electrician in Camden, SC

When it comes to the Shore Conference, no group has showcased the triumph and heartbreak of the NJSIAA Tournament more than Group II has. The Shore Conference has had one of the last four teams standing in Group II in eight out of the last nine contested tournaments, but is 0-7 in the Group II semifinal round during that same stretch.

This season was shaping up to tell a similar story, with Manasquan entering as a favorite in Central Jersey Group II, but with a juggernaut Camden squad looming in South Jersey. The landscape, however, changed dramatically at the end of last week, when the Camden School District withdrew both Camden and Camden Eastside from the state tournament after the two rivals were involved in an altercation Thursday night in the county tournament championship game.

There are no Shore Conference teams in the South Jersey Group II field to capitalize on Camden's sudden absence, but the team that awaits the Central Jersey winner will be significantly more beatable than Camden is. That leaves the door open for a strong collection of Shore Conference teams in Central Jersey, led by aforementioned Manasquan, which was crowned Shore Conference Tournament champion on Sunday.

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 2 Manasquan, No. 3 Raritan, No. 5 Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 9 Point Pleasant Boro, No. 13 Holmdel, No. 15 MonmouthTop Seed: South RiverDefending Champion: Rumson-Fair Haven

Favorite: Manasquan. After a year in Group III, Manasquan is back in Central Jersey Group II and will go for its fourth straight NJSIAA sectional championship after claiming the CJ III crown a year ago. The Warriors returned four starting underclassmen from last year and have woven in two seniors into the rotation in Quinn Peters and Jack Dettlinger who have become invaluable. A few close losses to Linden and Union Catholic probably cost Manasquan a chance to play the sectional final at home, so having to go on the road to beat South River in a potential final looks like the only reason to have any pause about the Warriors making it four sectional championships in a row.

Darkhorse: No. 11 Bordentown. While Bordentown did not win enough against top competition to land a guaranteed home game, the Scotties have played competitive games against good opponents and come out on the losing end: two close losses each to Burlington City (15-9) and Pemberton (18-7), two two-point loss to Cinnaminson (20-2) and a six-point loss to Cherokee (15-11; No. 4 seed in South Jersey Group IV). With three players averaging between 12 and 18 points, Bordentown is going to be a first-round handful for Delaware Valley and a dangerous potential quarterfinal opponent for Raritan.

On the other side of the bracket, Point Boro has the profile of a team that could upset South River and make a deep run, but the injury to Stephen Mellett just before the Shore Conference Tournament will be hard to overcome if the Panthers have to go to South River in round two.

Bracket Breakdown: The Shore Conference has dominated this bracket over the last decade, with Lakewood’s 2013 sectional beginning a run of eight championships in nine seasons for the Shore Conference in CJ II. Manasquan likely would have made it nine out of 10 for the decade had there been an NJSIAA Tournament in which its 12-0 in 2021 could compete. The Warriors and rival Rumson-Fair Haven have each accounted for three of those eight titles, with the Bulldogs winning the sectional championship a year ago for their third championship in six years. Both will have golden opportunities to get back to the final and should a rematch happen, Manasquan would have a decided edge after beating the Bulldogs, 57-30, in the Shore Conference Tournament.

Manasquan will open its tournament against a Monmouth Regional team that can be dangerous when at its best, as they were in a 44-42 loss to Rumson in the first round of the SCT. Rumson, meanwhile, could see Holmdel in the second round, with the Hornets taking their high-scoring, junior-heavy team on the road to play 2022 sectional runner-up Bound Brook in round one. For Rumson, Point Boro and Holmdel, all roads lead through South River, when the Rams have put together an impressive season behind a dynamic offense that can put up points in bunches.

Championship Prediction: Manasquan over Rumson. Although its road to the championship game is rather difficult, Rumson has the pedigree and the talent to make the run. The Bulldogs could earn a rematch with Bound Brook – the team they beat in the 2022 sectional final – in the quarterfinals and should they run into South River, the Dawgs should match-up well with the Rams thanks to Rumson’s array of shooters and athletes. If the championship game ends up in Manasquan, it is hard to see anyone beating this Warriors team. If Manasquan has to go to South River, that could be a wrinkle that gives the Rams a chance to knock off the Warriors, who are 57-1 at home over the last five seasons, with the lone loss coming to Roselle Catholic earlier this year.

Round-by-Round Picks

Opening Round

(1) South River over (16) East Brunswick Magnet(9) Point Boro over (8) Spotswood(5) Rumson-Fair Haven over (12) Roselle Park(4) Bound Brook over (13) Holmdel(3) Raritan over (14) A.L. Johnson(11) Bordentown over (6) Delaware Valley(7) Roselle over (10) Middlesex(2) Manasquan over (15) Monmouth

Quarterfinals

(1) South River over (9) Point Boro(5) Rumson-Fair Haven over (4) Bound Brook(3) Raritan over (11) Bordentown(2) Manasquan over (7) Roselle

Semifinals

(5) Rumson-Fair Haven over (1) South River(2) Manasquan over (3) Raritan

Championship

(2) Manasquan over (5) Rumson-Fair Haven

CAMDEN, S.C. (WACH) — Some business owners in Camden, got a shock when they saw their power bills this month.

People who live there did too. Some of them are paying more for power, than they are for their mortgage.

It's forcing some to make decisions they'd rather not make.

"I mean it's not right; something needs to be done," says Demetrious Voulgarelis, restaurant owner.

Demetrious Voulgarelis owns the Steeplechase restaurant, in downtown Camden.

After seeing his most recent power bill, he might have to change how he serves his customers.

His bill went up 200 dollars this month and he expects it to go even higher next month.

"If my electricity bill goes up that high, I mean, I might have to cut down, somebody in the kitchen. Then my other employees will pay for it because they have to work harder," says Demetrious Voulgarelis, restaurant owner.

The electric company NTE, in partnership with Carolina Power Partners, told the city of Camden that natural gas is to run electricity generating machines. They said, gas prices have soared. The city of Camden added a Purchase Power Fuel Surcharge, and that burden is being passed on to the customer.

I reached out to both companies and NTE directed me to Carolina Power Partners, I received no response.

WACH fox news went to Camden's city hall to talk with the city manager. He was out of the office, so we talked to the Camden's finance director.

"The only additional charge at this time is, that is affecting the electric bill, is the purchase power fuel surcharge. that is a by kilowatt hour usage. so, for every kilowatt hour you use, it is a surcharge of .0529 cents," says Debra Courtney, city of Camden Finance Director.

According to electricchoice.com, South Carolina homes, on average, use 1124 kilowatts per month. That equals roughly 60 dollars more a month, on an average home.

Yet, some people are seeing bills as high as 900 dollars.

'Whenever you're making folks making these choices in their life. Whether they can eat, buy medication, or have lights so they can cook, live, day-to-day basis. That’s life choices," says Billy Gardner, finance company manager in Camden.

"We're do we go from here? We are here now? We all understand that by our bills, but what is the city of Camden, meaning our mayor, our city council, and the city manager going to do to help us get these bills back down to we're there feasible to everybody in our community," says Lisa Berry, a Camden resident.

We wanted to know what the city of Camden can do or is doing about it.

"There have been several projects that we have tentatively put on hold for the improvements of our system. Pending what is going to happen in the natural gas market for the purchase power," says Debra Courtney, city of Camden Finance Director.

Business owners like Demetrious Voulgarelis, are expecting higher bills in the next few months, but still aren't certain how to handle them.

Patrick Davis was bored and restless.

The musician, raised in Camden, S.C., had spent years in Nashville as a songwriter and had done well for himself. In the city at the heart of music, he’d written or co-written songs for dozens of successful artists, including Pat Green, Jimmy Buffett, Jewel and Robert Randolph.

But something was missing.

He missed the days of playing smaller shows in places like Columbia’s Five Points. Davis might have made his name as a songwriter, but he longed for the days of performing live.

“When you get publishing deals and songs on the radio, and you make a little bit of money, it’s easy to fall into a trap of forgetting what it was you initially enjoyed doing,” Davis said. “The world will tell you what success is, and you’ve got to remember what success is for yourself... I was definitely missing some happiness in my life that had always come about from playing live.”

When Davis found himself at this crossroads in Nashville nearly seven years ago, he decided to change his situation. Some people might have strapped on an acoustic guitar and hit the coffeehouse circuit, but Davis went about as far in the other direction as one can go.

He created a massive ensemble called the Midnight Choir, chock full of horns, guitars and vocalists. Depending on the performance, the Midnight Choir can be 10 to 13 members, often including Davis’ dad on lead guitar.

The band tackles everything from soft folk to country to Southern rock, with Davis at the center telling stories and playing his incisive, melodic songs, many of which helped fund the choir he’s created.

“My career as a songwriter has gone well enough to where I could take on this kind of endeavor,” he said. “(It’s) not an inexpensive situation, so you have to really be able to be able to make all those people happy, not just musically but also where they can pay their bills.”

Making the band happy musically is a priority too, though. During a typical Midnight Choir show, Davis makes sure to shine the spotlight on each member of the large ensemble.

“Musically speaking... I want to make sure everybody feels like they are appreciated,” Davis said. ”(It’s) sometimes hard in a big outfit like that. Everyone wants the final product to be wonderful and a beautiful painting, but you still want people to stand out.”

The ensemble is constantly shifting and evolving, but it’s almost always made up of musicians from South Carolina and Nashville, both of the places that Davis has called home. He also has a keen eye for the kind of musician that will fit in well with the rest of the Midnight Choir.

Davis described it as “the best of both worlds,” pointing to multi-talented musicians with range in their performances like Grammy Award-wining Charleston jazz group Ranky Tanky’s Charlton Singleton on the trumpet and his father on guitar.

“(Singleton) is as talented as anybody in the world when it comes to taking solos, but he can also lay back and just write incredible parts for the horn section... and when I get my dad to play, he can sit back and let me tell a story and then if I say, ‘Hey Dad, crank it up,’ he can crank it up,” Davis said.

Davis and the Midnight Choir will bring their infectious big-band sound to the Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College on Friday, Feb. 24, and it’s far more than just another stop on tour. Davis said he’s thrilled to be back in his old home state, some 30 minutes or so from where he grew up.

“It’s always great coming back home,” he said. “When you’re fortunate enough to do what us musicians do, which (is) travel all the time, we go to some cool places. But there’s nothing like coming home.”

Patrick Davis and his Midnight Choir

Feb. 24. $40. Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College. 7300 College St., Irmo. harbisontheatre.org.

Archaeologists with the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at USC have studied the Camden Battlefield for decades, but their most recent finding is the discovery of a lifetime.

The SCIAA team found the remains of 14 Revolutionary War soldiers at the historic Camden Battlefield and Longleaf Pine Preserve, the site of a 1780 battle that claimed more lives than any other in the revolution.

“I was standing over the grave of a soldier who woke up that morning not knowing it was his last,” says Doug Bostick, executive director of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust. “It’s a surreal experience that connected me with military history (in a way) that I’ve never felt before.”

The trust preserves historic battle sites across the state, including the Camden site. Together with SCIAA and a handful of other invested organizations, researchers are piecing together what this discovery means for South Carolina's history and what we know about the deadliest battle of the American Revolution.

Steven D. Smith, research professor and lead on the Camden site, says the project aims to learn more about the lives of Revolutionary War soldiers, excavate remains that were endangered from human discovery and rebury them with dignity.

Many people do not realize that historic battle sites are often cemeteries because fallen soldiers were buried where they fell during the Revolutionary War and are still there, says SCIAA archaeologist James Legg, who has studied the Camden battle site since 1980.

Beginning in 2020, SCIAA archaeologists discovered the bodily remains and personal artifacts of several soldiers who fought at the Battle of Camden buried in shallow graves. This year, the Battleground Trust and SCIAA finalized plans to excavate the site.

Working from September to early November, the archaeologists unearthed 14 individuals in seven graves, including one which held five bodies. The shallow gravesites provide insight into burial practices during the war.

“The burials were very cursory in nature,” Legg says. “Prisoners of war were likely made to bury the dead in extremely shallow graves — we’re talking 12 to 14 inches deep. Some of them even showed evidence of plow marks from 20th century farm machinery, that’s how poorly these soldiers were treated.” The manner and location of the graves informs the history of the battle itself, including the participants and the skirmish areas. Artifacts found with the skeletal remains, such as uniform buttons, reveal the soldiers’ allegiances: 12 Continental, one British and one Loyalist.

Outside of the findings’ historical significance, Legg says this new evidence of battle helps solidify the reality of the war, which can be difficult to conceptualize outside of history books.

“It’s almost like a mythology, the Revolution, like a story we all agree happened, but may not feel that it was real. These gravesites make it real.”

Once the graves were identified and assessed, a SCIAA team carefully removed the soldiers’ remains to a lab for further study.

Carlina de la Cova, bioarcheologist and professor of anthropology, said many of the remains were extracted in blocks of soil to limit further damage. De la Cova, along with forensic examiners from the Richland County Coroner’s office, will X-ray the skeletons to learn about out each soldier’s age, height, cause of death and experience of battlefield trauma.

Several of her former students, now working at the coroner’s office, have volunteered to help with the project. Using dental evidence, they’ve already identified the ages of many of the soldiers. At least one half of them were under 35 years old, including two teens estimated to be ages 14-16. The Continentals came from Maryland or Delaware, and the British soldier was from Scotland.

“When we think about the independence of this nation, we think about the Declaration of Independence, we think about Washington crossing the Delaware, but here in South Carolina we have this very tangible evidence that tells the human side of that story,” de la Cova says.

While de la Cova values what she and the other researchers can learn from the fallen soldiers, she says her other focus is identifying the soldiers based on their biological profiles so they can be honored with a proper burial.

After the forensic data is collected, the soldiers will be reinterred in sealed vaults at the locations where they were found on the Camden Battlefield, Bostick says. S.C. Battleground Trust, Historic Camden and Kershaw Country are planning a service for April 2023.

“These are America’s first veterans,” Bostick says. “We think it’s important for the public to be able to see and understand all the things that will happen.”

Until then, the USC researchers will continue to learn what they can from the boys and men who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“I felt honored to be there, to connect with the men who gave their lives for the liberty that we all enjoy today,” Bostick says. “They gave their lives for what they believed in.”

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The completion of the Camden Shopping Center isn't the highlight, with several other major projects in the pipeline.

CAMDEN, S.C. — Camden is planning for growth and already has a few federal and grant-funded projects aimed at bringing in business and industry.

The Camden City Council met Tuesday afternoon and at the top of the agenda was a review of quarterly reports from 12 different entities, one of which was downtown redevelopment.

Based on the report, a new shopping center is at the center of a new business boom in Camden thanks to some federal dollars.

"Well, I think this is a big boom this particular quarter, we've gone from a tax value of $220,000 to a tax value of $6 million, so it's been a success and everyone's looking for jobs," said Suzi Sale, the economic director for Camden.

"We've completed the Brownfields grant program of $300,000 that we were awarded by the federal government," she added. "And this is a resulted in a great, brand new Camden shopping center, and we've got a full line up of tenants."

Sale said the new shopping center has provided a little over 65 jobs, not including seasonal work. And additional money is also expected with the assistance of a second grant.

"We have been awarded another $500,000 grant that we'll be redeveloping another area to bring the tax value up and attract businesses," Sale added. "We have seven targets we're focusing on and we're very excited about that."

One of those targets, she said, is what used to be a radiator shop.

"It's on our main drag coming into Camden, it's got probably six to seven acres associated with it," she said. "So, we're gonna go in there - prime location - we're gonna go in there, assess everything and find out what the owner needs to do to bring it up to code."

And that's not all. The third topic of conversation from the report is the 'Pipeline Report' which covers what's coming soon.

"We're talking to at least three big developers right now that are looking at key spots - actually looking at roughly 22 acres to develop here in town," she said. "And 14 to 15 retailers, hotels, entertainment attractions that we're talking, too, that we hope are going to be able to sign and come online here very soon."