South-Carolina

Former SC Education Superintendent Dr. Barbara Nielsen dies

Published

2 years ago

September 3, 2024

Former SC Education Superintendent Dr. Barbara Nielsen dies

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The first woman ever elected to serve as South Carolina’s Superintendent of Education has died.

Dr. Barbara Nielsen, who served two four-year terms as education superintendent from 1991 to 1999, died Tuesday, current Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver said in a statement.

“Today South Carolina has lost an education champion, and I have lost a dear friend and mentor. Barbara believed fiercely in the God-given potential of every student and dedicated her life to equipping them to reach it,” Weaver said. “As a teacher, administrator, and State Superintendent, she was tough but fair, and she never lost faith in the hope found in a great education.”

Gov. Henry McMaster called Nielsen’s death “a profound loss” for the state. He said she was “a true pioneer and an inspiration to many.”

“Her commitment to modernizing and reforming our education system transformed the lives of thousands upon thousands of our children. To honor her legacy, I will order the State House flags lowered to half-staff on the day of her funeral,” McMaster said in a statement.

Weaver said that even in retirement, Nielsen never stopped fighting for students and teachers.

Dr. Barbara Nielsen, who served two four-year terms as South Carolina education superintendent from 1991 to 1999 has died, current Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver said.(WIS/File)

In 2023, Nielsen chaired the state’s 17-member Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force. The panel was tasked with finding ways to recruit and retain teachers in the state.

During a presentation of a report released in June of 2023, Nielsen said being a teacher is “not an easy job,” saying it was very different from when she went to school and was very different even when she was the state superintendent.

“Our professionals that work in our school need to be respected, they need to be recruited, they need to be retained, and they need to be supported,” Nielsen said at that presentation.

While superintendent, Nielsen pushed for key legislation on education reform, most notably the state’s 1998 Education Accountability Act and laws that established the state’s first statewide full-day kindergarten program and that allowed for the creation of charter schools in South Carolina, the Department of Education’s website states.

Before serving as state superintendent, Nielsen worked in education for thirty years as a teacher, an administrator, and an educational consultant, her bio states. She graduated from the University of Dayton in Ohio and received a doctorate degree in educational administration and planning and a master’s degree in guidance counseling from the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

“Her wit and wisdom will be greatly missed, but her shining legacy lives on forever in the lives of the students and state she served,” Weaver said.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately available Tuesday evening.

Source link

Click to comment

South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Published

8 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Alyssia Hamilton
| Special to USA TODAY

COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.

That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.

For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.

Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.

“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”

The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.

“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”

The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.

“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”

Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.

“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”

Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.

“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”

As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.

“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.

She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.

“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.

She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.

Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.

“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”

Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.

“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”

She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.

“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”

On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.

It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.

With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.

Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

Source link

South-Carolina

Orleans County man faces peeping tom charge in South Carolina

Published

20 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Orleans County man faces peeping tom charge in South Carolina

Rochester, N.Y. — An Orleans County man faces a peeping tom charge in South Carolina after a woman said he left an audio recording device in her home.

According to an incident report from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, an officer responded to the home Jan. 24 for a report of a possible peeping tom or voyeurism incident. The victim told the officer she had been in a relationship with Nicolas Vagg from May-October 2024 and said he traveled from New York to visit her in 2024.

The woman told the officer she found a small black rectangular device in her bedroom. She later determined it was a recording device. She said she connected the device to her phone and found audio recordings captured during her time with Vagg, as well as others from her interactions with another man after she and Vagg broke up.

Vagg, 32, of Albion turned himself in Tuesday, according to the report. He was charged with sex/ peeping tom, eavesdropping or peeping.

Georgetown County Detention Center records indicate Vagg was initially held on $2,000 bond and released later Tuesday.

The victim received a no-contact order of protection, according to the incident report. Vagg’s next court date is scheduled for May 28.

Source link

South-Carolina

SC House passes boat tax relief bill; heads to Gov. McMaster’s office

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

SC House passes boat tax relief bill; heads to Gov. McMaster’s office

ANNAPOLIS, – MAY 07: Jospeh O’Conner launches his boat at Sandy Point State Park, on May 7, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. Governor Larry Hogan has relaxed the ban on outdoor activities, such as boating, tennis, camping, fishing, state park facilities will be open while the stay-at-home order is still in effect. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Source link