Deflock York County’s petition reaches its goal of 2,500 signatures

CLOVER S.C.- On Aug.12, Food Lion Clover held a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the series of renovations to the new store. Dozens of residents, Food Lion officials and Ahold Delhaize employees gathered around the front of the store to celebrate renovations and many charitable raffles and donations. “We wanted to make the produce visible to customers, we made it visible for customers”. Store Manager John Essel explained how every change or addition was made with the customer in mind. Essel reinforced that the changes were made based on customer feedback on surveys. Wider aisles were made for customers to shop comfortably next to each other and the floors were improved to make the shopping experience more pleasurable. “We don’t want the community to buy products to keep in the house for two days. We want them to be able to keep it for more than two days”. New produce misters now activate every fifteen minutes, keeping food fresher for longer. However, more than just the physical store was updated. Employees were given further training to better assist customers and to remove spoiled produce more frequently and attentively. Prior to the cutting of the ribbon, marking the official reopening, Food Lion gave out a total of $3,700 in Food Lion gift cards to the first 10 customers in line. The grand prize winner, Clover resident David Sorocco, arrived at 6:15 a.m. to secure a spot in line for the gift card drawing. “It’s nice, I get to choose what I want”. Sorocco, possibly inspired by the charitable events of the day, did not even think twice and plans to give half of his $1,000 to his friend, “We will both eat for the next couple of months.” During the conversation, another shopper stopped by and said “Buy yourself some steaks”. At the end of the ceremony, Essel presented Rev. Bradley Bien-Aime of the Corner Stone Family Worship Center in York with a check commensurate to 10,000 free meals to be gifted by Food Lion of Clover. “Without Food Lion Clover, we would really be less equipped to serve the community” Bien-Aime also mentioned how, besides feeding the community, their mission also reduces food waste for the community as they are able to accept food that is still good, but not able to be sold. “Meeting the physical needs, not just the spiritual means”. Bien-Aime briefly mentioned how they are a giving ministry, not a taking ministry, and how this large donation will be so important to the food pantry and to the community they serve. “What a shock, what a surprise, what a blessing”. This “blessing” will allow the food pantry to keep more supplies on hand. The partnership is going straight into the “mouths and stomachs of the less fortunate”. The large scale renovations and the charitable givings of the store will not affect the public’s wallets. The management was insistent about how prices will not be raised in response to this. “We are one of the lowest cost grocery stores in the US right now, everything is the same price as before” was Essel’s response to prices in the store.

CLOVER, S.C.- The Clover School District began the school year with three new schools. The newly built Lake Wylie High School and Liberty Hill Elementary School on Cannon Ball Run stand alongside the renovated Ninth Grade Campus, which has become Roosevelt Middle School. The opening of the three schools reflects a major period of growth for the Clover School District. With the community continuing to expand, the district faced the challenge of creating additional space while ensuring students would have access to the same facilities and educational opportunities as Clover High School. The new buildings are not simply additions to the district, but a reflection of how much the Clover community has changed over the years. When asked about the experience of opening three schools in the same year, Dr. Sheila Quinn answered decisively: “we created the playbook”. Quinn discussed both the stress of the district’s “Friday meetings” and the excitement of having two separate high schools for the first time in many decades. The last time the district had 2 separate high schools was in 1970, the year the segregated Roosevelt High School was closed, the namesake of the new Roosevelt Middle School. On opening three new schools in only a year Dr. Quinn says, “I do not recommend that… but I am so proud of the hard work that our staff did to open three schools. It was a tough job”. District officials are so proud of the new construction, but are remaining very weary and apprehensive about the idea of opening three new schools in the same year in the future. “Our neighbors in Fort Mill are used to opening a school every year or every other year. We opened three in one year”. It is definitely an exciting year for the school district and historic in the way this may not happen again for CSD. Despite the new size of our district, one thing will never change in CSD’s eyes, their promise of “Each Child, Each Day…Excellence”.

WASHINGTON — The senior senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, died July 11 in his residence in Washington, D.C., at the age of 71. The cause of death was aortic dissection, according to the medical examiner. Senator Graham was not a career politician; he served more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force before entering politics. His seat was temporarily filled by his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, on July 13, appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster. Despite not having any prior political experience, she is now the first female senator from South Carolina. Hopeful Republican candidates have one week to file between July 21 and July 28. According to the Board of Voter Registration and Elections, the Republican primary will be held Aug. 11. There is no registering for a party in South Carolina; however, voters can only vote for the party they declare during the primary cycle. According to the South Carolina State Election Commission, “The South Carolina State Election Commission (SEC) has completed its review of South Carolina election law regarding voter eligibility for the August 11 Special Republican Primary. Based on that review, voters who participated in the June Democratic Primary are not eligible to vote in the August 11 Special Republican Primary. Voters who participated in the June Republican Primary, or who did not vote in either party’s June primary, are eligible to vote in the August 11 Special Republican Primary.” The winner of the primary will be the Republican nominee on Election Day, Nov. 3. Dr. Annie Andrews will remain the Democratic Party nominee. In his tenure as senator, Graham was known for both his close but ultimately tumultuous relationship with President Trump and his ability to work across the aisle — a trait many say is needed now more than ever. In 2023, the Lugar Center ranked Graham in the top third of senators for bipartisanship. Examples include voting to confirm both of Obama’s Supreme Court nominees, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, while also blocking the nomination of Merrick Garland. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker even called him an “unlikely friend” during a social media video posted after Graham’s death. Graham served in the state House of Representatives for one term before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995. He served as the representative for South Carolina’s 3rd District for eight years. Graham campaigned for his Senate seat after long-term senator and professional friend Strom Thurmond announced he was not going to continue his career as a senator. Graham served for 23 years. During the latter part of his tenure, he was chair of the Budget Committee. Graham served the nation as an active-duty member of the Air Force for seven years, then another combined 26 years between the Air National Guard and later the Air Force Reserve. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star. He was an alum of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Upon graduation, he became a commissioned officer of the JAG Corps. Graham died in a way most people wish they would, doing what they loved. Graham returned to his residence in D.C. after a meeting in Kyiv with President Zelenskyy, where he sought to discuss a push for more humanitarian and military aid for the war-torn country. He was negotiating deals up until his untimely death. Early in his political career, Graham was an advocate against the rights of foreign combatants in U.S. custody. The ACLU reports he did not believe that they deserved legal representation. Graham was also a vocal proponent of “World War II”-style freedom of speech restrictions during an interview with “60 Minutes.” PBS News reported that in 2013, “Graham and his close friend Arizona Senator John McCain tackled another politically perilous, but critical issue, immigration. As one of the so called Gang of Eight, Graham helped push immigration reform through the Senate, aiming to block illegal immigration with more border agents while offering a path to citizenship for those already in the country.” Graham was known to change his viewpoint from time to time. For example, he saw Roe v. Wade as precedent and said in an interview it “should not be overturned without good reason.” Upon its overturning, Graham said that this topic should be left to the states, as it always should have been. Two months later, in September 2022, NBC News reported he “introduced legislation to institute a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks.” His views on Trump also changed. When running against Trump in 2015, he expressed that Trump did not “represent my party,” as reported by PBS News. However, as Trump entered the presidency, Graham became a trusted ally. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Graham had visited the country 10 times since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, called him “a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clover senior Ella Nighbor swept the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the South Carolina High School League 5A Division I State Championships on May 14, winning her second straight 1,600 title and breaking a 21-year-old state meet record at Spring Valley High School. Nighbor, a University of South Carolina commit, entered as the top seed in the 1,600 and won it in 4:56.28, then returned about an hour later to take the 3,200 in 10:43.17. Both races came just off her lifetime bests of 4:54.36 and 10:26.58, performances coach Christopher Young described as championship efforts rather than time trials. Her winning 3,200 time of 10:43.17 broke the SCHSL 5A state meet record of 10:47.72, a mark that Spring Valley’s Kate Niehaus had held since 2005. Niehaus still owns the meet’s 1,600 record of 4:55.45, set in 2006; Nighbor’s 4:56.28 this year fell just 0.83 seconds short of breaking it. “Ella running the double is an incredible feat across the board,” assistant coach Ben Clark said. The 1,600 victory made Nighbor a two-time state champion in the event, a year after she won it as a junior and placed sixth in the 3,200. The double gives her four individual state titles, alongside a team cross country state championship and 13 school track records. That body of work, which also includes a 5K best of 16:40.44 and a 2,000-meter steeplechase mark of 6:58.71, establishes her in Young’s assessment as the most accomplished female distance runner in Clover history and one of the best in state history. Nighbor’s 1,600 title came in a 1-2 Blue Eagle finish, with senior Ava Jagielski, an Anderson University commit, running on Nighbor’s shoulder through 800 meters before kicking past Lexington’s Kendra Miles in the final 200 to take second in a personal-best 5:04.50. “These ladies have made remarkable progress through the years, achieving success they never imagined,” Young said. “To have them go one and two in their final high school race together — it couldn’t be a better ending to our four years together.” For Nighbor, the double closed a four-year Clover career and, by Young’s account, delivered the program’s signature moment of the meet. The Blue Eagles also placed fourth in the boys 4x800 relay in a school-record 7:53.44, with top-six finishes from Trinity Hall and Clara Powell in the high jump and Jamarquise Wilson in the 400 hurdles. The day marked a milestone for a program splitting between Clover and Lake Wylie, with several seniors competing one final time, none more accomplished than Nighbor. Clark put it simply: “She is such a hard worker, she is just now scratching the surface of all the great things she is going to do.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Clover High School men’s soccer team captured the SCHSL Class AAAAA Division I State Championship at Memorial Stadium, defeating Wando High School 1-0 in a grueling match extended by a three-hour weather delay. The two teams battled through 80 scoreless minutes of regulation. Clover’s Thomas Jenkins missed early chances in the 11th and 22nd minutes, while goalkeeper Brinkley kept the game deadlocked with a crucial save against Wando in the 39th minute. Just as regulation ended, a violent thunderstorm forced officials to suspend play, sending teams to the locker rooms and fans to their cars for over three hours. When the two 10-minute overtime periods finally began, Wando—who entered the match 23-2—unraveled due to disciplinary issues. Two red-card ejections, including one in the 57th minute following a second yellow card, reduced the Warriors to just nine men. Clover wasted no time capitalizing on the numerical advantage. With under three minutes remaining in the second overtime, Jenkins found space on the wing and delivered a perfectly weighted cross into the box. Senior Evan Tubiolo timed his run flawlessly, heading the ball into the back of the net to break the tie. Wando mounted a dangerous late attack to equalize, but Brinkley secured the shutout victory with a commanding save in the final minutes. The 1-0 golden-goal finish capped off a dramatic five-hour ordeal, providing a perfect championship sendoff for Clover’s senior class.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Clover has become the first municipality in York County to declare Stage 2 water restrictions as an ongoing drought continues to strain the region’s water supply. What’s Happening? The drought — the worst to hit the region in more than a decade — has pushed Lake Wylie water levels 15 to 17 inches below average, exposing submerged obstacles that many boaters don’t realize are closer to the surface than usual. The lower levels have triggered a spike in rescue calls and boat repairs as temperatures rise. Forecasters have not issued any significant rainfall outlook for the coming weeks, raising concerns that conditions will worsen heading into summer. As reported on WBTV, Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones explained boat rescue calls have increased 40% since the drought began. Jones said water flow into Lake Wylie has dropped from more than 500 liters per day to about 150 liters as of April 20. He added that current water levels are the lowest the lake has seen in 80 years, with docks now sitting above the waterline. Without significant rainfall, levels may continue to drop. Effects of the Drought TowBoatUS reports a surge in calls as shallow water conditions create hazards across the lake. “We’ve had a huge influx of groundings and low water-related incidents here on the lakes as the water has been low,” said Logan Thomas, a captain with TowBoatUS. Boaters attempting to dock must now wade through shallow water on foot. Motorboat Mechanics on Lake Wylie has repaired dozens of damaged propellers in the past two weeks alone as exposed rocks, trees, stumps, and other debris increasingly cause hull and propeller damage. Repairs to damaged propellers and lower units can cost boat owners hundreds to thousands of dollars, and mechanics warn that repair timelines are growing as demand rises. The drought’s severity has forced officials to close boat ramps, including those at Allison Creek, as of early May. For now, the boat ramp at Buster Boyd Bridge remains open. The Lake Wylie Marine Commission is closely monitoring conditions and may take additional action if water levels continue to fall. Current Solutions Experts are currently encouraging boaters to plan careful routes, stay within marked channels, and consider towing coverage. TowBoatUS also has four boats out across the lake 24/7 and encourages calling them anytime anyone is on the lake boating. A big solution that York County Utilities has come up with is encouraging residents to reduce water usage. Although not mandatory and not restricting it, it is recommended that residents in York County volunteer to reduce water usage. This includes limiting watering to no more than two days per week, reducing washing down of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, and other hard-surfaced areas, reducing washing down of buildings for purposes other than immediate fire protection, and reducing residential washing of vehicles. Use car washes that use recycled water instead of washing vehicles at home. This solution is made to protect the local water supply and limit the future use of other mandatory restrictions. The Catawba Wateree Drought Water Management Group plans meetings on May 16th. As of May 1st, water restrictions have been placed in Clover and York, and as of May 5th, Fort Mill has implemented water restrictions. Residents in Clover and Fort Mill will follow a fixed water schedule. Properties north of Highway 55 are only allowed to water on Wednesday and Sunday nights, while those south of the highway can water on Tuesday and Saturday nights. They are responsible for conserving water and meeting the goal of decreasing water usage by 15% of normal use. Only using the water for necessary usage, public safety, or maintaining regulatory compliance. While Fort Mill doesn’t follow a fixed schedule, they are encouraged to limit irrigation and watering during peak daytime hours. York and Clover's declaration of stage 2 to limit water will mean that residents will voluntarily limit their water use in their household, using only 300 gallons a day, as they enter stage 2 of the drought as of May 6th.

Men's and Women's Lacrosse End of Season

Clover S.C.-Six Flock traffic cameras have recently been installed in the Clover area. These cameras have raised questions about people’s fourth amendment right to privacy and what data is really being collected. This controversial topic has brought up many benefits and concerns. After much research, the cameras have been found to not violate the fourth amendment. They are owned by a private company and placed on private property not owned by the government. Since they are not implemented by the government they are therefore not violating any laws or amendments. According to Brittany Farr, a previous town council member, “Well, that may be true, but I also shouldn’t have to forfeit all my privacy just to go out in public.” She later explains “...I would argue on that, that if the government is seeking to have those…public, private partnerships, that is where it would be a violation of the Fourth Amendment because the government is supposed to protect that. So if they’re outsourcing to a private company, that in and of itself would violate us.” According to eyesonflock.com, data is deleted after thirty days. Information about what organizations the data is shared with is not provided because it is not shared publicly from the Flock company. According to https://transparency.flocksafety.com/clover-sc-pd, the policies between Flock and the Clover PD are shared. These policies include that the cameras detect license plates and vehicles, not facial recognition, gender, or race. The Acceptable Use Policy states that data is not shared with third parties and is only used by the Clover PD for law enforcement. The cameras are not used for traffic and immigration enforcement, or intimidation. All data that is stored requires valid reasoning. Farr describes more about the cameras by saying, “...it’s a huge, huge network, and these things are able to, through AI, essentially, do pattern recognition, predictive policing, you know, it recognizes, makes, models, color, and any anomaly on a vehicle, even roof racks. So if it’s only looking at license plates, how can it differentiate a roof rack?” After September eleventh the government implemented the Patriot Act. This act caused Americans to give up some of their privacy for safety overall. Now with new technology there seems to be no boundaries. Farr explains “...that’s what I keep coming back to, is that there’s…no framework in place. We’ve just implemented something and not had any oversight in place whatsoever.” She describes how representatives of the people push things though because it sounds like a good idea or it’s considered “safe” and helps with our safety. Farr continues by saying “I just want to see it balance, because anything that can be used for good can be used for bad and anything that can be used for bad can also be used for good, I’m not naive to that fact, but there had to be some sort of framework that protects everyone involved and allows for accountability when things are misused.” After attempting to reach out to the Clover Police Department with no response, Farr recounts “There is some incentivization for officers to speak with other people in the community, like businesses, churches, neighborhoods, to expand this network of cameras, and they are planning to request six more in this coming budget.” The dates for this upcoming budget public hearing have not been planned yet, but they will be posted on the Town of Clover website when determined. Other states, like Colorado, have proposed bills creating stricter access to Flock cameras for law enforcement officers according to https://kdvr.com. As of right now there are no passed laws in regards to the Town of Clover, but two bills have been proposed in the last legislative session in 2025 according to Farr. She points out House Bill 4675 which has the most points to it but is still weak in language. She says “I do have some friends that work with their local GOPs that are looking into that legislation and trying to see how it can be strengthened…” Farr dives into the philosophy around representative government by describing, “...if we don’t pay attention to what the people we voted for are doing, lots can happen and that can happen fast and not in our favor.”

CLOVER, S.C.-Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now a near-universal digital utility in businesses and everyday life. With the rapid growing usage of AI, more databases, housed in data centers, are needed. The government plans to invest around $500 billion in the Stargate project. This initiative is a part of the Trump Administration’s private deal to “revolutionize” infrastructure for the leading AI corporations such as: Oracle, OpenAI and SoftBank. QTS Data Centers are one of the largest and fastest growing hubs for large-scale AI, cloud computing and high-performance computing workloads. QTS currently has 14 new data centers in construction in addition to their near two dozen running locations. In 2023, QTS bought land in Lake Wylie and recently expanded that land to around 143 acres. The data center will cover this land, spanning across Handsmill Highway and Paraham Road. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), larger data centers can consume 5 million gallons of water daily, which is about equivalent to a town with a population of 30,000. To add, data centers must use fresh water, which is already scarce with only 3% of all water being fresh. For data centers to function without overwhelming their computers, they must use hefty amounts of water to cool their systems. Data centers in dryer locations pose a threat to the local water supply. However, QTS states their water will come from York County Water & Sewer, which is Lake Wylie/Catawba River water that is treated and filtered, then purchased from the City of Rock Hill. Unlike traditional data centers, QTS uses a closed loop system, which means water is recycled over and over through the system. This means that water is a one-time fill for the initial start of operations. After operations begin, the system “does not withdraw, consume, or discharge water” says Karen Cohen, the QTS Senior Public Relations Manager. QTS says after that they only use another 20,000 gallons a month for appliances like toilets and sinks. QTS data centers guarantee around 5 gigawatts of power to their privately signed customers. To put this into perspective, 4.8 gigawatts could power around 3.25 million homes struggling to pay electricity bills. QTS keeps the specific power needs of each data center confidential for security purposes. Global warming is not a “new” topic whatsoever, but what is new is the exponential rate at which it is happening. 2024 and 2025 have been recorded as the most dramatic and warmest years for climate change. 2024 was also one of the “big boom” years for generative AI. Since then, there have been thousands of data centers built, with plans for more. It can be predicted, and expected, that climate change will continue to be affected negatively. According to their website, QTS is trying their best to not contribute to carbon emissions and global warming. They work to become carbon neutral and minimize environmental impacts. QTS promised full transparency with Clover to maintain mutual trust, keeping our community up to date with the data center construction. Many believe QTS has not earned the trust of the Clover community due to suspicion that our County Council is not being forthcoming. York County Council Member Andy Litten has talked and posted about this topic on Facebook, for those looking for more information. On an economic scale, QTS should benefit Clover. Their website states a study “found that between 2017 and 2023 the industry’s total fiscal support to federal, state and local governments increased from $66.2 billion to $162.7 billion”. In spite of this, some are concerned about QTS paying a set fee in lieu of taxes. This means they will pay a set fee instead of normal property taxes for a contracted amount of time. However, Cohen says that the data center is “expected to boost regional growth and advancements”. QTS is also working to disrupt the community as little as possible. There are many projects in development in the Clover and Lake Wylie area, making many concerned about having yet another construction site. The base development is predicted to be complete in 2027. As development is speeding up, QTS says they will minimize impacts regarding dust, roads, cleaning, and traffic. QTS is only a small part of South Carolina’s electricity cooperatives plan to up the rate of data center projects, according to the SC Data Center Development Act. Every data center company operates differently with different regulations and precautions. Countless centers pump dangerous chemicals into the air and waste water, but some take the other side and work to be as environmentally friendly as possible. From the information shared, QTS positions itself as the second type of data center. With everything said, the future is uncertain, but the Clover community should go into this new era with an open mind. QTS seems to be working to set a new standard to oppose the current stigma and backlash on data centers.