Wedding & Event Venue Near Florence, SC.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - The Pee Dee welcomed a new animal rescue center this week. Lucky Dog animal rescue now plans to help lighten to load for other Pee Dee shelters.

Their grand opening was on Thursday, but the staff is already working around the clock all day to help as many animals in need as possible. The new facility will open its doors to overcrowded shelters across the Pee Dee.

“They were taking in thousands of animals per year, up to about 6,000 animals a year, which is difficult for a small shelter,” said Team leader for the South Carolina Lucky dog animal rescue facility Stephanie Moore.

With the new Lucky Dog facility, staff will be able to take in dogs and cats from Pee Dee shelters that need medical procedures.

The staff will make sure these dogs and cats are healthy enough before they can be adopted.

The facility is a rescue center, which means it will not accept surrenders from owners but only from other shelters needing extra assistance.

Moore also said that considering neutering your pet can make a difference in shelters.

“A lot of people don’t understand the concept of spray and neuter, or they don’t think it’s necessary because they don’t realize the overcrowding problem that shelters are facing,” said Moore.

In this new facility, pets that come from shelters will get some training, be tested for behavioral issues, and, most importantly, get some health treatment.

One of the most common health issues is heartworm, which is the longest treatment an animal can go through before they are ready for adoption. Veterinarian Adrienne Van Vlake says it could take a long time to recover.

“The dog that has had heartworms for a long period of time will take a long time to treat them and get them better. It’s probably the most challenging thing because it’s the longest,” said Veterinarian Adrienne Van Vlake.

Despite the challenge, the team is ready to help as many pets as possible.

“We are very excited. We purchased this property two years ago, so it’s been a long road, a lot of work, and ten months of construction, and it’s here,” said Moore.

The team is looking to expand its facilities. It could take up to about 2 years to complete.

In phase two this location will work on setting up a heartworm treatment facility and an additional building to take in more cats.

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FLORENCE, S.C. – It was a case of slow start, big finish for Josh Guthrie’s squad Tuesday against The King’s Academy, he said.

“CJ (Clark) was on fire for them on the mound,” the Florence Christian School baseball coach said of TKA’s starter. “The first couple innings…I mean he’s throwing low to mid 80s. Our guys grinded the first couple innings and eventually we started figuring him out a little bit in the third inning, and then after that we sure started hitting the ball a lot.”

The Eagles (5-3) wound up with 13 hits en route to a 14-4 victory over the Lions (1-3). The two teams are scheduled to meet against Thursday at Florence Christian.

Guthrie likely hopes to see the type of offense his team showed in the latter innings Tuesday. FCS plated 13 runs over the final five innings, including a big six-run top of the sixth that proved to be the pivotal frame.

The Eagles began the inning with a three-run lead and finished with a nine-run advantage behind six hits, an error and two walks. Tanner Lewis had the big swing with a two-run homer, but Gabe McLaughlin also had a RBI double as FCS sent 12 men to the plate.

The run game was key as the Eagles wound up stealing eight bases on the night.

“We’ve got a lot of team speed, and we’re very aggressive on the bases,” Guthrie said. “And when we’re not hitting the ball, if we can just get on with a walk or a bunt…we teach small ball here, and they believe it really well right now for me.

“That’s we did – we stole a lot of bases, put the ball in play and they booted it a little bit.”

Clark wound going 2 1/3 innings on the mound for TKA with three strikeouts, but issued five walks. The Lions issued 10 free passes total and also hit three batters.

“I threw some pitchers that hadn’t pitched (this year),” Lions coach Danny Pappas said of his staff Tuesday. “They came from basketball season and hadn’t been ready yet. So from innings four through six, that’s where we were struggling because we weren’t throwing strikes.

“…We can’t make the mistakes we made tonight (on Thursday) and our pitchers have got to throw strikes.”

TKA kept the game close through the fifth. The Lions scored twice in the third inning behind RBI singles form Garrison Fields and Clark. Clark added a RBI double in the fifth and finished the game 4 for 4 with three runs driven in to lead TKA. Fields was 2 for 2 and Trey Mills scored three runs.

Landon Hardy went 3 for 3 for the Eagles with a double, two RBI and three runs scores. Austin Howard had two hits and drove in two runs while McLaughlin and Juels Huntley each finished with two hits as well.

Pierson Gray got the win on the mound for FCS after going 4 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

FCS 013 206 2 – 14 13 1

TKA 002 010 1 – 4 8 2

WP – Pierson Gray (4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 K, 2 BB). LP – CJ Clark (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 5 BB).

LEADING HITTERS – FCS: Landon Hardy 3-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R; Tanner Lewis 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R; Austin Howard 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 R; Juels Huntley 2-3, RBI; Gabe McLaughlin 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R; Bradley Shelley 1-3, RBI, 2 R; Stone Poston 1-3, RBI, R. TKA: CJ Clark 4-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Garrison Fields 2-2, RBI; Lucas Fields 1-4, 2B; Trey Mills 1-2, 3 R.

RECORDS: FCS 5-3. TKA 1-3.

NEXT GAME: The two teams will meet again Thursday at Florence Christian.

Baseball is back with the return of spring training, and this week our hosts talk with Paul Gross, a recently retired broadcast meteorologist who is a weather consultant for the Detroit Tigers. They discuss how weather impacts baseball, from lightning safety rules to the precise timing of a rain forecast, including a dramatic situation in a game between the Tigers and Red Sox. Paul also shared a unique story from his consulting during the 2005 MLB All-Star Game. About the Across the Sky podcast The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by the Lee Weather team: Matt Holiner of Lee Enterprises' Midwest group in Chicago, Kirsten Lang of the Tulsa World in Oklahoma, Joe Martucci of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. Chapters: (0:00:02) - Advising Sports Teams on Weather Conditions (0:05:36) - Forecasting Weather for a Baseball Team (0:10:42) - Weather and Sports (0:18:16) - The Benefits of Advanced Weather Technology (0:23:34) - Weather's Impact on Sports Decisions (0:30:48) - Weather Consideration in Major League Baseball Chapter Summaries: (0:00:02) - Advising Sports Teams on Weather Conditions (6 Minutes) Across the Sky', a national Lee Enterprises weather podcast, is hosted by meteorologists Sean Sublette in Richmond, Joe Martucci in Atlantic City and Matt Holiner in Chicago. This episode discusses the winter storms that have recently been plaguing the Midwest, and how the weather in the upcoming weeks is expected to be mild with snow expected to return next week. They also bring on a guest, Paul Gross, a recently retired broadcast meteorologist who has been consulting for the Detroit Tigers and other big-name sports teams for a while now. (0:05:36) - Forecasting Weather for a Baseball Team (5 Minutes) The conversation focuses on the protocols for forecasting lightning and calling or pausing a game as a result. It is explained that the safety of the players and the field conditions must be taken into account, as well as the safety of everyone in the stadium. An example is given of a situation which occurred during a game, when a severe thunderstorm was taking a direct bead on the ballpark and the umpire refused to stop the game. A discussion follows on the protocols for lightning and how they have changed over the years, with insight from the Paul's experience advising the Tigers. (0:10:42) - Weather and Sports (8 Minutes) This chapter of the Across the Sky podcast covers the significance of lightning and how it can be a major weather killer, yet often flies under the radar due to lack of media coverage. The conversation then transitions to the importance of time when it comes to the weather in relation to sports games and the preparation that goes into playing a game. It is noted that the decision to start the game is often up to the home team general manager. The conversation then delves into a situation in which the Detroit Tigers had a game in Boston, but with a massive rain area approaching the game was started despite the fact that it was unlikely to be completed. (0:18:16) - The Benefits of Advanced Weather Technology (5 Minutes) This conversation is about a unique experience involving the weather at the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Paul Gross recounts how, as a season ticket holder, he and his family had purchased tickets for the game, and a cousin from Chicago had come in to join them. The weather forecast was mostly dry, but the commissioner of baseball, who was a bit of a nervous type when it came to the weather, asked the speaker to stay with him during the game. As the game progressed, the speaker was able to track a few showers on radar. (0:23:34) - Weather's Impact on Sports Decisions (7 Minutes) The conversation focuses on weather's impact on the game of baseball, particularly the flight of the ball in different weather conditions. The speaker talks about his experience with Michigan football and a game they played in Colorado where they were at risk of being affected by a tropical storm. They also discuss the Detroit Lions and their playing both inside and outside and the impact of weather on their games and practices. The speaker talks about the high stakes of the information he provides and how it can affect the outcome of games. Lastly, they talk about whether decision makers ever ask the speaker what he would do in a high stakes situation' (0:30:48) - Weather Consideration in Major League Baseball (12 Minutes) Matt Holiner shared his experience of working as a meteorologist for the Cincinnati Reds and his comparison of the different mentalities between football and baseball when it comes to forecasting weather. Matt discussed how teams will wait for two or three hours until they make the call to cancel a game due to inclement weather and how he had to communicate with the grounds crew and operations manager but not the players. He also shared that football has a higher threshold for what they will tolerate weather-wise and will play in almost any condition, while baseball has a lower threshold and will typically only play if the field is not deemed dangerous. Shownotes generated by Podium.page.

FLORENCE, S.C. — Frank Williams brought a proven track record of success with him to Wilson High School, having recently coached Williams Middle to back-to-back undefeated campaigns.

But time was not something he had in abundance after taking over the girls’ basketball program in the middle of September last year.

“I think we had probably about a month to get ready for the season,” Williams said. “And it just was an amazing season.”

One that helped Williams earn the Morning News Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year honor thanks to a remarkable turnaround by the Tigers.

Just 3-14 a year ago, Wilson finished 16-8 this season and earned a berth in the second round of the 4A state playoffs after finishing runner-up in the always highly-competitive Region 6-4A.

That marked the first double-digit win season for the Tigers since 2019-20, and the first playoff victory since then as well.

“This is a huge honor for me and especially for my kids because I couldn’t do this without them,” Williams said. “They put in the work…We’re looking to build from this season to go farther next year.”

Having coached a number of the same players before in middle school made the transition a little easier given the shortened time table for everyone to acclimate to one other, Williams said.

“It was fairly easy, but on a different level,” he said. “I know a lot of them were uncomfortable, but as the season went on, they got the hang of everything. The workouts improved and it was a just a blessing to be able to have the young ladies that I had on this team.”

And Williams certainly got the most out of a small roster. The Tigers spent the better part of the year with about eight players on bench, which necessitated a lot of in-game substitutions to give them as much rest as they could get between whistles.

“Our conditioning is very intense,” Williams said. “We do a lot of stuff outside…We do almost a college workout to prepare them because of the number of kids that we had. And they did real well with that.”

Williams’ Tigers never lost more than two games in a row, and finished the regular season by winning eight of their last nine games with the only loss coming against region champion South Florence.

Wilson went 7-3 overall in region play with the only other loss coming in the first matchup of the season against North Myrtle Beach. Defense was key as opponents averaged just 36.8 points per game against the Tigers.

“I told them at the beginning of the season (to) just believe in the process,” Williams said. “…It’s going to be hard at first, but being at the varsity level, just believe in the process, keep working hard and things are going to happen.

“And that’s what they did. They believed. We struggled at first, but as the season went on, they started believing in each other and trusting one another.”

At Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Superintendent Richard O’Malley announced his plan to split all of the students currently attending Theodore Lester Elementary between Timrod Elementary and Wallace Gregg Elementary. McLaurin Elementary students grade three to five will be moving to the Theodore Lester Elementary building but will remain Montessori.

“It looks relatively simple . . . but sometimes that’s the hardest thing to see,” board member Barry Townsend said. “I think this is a very elegant solution to a number of problems.”

Board members voted unanimously to approve the plan, which will go into effect for the 2023-2024 school year.

As a result of the changes, all students will be in main buildings and out of mobile classrooms, O’Malley said. The board previously was concerned about the safety of mobile units, which led in part to the current plan, he said.

Of the students currently enrolled at Theodore Lester Elementary, two-thirds will be going to Timrod Elementary and one-third will be going to Wallace Gregg Elementary. Both schools will continue to be pre-K through fifth grade.

The split was made so that students can remain on the same bus routes they are currently on, O’Malley said.

“There’ll be no change in boundaries, no change in bus routes. We’re just carving out an extra area in each of the schools’ zones,” he said. “Students will still get on at the same bus routes, but just go to a different location.”

Each of the three schools have “stagnant or declining enrollment,” O’Malley said, so it makes sense to combine them.

Next year, Timrod Elementary will have 440 students and 22 teachers, a 20:1 student to teacher ratio. Wallace Gregg Elementary will have 342 students and 19 teachers, an 18:1 student to teacher ratio.

Oscars are here, 'Ted Lasso' returns, Jim Boeheim out at Syracuse and NFL updates | Bonus sports & entertainment episode

Oscars are here, 'Ted Lasso' returns, Jim Boeheim out at Syracuse and NFL updates | Bonus sports & entertainment episode

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Hot Off The Wire is a collection of news, sports and entertainment reports. The program is produced by Lee Enterprises with audio provided by The Associated Press.

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After students and staff are moved from McLaurin Elementary to Theodore Lester Elementary, McLaurin will have 564 students and Theodore Lester will have 383.

No one will lose a job as a result of the moves, O’Malley said.

The teachers currently at Theodore Lester Elementary will move to either Timrod Elementary or Wallace Gregg Elementary in the same split as the students, and some of the staff at McLaurin Elementary will be moving with students to Theodore Lester Elementary.

Other advantages of the plan include improving traffic around McLaurin Elementary and freeing up a bus and driver to help with down routes, O’Malley said.

Now that the plan is approved, elementary school principals will begin gathering questions from teachers, which will be answered by district officials in school-wide meetings. Parents will also be contacted soon with more information and to answer questions.

None of the school’s names will be changing, O’Malley said.

To help parents who may have students in more than one school and teachers who have kids in other schools, McLaurin Elementary may be changing its start time, but O’Malley did not give specifics at the meeting.

The board also approved a number of minor items:

The first reading of policy changes primarily in the K section. The changes are minor and mostly for clarification or to remove redundancy.

The second reading of policy changes primarily in the I section, which were discussed at the board’s last meeting.

Moving next month’s meeting date to April 6.

The approval of administrative items like minutes, financial statements and personnel items.