It has been a while since we have done an installment of the Matrix, our catch-all collection of various and sundry news items …
One reason for the delay? We are currently in the process of erecting a new entity within the South Carolina marketplace of ideas, a portal we believe will work in concert with FITSNews.com to fill what we perceive as a gap in the current coverage network.
We conceived of this idea about a year ago, but haven’t had the time to devote to it until recently …
Anyway, now that you have been sufficiently teased … to the matrix!
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BENEFIT FOR FLORENCE LAW ENFORCEMENT
(Via: Getty Images)
Earlier this month a tragedy in Florence, S.C. befell deputies of the local sheriff’s office and officers of the city police department. Two law enforcement officers died as a result of wounds they sustained during an ambush/ shootout involving a heavily armed suspect. Five others were wounded.
Collectively, these officers have come to be known as the “Florence 7,” and next month a local motorcycle dealership in Florence is teaming up with other businesses (and law enforcement) to raise money for the victims and their families.
Black Jack Harley Davidson is sponsoring the “Florence 7 Benefit Ride” on Saturday, November 24. This event will feature a motorcycle ride from the Florence store to nearby Darlington Raceway, where a community day will be held featuring live music, a car and motorcycle display, silent auction and other festivities.
Here is a flyer for the event provided to us by the Florence police department …
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(Via: Provided)
According to event organizers, they are “looking for donations and door prizes/ silent auction items.”
“We are hoping to raise as much money as possible,” one organizer told us. “As you can imagine, this has been an awful time for our agencies. We are trying to do whatever we can to help them get back to some kind of normalcy.”
Those unable to attend the event can send checks to the “Florence Law Enforcement Victims Fund” to 324 W Evans Street
Florence, S.C. 29501.
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ALAN WILSON CAMPAIGN SWING
(Via: Provided)
South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson will bring his campaign for a third term in office to Greenville and Spartanburg, S.C. this week.
Wilson, 45, is the runaway favorite to win this election – which would cap a remarkable political comeback for the Lexington, S.C. lawyer.
The Republican incumbent – whose political career spectacularly imploded two years ago – enjoys a decisive lead over Charleston School of Law (CSOL) professor Constance Anastopoulo, the Democratic nominee for this office.
Back in June, Wilson trounced state representative Todd Atwater by a 2-to-1 margin to claim the GOP nomination for this seat.
Wilson will appear alongside supporters at North Greenville University on Thursday (November 1) at 9:30 a.m. EDT. That same day, he will visit The Beacon in Spartanburg at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The purpose of his visit? “To meet voters and encourage South Carolinians to vote,” according to a release from his campaign.
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ULTRAVIOLET PAC BACKS SC HOUSE CANDIDATE
(Via: Provided)
Ultraviolet PAC – a left-leaning women’s empowerment organization – is getting involved in a contested South Carolina State House race.
According to a news release provided to this news outlet, the group is endorsing the candidacy of Sam Edwards for S.C. House District 85 (map). This seat has been held since August of 1999 by centrist Republican representative Chip Huggins.
This district is staunchly GOP, and Ultraviolet’s involvement in the race – said to comprise “a series of online ads” – is unlikely to move the needle in Democrats’ direction. Nonetheless, the group is getting involved.
“Because Republicans turned their backs on survivors of sexual violence, we now have the most anti-women Supreme Court in generations,” Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director of UltraViolet PAC, said in a statement. “The need to have champions to act as a firewall against an ideologically driven Court that is stacked against women has never been greater.”
As part of its efforts, Thomas’ group has named Edwards as one of its top ten “trailblazing women candidates to watch in 2018.”
“We need more women like Edwards in our state governments,” Thomas said. “As an LGBTQ woman, Edwards would be joining a male-heavy legislature that, as recently as February, tried to pass a bill that would define gay marriage as ‘parody marriage.’ She is running on defending and expanding health care as a human right, protecting the environment from corporate polluters, and pushing equitable funding of public schools.”
Ah yes … parody marriage.
According to its website, Ultraviolet is “mobilized to fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women, from politics and government to media and pop culture.”
The group backs “reproductive rights, healthcare, economic security, violence, and racial justice – and we center the voices of all women, especially women of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ women.”
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