King George County is facing the same pain in the wallet as everyone else whoâs recently bought lumber at a home improvement store.
The cost of building materials has gone through the roof, as it were, after lumberyards either shut down during the pandemic or their supply chains were disrupted. The issues caused lumber prices to rise by 130 percent in the last year, according to the National Association of Home Builders, which estimates the cost of single-family homes has gone up by an average of more than $16,000.
King George Board of Supervisors Chair Annie Cupka talks about impact on rising building costs on KG courthouse
ABC Columbia
May 20, 2021 11:23 AM EDT
Courtesy: Richland County Sheriff’s Department
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– Thursday morning, the The Richland County Sheriff’s Department announced that Sheriff Leon Lott was selected as the 2021 South Carolina Sheriff of the Year by the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association. This is Sheriff Lott’s second time winning the award, having also won in 2004.
Lott was nominated by several sheriff’s including Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers, Jr. Sheriff Summers and others voiced their support for Sheriff Lott, saying “during his 24 years in Office, Sheriff Lott’s extraordinary vision and creativity have enhanced the public trust of citizens and belief in legitimacy for his department.” The sheriffs went on to say, “Sheriff Lott’s life and career have centered on serving others and he is certainly worthy of recognition as Sheriff of the Year.” South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster also wrote, “South Carolina is a safer place
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In November 2020, Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher sent a proposal to the county commissioners for a $16 million jail expansion.
A few days later, an email appeared in the inboxes of Christopher, County Commissioners Kevin Ensley and Brandon Rogers, and City Manager Bryant Morehead. It was from Jesse-Lee Dunlap, who was enraged.
“Folks, I have to say that I am shocked, disappointed and subsequently angry about the news of a jail addition. Quite frankly, it feels like a slap in the face,” wrote Dunlap, who works at Down Home North Carolina, a grassroots organization that mobilizes rural residents on different community projects statewide.
Local acquisition brings Baltimore architecture firm to Richmond market
March 11, 2021 1
KOP principals Ed Gillikin, left, and Don Guthrie will join Marshall Craft Associates’ leadership as principals and stockholders. (
Images courtesy of MCA)
Note: This story has been updated with input from MCA President Stephen Bates received after publication.
A local architecture firm has joined up with a larger peer, bringing a new name to Richmond’s design scene.
Chesterfield-based KOP Architects was acquired this month by Marshall Craft Associates, a 35-year-old firm headquartered in Baltimore.
The deal was signed Feb. 17 and took effect Feb. 28. Terms were not disclosed.
The combination brings MCA’s staff count to about 40, with KOP principals Ed Gillikin and Don Guthrie joining MCA’s leadership as principals and stockholders. KOP founder Hal Downing, who started the firm in 1992, continues to work part-time as part of the local office’s four-person team.
Jail expansion project enters critical phase Tentative plans for a jail expansion in Waynesville have generated spirited debate. File photo
Opponents of Haywood County’s proposed $16 million jail expansion project are ramping up pressure on county commissioners to consider alternative proposals that would devote more resources to keeping people out of jail.
“Before we actively ruin peoples’ lives with a jail, we have to address these drivers of incarceration,” said Jesse Lee Dunlap, an organizer with local grassroots advocacy group Down Home North Carolina. “We want some focus on keeping people out of jail. We have, right next door, the example of Swain County where they recently expanded their detention center but because they did not address the drivers of incarceration, they are already full and having to ship inmates to other counties.”