In the last week, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed 37 new cases with 75 active cases.
The active cases can be found in the following zipcodes: 29512 (Bennettsville), 46; 29516 (Blenheim), 3; 29525 (Clio), 5; 29570 (McColl), 12; 29594 (Tatum), 0; 29596 (Wallace), 6; and 3, unknown.
The county has 978 overall cases.
In the state, there are 153,729 confirmed cases, and 3,387 confirmed deaths.

Senior placekicker Dylan Clark booted a 23-yard field goal in overtime to cap an unlikely comeback by Marlboro County High Friday night.  Clark's kick boosted the Bulldogs to a 16-13 victory.
"I'm just proud of our guys' determination and resilience.  We made plays when we had to.  Down by 13, they refused to give up and got this win," said head coach Bobby Collins, who got a Gatorade bath during the postgame celebration.
Midway through the third quarter a Bulldog victory looked to be highly unlikely.  Lakewood had just partially blocked a Marlboro punt and, leading 13-0, they had the ball at the Marlboro 35.
However, the Bulldog defense refused to surrender points that would have sealed the game, given the sluggish nature of the Marlboro offense.  A tackle for lost yardage, followed by a sack on fourth down ended the threat.
"Our defense kept us in the game.  They forced turnovers and even when Lakewood moved the ball, they were able to get the drives stopped," said Collins.
After a holding penalty, the Bulldog offense finally answered.  Hakeem Stanback connected with Quatrice Bostic for a 36-yard gain to move into Gator territory. 
Moments later, the Bulldogs faced a fourth and 10 at the Lakewood 27.  Stanback rolled out to his right to escape the pass rush, then  hit JaCardo Riggins down the sidelines.  Riggins raced past the Gator defense to the endzone.

Five area veterans were recently awarded Quilts of Valor in honor and recognition of their service to our country.
They were honored Oct. 8 for their sacrifice during a socially distanced ceremony outside the Marlboro County Veterans Affairs Office. Crescent Hospice is a partner with Quilts of Valor, which is a national organization whose members produce hand-made patriotic quilts to honor veterans throughout the country.
The recipients were Michael Hopkins of Bennettsville, Richard Hubbard of Bennettsville, Hamer McRae of Clio, Brenda Curry of Chesterfield, and Jeffery Wyatt of Blenheim.
Hopkins is a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1967-1970. He was in Vietnam in 1968. 
Hubbard is a U.S. Marine veteran who served from 1965-1967. He received two Purple Hearts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many things have changed from how students are educated to going out to eat.
But one area significantly altered was church worship.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, many churchgoers reported that their congregations have closed regular worship services to the public.
But congregations like Community of Grace Church in downtown Bennettsville have adjusted their way of worship for a temporary new normal.
Since the first Sunday in April, the congregation has met in the parking lot of the old Carl’s Food Center.
On Sunday mornings, the sounds of singing and praise were heard as 75 to 100 cars parked.
Pastor Eddie Davis said those numbers have always been there.
At the time, a whole lot of churches were not having services or going virtual. 
“We decided to try the parking lot and the social distancing within the cars,” he said.

Marlboro County School District is one of 11 public school districts in the nation to be awarded the Teacher School Leader Incentive grant, which will provide $4.5  million over three years to improve and enhance instruction for students.
Superintendent Dr. Gregory McCord said it would allow the district an opportunity to refine instructional practices that support student achievement. 
“It gives us another opportunity to reward our teachers with an incentive base model. As our kids excel, our teachers receive financial benefits as well,” he said.
MCSD was the only school system in the state to receive the award.