Defense Contractor Attorney Near Lexington, SC

It is the final week of high school football regular season in South Carolina.

Midlands scores

Friday

Batesburg-Leesville 35, Saluda 34 (OT)

Ben Lippen 28, Augusta Christian 0

CA Johnson 30, Lee Central 20

Camden Military 56, Northside Christian 37

Central 42, North Central 7

Clear Dot Charter 14, Anderson 0

Dutch Fork 28, Irmo 21

Fairfield Central 44, Columbia 0

Mid-Carolina 20, Eau Claire 6

Newberry 43, Swansea 0

Northwood 39, Heathwood Hall 20

Ridge View 39, Blythewood 7

Sumter 52, Westwood 27

Wardlaw 50, Richard Winn 28

West Florence 34, Spring Valley 8

WW King 44, Laurens Academy 22

Thursday

AC Flora 40, Camden 28

Brookland-Cayce 20, Airport 13

Gray Collegiate 49, Gilbert 0

Hammond 57, Cardinal Newman 0

Pelion 50, American Leadership 7

River Bluff 38, Lexington 17

South Pointe 70, Richland Northeast 0

White Knoll 42, Chapin 7

Statewide scores

Friday

Abbeville 37, Ware Shoals 16

Ashley Ridge 35, West Ashley 0

Atlantic Collegiate 21, Kingstree 14

Bamberg-Ehrhardt 56, Denmark Olar 0

Barnwell 43, Whale Branch 12

Belton Honea Path 62, Walhalla 7

Bishop England 55, Colleton County 0

Broome 36, Chapman 33

Carolina Forest 49, Conway 0

Catawba Ridge 22, Clover 21 (OT)

Cheraw 51, Chesterfield 0

Christ Church Episcopal 41, Palmetto 31

Crescent 28, Pendleton 21

Cross 34, Baptist Hill 0

Daniel 33, Greer 7

Dorman 49, Eastside 12

East Clarendon 42, Marion 14

Emerald 23, Laurens 17

Florence Christian 49, Trinity Collegiate 20

Hillcrest 44, Woodmont 8

Hilton Head Island 53, Beaufort 20

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 28, Ridge Spring - Monetta 0

James Island 55, Stall 0

Johnsonville 21, Latta 8

WW King 44, Laurens Academy 22

Lamar 20, Lewisville 14

Loris 54, Aynor 0

Manning 40, Lake City 12

Marlboro County 52, Waccamaw 14

McBee 35, Great Falls 24

Myrtle Beach 29, North Myrtle Beach 23

Northwestern 51, Indian Land 13

Oceanside Collegiate 49, Orangeburg-Wilkinson 13

Orangeburg Prep 24, Thomas Sumter 6

Pee Dee Academy 57, Dillon Christian 28

Pickens 42, Travelers Rest 27

Powdersville 48, St. Joseph’s 28

Silver Bluff 34, Fox Creek 6

Socastee 22, St. James 21

South Aiken 23, Aiken 7

South Florence 51, Hartsville 23

Spartanburg 20, Riverside 19

Thomas Heyward 32, Beaufort Academy 27

Timberland 38, Woodland 0

TL Hanna 27, Greenville 24

Wardlaw Academy 50, Richard Winn 28

Whitmire 58, Calhoun Falls Charter 42

Wilson 28, Darlington 26

Woodruff 43, Union County 6

Thursday

Ashley Ridge 35, West Ashley 0

Berkeley 35, Cane Bay 7

Bluffton 28, May River 21

Crestwood 35, Lakewood 22

Dillon 46, Georgetown 7

Fountain Inn 63, Soutside 0

Greenwood 49, Easley 7

James Island 55, Stall 0

Lake View 52, Green Sea Floyds 0

Liberty 7, Blacksburg 0

Lucy Beckham 31, Wando 14

Mauldin 48, JL Mann 6

Philip Simmons 28, Andrews 14

Pinewood Prep 48, John Paul II 28

Stratford 48, Goose Creek 0

Summerville 37, Fort Dorchester 14

Westside 21, Wren 7

Incumbents Todd Carnes, Gavin Smith and Ron Williams and challengers Greg Brewer and Doug Leonard pledge to improve quality of life and guide the town’s growth

LEXINGTON, S.C. — Growth, infrastructure and traffic are once again taking center stage in the Town of Lexington, where five candidates are running for three open seats on the town council.

The ballot includes incumbents Todd Carnes, Gavin Smith and Ron Williams, along with challengers Greg Brewer and Doug Leonard. Each candidate says they’re motivated by a shared goal: improving the quality of life for Lexington residents.

Councilman Todd Carnes, who has served on the town council since 2014, said his motivation comes from a deep connection to the community.

“This community has been great to me and my family,” Carnes said. “We moved here 26 years ago with a few small children, and we’ve spent the last 26 years building a life here. Everything we have I can attribute to this community and the opportunities it provided. I want to give back.”

Carnes, a real estate broker and small business owner, said his background in engineering and zoning helps him problem-solve and plan for smart growth.“I can use that knowledge of our community and my engineering background to make sure that our community moves forward in things like infrastructure, safety and community,” he said.

Ron Williams, also first elected to council in 2014, serves as director of operations for Mission Lexington, which operates a thrift store and food pantry. Williams said public service has been a lifelong calling.

“I’ve done public service most of my life — from volunteering to coaching Little League to working with the Boy Scouts,” Williams said. “I’ve always tried to live by what my grandmother taught me, that it’s better to serve than to be served. This is just an extension of who I am.”

Williams said his approach to leadership is rooted in collaboration. “You have to build relationships and work with others,” he said. “Once you get elected, you have to serve with those folks. The best way to do that is to get along, compromise and focus on what’s best for the citizens of this town.”

Gavin Smith, a marketing professional and University of South Carolina professor, said his campaign centers on community input.

“The answer to what motivates me to run for town council is very simple — it’s the people,” Smith said. “Every single day I interact with citizens, business owners, people from all walks of life, and the one thing we all share is that we care about our community.”

Smith said he believes improving the quality of life starts with listening. “I firmly believe this seat on council doesn’t belong to me — it belongs to the people,” he said. “I’ve knocked on about 2,500 doors throughout this campaign, and the number one thing I hear is traffic. That’s going to be my top focus, followed by managing development and getting more young people involved in local government.”

Challenger Greg Brewer said his experience managing large budgets at GE and Siemans would help the town prioritize its most pressing needs while being transparent with residents.

“It comes down to money,” Brewer said. “I’ve had a lot of experience running large budgets — focusing on must-haves versus nice-to-do’s, like safer roads, cleaner air, cost-effective water and sewer, and infrastructure-led growth, not developer-led.”

He added that residents deserve honesty and accountability from their leaders.“Residents deserve better affordable services, maximum transparency, and thus accountability — and infrastructure first before growth,” Brewer said. “I’ve spent years pushing for openness, better planning and financial options as a private citizen. Now it’s time to do it from the inside — to help our town make faster progress on what our residents want most.”

Doug Leonard, a realtor and business owner who has lived in Lexington since 1964, said his decision to run comes from both a sense of civic duty and a personal connection to the town’s future.

“I’ve been around Lexington since 1964, and my wife and I have raised four kids and we have 10 grandkids that are being raised in Lexington,” Leonard said. “So I felt like I needed to get involved to make sure that they have the same town that my kids had as they grow up. I felt this is my opportunity to serve my fellow citizens because my relatives paid a lot in order for us to be free.”

Leonard said infrastructure and fiscal responsibility are at the top of his list.“Right now, what’s happening is we continue to overbuild our infrastructure capability, and that’s why you have the road problems and traffic congestion,” he said. “That’s probably the big issue — along with financial transparency.”

Voters in Lexington will head to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, to choose who will fill the three open council seats. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Whoever wins will face the challenge of balancing Lexington’s rapid growth with the infrastructure needed to support it, a task all five candidates agree is vital to the town’s future.

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - Dozens of Lexington County families are struggling to find childcare after a daycare center announced it would close by the end of the week.

Kid City USA gave parents and staff just four days’ notice before the permanent closure, leaving families scrambling for alternatives and employees without jobs.

“This company has really screwed us over, honestly,” said Lillian Mann, a parent.

Mann not only lost her childcare for her son Aiden’s pre-school but also her job.

“It’s very nerve-racking. I’m a single mom, and I don’t know what my next steps are as of right now,” Mann said.

Mann and dozens of other families received a letter Monday telling them the daycare would permanently close its doors on Friday. The letter cited financial strain and recent government cuts to early childhood funding as the reason for the shutdown.

The facility’s after-school program on Cherokee Road is also shutting down.

“That’s insane and not fair to any parent or any employee, because people are just out here trying to make a living,” said Hannah Cockrell, another parent.

Cockrell’s son is one of 65 children ranging in ages from 6 weeks to 12 years old who rely on the daycare. The after-school program serves more than 50 students. Both facilities employ nearly 30 people and have been open for two years.

Kid City USA has over 100 locations in 11 states, including North Carolina and Florida.

Parents said the shutdown comes at the worst time as they face long waiting lists at daycares and have fewer affordable, reliable care options.

Cockrell said while she was able to find a new daycare, she’s concerned for other families now stranded with little time to find new arrangements.

“It’s extremely hard to find childcare. I took the last one-year-old spot at the center that we’re going to. Where are they going to go?” Cockrell said.

Media outlets in other states, like Florida, have reported centers closing. Kid City USA’s corporate office did not respond to requests for comment.

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Lexington families scramble for childcare as Kids City USA abruptly announces closure, leaving parents and staff blindsided.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — More than one hundred Lexington families are searching for new daycare and after-school care options after a local childcare center abruptly announced it will close its doors at the end of the week.

Employees at Kids City USA Lexington 1, located on Old Cherokee Road, said they received notice Monday that both their daycare a programs will shut down for good on Friday.

Lily, an employee and parent at the center, said she was drawn to work there because it allowed her to stay close to her baby at an affordable cost. She explained that the closure has left her overwhelmed.

“It’s meant a lot. This whole daycare has really meant a lot to my son and I," Lily said. "It’s more of like a family here. And so when we found out that it was closing, it was panic at first because where am I going to put my son and where am I going to work? I’m a single mom going through a divorce.”

According to employees, Kids City USA’s corporate office told staff and parents that financial strain was the reason for the closure. When News19 reached out to the corporate office for clarification, a representative said there was “no comment at this time.”

Parents said they were blindsided by the decision and given little time to find alternative childcare.

Hannah, whose son attends the center, said she learned about the closure just days before it takes effect. “We were given notice at about seven o’clock last night that our daycare was closing for good after the end of day Friday,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking. My heart breaks for the families. My heart breaks for all of the employees at Kids City because they have been taking care of my son for nine months.”

Lily said she and other staff members were equally shocked and emotional, describing the center as a second home for families and employees alike. “The parents are also as shocked as we are because we did not know until about two hours before the parents found out,” she said. “It’s very sad. The parents are asking, ‘Where do we go? What do y’all recommend?’ It’s absolutely terrible. We have bills to pay. Parents need to put their kids somewhere.”

Just down the street, the Kids City USA after-school program, which cares for 55 children from kindergarten through eighth grade, faces the same fate. The director said she learned last Friday that October 31 would be her last day.

Now, staff members at both locations are taking down decorations and preparing to say goodbye. Lily said, “It’s really sad. This place was really a second home to us.”

Kids City USA operates dozens of centers across the country. In recent weeks, locations in Florida and North Carolina have also abruptly closed, leaving many families in those states facing similar childcare challenges.

A Lexington One parent says he was stunned to learn his third grader went nine weeks without any science lessons, despite newsletters saying otherwise.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — A Lexington One parent says he was stunned to learn his child went nine weeks without any science lessons, even though classroom newsletters said otherwise.

Jay, a Deerfield Elementary School parent, said he learned last month that his third grader had not received any science instruction in her class during the first quarter of the school year.

He said the news came after a letter from the school informed parents that in one teacher's class no science grades would appear on their children’s report cards. No other teacher's classes at the school were affected.

“September 5th, your child started a unit in science this week. I would urge you to keep study guides and quiz materials in a safe place. Although I administered all social study assessments orally, I do not know if this will be the case with science. This is September 5th," Jay said, reading from one of the school’s earlier messages to families.

A more recent letter acknowledged that science lessons had not been taught during the first nine weeks in that class and said no grades for the subject would appear on report cards. The letter also promised that “school administrators, district human resources staff, and the district science and world language coordinators are working with the teacher to ensure all third-grade science standards are taught over the remainder of the school year.”

Jay said the explanation left him frustrated.

“I get it, things happen, but I was lied to,” he said. “Like I sat there and she just looked at me and said, we are doing science. And he (the assistant principle) understood my frustration and agreed with me.”

Jay said he met with his daughter’s teachers and helps her with lessons at home, but now he is questioning whether his child is being taught everything she should be.

“This is my kid’s future. You know, they’re young, now is the time you mold them and teach them. And you’re responsible for doing that in the way that you’re told to do it. The district tells you to do this, you do this. Why are we saying things are going on when they’re not?” he said.

In a statement, Lexington One said concerned parents should follow up with the school principal. The district said families should have received a letter with their student’s report card explaining that an updated timeline for science instruction will be sent home.

The district added that school administrators and curriculum staff are working with the teacher to make sure all third-grade science standards are taught before the end of the year. There are no state standardized tests for science in third grade.

News19 asked Lexington One School District specifically why students were not taught science during the first nine weeks. The district said its human resources department will discuss the matter with the teacher and that any issues will be addressed in the plan moving forward.

Deerfield Elementary said families can expect to receive an updated science teaching timeline this week.