GALIVANTS FERRY — South Carolina Democrats gathered Monday to mark the 132nd Annual Galivants Ferry Democratic Stump Speaking. They gathered to hear a little bluegrass, eat some chicken bog and learn more about the Democratic candidates in the region.

The City of Dillon has stricter laws in place for people who own pit-bulls.

CHESTERFIELD — Chesterfield County School District Board of Trustees approved first reading of the 2008-09 operating budget during a regular meeting Monday. Judy Watson, the district’s director of finance, presented the proposed 2008-09 budget totaling $52,367,174.

DARLINGTON — The Darlington County Board of Education on Monday gave first-reading approval to a proposed $76.7 million general operations budget for the coming fiscal year that eliminates 26 positions at a savings of more than $1 million and that raises property taxes by $656,752.

FLORENCE — The Francis Marion softball and men’s and women’s tennis teams left Florence on Monday to travel to Houston for the NCAA Division II Spring National Championships Festival and their respective finals competition.

DILLON — Dillon cut Gilbert’s lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but a home run in the top of the sixth put the Indians up three and they held on for the 4-1 win in game one of the 2A baseball finals Monday.

Lake View softball coach Chad Huggins said it best: “(Big errors) seem to have a way of evening out during a ballgame, especially a state championship.”

A program to get computers into the hands of young students in Marion County was launched Monday. The effort, announced at a press conference, will take place in Britton’s Neck Elementary in Marion School District 7 and the Rains Centenary Early Childhood Center in Mullins. The program is being called “One Laptop per Child/South Carolina” and was announced at a press conference by State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex and school district officials, as well as other officials with the public/private effort.