South Carolina editorial roundup: Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023

Times and Democrat

Dec. 21

Don't let fire be deadly force during holidays

Many hallmarks of the holiday season - including Christmas trees, holiday decorations and festive meals - present potential fire hazards that contribute to an annual increase in U.S. home fires at this time of year.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are among the leading days of the year for home fires.

"December is a leading month for home fires, in large part because many of the activities we engage in during the holiday season reflect leading causes of home fires year-round," said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. "Plus, as colder temperatures impact much of the country, use of heating equipment increases significantly."

Fortunately, Carli notes, the majority of winter fires can be prevented with a little added awareness and planning.

"By knowing where potential fire hazards exist and taking some basic safety precautions to prevent them, people can enjoy a festive, fire-free holiday season," Carli said.

The latest NFPA statistics underscore the increased risk of fire during the holiday season and beyond:

Christmas trees

An estimated average of 160 home fires involving Christmas trees caused two civilian deaths, 11 civilian injuries, and $12 million in direct property damage per year between 2016 and 2020.

Some type of electrical distribution or lighting equipment, including decorative lights, was involved in more than two of five (44%) of home Christmas tree fires. Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires (19%) were started by decorative lights.

The majority (74%) of Christmas tree fires occur in December and January.

Decorations

An estimated average of 790 home fires that began when decorations (other than Christmas trees) caught fire caused an average of one civilian death, 26 civilian injuries and $13 million in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.

One in five home decoration fires occurred in December.

Year-round, 35% of home decoration fires began with candles; in December, the number jumped to 45%.

In more than two of every five fires (44%) involving decorations, the decoration was too close to a heat source such as a candle, cooking or heating equipment.

Cooking

Cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires (49%) and home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths.

Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.

Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. Hopefully, by pointing out the proven dangers associated with Christmas Eve and Christmas, the organization can help prevent tragedy this holiday season.

Post and Courier

Dec. 27

Another S.C. official gave herself a raise. Will Legislature finally act?

A lot of the news involving Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill has been unpredictable: allegations of jury tampering in the Alex Murdaugh double-murder case; her son's arrest on charges of wiretapping, which got him fired from his job as the county's information technology director.

And of course Tuesday's blockbuster news that sales had been suspended on her controversial book about the trial because her co-author discovered she had plagiarized the introduction.

But probably the most disturbing news - and it's news, not a mere allegation - is something we predicted at least one more county clerk of court would do if the S.C. Legislature didn't change state law: She gave herself a raise.

Indeed, it would surprise us if there aren't other clerks of court who have done the same, following the example of Williamsburg County Clerk of Court Sharon Staggers, whose audacious 2021 decision to grant herself a $30,000 bonus revealed a problem in the law that the Legislature has failed for years to correct. So, predictably, we have another clerk of court deciding unilaterally how much she should be paid - something that no one who doesn't own their own business should be able to do.

Earlier this year, The Post and Courier's Thad Moore reports, Ms. Hill told the Colleton County finance director to include her in a list of staff members to whom she was awarding bonuses. Her requests for herself totaled at least $5,000 - plus enough additional government funding to cover taxes, to ensure she got the full $5,000. At least one payment came from money Ms. Hill controlled under the same federal law that gave Ms. Staggers control over the money that she used to pay herself extra.

Ms. Staggers, you'll recall, had asked the County Council for a raise; when it refused, she directed the county treasurer to cut checks to some members of her staff and herself as the year drew to a close, because federal child support funds left at year's end would revert to the county. When The Post and Courier asked her about it, she referred questions not to a personal attorney but to the county attorney. Audacious squared.

SLED announced it was investigating, but two years later, she's still the clerk of court. There's no question she gave herself the raise; the question is whether she violated the law. This fall, Williamsburg County officials asked S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson if it was legal for the clerk to use federal funds under her control to pad her own salary.

An attorney general's opinion issued last month noted that federal law gives clerks of court significant leeway over the use of the funds but that there's no provision in state law allowing the money to be used to supplement the county clerks' own salary. Since S.C. Code Section 8-21-300 "prohibits a clerk of court from supplementing his or her own salary outside of the amount fixed by the governing body of the county without express statutory authority from the Legislature," the opinion said, "we are skeptical that a court would allow a clerk of court to designate a supplement for themselves."

Of course, the fact that something isn't authorized by law doesn't mean you'll get arrested and punished for doing it. It simply means that a court might order you to repay the money - if anyone eventually sues you. For it to be a crime, the Legislature has to make it a crime.

Now, you could argue that unacceptable behavior by two out of 46 officials - about 4% - isn't worth worrying about; after all, a third of our sheriffs have been indicted in the past decade. But the sheriffs were violating the law; what the clerks of court have been doing is not clearly and unequivocally illegal. Which is why it has happened at least this second time.

Surely we can all agree that it should be clerks of court to give themselves raises. The Legislature should make it so - and require better reporting and monitoring of clerks' expenditures to increase the chance that they'll get caught if they do try to pay themselves extra. And provide penalties significant enough to serve as a deterrent.

It also wouldn't be a bad idea to pass a law saying no elected officials or other government employees may give themselves raises or bonuses, just in case other officials have inadequately restricted and poorly monitored authority over public funds.