Language law sends clear signal 9/6/2006
20-year-old edict makes English official tongue
(click page image to zoom in)
The idea for this story grew out of a hot controversy that sprang up on Hilton Head year when the town decided to offer a salary incentive to anyone who learns to speak Spanish.
I was looking for a way to put the debate into a larger context, and stumbled across a 20-year-old state law about the English language that provided a new perspective.
With a small dash of wit mixed in, this story garnered much praise from readers and newsroom staff.
To read the online version of this story, click here.
'A complicated issue' 4/30/06
Day laborers at center of fight over immigrants as Day Without Immigrants protest neared
(click page image to zoom in)
Perhaps no issue has spurred more angry letters to the editor and outraged posts on our Web site’s blogs than the debate about illegal immigration.
But a deeper side to the debate that discussed the real people involved was rarely invoked.
Leading up to the Day Without Immigrants protest this spring, we set out to bring a human face to the issue to remind people how – rightly or wrongly – this community has a deep dependence on the immigrant workforce. It ran with an accompanying Q&A that discussed the status of federal and local immigration reform efforts.
To read the online version of this story, click here.
SC poised to make its own immigration laws 7/16/07
As federal efforts at compromise failed, state sought to tackle the issue
(click page image to zoom in)
Even though South Carolina is far from a border state, residents had a clear message for lawmakers in 207: they wanted something done about illegal immigration.
The state is a big draw for a growing number of Hispanic immigrants thanks to the booming coastal construction industry and large labor pool used by tourism businesses.
But lawmakers are faced with the difficult task of weeding out the real issues at stake from the powerful emotional responses the topic of illegal immigration stirs up in this deeply conservative state.
To read the online version of this story, click here.
Complex targets illegals 10/16/07
Development proposes I-9 checks to root out undocumented residents
Passions about illegal immigration run high in Beaufort County. But one of the most direct manifestations of the feelings came when a working-class community on Hilton Head decided to address its overcrowding problem by requiring residents file completed I-9 forms with their lease agreements.
The proposal drew outcry across the region and eventual led the board to drop the proposal. But it brought into stark relief the way residents wanted to address immigration concerns, even on the most local level.
To read the online version of this story, click here.
Follow up stories:
How some communities tackle overcrowding problems