Martin Luther King Jr. Day will look a bit different this year due to COVID-19.
Instead of in-person events, Marlboro County residents will have an opportunity to honor the slain civil rights leader through some socially distanced events.
Normally, an annual community breakfast is held but this year, Marlboro School Community Center will have their annual MLK Celebration in the parking lot behind the building, 612 King Street in Bennettsville at 10 a.m. Jan. 18.
Organizers asked that participants enter the parking lot on Powers Street. 

The county has seen an increase in its number of active cases of COVID-19.
John Douglas of CareSouth Carolina gave an update about COVID-19 during the Marlboro County School District Community Zoom meeting on Tuesday.
"Things aren't good in Marlboro County but they're better than they are in surrounding counties," he said at the beginning of the update.
As of Monday, he said, the active number of cases of COVID was 294, which was the highest since the pandemic began. It was up from 206 a week ago.
Out of the eight Pee Dee counties, Marlboro County is the fifth highest in terms of active cases.
Douglas said the county has no zip codes in the top 15 in terms of total cases or rate of cases in the Pee Dee.

CLIO — Clio Mayor Ben Petrone feels he can see the light at the end of the tunnel in regards to audit issues of the town.
"And it is not a locomotive heading at me anymore," he said.
Town officials have worked for several years to get the audits of the town current.
The town is working with new auditors Sheheen, Hancock, and Godwin LLP of Camden. Officials have been assured by the new auditor that he can catch up with all of the back audits by the end of January or the end of February at the latest.

A Bennettsville man was arrested Dec. 30 by the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office following an investigation into a nightclub shooting on Dec. 26.
According to Lt. Trevor Murphy,  the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to Da Spot nightclub about shots fired during the early morning hours of Dec. 26. 
Upon arrival, deputies confirmed that a fight occurred inside the club, which led to a gun being fired. Two patrons inside the club were shot during this incident and received immediate medical attention. Both victims were airlifted to an area hospital for additional treatment.

It was almost two months since playing their only previous game (a preseason scrimmage) but the Marlboro Academy varsity girls basketball team finally got into action Tuesday night.
The result was worth the wait, as the Lady Dragons cruised to a region road victory over Carolina Academy, 45-32.
Marlboro got off to a solid start in the first quarter, building an 11-7.  Senior guard Anna Smith led the attack, scoring 7 points in the period.
Both teams were sluggish in the second period.  Carolina was able to take a one-point lead to the locker room at halftime.