COMMUNITY

* STATE SEN. JOHN COURSON and S.C. ADJUTANT GEN. STANHOPE SPEARS received honorary degrees from The Citadel Board of Visitors during the college’s commencement May 6. Courson was named an honorary doctor of public administration. Spears received an honorary doctor of military science degree.

* LEXINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF JAMES R. METTS has received the Order of the Palmetto Patriot, the highest civilian honor that the lieutenant governor of South Carolina can bestow. Metts was honored for his 33 years of service as Lexington County’s chief law enforcement officer and homeland security director and was also recognized for his efforts to enhance enforcement of family court orders that require deadbeat parents to make child support payments.

* OLA MAE ASHFORD of Columbia has been selected as the S.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs Employee of the Year for the Midlands Center. A human services assistant at the center for 19 years, Ashford was chosen from 501 employees for the honor.

* TIFFANY CHINN HAHN has been named communications coordinator with Volunteers of America of the Carolinas. Previously she served as marketing and program associate to the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

* APRIL LUCAS has earned the YWCA’s Tribute to Women and Industry Diamond Award given to outstanding female executives in the Midlands. An attorney with Nexsen Pruet’s Columbia office, Lucas heads the firm’s economic development and bond groups.

YOUTH

* STUDENTS SELECTED to have their work published in the Richland County Public Library’s “Kids in Print,” a collection of stories, poetry and art, include:

Megan Apperson, Lexington Intermediate; Pauline Arroyo, Lexington Intermediate; Zainab Bhagat, Irmo Elementary; Elik Billie, Gadsden Elementary; Lexie Blair, Crayton Middle; Jasmine Brown, Timmerman; Blake Burns, H.E. Corley Elementary; Shalese A. Childress, E.L. Wright Middle; Jodine Cruz, Caughman Road Elementary; Benjamin Falter, home-schooled; Melody Falter, home-schooled; Lauren Folsom, Chapin Elementary; Catherine Galan, Irmo Elementary; Joshua Goley, Covenant Christian; Kristen Hatcher, home-schooled; Taylor Herman, Blaney Elementary; Michael Kleber, Horrell Hill Elementary, Megan Moore, Lexington Intermediate; Patty Ploehn, Covenant Christian; Maigen Rickenbacker, Mill Creek Elementary; Andre Shuman, Gadsden Elementary; Jared Smiling, Caughman Road Elementary; Katie Solomon, St. John Neumann; Philip Thomas, Richland Northeast High; Jeremy Tretrault, Dutch Fork Elementary; Jayanth Vemula, Lake Carolina Elementary; Rashmili Vemula, Kelly Mill Middle and Tiffany Yu, Montessori School of Columbia.

* KIDS WHO CARE awards have been presented by the Kohl’s Cares for Kids volunteer recognition program. Students received $50 gift cards, certificates and are eligible to win scholarship money for their post-secondary education. Honorees include: Brian Anderson of Columbia, a tutor for the mentally disabled; Heather Hiltz of Lexington, who made blankets for a children’s shelter; and Kenneth Wilson Jr. of Hopkins, who collected food for Harvest Hope Food Bank. They will compete for regional scholarships of $1,000 and $5,000 on the national level. In addition, the department store will contribute $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on behalf of each national winner.

MILITARY

* AIRMAN ANTHONY S. GEDDINGS has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. He is the son of Linda Geddings of Lexington.