http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/ Saxon, SC News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/24807d9193daf343e63f1dd61162b056.html In 1904 Celia Dial Saxon copied a noble sentiment in the friendship album she had kept since the 1870s: 8220;No life is worth living that is not perfectly straight and true8221;Her penmanship as well as the even more graceful looping cursive of her former schoolmates was impeccable The quotations from Oliver Cromwell to the Bible spoke to the literary mindBut to touch the slim blue 8220;floral album8221; and turn its pages is to glimpse a nearly forgotten moment in South Carolina8217;s AfricanAmerican historyFor Celia Emma Dial Saxon was a former slave who had managed in the short period of Reconstruction following the Civil War to graduate from what is now the University of South CarolinaIn 1877 Saxon was among eight young black women to complete studies at what was then the South Carolina Normal School USC history and AfricanAmerican studies professor Bobby Donaldson said Wednesday It was a year when white supremacy would triumph after the bitter decade of federal Reconstruction http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/14d9a3ef46df585d88fb1f258ff69f2d.html When Bobby Donaldson8217;s AfricanAmerican studies class at USC began interviewing residents of Columbia8217;s old Ward 1 neighborhood they discovered intriguing stories and old photographs of life in the downtown neighborhoodOn Monday the Historic Columbia Foundation will recognize Donaldson his spring 2008 class and the Ward One Families Organization for their contributions including raising the historic profile of longtime Columbia educator Celia Dial SaxonLast month the foundation in collaboration with the University of South Carolina and the Ward One Families Organization unveiled a historic marker at the former Saxon School which educated young AfricanAmericans for more than four decades during segregationThe school first established in 1898 as the Blossom Street School became a school for AfricanAmericans in 1929 and was renamed the Celia Dial Saxon SchoolThe Strom Thurmond Wellness Center now sits where the old redbrick school building stood but memories of it are still very much alive http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/260bf671acb85dfe4da63b66a03b3147.html Richland 2 is on the brink of officially becoming the largest school system in the Midlands taking the title from neighboring Richland 1The two school districts have been in a close race for the past couple of years But unofficial tallies from the start of this school year indicate Richland 2 will trump Richland 18217;s enrollment Those early counts show Richland 2 with as many as 900 more students in kindergarten through 12th gradeRichland 2 officials already are relying on the data Since last year they8217;ve been touting an enrollment figure higher than their neighbor8220;It8217;s not something that we sought out8221; said Richland 2 planning director Fred McDaniel 8220;We did know that we would pass Richland 1 at some point8221;Officials attribute the growth to a mix of things including good schools with many educational choices and continued home construction in Northeast RichlandIt should be indisputable when more concrete data is compiled on the 45th day and 135th day of the school year and reported to the state Department of Education http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/2606a5028399c3b254556b1f68f96423.html Monroe businessman John Kelso accused of claiming his payments to a highpriced callgirl service as advertising expenses on corporate income taxes has pleaded guilty to tax fraudKelso identified as the coowner and manager of Focus Poolscom Inc is the third and likely the last johnthat federal authorities will target in the investigation into the multimillion dollar prostitution ring Sallie Saxon ran from her southeast Charlotte homeBut some of the johns who paid to have sex may now face state prostitution charges http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/c658e466ba12a8ecc555f0a431c5bdfe.html A historic marker will be unveiled today at Blossom and Park streets to commemorate the Celia Dial Saxon School a public school that educated hundreds of black children in Columbia8217;s Ward One beginning in 1929The 10 am unveiling and reception is at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center which now stands where the old Saxon school and the Blossom Street School before that once stood The event is a joint collaboration by the Historic Columbia Foundation USC and the Ward One OrganizationSaxon who died in 1935 was a black educator who helped found such institutions as the Fairwold Industrial School for delinquent Negro girls; the Wilkinson Orphanage for Negro Children; and the Phillis Wheatley YWCA home to Columbia8217;s first AfricanAmerican public library http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/a5026f561202ae690d68f5395728f018.html At the 30th anniversary of Jubilee Festival of Heritage August 21 the Historic Columbia Foundation HCF honored the 30 most significant African Americans in Columbia and Richland County Gloria James HCF board member chaired the event at the Columbia Convention Center http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/c668fd103c52466db104f622ea16b2e2.html WASHINGTON 8212; Wholesale inflation soared in July leaving prices rising at the fastest pace in nearly three decades While recent declines in oil and other commodity prices raise hopes inflation may have peaked some economists worry about the widespread nature of the July price surge and caution it will take more time for that pressure to ease on Wall Street and Main Street http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/south-carolina/saxon/content/21fa01db186554de740108b204ed99b3.html NEW YORK 8212; It's a time to meet teachers tour classrooms and nibble on snacks But backtoschool night shouldn't stop there The night which usually occurs within a few weeks of the first day of school is a chance for parents to ask questions to prepare for the coming year