DI News History - March 14, 2019
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO
The March 11, 2004 issue of The Daniel Island News featured an interview with Daniel Island’s native son, iron worker Philip Simmons. Simmons was 91 years old at the time, having been born on Daniel Island in 1912. He reminisced: “One side of the island belonged to the American Fruit Growers. The other side, the Furman tract, was known for farming, fishing and hunting. My family lived on the Furman side…we lived in a clapboard house. My family cut the timber from the woods, and cut the boards themselves…all of the food on our table, we grew it on the farm. My grandmother loved chickens! We cured all our own meat, fish, and sugarcane. We banked sweet potatoes, stored dried limas and cowpeas to eat...” Mr. Simmons passed away in June of 2009. In business news it was reported that Daniel Island Media was sold to Home Telecom.
TEN YEARS AGO
In the March 12, 2009 edition of The Daniel Island News, the feature article spotlighted the pesky termite and its ill effects on Daniel Island. The edition also included stories about landscaping techniques and ideas, as well as tips from island interior designer Lorraine Vale on how to create an “open air addition” by extending your living space into your yard. In other news, it was reported that the surge in voter turnout on Daniel Island in the 2008 Presidential Primary pushed its delegate count up from 18 to 45, making it the largest Republican party precinct in the county. In business news, it was announced that islanders Gerry and Tammy Haight would be opening a Neapolitan wood-fired oven pizza restaurant (Vespa) in the former location of the Soda Water Grill.
FIVE YEARS AGO
“Home & Garden” was the theme of the March 13, 2014 issue of The Daniel Island News. The centerspread included two articles about refacing kitchen cabinets and front porch decorating ideas. In other news, it was reported that the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) held a public hearing at Daniel Island School, giving concerned residents the opportunity to comment about the planned Clements Ferry Road widening project. The plans showed that the two-lane road would be widened to four lanes, with two lanes going in each direction. Concern over the project had been on the rise with news of the planned Cainhoy Plantation development, which, at the time, proposed adding some 20,000 new residential homes to the 9,000 acre-site off Clements Ferry Road (the project’s developers have since reported that they will likely only construct half that number over the course of several decades). That, coupled with the anticipated new schools proposed by Berkeley County School District in the same general area, had residents fearing a traffic nightmare. In sports news, an article showcased the Bishop England girls’ basketball team’s state championship victory!