BENNETTSVILLE — Marlboro County High School opened its doors Friday morning to families, faculty, and community members for its annual 1st Semester Awards Program, a ceremony dedicated to recognizing academic excellence, leadership, and student achievement. The gym buzzed with pride as students crossed the stage to receive certificates honoring their hard work throughout the semester.

MCCOLL — The energy inside the McColl Middle School gym was already high as fans packed the bleachers for a much‑anticipated basketball matchup, but the excitement reached a whole new level during halftime when the school hosted its annual Homecoming ceremony. Under bright lights and loud cheers, two students took center stage and claimed the night’s highest honors: Bentley Locklear was crowned Homecoming King, and Khaliya Outlaw was named Homecoming Queen.

MARLBORO — Winter Storm Gianna dumped a historic amount of snow across the Carolinas over the weekend. According to Herald-Advocate readers, snow totals across Marlboro County ranged from 4 to 11 inches.

BENNETTSVILLE — Friday morning the Marlboro County Chamber hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast at the Marlboro Golf and Recreation Complex Ballroom against a backdrop of patriotic themed decorations perfectly arrayed by Rhonda McCrimmon at Simply Strong Survivors and a delicious breakfast buffet was provided for both speakers and attendees by the talented crew at Savor the Flavor.

The shortest month of the year and one often seen as full of romance, is February. Like the rose the month is practically synonymous with, February is more than just a pretty name.

In 1951 a 31-year-old African American mother of five named Henrietta Lacks was not feeling well.

MARLBORO — Well, we asked and you answered Marlboro County!

MARLBORO COUNTY — For years, Marlboro County lived under the quiet assumption that real snow—the thick, soft kind that hushes the roads and turns familiar streets into something out of a postcard—was something that happened somewhere else. Not here. Not in this corner of South Carolina where palm trees guard courthouse steps and winter usually means a stubborn breeze and a heavy jacket.

Reader submitted Snow Day photos

It is rather curious how out of all the countless stories of loss, horror, and human frailty to come out of Nazi Germany it is the diary of a fifteen-year-old girl, left behind not because it was forgotten, but because its owner perished in a concentration camp, that has stood the test of time.