The Twelve Days of Christmas

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans and especially the partridge who won’t come out of a pear tree have to do with the Twelve Days of Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this Carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

The song has two levels of meaning:

The Partridge in a Pear Tree was Jesus Christ.

Two Turtle Doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French Hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love.

The Four Calling Birds were the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Five Golden Rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The Six Geese A-Laying stood for the six days of Creation.

Seven Swans A-Swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit – Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

The Eight Maids A-Milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine Ladies Dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

The Ten Lords A-Leaping were the Ten Commandments.

The Eleven Pipers Piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The Twelve Drummers Drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

Rodney Berry’s Vision for Senate District 30

Republican candidate Rodney Berry will square off against five-term incumbent Democrat Kent Willians in tomorrow’s election for SC Senate District 30.
Berry brings a unique set of qualifications and experience to the race which could help pull District 30 up from its current economic problems. He is a past mayor of Marion, a former Administrator of Dillon County government, has 10 years of experience working with Congress and is currently a contractor for economic development for Dillon County.
“For the past 20 years the two main counties in this Senate District have ranked in the top 5 poorest counties in South Carolina,” Berry said. “We can’t keep accepting losing and finishing at the bottom.”
Berry was a principal negotiator in the economic development initiative that resulted in the Dillon Inland Port which has provided over 2,000 new jobs to date. He plans to use his experience in economic development initiatives to benefit the entirety of District 30.
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The RIDE IV Ballot Question – Do You Want Road Improvements or Not?

The decision by voters on Tuesday on whether to approve the RIDE IV referendum for road improvements in Horry County may be the most important decision they make on the general election ballot.
Unlike the politicians for whom they decide to cast a ballot, politicians who will pass with time, the roads, which will be built if the referendum is approved, will serve not only the present generation of voters but also future generations. Or Not!
Horry County Council chose to ask voters to approve a 25-year, one-cent sales tax to raise approximately $6.6 billion for road improvements and additions. It is currently estimated that Horry County is deficient to the tune of approximately $4.5 billion in road improvements needed to service today’s needs and population. Approval of the 25-year referendum will allow the county to issue bonds, funded by future revenues, to speed up construction of needed improvements. Former RIDE projects were funded on a pay as you go basis.
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Considerations for SC Senate District 30 Voters

The most competitive race in this year’s general election for the South Carolina Senate is taking place in Senate District 30, which includes Marion and Dillon counties and parts of Florence, Darlington and Horry counties. Five term incumbent Democratic senator Kent Williams is being challenged by Republican Rodney Berry.
What makes the race so competitive is Berry is not the normal type of challenger attempting to gain name recognition in the district. Before filing for office, Berry already possessed name recognition in the district at least equal to the incumbent Williams.
A graduate of Dillon High School, Berry was Captain and MVP of the Wildcats football team. He went on to graduate from Presbyterian College where he also starred on the football field serving two years as captain of the team and being named an All Decade linebacker for the 1990’s.
Berry served four years in the United States Marine Corps including being named as Parris Island Top Recruit and Company Honor Man. After his service to the country, Rodney entered the newspaper business founding the Dillon County Shopper, Marion County Penny Saver and his most successful venture of all “She Magazine”.
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HIC Poplar Church Rezoning Request Raises Questions

Horry County Council will consider second reading of a rezoning request combining two parcels off Hwy 701 at its regular meeting tomorrow. The rezoning request brings several questions.
One of the parcels, owned by HIC Poplar Church LLC, contains 93.75 acres, which are filed with the Horry County Registry of Deeds as a “Special Warranty Deed” including 12 “Permitted Exceptions”.
According to S. C. Secretary of State records, Poplar Church LLC was created January 12, 2024. The purchase of the property from Timbervest Partners III South Carolina LLC was completed January 23, 2024, according to the Special Warranty Deed.
Timbervest Partners originally purchased the property as one of 59 distinct parcels from Burroughs and Chapin in January 2013, all included in a 193 page Special Warranty Deed document.
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