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As wildfires rage across South Carolina, Clarendon County Fire Rescue (CCFR) officials are urging residents to follow the statewide burn ban and help stop further destruction. Since Wednesday, over 600 acres have burned in Clarendon County alone, with firefighters battling fires across the region as dry, windy conditions fuel the blazes.

A statewide burning ban was issued by Governor Henry McMaster on Saturday, March 1, following a surge in wildfire activity. On Sunday, McMaster declared a state of emergency as firefighters worked to contain the devastation. Since Friday, more than 100 wildfires have been reported across the state, with six still active as of Sunday morning, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC). One hundred seventy-five fires have burned over 4,200 acres statewide in the past week, mostly between February 28 and March 2.

Despite the burn ban, CCFR is still responding to fires caused by illegal burning. “We still responded to three or four [fires] yesterday where people are still burning,” said Lieutenant April Conyers of CCFR. “People are burning leaves, trash piles, burn barrels, and the wind’s blowing. It’s getting out of hand.”

CCFR Chief Michael A. Johnson emphasized that current weather conditions make fire control even more difficult. “The humidity is very low. So, we have a dry air mass over us. We don’t have the tropical moisture being pushed in like normal, so it’s really dry,” Johnson explained. “People could have lit a fire the day before, thought it was out, and then the wind picks up, and next thing you know, it’s going again.”

The fire rescue team is stretched thin, balancing fire and emergency medical service (EMS) calls. “The unique thing about Clarendon County Fire Rescue is we’re a combined agency with EMS,” Johnson said. “So, in addition to responding to all of these fires, we still have lots and lots of medical calls across this county.” Lieutenant April Conyers added, “We’re running about 20 to 30, 40 calls a day between fire and EMS.”

Despite scarce resources in their own county, CCFR has sent personnel and resources to assist Horry County, one of the hardest-hit areas in the state. “We sent two to Horry yesterday, and then today we’re sending two more to relieve those two,” said Conyers. “We have one apparatus and two personnel in Horry County.”

With local fire crews already understaffed, officials are urging residents to adhere to the burn ban and calling for more volunteers. Residents can visit the South Carolina Forestry Commission’s website for more information on fire safety. The SCFC provides helpful guidelines on preventing wildfires and staying safe during dangerous conditions.

Clarendon County Fire Rescue and other local agencies are working tirelessly to protect the community. Their message is simple: Stop burning. Follow the ban. And if you’re willing to help, consider volunteering.

COURTESY OF SOUTH CAROLINA STATE ATHLETICS

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Posted Friday, April 18, 2025 6:00 am

tim@theitem.com

Former Manning linebacker Aaron "Boog" Smith saw it all during his collegiate career at South Carolina State.

His journey to Orangeburg started with COVID-19, and ever since that lost season, the Bulldog linebacker has been in the lab honing his craft.

As a senior, Smith led the team and MEAC with 95 tackles, while adding 8.5 tackles for a loss, a pick and a forced fumble. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record and a spot in the Cricket Celebration Bowl, where he went off on the national stage. Smith set a new career high with 17 tackles in this final game at S.C. State and added a stop in the backfield for good measure. Now, he's hoping his senior year will propel him to every football player's dream: the National Football League.

Ever since taking his final collegiate snap, Smith has received invitations to major senior showcases, talked with NFL teams and tried to catch the eye of evaluators from across the league.

"It's just a blessing. I give all praise to the Lord because without him, I wouldn't make it this far," Smith said. "It hasn't been overwhelming. The overwhelming part of this process for me was getting ready for pro day. That was where I felt the most stress. Since the pro day has been over, I'm not free, but I'm free of the pressure. I went out there and did what I needed to do. Now the rest of it is in God's hands. I did what I can control, so now I'm just waiting. I'm blessed to be even in this process and have interest from teams."

Smith started his journey to the draft in Tampa, Florida, where he trained with Yo Murphy Performance. The former Monarch was rehabbing a quad injury, so his first priority was getting healthy enough to show off his skills at the South Carolina State pro day. Smith received invitations to both the East-West Shrine Bowl - where former Sumter High and South Carolina defensive back O'Donnell Fortune was named the defensive MVP - and the HBCU Legacy Bowl but couldn't take part in football activities as he recovered from his injury. Still, he went to the Shrine Bowl and met with NFL personnel and had some great meetings.

"A lot of it was that I was probably a little undersized," Smith said of the main talking points with teams. "They wanted to see how fast I could run in the 40. They talked about my linear speed, but they wanted to see how fast I could move in the 40 and move through my drills."

Smith finally had the chance to show off his athleticism at the S.C. State pro day on March 18. While teams questioned his size, Smith measured in at 6'2", 230 pounds and had some great performances at the pro day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and showed off a 35" vertical leap and a broad jump of 10'3". He had a 4.37 short shuttle and 7.12 three-cone drill and ripped off 25 reps of 225 pounds on the bench. After he wrapped up, Smith had a chance to meet with a few teams again.

"I actually sat down with the Jets, and we talked for about an hour, an hour and a half," Smith said. "I talked with the Chargers, the Houston Texans.

"They told me I showed them everything that they were expecting out of me and, in a few aspects, I kinda did better than what they thought. I felt good about my performance."

Despite coming from a smaller school, Smith hasn't just been flying under the radar. Maybe the most impressive was getting a shoutout from Steve Wyche on the NFL Network.

"The comparisons to Darius 'Shaq' Leonard, who also played at S.C. State, (they're) very similar," Wyche said in late March. "You talk about speed, that's what he has. Coverage-ability, speed, he also arrives with some thump; it's just that he does not have that ideal interior linebacker size. We'll see if he puts that on heading into the draft."

Smith was also graded at 80.6 by Pro Football Focus for his performance as a senior.

While the former Monarch isn't trying to pay too much attention to headlines, he was happy to get a shout on the NFL Network.

"I actually didn't see it when it first got posted," Smith said. "To see it and hear it, it felt kinda good to know there's someone out there watching me and giving me high praise. They actually see me. I'm not just invisible out here in this draft pool. Somebody put some respect on my name."

While Smith has drawn comparisons to Leonard, who was also a South Carolina native before playing at S.C. State and being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2018 draft, the former Manning star turned to more recent graduates for advice.

"It's just a blessing to follow behind guys that paved the way, and to be the next guy is absolutely a blessing," Smith said. "I definitely talk to (former S.C. State and current Atlanta Falcons defensive back) Antonio Hamilton and (Los Angeles Rams defensive back) Cobie Durant. He got drafted in 2022, and I actually played with him his senior year. That's big bro to me, so I call him fairly often just to pick his brain, ask him questions just to see any information he has to help me."

Now, Smith just has to wait and see if his name is called. He'll be at home with his family watching the draft April 24-26 and expects to hear his name called on the third day. If it's not, he knows he'll be scooped up pretty quickly after the draft.

"The earliest I may hear my name called is the fifth based on some draft grades from some teams," Smith said. "If I go undrafted, it's going to be like a bidding war. That's pretty much what I've been hearing."

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Laurence Manning Academy has announced that Allen Kirby, current principal of Walker Gamble Elementary School in New Zion, will be taking the lead as Headmaster at LMA at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. Kirby is a well-known figure in the Clarendon community and is currently on his 20th year working in education. He has a bachelor’s of science in elementary education from Francis MArion University, a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College, and a degree in education specialist in leadership from Coastal Carolina University. Kirby started his career teaching second and third grade at Walker Gamble Elementary for eight years before moving on to be the assistant principal of Johnsonville Middle School for three years. Then he returned to Walker Gamble Elementary where he has been principal for the past nine years.

During Kirby’s time at Walker Gamble, the school has earned the titles of Palmetto’s Finest School and National ESEA Distinguished School. The school has also been featured in a book and several studies that have been shared around the world because of its Collective Leadership Model. Through a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education and Mira Education (formerly known as CTQ), the school developed the framework that is now used throughout South Carolina.

Kirby is married to Abbie Kirby and they have two children, Cal (8) and Caroline (5).

The LMA varsity football team welcomes new coach Jimmy Noonan. Noonan is from Sumter and he attended Sumter High School and played three sports there, including football under Coach Tom Lewis. Noonan was on the Sumter High School football team when they won the State AAAA Championship in 1987, and he played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He signed a football scholarship to play fullback at The Citadel and later graduated with a bachelor of science in mathematics in 1992. Noonan remained at The Citadel to be Graduate Assistant Coach under Charlie Taffe for two years. The 1992 team finished the regular season ranked #1 and won the Southern Conference Championship. In 1993, Noonan joined the staff at Spring Valley High School and became the offensive coordinator after one year. He also earned his master’s in educational leadership from USC. At age 29, he became the head coach. After 14 years at Spring Valley High School, he returned to Sumter where he spent one year as head football coach of Wilson Hall. He then spent 13 years as head coach of Wando High School in Mount Pleasant and three years as head football coach at Georgetown High School before moving onto Lucy Beckham High School in Mount Pleasant to be the substitute assistant principal and assistant football coach.

Noonan was an NFL Coach of the Year finalist for the Seattle Seahwaks (nominated by former player Michael Boulware), a Carolina Panthers Coach of the Year finalist, a $A Lower State Coach of the Year twice, a Palmetto Sports Outreach Coach of the Year twice, and Region Coach of the Year six times. Noonan is affiliated with the AFCA and has been the executive director of the SC Football COaches Association since 2021. He was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Noonan and his wife Anne have four children. Mairin (27), Ashlin (25), Kellan (24), and Ryann (20).