electrician in Clover, SC

After months without answers, homeowners reached out to WCNC Charlotte for help.

CLOVER, S.C. — Residents in Clover told WCNC Charlotte they are stressed over sewage. Raw sewage is being spilled across their yards from a broken pipe, but the question remains: Whose problem is this to solve?

For the Hall family, a good morning starts with the sounds of nature. They like to sit on their rocking chairs and enjoy the sounds of nature on Fairview Street.

Instead of the sweet smell of the countryside, though, it's something else.

“In the morning, you open the door," Melinda Hall said. "You have to hold your breath.”

The culprit: Pools of raw sewage have collected just a few feet away from their house.

“It’s just nasty, just takes your breath away some days," Ricky Hall said.

"You are supposed to be smelling flowers," Melinda Hall added.

Ricky Hall said it's creating problems.

“It goes under the fence and right past our flower bed there," Ricky Hall said. "Sewage is sitting in the yard, it’s very soft and really slick. There are sinkholes."

The two said it has led to a plethora of problems.

“I used these little stepping stones," Melinda Hall said. "Trying to get in the car with this, I’m having to pull up or back up and get on the other side to get in. I have to crawl through my car. Getting on my clothes when I’m trying to go to work.”

In an effort to get answers, the Halls contacted the town of Clover.

“The city saying they can’t do anything about it. It’s not their line and not their problem," Ricky Hall said.

The town told the Halls it falls under SCDHEC jurisdiction. WCNC Charlotte reached out to the town to check.

Town administrator Alison Harvey provided the following response:

"The Town’s Public Works Department is aware of this situation. The sewer line creating this issue is a private service line – not a Town of Clover line. The Town has been assisting the SC Department of Environmental Control (SCDHEC) to get this issue resolved. It is my understanding that SCDHEC is in the process of taking enforcement action again the property owner but you should confirm with them."

WCNC Charlotte reached out to SCDHEC, which said:

"I can confirm that we are aware of this and have been in communication with both the responsible party and with the complainants. The agency is working to ensure that the responsible party quickly and appropriately addresses the issue. The agency doesn't comment on pending or ongoing enforcement action, so if enforcement action is being pursued or were to be pursued, we wouldn't be able to provide details at that time, only after that action were to be finalized."

The owner of a trailer where the pipe is located told WCNC Charlotte she heard from SCDHEC, and the department said she had five days to clean the mess up and fix the pipe or law enforcement would come into play. The owner said her trailer had no running water or sewage, so this isn't her problem.

She said even though this city sewage pipe is on her private property, her neighbor's sewage runs through it. She said she has reached out to SCDHEC and the town of Clover for help since the beginning.

In the meantime, the Halls are left hoping for a solution so they can get back to starting their days on their rocking chairs.

CLOVER, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Seventh graders are writing novels and getting them published.

In their second year, Oakridge Middle School in Clover, has held this project for their 7th graders. This year they have exceeded participation with 200 students now understanding the publishing process.

Oakridge Middle School Student Solomon Hopkins-Smith said, “The thing I really wished I knew was to take my time and really think about what I wanted to write instead of just trying to go onto the tablet and going to write something but taking the time to think go through my ideas and be like hmm this actually seems good, this not so much, I should probably put this word in and not that word, and just actually trying to think it through instead of just trying to type it real quick because that’s what I did for my original idea”

7th Grade ELA Teacher Erica Fielder said, “At first they are always like, you want us to do what? We are writing a novel? Like not just a couple paragraphs, a paragraph, were writing a novel? And were like yeah, we’ll walk you through it and by the end everyone meets their goal and their attitudes change about writing. They end up loving it by the end, there is always some speed bumps and road bumps that we hit, but I think it changes their view point on writing because they can pick what they are actually writing.”

Previously the published books the students have completed have gone to their school’s bookshelf – This year many of the students have decided to take their novels to the Kindle publishing site as well to sell them for profit.

ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Big economic news as a company is ready to invest more than $400-million in York County bringing with it 405 new jobs.

Chester County Council voting unanimously in Monday’s meeting to hire Brian Hester a chief deputy with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

Seventh graders writing novels and getting them published.

We have those stories and more.

ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 SPORTS) – Not one but two tri-county schools saw their wrestling teams advance to the upper state championships.

CN2’s Jeremy Wynder updating the brackets for us.

Plus, a pair of Winthrop alums hanging out with celebrities on the golf course.

Here is your Tuesday sports.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — At the recent Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference, 21 4-H’ers received Diamond Clover Awards, the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program.

The Clover Award Program encourages 4-H members to explore new projects and activities that will help them acquire the seven leadership life skills: communicating; decision making and problem solving; getting along with others; learning to learn; managing; understanding self; and working in groups. Engagement with the Clover Award Program is generally a multiyear process and consists of planning and implementing a service-learning project in the community.

“Now more than ever, the skills learned as 4-H’ers are needed all over our world,” said Jeanette Stackhouse, 4-H teen program manager with Penn State Extension. “We are delighted to see so much thought and effort go into these projects that make a great impact on the 4-H’ers’ local communities.”

4-H’ers from the following counties received Diamond Awards:

Bradford County

— Andrew Houseknecht organized an environmental day and fishing derby at a local state park to teach youth about water conservation, erosion, marine biology, geology and raptors.

Bucks County

— Katherine Fogel created a sensory trail for therapeutic riders of all ages at the TaKE Center, an equine assisted therapy program. — Cora Stine carried out a project called “Kinder-garden,” bringing moveable raised garden beds to local schools for hands-on learning.

Chester County

— Melissa Griswold educated third graders about local agricultural industries with an interactive presentation. — Sophie Griswold aimed to help the public understand the daily life of farmers and how cows experience the world differently from people. She conducted research on cows’ senses and created infographics, posters and educational videos. — Melissa Johnson worked with local businesses, individuals and 4-H clubs to send homemade gifts to the families of deployed military personnel.

Crawford County

— Katherine Arnett set up a meet-and-greet for families and children to get to know their local first responders in a nonemergency setting.

Lancaster County

— Caleb Miller installed livestock gates on the cattle barn at the Elizabethtown Fair to protect the safety of the cattle and bystanders.

Lebanon County

— Jolene Bomgardner sought to convey the importance of full-fat dairy products for growing children and worked with her school to make whole milk available in the lunch line.

Mifflin County

— Barry Decker gave presentations on safe riding and driving practices when sharing a roadway with equine.

Montgomery County

— Abigail Holmberg taught children aged 8-12 to sew reusable snack bags, pillowcases, stuffed animals and scrunchies. Some of the kids donated the pillowcases they made to children with cancer through the “Ryan’s Cases for Smiles” program.

Montour County

— Damian Brown rebuilt the 4-H storage closet at the Montour County Fair. — Elaina Tyson sent gift boxes to soldiers oversees to help bring awareness to how many local residents were serving in the military.

Perry County

— Ashleigh Rogers worked in a local park to update the basketball courts, clean up garbage, replace the benches and update the bat box. With the help of a local environmental scientist, she also informed the community about the importance of bats.

Schuylkill County

— Hannah Burke worked closely with 4-H and school staff to revitalize the Blue Mountain High School greenhouse, starting a 4-H club to grow the garden and donate some of the plants to a local nursing home. — Molly Coyle organized fundraisers to support a local German shepherd rescue organization and educate her community about animal science, animal science careers and the Char-Wills German Shepherd Rescue’s mission.

Somerset County

— Jennifer Countryman worked with the Grove Association and Penn State Extension Master Gardeners to establish a pollinator garden and educate her community about the importance of pollinators. — Dustin Green worked with his 4-H club and Pennsylvania Game Commission officers to provide more nesting boxes for bluebirds, an endangered native bird of America. — Sami Jo Hayman partnered with the Red Cross to coordinate a blood drive and provide education on the importance of donating blood, the criteria for blood donation and the types of recipients it helps.

Union County

— Garrett Franck worked with local community members to create a “Give and Take Free Food Pantry and Library.”

Venango County

— Kaylee Knapp taught kindergarteners and their families about the local dairy industry with a variety of educational activities and handouts.

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-H.

–Alexandra McLaughlin, Penn State University

Summer will end sooner next year for Clover students. More, longer breaks will make up the difference. Teachers will get more time as students, on select days, will head home earlier.

Those changes highlight a new calendar adopted Monday night by the Clover School District.

The district turned to a modified year-round calendar to address an issue in Clover and neighboring school districts for years. Districts have wanted to start school earlier than state law allows.

A 2006 law sets a uniform start date for public schools in South Carolina. It can’t come before the third Monday in August unless schools operate on a year-round modified calendar.

Next year, school will start on Aug. 8 in Clover. The last day of school and graduation will come May 30, 2024. In addition to typical Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks, the district will have two “intercession” breaks on Oct. 9-13 next year and Feb. 19-23 of 2024.

The district also will have four early release dates. Students will get out of school two hours early on those days to allow time for teacher planning. All Fridays, those dates are Sept. 1 and Nov. 17 of next year, and Feb. 9 and April 26, 2024.

The calendar changes come with considerable community and staff input.

A district survey generated more than 3,500 responses. About 2,500 of those responses were parents, the remainder district employees.

About 1,700 overall responses — nearly half — picked the chosen calendar from three options. Fewer than 170 responses listed that calendar as the worst option.

The survey found 78% support the intercession breaks, compared to 11% who disagree. Among listed concerns within that smaller group were the disruption to learning, childcare availability, impact on band or athletic teams and a summer that’s too short.

About 71% of responses favor the early release dates, something that already is utilized this year in Fort Mill schools. About 12% of responses disagree with early release. Childcare was the main concern.

Superintendent Sheila Quinn said childcare is a concern, and she met with principals to address the issue for parents who can’t accommodate the two hour difference.

“The early release days are two hours early,” Quinn said. “The principals all assured me that they would have childcare available in their school. We’re going to have to do that for staff children anyway.”

School districts in the region have stated in recent months that time for teachers to plan is critical, and that concern led to changes like early release dates in Fort Mill and now Clover.

“We just felt very strongly that the early release was important to our staff,” Quinn said. “It was the number one thing our teachers asked for, is time.”

The district also swapped a professional development day for a teacher work day to allow more classroom planning time. Quinn said now that the new calendar is approved, information will come in January on calendar plans for the following school year.

TACOMA — The Sequim boys basketball team’s run in the postseason came to an end with a 68-57 loss to Clover Park on Friday night.

The Wolves, after a slow start, finish the season 11-11 with a playoff win over Lindbergh. Sequim finished 8-6 and in third place among 2A teams in the Olympic League.

Sequim stayed close with Clover Park until the fourth, going in to the final quarter down just 46-43. The Timberwolves (Clover Park’s new mascot) outscored the Wolves 22-14 in the fourth to pull away.

Sequim was able to stay close despite two of their top players, Vince Carrizosa and Zach Thompson, only combining for five points.

Keenan Green led the Wolves with 20 points, while Cole Smithson scored 14 and Isaiah Moore 12.

The Sequim team improved greatly over the season, getting off to a 5-9 start. The Wolves then won four out of their last five league games, with the only loss to powerhouse North Kitsap. They split two games at the 2A District 2/3 tournament. If Sequim had been able to beat Clover Park, they would have played Port Angeles on Saturday.

Clover Park 68, Sequim 57

Seq. 10 21 12 14 — 57

CP 19 15 12 22 — 68

Sequim (57) — Green 20, Smithson 14, Moore 12, Grider 4, Carrizosa 3, Thompson 2, Mote 2.

Neah Bay 60, Mount Vernon Christian 42

MOUNT VERNON — The Neah Bay boys basketball team continued its hot streak, moving into the 1B Tri-District championship game by running from Mount Vernon Christian in the second half 60-42.

The Red Devils outscored the Hurricanes 32-19 in the second half.

Julian Carrick led the team with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Buddy Aguirre had 15 points and Makyah Chambers 12.

Neah Bay has already qualified for regionals. The Red Devils play an old rival in Lummi for the Tri-District championship game. That game will be held at 7:45 p.m. Saturday in Mount Vernon and should be available on www.nfhs.com.

After a 4-4 start to the season, Neah Bay (14-5) has won 10 out of 11.

Neah Bay 60, MVC 42

MVC 10 13 5 14 — 42

NB 11 17 11 21 — 60

Neah Bay (60) — Carrick 21, Aguirre 15, Chambers 12, Swan 4, Wimberley 3, Halttunen 3, Woodruff 2.

Sound Christian 68, Crescent 42

Muckleshoot 49, Crescent 40

TACOMA — The Crescent boys basketball team’s season came to an end Saturday morning as the Loggers came up one game short of making it to the 1B regionals.

Crescent lost to Muckleshoot 49-40 on Saturday morning. They were put into the loser-out contest by losing 68-42 on friday night to Sound Christian.

“We had a four minute stretch in the second quarter [Saturday] where we had a few missed lay-ins and a defensive breakdown or two and the Kings were able to capitalize,” said head coach Chris Ferrier. “Again the guys just refused to lay down even with a deficit and we kept hanging in there and hanging in there but we were never able to get enough stops.”

The Loggers’ season ends with a 14-9 record.

“Salute to my seniors Kadon Love, Kyler Love, Terrell Emery, Titus White and Conner Ferro-May,” Ferrier said. “We lose a lot with their graduation but we will keep building positive momentum with this program and with this team.”

Ferro-May led the Loggers with 23 points while Conner Bauers had 11.

In the Friday night game, Ferrier said the Loggers “showed tremendous grit.”

“We had about a five minute stretch in the second quarter that we got caught up in Sound Christian ‘s pace and we fell behind. We played them pretty evenly the rest of the way,” Ferrier said.

Dom Sprague led the Loggers ith 10 points, while Lukas Love had eight.

Sound Christian 68, Crescent 42

Cres. 10 12 14 6 — 42

SC 19 25 14 10 — 68

Crescent (42) — Bauers 6, Sprague 10, M. Love 3, H. Bourm 2, Ka. Love 7, Ferro-May 6, L. Love 8.

Muckleshoot 49, Crescent 40

Cres. 12 9 11 8 — 40

Muckle. 12 19 10 8 — 49

Crescent (42) — Bauers 11, Sprague 3, H. Bourm 2, Ka. Love 1, Ferro-May 23.

Girls Basketball

Neah Bay 74, Orcas 33

MOUNT VERNON — The Neah Bay girls basketball team continued its dominant season, moving into the Tri-District championship game with a 74-33 win over Orcas Island on Friday.

The Red Devils were led by Allie Greene, who hit six 3-pointers on 6-for-14 shooting and scored 20 points. Ryana Moss had 15 points and Angel Halttunen had 13 points and seven rebounds. Qwaapeys Greene added nine points.

Neah Bay (18-1, No. 1 RPI) gets a chance for a little bit of revenge Saturday night, going up against Mount Vernon Christian(21-3, No. 4 RPI) in the Tri-District championship at 6 p.m. Mount Vernon Christian beat the Red Devils in the 1B state championship game last year. Both teams have already qualified for regionals, so it’s possible Neah Bay will see the Hurricanes in the postseason again, win or lose.

Neah Bay 74, Orcas 33

Orcas 14 9 6 4 — 33

NB 21 18 21 11 — 74

Neah Bay (74) — A. Greene 20, R. Moss 15, Halttunen 13, Q. Greene 9, C. Moss 7, Chartraw 6, Swan 4.

Crescent 50, Lummi 49

Evergreen Lutheran 40, Crescent 23

TACOMA — Much like the boys, the Crescent girls basketball team came within one game for a possible berth to regionals.

The Loggers put themselves in position to make regionals with a huge 50-49 upset Friday night over Lummi.

Crescent (9-9) went into Friday’s game as the No. 9 seed in the Tri-District tournament. Lummi came in to the game with a 17-4 record and was the No. 5 seed.

Crescent’s playoff run ended Saturday morning with a 40-23 loss to Evergreen Lutheran (15-3), the No. 3 seed in the Tri-District tournament. The Crescent girls finish the season with a 9-10 record.