
Giving
The

OR MAGAZINE
AllWeekly Division
FIRST PLACE:
Myrtle Beach Herald
Myrtle Beach:
A Retrospective
75th Anniversary of Myrtle Beach
$495

NEWS SPECIAL EDITION OR SECTION
AllWeekly Division
THIRD PLACE:
Greenville Journal
Upstate Business
Journal
SEPTEMBER 27, 2013
How the law is shifting the insurance landscape and bringing new players to the ﬁeld
THE BUSINESS OF
OBAMACARE

AllWeekly Division
SECOND PLACE:
The Lancaster News
Discover Lancaster
County

AllWeekly Division
FIRST PLACE:
The Clinton Chronicle
Horizons 2013
The Clinton Chronicle’s 2012
Citizen of the Year is Rev. Mims Camm
Page 3
Horizons2013A progress edition of The Clinton Chronicle
Together
Inside
3 :: Rev. Mims Camm, Citizen of the Year
4 :: Adair Rogers
5 :: Amanda Munyan
6 :: Harry Agnew
7 :: Joey Meadors
8 :: Melvin Bailey
9 :: Stephen Taylor
10 :: Erin Frost
Advertisers
2 :: PRTC
Forest Hill Funeral Home
3 :: Amedisys
CNNGA
4 :: Founders FCU
5 :: Laurens County
6 :: Epting Turf & Tractor
7 :: Town of Gray Court
The Kennedy Mortuary
8 :: CeramTec
11 :: Aaron Industries
Sadler Hughes Apothecary
Wilson Tractor
12 :: AT&T
Working
Signs of Progress. Heavy machinery sits on a tract in Owings
between the ZF Transmissions building (background) and the
land where Uniscite has broken ground for its Laurens County
location. Its proximity to the Greenville-Spartanburg I-85 Cor-
ridor is making the Gray Court, Owings, Fountain Inn area of
northern Laurens County attractive to investors and to the SC
Department of Commerce for sites visits by potential manu-
facturing partners. - Photo by Vic MacDonald
Harry Agnew Page 6
at Laurens County Chamber of Commerce
banquet with Miss SC Ali Rogers

SPORTS SPECIAL EDITION
OR SECTION
AllWeekly Division
THIRD PLACE:
The News & Reporter
The Greatest
Season
THE GREATEST SEASON
Chester County Football 2013
THE GREATEST SEASON
A Special Supplement of
NEWS & REPORTER
THE

OR SECTION
AllWeekly Division
SECOND PLACE:
The Independent Voice
of Blythewood and Fairfield County
Fall Sports Preview 2013

OR SECTION
AllWeekly Division
FIRST PLACE:
Union County News
UCHS Football:
A work of art
UCHS FOOTBALL
A WORK OF ART
Season preview
TJ Foster
Jordan
Spencer
Team
photo
Roster,
Schedule
&More
Jamarcus
Henderson
Monday, August 26, 2013

REVIEW PORTFOLIO
AllWeekly Division
THIRD PLACE:
The News-Era
Joseph Garris Jr.
By Joseph Garris Jr
Entertainment Editor
Olympus Has Fallen hits some
good marks here and there but ulti-
mately ends up falling apart in the
later moments of the movie. Still,
it’s probably the film February’s Die
Hard should have been.
The comparisons to the John
McClain action films are unavoid-
able. Those movies were always
known for placing the main hero in
situations where the fate of the coun-
try rested squarely on his shoulders.
Though McClain is missing and
secret service agent Mike Banning
(Gerard Butler) doesn’t have nearly the
cool catch phrases, it feels a bit famil-
iar. Considering A Good Day to Die
Hard completely bombed at the the-
ater, Olympus might have been the
better Die Hard.
Olympus opens with an introduc-
tion to Banning and several other
secret service agents in charge of pro-
tecting the President. It is made pret-
ty clear that Banning is the cream of
the crop when it comes to protection
personnel for the headman and not
too long into the movie, the audience
finds out way.
Faced with an emotional situation
in which Banning has to choose
between saving President Asher
(Aaron Eckhart) or First Lady
Margaret Asher (Ashley Judd), he
makes the right decision – even if it
has terrible consequences. He loses
the President’s trust and eventually
decides to step away from his job.
Banning seems pretty comfortable
with his new situation until terror
strikes the White House at the hands
of North Koreans in a heavily planned
sneak attack. Feeling obligated to
save the President, Banning rushes to
assist.
The first quarter of the movie is
well paced and developed with nice
detail. Viewers get the opportunity to
learn a little bit about the President
and his connection with Banning. Add
that to the quality depth given to
Banning, and the movie immediately
gets a shot of genuine sentiment.
But that’s where it stops.
There are a couple more characters
that slip through the cracks when it
comes to providing the audience with
an interesting back-story. Morgan
Freeman as Speaker of the House
Allan Trumbull seemed interesting
and the dynamics of assuming the
Presidency after the capture of
President Asher could have been a
worthy exploration.
Where Olympus doesn’t live up to
the Die Hard comparison is the
impact of North Korean villain Kang
(Rick Yune). As a bad guy, he only
feels mildly menacing and wasn’t able
to bring the terror the part needed to
balance out Banning’s ultimate action
hero persona.
In the second half of the movie,
much of the bad begins to outweigh
the good. There are so many glaring-
ly implausible moments that audi-
ences will begin to labor through the
rest of the movie. As the writing gets
clumsier and the script begins loading
up on clichés, Olympus doesn’t just
fall, it plummets.
Easily the worst scene of the
movie comes when one of the
American hostages begins reciting the
Pledge of Allegiance as she’s being
dragged from the room. The moment
is cringe-worthy and many viewers
during this particular showing began
to laugh.
Unfortunately, comedic relief was
not what Director Antoine Fuqua was
going for during this moment. Fuqua
does a good enough job with the
attack sequences and most are fun to
watch despite lacking believability.
Olympus Has Fallen starts off
pretty strong but quickly falls apart
faster than a wet tortilla. The few
bright spots aren’t nearly enough to
justify viewing this movie. The good
news is a film based off the exact
premise is due out this summer and it
stars Channing Tatum. [Cue to the
screaming girls]
Olympus doesn’t just fall, it plummets
Olympus Has
Fallen
DIRECTOR:
Antoine Fuqua
CAST: Gerard Butler, Aaron
Eckhart, Ashley Judd, Morgan
Freeman
RUNNING TIME:
1 hour 59 minutes
RATING: R for strong vio-
lence and language through-
out.
GRADE: C-
By Joseph Garris Jr
Gravity is this year’s film to mar-
vel just as 2009’s Avatar had people
rushing to the theaters to see what the
fuss was all about.
Technically and visually, the movie
s masterful and flawless – truly one of
hose once in a lifetime theater experi-
ences that you just can’t afford to
miss. Director Alfonso Cuaron hits
he viewer with stunning imagery and
he most realistic and effective tension
o reach the big screen maybe ever.
Gravity opens with three U.S.
astronauts floating around in space,
asked with repairing the Hubble Space
elescope. We meet Matt Kowalski
George Clooney) and Dr. Ryan Stone
Sandra Bullock). They make small
alk as they do some routine mainte-
nance but a sudden warning from
NASA quickens their pace.
We learn that the Russians have
destroyed one of their own satellites
and the debris is rushing towards Ryan
and Matt at super speeds. The quiet and
peaceful existence in space now
becomes chaotic and terrifying.
The telescope is suddenly destroyed
by fast-moving debris and the third
astronaut that the audience is never
ntroduced to is killed.
Ryan becomes detached from her
ether and floats away from Matt into
open space with diminishing oxygen.
Matt rescues her a short time later but
he danger is far from over as the two
are left to figure out a way back home.
Tension is the name of the game
with Gravity, which utilizes the tool
o carry the audience from one
moment to the next. At times, it’s
exhausting but so well done that it’s
hard to find fault with the over-flowing
suspense.
It’s troublesome to find a period in
the film where breathing happens more
than a few consecutive minutes. In
fact, Cuaron could probably market the
heck out of this movie as the most
effective cure for the common hiccup.
Gravity is one of those movies that
tickle so many fears at once. A viewer
can anticipate feelings of claustropho-
bia, vertigo, agoraphobia, and mono-
phobia in the 90-minute runtime. This
isn’t to suggest that these issues are
likely to have people rushing for the
exits in repulsion. The point is that
the movie is so effective in what it
wants to accomplish, audiences will be
incredibly absorbed into the experi-
ences.
Dialogue is limited in the film and
for good reason. A greater overall
appeal can be had when audiences are
able to enjoy just seeing and experi-
encing the film. Conversation between
characters in this movie is about as
necessary as it was for Chuck Noland
in 2000’s Castaway.
It’s all about the situation and try-
ing to capture audiences to the extent
that they feel like they’re truly going
through these experiences right along
with the character. Gravity shoots for
that and nails it.
Bullock and Clooney turn in great
performances but as good as Clooney
is, his part could have easily been
played by anybody else alongside
Bullock and it wouldn’t have made the
slightest difference. She commands
the screen with her greatest individual
performance to date, putting her entire
collection of talents on full display.
You breathe as she breathes, you sweat
when she sweats, and the adrenaline
that rushes through her body bursts
right off that screen into your own
body.
Cuaron should get a lot of the cred-
it for pulling that off but Bullock
makes it happen with a truly gripping
performance.
Gravity isn’t just a film. It’s a cin-
ematic experience. You will walk
away exhausted and relieved all at once
but more importantly than anything,
you’ll be completely enthralled by one
of the best films in years.
Gravity is a cinematic experience not to miss
Gravity
DIRECTOR:
Alfonso Cuaron
CAST: Sandra Bullock, George
Clooney
RUNNING TIME:
1 Hr, 31 mins
RATING: PG-13 for intense
perilous sequences, some dis-
turbing images and brief strong
language.
GRADE: A
By Joseph Garris Jr
Predictable plotline aside, what
Prisoners does so effectively is it
takes the audience and throws them
right into the middle of emotional
interactions from the grief stricken
parents involved, creating incredible
realism.
Add to that the ferocious perform-
ance of Hugh Jackson and Prisoners
truly is a well-crafted psychological
thriller that evokes all the targeted
emotions it aimed to get from the
viewer.
The film opens with a
Thanksgiving celebration between
two families, Keller and Grace Dover
(Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello) and
Franklin and Nancy Birch (Terrence
Howard, Viola Davis). It’s a fairly
normal day between the two close-
knit families but all that changes
when their youngest daughters go
missing.
A big search gets underway for the
girls, led by Detective Loki (Jake
Gyllenhaal) and the first break leads
law enforcement to an RV that had
been parked nearby. Inside the RV is
mentally challenged Alex Jones (Paul
Dano). No physical evidence turns up
to suggest Alex was involved but
Keller has a hard time accepting that.
He decides to kidnap and imprison
Alex in order to beat any information
he can out of him. Along the way,
Detective Loki uncovers numerous
details through a slue of twists. All
the while, Keller is pushed to his
breaking point and wonders if he’s
making the right decisions.
Parents should beware because the
level of anxiety created surrounding
the idea of a missing child really does
work successfully. The reason is,
Director Denis Villeneuve and writer
Aaron Guzikowski decide to unfold
the suspense in a steady and effective
manner. The result is panic amongst
the parents involved, which is easily
felt throughout the film by the view-
er.
Prisoners has audiences question-
ing their own rational. Would you
react with the same “whatever it
takes” approach as Keller? Would you
fall into a dangerous level of depres
sion like Grace? It’s tough to get an
audience to buy into a story enoug
to develop those kinds of thought
but Prisoners manages it without an
trouble.
We’re introduced to the vigilant
torture angle midway through th
movie and while at first many wil
understand Keller’s actions, mor
viewers will begin to questio
whether Keller has gone too far. It’
an intriguing aspect for a movie t
force the audience to question whethe
they should continue to pull for th
good guy or whether his actions ha
gone too far to accept.
To make this film stand out abov
similar crime stories, it is cast with
some of the best actors in the busi
ness. Gyllenhaal, Howard, and Davi
all turn in powerful performances bu
it’s Jackman’s Keller that hits it hard
This performance is unlike any
thing we have seen out of Jackman
Keller is emotionally derailing righ
before your eyes. His actions ar
extreme and while some would ques
tion his decisions, the vast majority
of viewers will be able to sympathiz
with Keller throughout. The charac
ter’s determination will consume th
audience and total credit for that has t
go to the acting chops of Jackman.
Prisoners is gripping and force
audiences to go through some interna
questioning. The suspense and charac
ter development provides good eye
candy but the most evident reason t
see the movie is to enjoy the excep
tional acting of everyone involved.
Jackman impresses in well-crafted thriller
Prisoners
DIRECTOR:
Denis Villeneuve
CAST: Huge Jackman, Jake
Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis,
Terrence Howard
RUNNING TIME:
2 hours 33 minutes
RATING: R for disturbing vio-
lent content including torture,
and language throughout.
GRADE: B+

REVIEW PORTFOLIO
AllWeekly Division
SECOND PLACE:
The Greer Citizen
William Buchheit
Rating: 7 out of 10
W
hen it comes to
being depend-
able, Scott Weiland
is about as low on the
ladder as Axl Rose, Jim
Morrison and Sid Vi-
cious. You never know
if he’s going to show up
to a gig at all, and if he
does, it’s anybody’s guess
what shape he’ll be in. I
remember I bought some
tickets to see his band,
Stone Temple Pilots, in
Simpsonville a few years
ago, but it was cancelled
due to Weiland’s recur-
rent substance abuse
problems.
Indeed, few singers have
battled addiction as long
and hard as the 45-year-
old STP/Velvet Revolver
singer. Though Weiland
reportedly gave up her-
oin years ago, he is still
known for being sloshed
during performances and
going on drunken rants
between songs.
For those reasons, his
solo club tour with sup-
porting band The Wild-
abouts has received very
mixed reviews. Up until
3 p.m. on Sunday, I was
checking the Fillmore’s
website to make sure the
show wasn’t cancelled.
I went to the club that
night hoping for the best
but fearing the worst,
expecting a washed-up
grunge star fading into
the sunset of his career.
I don’t know if he
recently cleaned up his
act or if we just caught
him on a good night, but
Weiland was on top of
his game Sunday night.
Following a spirited set by
hard rocking blues band
“The Last Internationale,”
he came on stage wearing
a dark vest, white shirt
and black tie. With sun-
glasses on and a cigarette
dangling from his lips,
he had the rock star look
down pat. But as he bent
forward and blew the
crowd a kiss, the jury was
still out on what kind of
shape he was in.
Within a minute of the
opening track, “Cracker-
man,” however, it was
apparent that his voice
had the same legendary
force and range of two
decades ago. His energy
was impressive as well,
as he danced across stage
during songs like he was
having the time of his
life. Billed as the “Purple
to the Core” tour, the
concert featured mostly
songs from STP’s first two
albums, with a few solo
tunes and covers thrown
in.
“Vaseline,” “Unglued”
and “Big Empty,” all hits
from the “Purple” record,
provided the best mo-
ments of the night, taking
fans on a loud and grungy
trip down memory lane.
The “Core” songs were
also pretty good, although
early ‘90’s anthems,
“Creep,” “Plush” and “Sex
Type Thing” were sorely
missed. Weiland’s best
solo song of the night
was “Paralysis,” a breezy
and bittersweet rocker
from his 2008 “Happy in
Galoshes” album.
As for the covers, the
band’s renditions of Bow-
ie’s “The Jean Genie” and
the Doors “Roadhouse
Blues” were both first-
rate, the latter bringing
the packed club to a froth
for the encore. The only
song of the night that
seemed completely out of
place was a cover of The
Libertines’ 2004 new-wave
number “Can’t Stand Me
Now,” which featured Wei-
land trading vocals with
his rhythm guitarist.
The backing band, like
Weiland, were charismatic
and energetic throughout,
leaving a pool of sweat
behind them when they
exited the stage for the
final time.
What will become of
Weiland is anybody’s
guess, but Sunday night’s
show at the Fillmore
proved he still has plenty
left in the tank if he can
keep his health intact.
That may be a big “if,”
but I’m grateful I got to
see him in top form on
this particular night in
such an intimate venue.
Indeed, he still has the
stage presence, charisma
and vocal delivery of a liv-
ing grunge legend, but all
the humility and gratitude
of a middle-aged perform-
er who still appreciates
his fans.
“WEST OF MEMPHIS”
OFFERS FINAL LOOK AT
INFAMOUS CASE
Rating: 8 out of 10
The West Memphis
Three murder case is one
of the most compelling
and troubling in modern
US history.
If you’re not familiar
with the crime, here are
the essential details: In
May, 1993, the bodies
of three 8-year-old boys
were found near a creek
in the Robin Hood Hills
section of West Memphis,
Ark. The police quickly
arrested three teenage
outcasts known primarily
for dressing in black and
listening to heavy metal
music. The teens, who
quickly became known
as the “West Memphis
Three,” were found guilty
of murder after being
subjected to a modern-
day witch trial. Prosecu-
tors convinced both the
jury and public they had
tortured and killed the
boys as part of some
satanic ritual. Two of the
defendants, James Bald-
win and Jason Miskelley,
got life sentences, while a
third, Damien Echols, was
scheduled to be executed.
Three years later, Joe
Berlinger and Bruce Sinof-
ski made an HBO docu-
mentary called “Paradise
Lost: The Child Murders
at Robin Hood Hills,” that
revealed major discrepan-
cies in the case, open-
ing a can of worms that
would garner widespread
media attention. Soon,
thousands of people
were writing Arkansas
lawmakers and demand-
ing a retrial, as stars like
Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith
and Johnny Depp raised
money to provide them
legal assistance.
In August, 2011, follow-
ing 18 years behind bars,
the West Memphis Three
were finally released from
prison after issuing an
Alford Plea, an absurd
legal option that allows a
defendant to plead guilty
while somehow maintain-
ing their innocence. It
was an outlandish end to
a case that will be writ-
ten about for decades to
come.
Produced by Echols
and Peter Jackson (“The
Lord of the Rings”) and
directed by veteran docu-
mentarian Amy Berg (“De-
liver Us from Evil”) “West
of Memphis” provides a
gripping and articulate
overview of the case. It
should be noted, however,
that the film is more a
supplement to its three
“Paradise Lost” predeces-
sors than a substitute.
Spanning 15 years and
running over eight hours,
Berlinger’s and Sinofski’s
trilogy had the advan-
tage of depicting case
events as they happened,
showing a vast amount
of courtroom footage
and personal interviews.
In comparison, Berg’s
work fails to convey the
intensity of paranoia, rage
and terror that perme-
ated West Memphis in the
wake of the triple murder.
Yet, while the “Paradise
Lost” films did a wonder-
ful job introducing and
developing all of the
case’s relevant players
and suspects, they also
led the viewer down quite
a few dead-end roads.
The second one, for
instance, pointed to Mark
Byars as a likely culprit
despite the fact that even
now proclaim his inno-
cence.
In “West of Memphis,”
Berg convincingly points
the finger at another sus-
pect, Terry Hobbs. The
film spends about half an
hour chronicling Hobbs’
history of domestic vio-
lence and inability to pro-
vide a satisfactory alibi
for his whereabouts on
the evening in question.
Hobbs, the stepfather of
one of the murdered boys,
was never even interro-
gated by police, even after
a 2007 DNA test linked
him to a hair found at the
murder scene. Ironically,
he voluntarily opened
himself up to question-
ing in 2009 when he sued
Dixie Chicks singer and
West Memphis 3 advocate
Natalie Maines for defa-
mation of character. The
footage of that deposi-
tion is featured here and
certainly doesn’t do any
favors for Hobbs’ cred-
ibility.
But the sad fact is that
Hobbs will likely never
endure further question-
ing. By pleading guilty via
the Alford plea, the West
Memphis Three effectively
closed the case. That
means neither the judge
nor the West Memphis PD
ever had to admit fault or
wrongdoing, and that the
real killer (or killers) may
never be known.
The thing “West of
Memphis” does exception-
ally well is debunk much
of the testimony that
swayed jurors in the 1994
trials. As it turns out,
some of those witnesses
were in trouble with the
law themselves, and lied
on the stand simply to
avoid jail time. Berg
even includes a segment
on turtle bites in order
to disprove some of the
original medical testi-
mony about the victim’s
injuries.
There is a lot more to
the documentary, howev-
er, than a hodgepodge of
information. Berg pres-
ents everything through
a very human scope.
She spends a lot of time
on Echols, the falsely
presumed ringleader and
the most articulate of the
three defendants. Echols’
relationship with his wife,
a pretty and intelligent
landscape architect who
began writing him when
he was on death row,
could have made a docu-
mentary by itself.
At nearly two-and-a-half
hours, the film is long but
never tedious. It explores
many of the failings of
our justice system, both
in Arkansas and across
America. In essence, the
trial and imprisonment of
has become a microcosm
of the class warfare that
has permeated our courts
and prisons for decades.
If you are poor and
uneducated, guilt and in-
nocence don’t always mat-
ter. “West of Memphis,”
like the three wrongly
accused men it depicts,
owes its entire existence
to the three “Paradise
Lost” films that came
before it. Without them,
there would have been
no reviewing the case, no
criticism and no grass-
roots pursuit of justice.
And that’s the most sig-
nificant and redemptive
lesson of Berg’s docu-
mentary – the power of
investigative journalism
to triumph over prejudice
and injustice.
Weiland comes correct to Charlotte
ENTERTAINMENT
REVIEW
WILLIAM
BUCHHEIT
PHOTO | SUBMITTED
‘West of Memphis’is a documentary about a 1993 crime in
West Memphis, Ark.
I
started reading
Ayn Rand’s “Atlas
Shrugged” a few weeks
ago; a book many people
say has changed their
outlook on things. The
novel and its cult status
got me thinking about
the books I have read and
which ones have taught
me the most. The follow-
ing, listed chronologically,
are the five novels and
nonfiction books that I’ve
found the most important
and educational over the
years.
FICTION
1. “The Strange Case of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
by Robert Louis Stevenson
(1886)
What it’s about: Lawyer John
Utterson learns that his client,
Dr. Henry Jekyll, has entered
into an acquaintance with
a mysterious man named
Hyde. The former is a highly
esteemed middle-aged doc-
tor while the latter is a revolt-
ing, sinful and violent fiend.
Ultimately, Utterson discovers
they are the same person.
What it taught me: Steven-
son’s timeless novella gives a
chilling yet eloquent account
of man’s duplicitous nature.
It’s influence on Freud
and much of 20th Century
psychology is inescapable,
but the book also serves as a
perfect allegory for alcohol-
ism and drug addiction. On a
surface level, it is a universal
morality tale warning against
the dangers of surrender-
ing to our most primitive
impulses.
Similar books: Bram Stoker’s
“Dracula,”(1892) Oscar Wilde’s
“The Picture of Dorian Gray”
(1890)
2. “An American Tragedy”
by Theodore Dreiser (1925)
What it’s about: Dreiser’s
nearly 1,000-page work
is in many ways the great
American novel. It tells the
tragic story of Clyde Griffiths,
who is born and raised poor
then goes to live with his rich
uncle in Chicago. There he
must choose between the
rich girl he loves and poor girl
he’s knocked up.
What it taught me: There are
a lot of themes to chew on
here but the heaviest is the
author’s fierce determinism
– the belief that a man’s fate
is determined primarily by
his environment. The novel
is also a meditation on the
internal struggle between
conscience and desire that
plagues us all, especially
young and impressionable
men like its protagonist.
Similar books: Richard
Wright’s“Native Son”(1940),
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s“Crime
and Punishment”(1866)
3. “The Great Gatsby” by F.
Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
What it’s about: A young
man named Nick Carraway
ventures to the Big Apple
where he meets up with his
cousin Daisy Buchanan, a
pretty but flaky socialite. Un-
knowingly, he rents a cottage
right beside the mansion of
Jay Gatsby, a rich and colorful
man of the same age who
has made his money illegally.
Soon, Nick finds himself in
the middle of both Daisy’s
and Gatsby’s torrid romance
and the alcoholic drama of
the rich and careless.
What it taught me: Ever
heard the phrase“Love is
blind?” Fitzgerald’s master-
piece beautifully depicts
the American tendency to
idealize what we can’t have.
More specifically, it shows
our inclination to see people
not as they really are, but as
what we want them to be.
Daisy thus becomes a symbol
of the American dream,
outwardly beautiful and allur-
ing yet ultimately empty and
destructive
Similar books: Fitzgerald’s
“The Beautiful and Damned”
(1922), John O’Hara’s“Ap-
pointment in Samarra”(1934)
4. “1984”by George Orwell
(1949)
What it’s about: In this, the
ultimate dystopian novel,
Orwell creates a London
where the government
has complete control of its
citizens. History books are
rewritten and people can
be arrested just for thinking
anarchic thoughts (thought
crimes). Surveillance cameras
are everywhere and children
will even turn their parents
over to the authorities should
they say something wrong
about Big Brother (the gov-
ernment). Our protagonist,
Winston Smith, eventually
becomes fed up with this way
of life and revolts.
What it taught me: It’s no
coincidence that the novel
was published right after
WWII, as Orwell’s setting re-
sembles the Nazi Germany of
the 1940s. The book explores
the power of brainwashing
and intimidation and warns
of the perils that occur when
a government becomes too
powerful. In this new cen-
tury, Orwell’s novel remains
relevant as our government
uses“the war on terror”to
ramp up surveillance and
monitoring programs.
Similar books: Aldous
Huxley’s“Brave New World”
(1932)
5. “Deliverance”by James
Dickey (1970)
What it’s about: Four middle-
aged friends from Atlanta
head into the wilderness
to kayak a river. The trip
becomes a life-or-death
struggle when hillbillies at-
tack them.
What it taught me: Much
like Joseph Conrad’s“Heart
of Darkness”and William
Golding’s“Lord of the Flies,”
Dickey’s work is a testament
to man’s savagery when
removed from civilization.
Horrific but poetic, grotesque
yet beautiful,“Deliverance”is
one of the best-written books
you’ll ever read. Think of all
those movies where the char-
acters’vacation turns into a
nightmare. It all started with
this original, which inspired a
pretty terrifying film adapta-
tion of its own.
Similar books: William
Golding’s“Lord of the Flies”
(1954), Jack Ketchum’s“Off
Season”(1980)
NON-FICTION
1.“The Bible”
What it taught me: This
timeless work has given pur-
pose to billions. The history
of God’s relationship with
mankind is full of valuable
lessons and unforgettable
characters. Most significant,
of course, are the four gos-
pels of the New Testament,
which lay the foundation for
the entire Christian faith and
provide dramatic examples of
God’s love, power and mercy
through Jesus.
2.“The Road Less Traveled”
by Dr. M. Scott Peck (1978)
What it’s about: Peck’s
superb work begins with the
sentence,“Life is difficult.”
The licensed psychiatrist
then instructs the reader how
to live a life of fulfillment
and meaning. Perhaps the
ultimate self-help book, the
author provides important
lessons about love, faith and
discipline.
What it taught me: Much like
his esteemed predecessor
C.S. Lewis, Peck teaches that
spiritual growth is necessary
to human development.
Unfortunately, he also sug-
gests that such growth can
only come through a certain
amount of suffering. In try-
ing to avoid that inevitable
suffering, humans fail to grow
and subject themselves to
what he calls“neurotic suf-
fering.” Peck further insists
that love is not a feeling but
an action, and that delayed
gratification is fundamental
to both mental and spiritual
health (which he insists are
the same thing, anyways). All
in all, a wonderful roadmap
to life.
3. “The Devil’s Butcher
Shop”by Roger Morris (1983)
What it’s about: Ever wonder
what hell is like? It’s probably
not too different from the
events depicted in this book.
In 1980, prisoners took over
the maximum-security state
penitentiary of New Mexico
and killed over 30 people in
the bloodiest prison riot in
American history.
What it taught me: Probably
the most horrific book I’ve
ever read, Morris’work ex-
plores man’s capacity for both
extreme evil and surpris-
ing mercy. The murderous
inmates aren’t the only bad
guys here, as governmental
neglect, severe overcrowding
and sadistic guards made the
bloodbath all but inevitable.
The author uses compelling
journalism and chilling prose
to depict the atrocities that
can result when men are
stripped of their humanity.
4.“Fire and Fear: The Inside
Story of Mike Tyson”by
Jose Torres (1989)
What it’s about: Torres’book
was the first biography of one
of the most exciting and con-
troversial athletes of the 20th
Century. Published about
six months before Tyson’s
first loss, Torres’biography
brilliantly examines the early
life that made his subject the
most intimidating and self-
destructive fighter of all time.
What it taught me: I read this
one when I was 13-years-old
and had just fallen in love
with boxing. As a former
light heavyweight champ,
Torres certainly knows the ins
and outs of the sport. But it is
his psychological portrait of
the then 22-year-old champ
that forms a modern-day
argument to the powers of
determinism and the irrevers-
ible damage created by child-
hood neglect. In hindsight,
the book could be called
“Prelude to a Fall,”as Tyson
would lose his title and be
convicted of rape in the years
that immediately followed its
publication.
5.“Great White Shark” by
Richard Ellis and John E. Mc-
Cosker (1995)
What it’s about: A fascinating
history and study of one of
the world’s oldest and fiercest
animals.
What it taught me:“Jaws”
author Peter Benchley called
this work“the most enter-
taining and comprehensive
book ever written about
the world’s most fascinating
predator.” Indeed, Ellis’and
McCosker’s landmark publica-
tion tells you everything
you need to know about
the great white, covering
everything from why the
sharks attack to their mating
behavior. I’ve been obsessed
with this animal since the
second grade and have read
dozens of books about it.
With it’s fabulous illustrations,
photography and research,
this is the one I always come
back to.
The 10 books
that taught me the most
THE BUCK STOPS
HERE
WILLIAM
BUCHHEIT
Rating: 7 out of 10
Run time: 133 minutes
Rated:‘R’for language, vio-
lence and nudity
F
or the most part,
British filmmaker
Steve McQueen was an
excellent choice to direct
“12 Years a Slave.” His
nationality will keep the
American media from
politicizing the work,
keeping the focus on
what’s really important
– the story.
And what an amazing
one it is.
Based on the real-life
1853 memoir by Solo-
mon Northup, the movie
details the nightmarish
plight of a free black man
living in New York who is
kidnapped and shipped
to a slave market in the
South. There, he is sold,
torn from his family and
forced to endure a dozen
years of interminable
labor and torment.
Known for such no-
holds-barred character
studies as “Hunger” and
“Shame,” McQueen has
directed his most visually
and emotionally arrest-
ing film to date. Yes it is
brutal and tough to watch
at times, but that’s what
makes “12 Years a Slave”
so moving – its realism.
Every detail, from the
masters’ clothes to the
slaves’ scars rings true.
Most significantly, so
do the performances. As
Northup, Chiwetel Ejiofor
is a perfect blend of
expression and restraint,
while Lupita Nyong’s char-
acter, Patsey, illustrates
slavery’s psychological
toll with remarkable
grace. As the villainous
slave driver, Michael Fass-
bender is also magnetic.
He deserved an Oscar
nomination for his last
McQueen film, “Shame,”
and will likely receive one
for his performance here.
As far as the screenplay
goes, “12 Years a Slave”
unfolds more like a col-
lection of short stories
than a complete tale.
More than anything, it’s a
character study of three
people who administered
and suffered unspeakable
real life horrors. It is also
an intriguing look at how
man can mold religion to
meet his own desires.
But apart from being
a visceral condemna-
tion of slavery and
tribute to human will,
it’s hard to discern what
McQueen’s work is trying
to teach us. The scenes
of Northup with his fam-
ily feel comparatively
flimsy, and the end of the
film seems more like a
Hallmark moment than
it should. Also, I found
it strange that children
are so conspicuously
absent from the story.
It’s hard to believe they
didn’t play a larger role in
plantation life. Of course,
keeping children out of
the mix could have been
McQueen’s one act of
restraint in this otherwise
merciless look at a the
darkest chapter of US
history.
‘12 Years a Slave’
a rough ride through a dark chapter
PHOTO | COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
‘12 Years a Slave’ tells the story of a man who has his
freedom taken away through kidnapping and slavery.
MOVIE
REVIEW
WILLIAM
BUCHHEIT

REVIEW PORTFOLIO
AllWeekly Division
FIRST PLACE:
Free Times
August Krickel
film clips of New York to wigs that perfectly
capture the appropriate vintage look, to natty
suits and hats that place the characters right
in the middle of the Cotton Club.
The musical direction by Walter Graham
is superb, and it’s clear that the band is hav-
ing a blast. So much fun is going on, in fact,
that one easily forgets the segregation that
caused Harlem to create its own social and
cultural scene until “Black and Blue.” Here
the cast members are all seated, as they sing
the plaintive lyrics: “I’m so forlorn / Life’s
just a thorn / My heart is torn / Why was I
born? / What did I do? / To be so black and
blue?” The moment just breaks your heart,
but then the tempo livens and the fun starts
back again.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ undeniably delivers the
goods — just as long as you aren’t expecting
dialogue, or a plot. The energy and vitality of
director Terrance Henderson’s cast is infec-
tious. So be forewarned, but then just sit back
and enjoy.
Will local audiences tire of musical re-
vues and cabaret shows, no matter how well
done? As a wise man once observed, “One
never knows, do one?”
The production runs through July 20 at Trustus Theatre;
tion, or visit trustus.org. This is an edited version of a
THEATER REVIEW By August Krickel
arts&culture
Ain’t Misbehavin
Delivers the Goods
Y
ou always have to be careful how you
describe a performance. I learned that
as I took a break from writing this
review and joined some friends for pints
and trivia at the Publick House. One asked
me about Ain’t Misbehavin’, the musical
running at Trustus Theatre. I explained how
well done the production was and how much
fun I had, but also made sure she realized
that the show is essentially a revue of hit
songs from Fats Waller.
“So there’s not much of a plot?” she asked.
“No, there’s no plot, no dialogue — it’s
just a cabaret show, like a Vegas-style show,”
I clarified.
“So it wasn’t that good?”
Mortified, I tried to explain that it was re-
ally well done — but ultimately, one’s enjoy-
ment depends on what one is looking for.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ (originally conceived
by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz)
offers two hours of upbeat jazz, blues and
swing, performed by five of Trustus’ finest.
The play won three Tony Awards in 1978 for
its tribute to the music of the irrepressible
composer, pianist and bandleader Thomas
“Fats” Waller. As such, it perfectly recreates
the vibe of the posh clubs of the Harlem
Renaissance, a time when African-American
artists were finding both a musical and
creative voice, and increasing acceptance and
popularity.
Designed by Brandon McIver and Ter-
rance Henderson, the set is basic, suggesting
the interior of a nightclub. A seven-piece
jazz combo, led by Camille Jones on piano,
performs from a bandstand in the center,
flanked by a sweeping staircase. On either
side are a bar and a lounge area. Most songs
are performed in front of these, while any
performer not in the number carries on
naturally in the background, pouring a
drink, watching (or ignoring) the singer, or
whispering to a girlfriend.
Director and choreographer Hender-
son has wisely cast some familiar faces,
singers who can really bring out the nuances
of each song. Each singer develops a sort of
persona that carries through from song to
song. Kendrick Marion becomes a smooth,
slick, rascally hustler; Samuel McWhite dons
the role of the earthier, worldlier man-about-
town, and is an occasional surrogate for the
impish, extravagant Waller himself, still
remembered for his catch phrase, “One never
knows, do one?” Devin Anderson finally gets
a chance to be beautiful and sexy on stage,
having had several other roles requiring
drab or tattered clothes. Katrina Blanding
represents a forceful and sometimes-comic
diva, and Avery Bateman most often seems
the sassy youngster within the group.
Each gets one or more solos to showcase
their vocal skills, with Anderson probably
the best at capturing the sound and feel of the
1920s and ’30s, especially in “Squeeze Me.”
McWhite gets to show off his impressive vo-
cal range. Bateman is cute and appealing on
“Keeping Out of Mischief Now,” while Mar-
ion makes a great jazz-age hipster extolling
the virtues of some late-night reefer in “The
Viper’s Drag.” Blanding hits rich operatic alto
notes in a number of songs, and everyone,
especially Marion and Bateman, gets to show
off dance skills in variations on the Charles-
ton, the Big Apple and other dance crazes of
the era.
With no real script, director Henderson
ensures that everything else serves to en-
hance the period feel, from black-and-white
A talented cast brings out the nuances of Fats Waller’s hits in Ain’t Misbehavin’. Courtesy photo
Epic Ragtime Opens Trustus
Season
T
rustus Theatre kicks off its new season
with a production of epic proportions:
Ragtime: The Musical, Terrence McNal-
ly’s adaptation of the acclaimed 1975 novel
by E.L. Doctorow. By squeezing 32 perform-
ers onto the tiny Trustus stage, Director
Chad Henderson delivers an approximate
1:4 ratio of cast members to audience, and in
doing so creates a textbook example of how
to create a memorable show with limited
resources but unlimited talent.
Set in early 20th century New York,
Ragtime follows the intersecting lives of
three families: a ragtime piano player from
Harlem, his sometime girlfriend and their il-
legitimate child; an upper-class white family
in suburban New Rochelle; and a Jewish im-
migrant and his young daughter. Historical
figures are woven in and out of the story.
The show is a kaleidoscopic and some-
times dizzying tour through themes,
characters and settings, so just enjoy the
first few panoramic scenes until it becomes
clear who the protagonists are, and who is
simply background color. The story is told
from the perspective of the young son of the
white family (Luke Melnyk), but with other
performers voicing the lines, in third person,
that pertain to their characters.
As pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr., Terrance
Henderson begins as a smooth-talking,
smooth-singing charmer, courting Sarah
(Avery Bateman) after she tries to abandon
their child. Events turn him into a tragic
figure, and Henderson is up to the dramatic
challenge. His duets with Bateman inspired
the most applause on opening night, and
their scenes together are touching. New
Rochelle family, G. Scott Wild sports an
authentic period mustache, a nice command
of the formal speech of the era, and he man-
ages to find a sympathetic, human side to
a character intended to represent the rigid
social structure of the establishment. Kevin
Bush uses no more than a goofy grin and a
hesitant stammer to clearly depict the fam-
ily’s younger brother as an impressionable
innocent who finds meaning in the midst of
political upheaval. Marybeth Gorman as the
unnamed mother joins most of the principals
on “New Music,” where ragtime music is
used as a metaphor for societal change. Chip
Stubbs is also effective as the Jewish immi-
grant Tateh, conveying how far a parent will
go to protect a child.
By my count, at least 16 of the remain-
ing 25 cast members have played lead roles
locally within the last year or two. Vicky Saye
Henderson is particularly impressive as fiery
activist and anarchist Emma Goldman, and
Elisabeth Baker is adorable as scandalous
party girl Evelyn Nesbit, the Lindsay Lohan
of her day. Daryl Byrd, as Booker T. Wash-
ington, interacts meaningfully with several
protagonists in a pivotal scene, while Scott
Vaughan, as Houdini, is enjoyable but under-
used. A subset of the men’s ensemble, com-
prised of Bobby Bloom, George Dinsmore,
Mark Zeigler and Jason Kinsey, shows up as
scary and menacing racists, then as lovably
raucous baseball fans in “What a Game.”
Director Henderson’s biggest challenge
was how to best showcase all this talent. His
set design wisely leaves most of the stage
open, with the simplest suggestions of props
and locations wheeled in as needed. Random
objects (ladders, trombones, a washboard)
adorn a rear wall along with images from
turn-of-the-century pop culture. The overall
effect establishes setting and tone, yet alerts
the audience that we have to fill in the blanks
via imagination. Music Director Jeremy Pol-
ley conducts seven musicians who are largely
hidden from view. Costumes by Alexis
Doktor and one wig in particular by Cherelle
Guyton are well done and appropriate for the
time period.
Doctorow’s book is often hailed as one
of the great American novels; this stage
adaptation ran for two years on Broadway
and won four Tony Awards. That said, I
don’t entirely understand what all the fuss is
about. The music is pretty, and the character
vignettes are interesting, although surely
condensed from the novel (which I’ve never
read). Sadly, I didn’t take any particularly
uplifting message with me, beyond a vague
hope for a better America. Still, I enjoyed the
performances of the tremendously talented
cast, and was particularly impressed at how
skillfully Henderson has managed to scale
down a blockbuster for a smaller venue, while
sacrificing none of its spectacle or entertain-
ment value.
Trustus Theatre is at 520 Lady St. Ragtime runs through
Oct. 5. Visit trustus.org for showtimes and ticket
information.
Terrance Henderson
and Avery Bateman
Courtesy photo by
Jonathan Sharpe
Tarzan is First-Rate
Children’s Theater
H
e’s from a gang of free spirits who
live for the moment. She’s from a
structured, repressed society, and is
frightened — yet also intrigued — by the wild
abandon he displays. That could be the plot
of Twilight or High School Musical, but it also
describes Tarzan: The Stage Musical, currently
running at Town Theatre.
Based on the animated film, this Tarzan is
more Disney than Edgar Rice Burroughs; the
romance between Tarzan and Jane is empha-
sized, the action and violence are downplayed,
and there are clear messages about cross-
cultural acceptance and tolerance. Thanks
to rich production values and plenty of stage
magic, young audiences are sure to embrace
this timeless tale of jungle adventure.
The ensemble, including many children,
portray apes and other jungle denizens, and
are costumed with only the suggestion of ani-
mal features: multicolored streamers of fabric
hint at fur, while exotic makeup usually found
at a rave gives an indication of a nonhuman
face. Most of the gorillas look like cavemen
playing backup for David Bowie during the
Ziggy Stardust era, with subtle and occasional
chest-beating or knuckle-dragging. Grace-
ful dancers in beautifully patterned leotards
represent other animals. Costumer Lori Step
and Wig Mistress Cherelle Guyton have done
an excellent job at channeling the original
production design from Broadway.
Director and choreographer Shannon
Willis Scruggs includes other dancers in cha-
otic shades of blue to represent choppy ocean
waves, and young performers in bright hues
of green and yellow spring to life as flowers
discovered by budding botanist Jane (Celeste
Morris). Danny Harrington’s set becomes an
organic part of the story, with every inch a
new part of the jungle containing a potential
friend or foe. Constantly changing projected
patterns enhance the mood and setting,
casting shadows as sun peeks through thick
foliage, and is reflected back from running
water. It’s just about the lushest, most visually
appealing set for a children’s production that
I’ve ever seen.
Tarzan (Parker Byun) swings into this
tropical paradise right over the heads of the
audience, zooming in on a zip line from the
light booth, and keeps that level of vigorous
athleticism all the way to curtain call. When
hanging with his simian pal Terk (an impish
Jackie Rowe) or his adoptive gorilla parents
Kala (Laurel Posey) and Kerchak (Scott Stepp),
THEATER REVIEW By August Krickel
Tarzan speaks in contemporary English, but
when encountering humans, they all revert
to grunts and hoots. When Jane and Tarzan
duet, only the audience is able to understand
his thoughts, expressed in English. It’s an os-
tensibly complex narrative device that works
effectively.
Morris bears a resemblance to her cartoon
counterpart; she and Byun harmonize well
together, as do Jane and her father (Frank
Thompson, playing an appropriately hearty
and somewhat befuddled professor.) Lib-
erty Broussard and Jadon Stanek show a lot
of spunk and energy as the young Terk and
Tarzan in “Who Better Than Me,” and have
strong, clear voices that rival those of the adult
performers. (They alternate in these roles with
Caroline Quinn and Luke Melnyk.)
The script, by David Henry Hwang (a Tony
winner and Pulitzer nominee for more serious
fare like M. Butterfly) is full of metaphors
that are obvious but not intrusive. When
Tarzan sings, “Will someone tell me where I
belong?” the character is talking about being
a human among gorillas, but the loneliness is
universal. The issues he faces with his adop-
tive family are those faced by children in any
nontraditional family, and when he embraces
his identity as human, not ape, we also see a
transition from adolescence to adulthood. The
singers perform to a recorded track (ensuring
that they can be heard, an important factor to
consider with lots of young voices on stage)
and the sound design by Matt Mills largely
flows smoothly.
Younger theatergoers will be mesmerized
by the spectacle on stage and the kaleidoscop-
ic visuals; older children may enjoy the actual
stagecraft on display. Teens will likely develop
a crush on the attractive Tarzan and/or Jane
... or who knows, perhaps even the slinky
Leopard or the devilish Clayton, if they’ve got
a thing for bad boys or girls.
Tarzan: The Stage Musical isn’t exactly
Burroughs, but it’s first-rate children’s theater,
done with excellent production values and a
talented cast, and you owe it to the child in
your life to check it out.
Tarzan runs Wed-Sun through July 28 at Town Theatre
(1012 Sumter St.). Tickets are $25 for adults; $20 for
seniors, military and college students; and $15 for youth 17
and younger. Call 799-2510 to order or visit towntheatre.
com for more information.

GOVERNMENT REPORTING
AllWeekly Division
THIRD PLACE:
Free Times
CoreyH utchins
door neighbors described.
Scott’s resignation is effective May 1. He’s
been using paid leave, of which he has a bit
more saved up, according to city documents.
Former Deputy Chief Ruben Santiago,
who’s been acting chief during Scott’s leave,
will serve as interim chief. Wilson did not
know what Santiago’s salary would be.
Santiago will be the department’s
seventh chief since 2007, counting interim
chiefs. Many have left under a cloud. Tandy
Carter was removed after he refused to
hand over to another agency the investi-
gation of a car crash by then-mayor elect
Steve Benjamin. Immediately before Scott,
interim chief Carl Burke resigned early after
it was discovered he wasn’t certified to carry
a weapon.
Wilson and Columbia Mayor Steve Ben-
jamin said the city will perform a nation-
wide search for a new chief.
Benjamin cited the city’s first-quarter
crime statistics, which are lower than those
of the first quarter last year, as evidence the
city won’t have a hard time attracting a new
police chief.
“They will show a department on the
rise,” Benjamin said.
Earlier Monday, though, Councilman
Moe Baddourah said he thought the city
could have handled Scott’s leave of absence
better. Baddourah is running against Benja-
min for mayor.
“The public is looking for a lot of an-
swers,” Baddourah said. “The city could have
been better at communicating.”
Forecast for Open Solar
Market in S.C. This
Year: Mostly Cloudy
By Corey Hutchins
S
outh Carolina will likely trail the na-
tion in solar power for another year.
In a subcommittee hearing last
week, state senators asked for more time to
review legislation that would allow third-
party financing of solar power. South Caro-
lina lags behind in sun-generated energy
because it’s one of a few states that don’t
allow third parties to freely sell electricity to
consumers. In this state, it is illegal to buy
solar energy from an entity that is not legally
deemed a utility. What that means is if a
company wants to install a solar panel on
the roof of a house or a commercial building
and sell electricity to the resident or the
business it must be regulated just as if were
SCE&G or Duke Energy.
Installing solar panels is expensive,
which is why not many do it in South Caro-
lina under the current conditions. In the
April 17 hearing, one speaker indicated that
other than the house or a car, installing solar
panels could be the most expensive thing
for a homeowner in South Carolina, even
though they’d save on power bills. But if a
third-party company paid for the installa-
tion, leased you the panels, and sold you the
electricity the panels generated, solar power
could be feasible. The company would then
benefit from tax incentives and deductions
for investment in solar power, while lower-
ing your power bills.
A bill to create such a model in South
Carolina — one of the few states that doesn’t
already allow it — died in the House earlier
this year. Lawmakers in the lower chamber
said they worried about how it would affect
big utility companies, though a broad coali-
tion of supports spoke in favor of the bill,
from ministers to retirees.
“The only opponent was a representa-
tive of South Carolina’s influential utilities:
SCE&G, Duke Energy and Santee Cooper,
as well as the state’s electrical cooperatives,”
reported The State at the time.
Now the fate of solar energy rests in a
Senate subcommittee. But legislation must
pass out of such committees, get a vote from
the full House or Senate, and cross over to
the other body by May 1, or it is essentially
dead for the year.
“Looking at the Senate calendar and the
ability to get the bill to the House before
crossover is pretty much impossible,” says
Hamilton Davis of the Coastal Conservation
League, who supports solar leasing in South
Carolina. “I don’t see a path for where it
could actually get signed into law in 2013.”
In the April 17 hearing in the Senate
panel, many spoke in favor of third-party
financing for solar power in the state. As has
been the case in past hearings on the issue,
though, one representative speaking on
behalf of the state’s big utility companies was
enough to block the bill.
Mike Couick, CEO of the Electric Coop-
eratives of South Carolina, spoke for much
of the allotted time against the legislation.
He said solar power is coming to the state,
and utilities are gearing up for it, but such a
bill is not the solution.
Davis says he understands why big utili-
ties would be concerned.
“You’re introducing competition in their
territories and they’re fundamentally op-
posed to that,” he says.
Lee Peterson, a Georgia tax attorney
who deals with solar issues, told lawmakers
that much of the country allows third-party
leasing of solar, except some holdouts in the
Southeast. He said lawmakers have been told
by the utilities to study the issue more, but
it’s not needed. He said the utilities are the
problem, not the law being proposed.
“You can’t be the holdout,” he said. “You
can’t be the problem. You have to be the
solution.”
After the hearing, subcommittee chair-
man Luke Rankin, a Republican from
Horry County, said he wanted to hear more
from utilities before moving on the bill. In
an interview afterwards, he said he hadn’t
researched the legislation that much. He said
he hoped to have another hearing on it in a
couple weeks.
“There are questions on both sides of it,”
he said.
Let us know what you think: Email news@free-times.com.
The Curious Case
of the Super-Secret
House Ethics
Reform Bill
By Corey Hutchins
A
mysterious ethics bill introduced
last week would actually weaken
ethics penalties — and the process
by which it came about had those hoping
for serious reform shaking their heads in
disgust.
On April 16, a mysterious bill deal-
ing with ethics reform popped up on the
schedule for two House committees on the
same day. Sponsored by Republican House
Speaker Bobby Harrell and other leaders,
the bill did not explain what the new laws
would do.
It was what’s called a “shell bill” —
when lawmakers introduce legislation with
just a summary, but no full text for public
viewing of what’s exactly in the proposal.
They’re fairly common, but usually have to
do with technical items, often in the bud-
get, says John Ruoff, a budget analyst who
tracks State House legislation.
Not only was the ethics proposal
introduced as a shell bill, but leaders put
it on the fast track. Lawmakers debated it
in a subcommittee hearing, even though
members of the public there to watch didn’t
know what lawmakers were debating. Of-
ficials at the State Ethics Commission were
there, but they hadn’t been given a copy of
the bill. The lawmakers passed the shell bill
on to the full committee the same day. State
Ethics Commission officials only got a copy
of the bill during that hearing after they
begged for it, according to one official.
“The secrecy of this bill was concern-
ing,” says Tammie Hoy of the League of
Women Voters of South Carolina, a group
following ethics reform closely.
Hashed out in secret in one day without
public input, the ethics reform bill will be
debated on the House floor this week.
“I’ve been over there for 27 sessions and
I never saw something like this before,”
says John Crangle, director of Common
Cause of South Carolina, which focuses
on combating corruption in government.
“It looked like they were trying to do an
end-run around the normal policy-making
process by denying the public the opportu-
nity to participate in the conversation.”
Eventually, lawmakers made the full
text of the bill public — after lawmak-
ers in both panels voted on it. Greenville
Republican Rep. Bruce Bannister explained
to The State that the bill was a mix of dif-
ferent proposed measures in the House and
Senate and had been negotiated behind the
scenes with lawmakers in both chambers,
as well as with the governor’s office.
Once it became public, the bill shocked
those who’ve been following ethics reform.
The new law, it turned out, would
decriminalize many ethics violations, such
as public officials using their campaign
accounts as personal piggy banks — con-
verting them to civil rather than criminal
violations, and reducing the associated
penalties. It would also dissolve the House
and Senate ethics committees, where law-
makers police themselves, only to create a
new ethics oversight committee appointed
by lawmakers. The bill would actually
raise the limit of campaign contributions
lawmakers could take from an individual
or business.
Columbia Democratic Rep. James
Smith says he isn’t happy about how the
process turned out. He blamed it on law-
makers waiting too long to deal with ethics
reform and trying to cobble together too
many different proposals that led to sloppy
language. (If legislation doesn’t pass to the
Senate by May 1, it is essentially dead for
the year.)
Smith says there is bipartisan support
to fix the parts of the bill that decriminalize
some ethics violations and raise campaign
contribution limits. Lexington GOP Rep.
Rick Quinn said decriminalizing eth-
ics violations “was not the intent of the
subcommittee,” according to The Nerve,
the new media arm of the libertarian South
Carolina Policy Council.
Last year, state Attorney General Alan
Wilson prosecuted ex-Republican Lt. Gov.
Ken Ard for converting campaign money
to personal use, because it’s against the law.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell is currently
facing a criminal investigation by state
police into whether he broke any laws by
reimbursing himself hundreds of thousand
of dollars from his campaign account. The
Senate Ethics Committee is currently in-
vestigating whether Democratic Sen. Rob-
ert Ford of Charleston used his campaign
money for personal use.
“In light of the recent allegations made
against Sen. Robert Ford and past allega-
tions against Rep. Bobby Harrell, the state
of South Carolina needs ethics reform that
will make violators accountable for their
actions,” said Tammie Hoy of the state
League of Women Voters.
Lawmakers debated it in a subcommittee hearing,
even though members of the public there to watch
didn’t know what lawmakers were debating.
knock down the building and replace it with a
seven-building, 818-bed student housing com-
plex. But a city design commission denied that
plan, saying it doesn’t fit with the Innovista
design guidelines. That decision is currently
tied up in several layers of appeals.
Group Shines Light
on Shadowy Regulatory
Commission
By Corey Hutchins
A
group of conservationists is waging
a campaign this legislative session to
bring public awareness to an obscure
process: how one gets a seat on a commission
that regulates the state’s big private power
companies, among other industries.
That commission — called the Public Ser-
vice Commission — is a seven-member body
chosen by the state Legislature.
“They actually have a lot of power over the
future of South Carolina,” says Anne Tim-
berlake, who runs a group called UPowerSC,
about the commission members.
The PSC regulates at least six different
sectors that include utility companies like
SCE&G, private water and sewer companies,
the licensing processes of some for-hire trans-
portation services, and nuclear rate hikes,
among others.
“The seven-member PSC functions as a
‘court’ for regulatory and rate cases involv-
ing not only the generation of power from
electricity and gas, but also water and sewer,
oversight of taxis and charter buses and local
phone service,” Timberlake wrote in a recent
editorial. “The commission is charged with
balancing the need for consumers to enjoy
reliable services at fair rates with the need for
corporate utilities to earn reasonable returns
on their investments.”
Timberlake’s group, UPowerSC, is shining
a spotlight on the PSC with a website and
public relations campaign. It’s trying to raise
awareness about how South Carolinians end
up on the commission, and who can apply.
Basically, it goes like this: each candidate
for the $102,000 job is elected by the General
Assembly to serve four-year terms. Those
candidates must come from each of the state’s
different congressional districts and must
first pass through a screening process. That
process is overseen by the Public Utility Re-
view Committee — or PURC — a bipartisan
10-member panel comprised of three Sena-
tors, three House members and four citizens
appointed by House Speaker Bobby Harrell
and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Larry Martin, both Republicans. Candidates
must also take a written test. Once they make
it through certain hoops they can approach
lawmakers to try and secure enough votes to
win a seat on the PSC.
“There’s never been much public limelight
or understanding about it,” Timberlake says
about the process.
That’s true. South Carolina government is
peppered with hundreds of boards and com-
missions — some positions are paid, some are
voluntary — and how people end up on them
happens largely out of the public eye even if
it’s within the state’s public information laws.
Orangeburg Democratic Sen. Brad Hutto,
who sits on the PURC, made that clear in past
minutes of the panel’s public meetings.
“There’s no audience out there, but I think
for the record we need to let everybody know
that this is the PSC Screening Subcommit-
tee Public Hearing and that this is a hearing
to screen candidates for [the] Public Service
Commission,” he said during a March 2010
hearing, the last time candidates were up for
election.
This time around, Timberlake and her
group want the public engaged in the election
process. Already she says there were at least 23
candidates who applied for positions on the
commission. Those applicants have already
taken the tests, and they testified in hearings in
the past weeks. The field has narrowed to 14.
UPowerSC stresses the group is not
endorsing anyone for election to the commis-
sion, but is trying to bring more transparency
to the process.
In truth, though, because of South Caro-
lina’s uniquely murky campaign finance laws,
if that group — or any, such as one tied to a
certain industry or special interest — were
pushing for the election of a certain candidate
on the Public Service Commission, it would
be hard to determine. Unregistered political
groups can sprout up to influence elections
here without having to disclose what they’re
doing.
In April, PURC’s full recommendation on
the candidates will be made public. After 48
hours those candidates can begin to meet with
lawmakers and seek their votes.
“We think the more knowledge about this
the better,” Timberlake says. “It’s appropriate
for there to be a public dialogue about the kinds
of people, the qualifications that are important
for service on the Public Service Commission.
The UPower campaign wants to help interested
citizens follow the process and understand the
process of what the PSC does.”
18 Months Later, S.C. Law
Enforcement Closes Case on
‘Zombie Voters’, Finds No Fraud
By Corey Hutchins
A
year and a half after Republicans were
seized with zombie voter fever, a state
police investigation found no indica-
tion that anyone purposefully cast a ballot
using the name of a dead person in South
Carolina.
But the news was not trumpeted on TV
or elsewhere like the allegations were 18
months ago. Instead, the State Law Enforce-
ment Division quietly wrapped up its inves-
tigation and only released its file to media
after Free Times submitted an open records
request under the Freedom of Information
Act. SLED released the report July 3, one day
before a federal holiday.
The agency found no indication of voter
fraud.
But don’t expect the officials — or media
— who put fear in the minds of voters to
try and correct the record to the extent they
trumpeted the claims. According to Justin
Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Law School
in Los Angeles who focuses on elections
and is researching claims of voter fraud, the
level of media attention hardly ever balances
when it comes to allegations of such voter
fraud and any eventual follow-up that might
debunk it.
For a while last year, you couldn’t turn
on Fox News without seeing S.C. GOP At-
torney General Alan Wilson saying things
like, “We found out that there were over
900 people who died and then subsequently
voted.” And Republican Gov. Nikki Haley
said, “Without photo ID, I mean, let’s be
clear, I don’t want dead people voting in
the state of South Carolina.” The charges
of possible voter fraud arose at the time the
state’s Republican leadership was pushing an
ultimately successful Voter ID law requiring
voters to flash a photo ID at the polls.
Wilson was unavailable for comment
about the released report, but his spokes-
man, J. Mark Powell, passed along a state-
ment. “The initial claims reported to the
Attorney General’s office were alarming,”
Powell said. “They were not vague allega-
tions, but contained specific information.
The state’s chief prosecutor cannot stand by
when presented with such a situation. So
SLED was asked to investigate this matter.
We appreciate SLED’s hard work in prepar-
ing this report.”
A spokesman for SLED declined to com-
ment on the nearly 500-page report.
House Democratic Minority Leader
Todd Rutherford, a Columbia Democrat,
on July 8 called on Republican Gov. Nikki
Haley and other GOP officials to “acknowl-
edge that they were being dishonest about
voter fraud in South Carolina and apologize
to the public for intentionally deceiving
them for political gain.” Haley spokesman
Rob Godfrey didn’t respond to emails seek-
ing comment.
“I see it all over the place,” Lovitt, the law
professor, told Free Times about the disparity
between voter fraud claims and follow-up.
The launch of Wilson’s investigation was
widely covered, he notes. “It turns out, the
aftermath — in South Carolina, as I’ve seen
most everywhere — is very rarely covered.”
The zombie voter fire was kindled back
in early 2012 by a list of some 950 names that
Gov. Haley’s DMV director, Kevin Shwedo,
said were those of dead people who appeared
to have voted in recent elections. “Well over
900 individuals appear to have voted after
they died,” Shwedo said at one House hear-
ing on the matter. Horry County Republi-
can Rep. Alan Clemmons, who took much
interest in the dead voter drama, proclaimed
gravely in another hearing, “We must have
certainty in South Carolina that zombies
aren’t voting.” (During the state’s battle over
Voter ID legislation a year prior, Clemmons
had sent a letter to the U.S. Department of
Justice in support of the measure that read
in part, “It is an unspoken truth in South
Carolina that election fraud exists.”)
At the time, State Election Commis-
sion director Marci Andino said the agency
had investigated a handful of cases where it
appeared the names of deceased people had
appeared on polling precinct signature rolls,
but found no indication of fraud. She ex-
plained that of the initial batch of six names
of allegedly dead voters on the DMV’s list,
one had cast an absentee ballot before dying;
another was the result of a poll worker mis-
takenly marking the voter as his deceased
father; two were clerical errors resulting
from stray marks on voter registration lists
detected by a scanner; and two others result-
ed from poll managers incorrectly marking
the name of the voter in question instead of
the voter above or below on the list.
The agency went on to investigate more
than 200 other names on the dead voter list
and found zero cases of illegal activity. But
the fever wouldn’t break. Eventually, the
attorney general’s office announced that
SLED would handle the rest of the names
on the list. “No one in this state should issue
any kind of clean bill of health in this matter
until the professionals at SLED have finished
with their work,” said an attorney general’s
office spokesman at the time.
Well, SLED has completed its work —
and found nothing nefarious.
Agents with SLED drove as far as Myrtle
Beach to meet with allegedly dead voters,
only to find clerical errors similar to those
found by the State Election Commission.
Commission spokesman Chris Whit-
mire says there was a time when the agency
would get daily calls from members of the
public who believed people in this state were
casting fraudulent ballots in the name of
dead people.
“It hurt the public confidence in South
Carolina elections,” he says. He’s glad SLED’s
report confirmed what the elections agency
always believed: there was no fraud, merely
clerical errors and genuine mistakes.

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