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LOCAL NEWS...

Deputies Allege Man Committed Arson to Retaliate For
Traffic Ticket
Posted: December 23, 2010 11:12 AM

Authorities in Newberry County say that a man irate about a traffic ticket has now been charged with arson after investigators say he burned an abandoned house in retaliation for the traffic ticket.

Early Saturday morning around 12:15 am, a Newberry County Deputy observed a vehicle traveling 88 in a 45 mile per hour zone.  The deputy stopped the vehicle, which was traveling on CR Koon Highway very near the Sheriff’s Office, and issued the driver of the vehicle a traffic citation for the speeding violation.  The violator become extremely agitated with the officer during
the stop but was released without further incident.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as David Douglas Proctor, 34, of 51 Deer Hollow Lane, Newberry.

Investigators say that when the deputy got off work later that morning, the suspect followed him home and began continuously riding by the officer’s house.  The officer went back out and located the suspect and advised him that if his actions were about the traffic summons that he could appear in court to contest it and that his actions were not appropriate.  The deputy then filed an incident report about the suspect’s actions as a precautionary measure in case the suspect continued his inappropriate actions toward the officer or possibly his family about the summons.

Investigators say that the suspect continued to vent to others that he was extremely upset about the ticket and that he would get even with the officer and Newberry County.

On Sunday morning December 19, Silverstreet Fire Department, Friendly Fire Department and Newberry Rescue Squad all responded to a working house fire in the Silverstreet community, which was a total loss.  There were no injuries associated with the fire but the fire was suspicious because the
house was abandoned without power.  The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and the fire departments then launched an investigation to the incident.

Investigators then received information that Proctor was bragging that he was now even with Newberry County because it cost them at least the $450 for his traffic ticket to send the emergency vehicles and manpower to the fire.

Investigators say that they have been able to use witness statements and evidence to link the suspect to the arson leading to the arrest of Proctor Wednesday afternoon and charged with Arson 2nd Degree.

“This is an extremely scary mindset toward law enforcement,” said Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster.  “While we understand that some people are extremely upset with government right now, targeting a law enforcement officer for simply doing his job is never an acceptable form of protest.”

“Although it appears that the intention was to get even with law enforcement and the property was abandoned, this act put our firefighters and rescue personnel at risk.  Anytime the fire equipment is rolled those personnel are at risk,” said Sheriff Foster.  “Law enforcement faces budget cuts, no raises and the increased tensions that come with tough economic conditions
just as everyone else.  Just because we are the only government service that functions 24/7 and are arguably the most visible form of local government does not mean we should become targets of such actions,” Foster concluded.

Investigators say that they appeared at the suspect’s bond hearing and provided the magistrate with substantial information as to the suspect’s actions toward the officer involved as well a genuine concern that the suspect could be a danger to himself and others.  The magistrate denied the suspect bond.  He remains in custody.

All Four Suspects in Home Invasion Now in Custody
Posted: December 22, 2010 4:34 PM

Christopher Deauntray Gist (left) and Sylister Dantrelle Jeter (right) were arrested today for the home invasion robbery last week in Whitmire. All four suspects are now in custody.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office says that all four suspects from a
home invasion robbery in Whitmire are now in custody.

On December 15, four men (three black and one white) burst into a home located on Highway 66 near Whitmire. Two of the men had guns (long guns) and robbed the victims of laptop computer, a small amount of cash, and other personal items.

The two remaining suspects were arrested this afternoon in Union County without incident. They were brought to the Newberry County Detention Center where they are being held pending bond.

Law enforcement identified those arrested as Christopher Deauntray Gist, 18, 271 Meansville Road, Apartment E6, Union; and Sylister Dantrelle Jeter, 20, 106 Richard Street, Union.

The first two suspects, Lamarcus Mantrell Lindsay and Kenneth Scott Worthy were arrested on December 17.

All four are charged with Burglary 1st Degree and Armed Robbery.

Because Burglary 1st Degree carries a possible punishment of life in prison, bond must be set by a Circuit Court Judge so no bond hearing is currently scheduled.

Investigators have recovered both of the weapons used in the robbery. Citing the integrity of the investigation, they declined to say where the guns were located other than to say they were directly linked to the suspects.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC,
www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

Deputy Involved in Single Vehicle Accident
Posted: December 22, 2010 12:29 PM

A Newberry County Deputy was involved in a single vehicle accident this morning on SC Highway 34 near the intersection of SC Highway 34 and SC Highway 121 in Silverstreet.  The accident occurred just after 8 am this morning.

The officer was on duty; however, he was not responding to a call at the time the accident.

The officer was transported to Richland Memorial Hospital for treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the officer as Christopher Irons (right).  Irons is an 8-year veteran of the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.

The accident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The cause of the accident has not been determined.

 

Two Arrested in Home Invasion Robberry; More Sought
Posted: December 20, 2010 4:20 PM

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two of the four men responsible for the home invasion robbery that occurred near Whitmire on December 15.

Investigators say that they have identified the remaining two suspects and asking for the public’s assistance in locating the two men.

On December 15, four men (three black and one white) burst into a home located on Highway 66 near Whitmire.  Two of the men had guns (long guns) and robbed the victims of laptop computer, a small amount of cash, and other personal items.

Investigators say that information from the community and invaluable assistance from the Whitmire Police Department led them to identify the suspects responsible for this robbery.

“The information provided to our investigators was crucial to solving this case so quickly,” said Sheriff Lee Foster.  “It is clear that the people of the Whitmire community will not tolerate such criminal activity in their close knit community.”

Investigator identified the two men arrested as Lamarcus Mantrell Lindsay, 18, of 96 Satterwhite Street, Whitmire; and
Kenneth Scott Worthy, 18, of 433 Grant Street, Whitmire, SC.


Both men are charged with Burglary 1st Degree and Armed Robbery.  Both men were taken into custody on December 17.

Because Burglary 1st Degree carries a possible punishment of life in prison, bond must be set by a Circuit Court Judge so no bond hearing is currently scheduled.

Deputies are still searching for the following suspects:

Christopher Deauntray Gist (left), 18, 271 Meansville Road, Apartment E6, Union; and Sylister Dantrelle Jeter (right), 20, 106 Richard Street, Union. 

Warrants have been issued for Gist and Jeter charging them with Burglary 1st Degree and Armed Robbery as well.

Investigators allege that Gist was the suspect who was not wearing a mask during the incident.  The victim’s were able to assist a SLED sketch artist in preparing a composite of the suspect.  Investigators say that the similarity of the composite to the suspect’s appearance is uncanny. 

Investigators have recovered both of the weapons used in the robbery. Citing the integrity of the investigation, they declined to say where the guns were located other than to say they were directly linked to the suspects.

While none of the stolen property has been located at this time, law enforcement believes that the possibility still exists once the additional suspects are taken into custody.

Investigators are working closely with Union County Sheriff’s Office and Union City Public Safety to located the men and take them into custody.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC,
www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

State Education Department Releases AP Scores
Posted: December 18, 2010 11:30 PM

The State Department of Education released scores today from the 2010 AP or advanced placement exams. Since 1984, high schools have offered AP classes that can be eligible for college credit if the students passes the AP exam with a 3, 4, or 5. For the past 10 years, the state scores have stayed within the 50-60% passage rate. The statewide scores in 2010, fell slightly
from 57% to 55%. The nationwide average was 56% in 2010.

Newberry County, however, showed only a 30% overall passage rate. Mid-Carolina High School had a high 57% passage rate last year. However, they dropped to 28% passage this year. Newberry High School also dropped from
38% passage to 32% passage rate. With a relatively small number of students (a total of 43 in the county) taking the exams, the scores can vary dramatically each year. The district has also seen an increase of students taking dual credit courses with Piedmont Tech or Newberry College as an alternative to the stringent AP courses.

Click HERE to view local and statewide AP Data.

County Council Report
Posted: December 18, 2010 11:19 PM

Newberry County Council met Wednesday (December 15) and approved final reading of an ordinance for $1.9 million General Obligation Bond Anticipation Note. This money would allow the county on behalf of Piedmont Tech to go ahead with the purchase the old WalMart shopping center at Wilson and Evans. The money will be paid back to the county once the general obligation bonds are sold for the new phase of the capital penny sales tax. Council also accepted the assignment of the option from Piedmont Technical College Foundation for the old Walmart building. All CPST projects must be owned by a CPST eligible entity such as the county, a municipality, or the water and sewer authority. This means that the county must be the one to own the old Walmart building so that the penny sales tax funds can be used on that facility.

While both votes regarding Piedmont Tech’s new location were unanimous, another capital project sales tax issue was split. The three new fire substations are Tier II projects, which means that they are not to begin until enough money has been collected from the penny sales tax to pay for Tier I projects. The county can be repaid for money once Tier II projects officially go forward. In a split vote, council went forward with purchasing the three parcels selected by the Board Rural Fire Control for the substations. Both Councilman Steve Stockman and Les Hipp voted in opposition. Councilman Caldwell was absent. Councilman Hipp stated, "To make a purchase five years in advance [of building the substation] and removing the property form the tax base seems to be irresponsible to me." He also questioned how the three locations were chosen and asked that a vote to spend the $26,000 be postponed at least until the next meeting. County Administrator Wayne Adams stated that these three parcels were the ones presented to the CPST commission and council during the approval of the bond question. Final vote was 4 to 2 in favor of going forward with purchasing the property.

County Council also accepted the audit for the 2009/10 fiscal year. David Enzastiga, with Rish and Enzastiga, stated that the opinion was qualified this year. Qualified meaning that the auditors have qualifiers on the accuracy of the books due irregularities in the books at JF Hawkins Nursing Home. Th audit reads, "The business-type activities, JF Hawkins Nursing Home, should record and adjust its receivables and corresponding revenues on a timely basis based on collectability. Additionally the accounts receivable subledger did not match the general ledger of the entity due to irregularities. An adjustment to reflect the estimated accounts receivable and corresponding revenues was posted at year end."

Council approved final reading of an ordinance to extend code enforcement officers appointment for the life of their employment in that position.

Council approved first reading of an ordinance rezoning just over 3 acres on Hwy 773 located between I-26 and Hwy 76. The property is currently a non-conforming residential use. The property will be rezoned from Basic Industrial to R2 Rural.

Newberry County Council will meet again on January 5 at 7pm in the Courthouse Annex.

Newberry College Joins City of Newberry in Arbor Day Celebration
Posted: December 17, 2010 1:06 PM

Newberry College’s Student Government Association (SGA) joined the City of Newberry recently in a celebration of Arbor Day by planting a tree on the College campus. The City partnered with the municipality’s three local elementary schools as well as with the College to commemorate the event. Sunset Nursery provided a red maple tree that was planted in front of the campus library. 

The event was sponsored by SGA, Each Committed to Helping Others and the Green Team organizations from the Newberry College campus. Assistant to the City Manager of Newberry and Newberry College alumnus, Matt DeWitt, initiated the idea for the project.

The afternoon ceremony began with an introduction by SGA President and senior political science major, Hope Walker. The tree was planted in front of the campus library with students, staff and faculty in attendance. Newberry mayor, Foster Senn and the College president, Dr. Koerwer briefly spoke at the event.  Both expressed a desire to plant more trees in the future.

"It was a great honor to assist in the tree planting with city officials and our Student Government Association.  This fall planting represents our continuing collaboration with the community, as we nurture our educational ecosystem to bear fruit of involved student-citizens,” Dr. Koerwer said. “I look forward to watching the tree and our students develop and grow in the coming months."

 

School Board Report
Posted: December 14, 2010 5:39 PM

Newberry County School Board met last night (Dec. 13) and received the auditor’s report from Greene, Finney, & Horton. The school district received an unqualified audit, which means that the auditor’s opinion of the accuracy of the data is without qualifiers.

The management letter, however, did share that some reporting requirements for the IDEA funding were not filed in a timely manner. That has since been rectified. The auditors once again noted that there was a lack of segregation of duties in the accounting of pupil activities.

Auditors acknowledged that in these tough economic times it is hard to recommend adding non-classroom personnel to separate bookkeeping responsibilities at each school nor add additional staff at the district office. However, they did recommend that the district office continue to be vigilant in their oversight of these funds with unannounced inspections. The accountants did not report major infractions simply relaxation of policies such as incidents where principals had not signed off on invoices and deposits over $100 that were held overnight.

Accountants also pointed out that the district will now add to their accounting regulations state procurement policies. Having to follow and document these procedures was triggered by the district’s amount of  capital outlay over the past few years.

The good news from the audit showed the fund balance growing by $1 million at the end of June 2010. General fund revenues were down $2.5 million during 2009/10 fiscal year mainly due to state EFA cuts. General fund expenditures were down $4.2 million ($1.7 million of the general fund cuts simply shifted salaries to stimulus funding). As of September 2011, the $3.1 million in stimulus funding will no longer be available to the district.

District CFO Susan Dowd, stated that mid-year state cuts were not imminent but still definitely a possibility. She warned that tightening state funding and the disappearance of the stimulus funds would result in a very challenging budget process this spring. Board members having recently attended the delegate assembly echoed her concerns and voiced them to Senator Ronnie Cromer and Rep. Walt McLeod, who were both in attendance.

During the 2007 and 2008 fiscal year the district had to supplement the food services department. However, during 2009/10 the department made over $470,000. This can be attributed to an increase in USDA reimbursement for free and reduced lunches and almost $600,000 decrease in expenditures.

A state representative honored the Office of Child Nutrition and Food Services as being ahead of many districts in their implementation of federally mandated Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) policies. MCHS also received special recognition for their perfect 100 score on their DHEC inspection.

The Office of Finance won both the Association of School Business Officials International’s Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting and a Certificate of Achievement from the Governmental Finance Officers Association for the 13th year in a row.

Other recognition on Monday night went to Coach Louie Alexander who was named the AA Upper State Coach of the Year by the SC Football Coaches Association and the Coach of the Year by District 13 Officials Association.

Kristi Lynn Floyd of NHS was selected to the 1A/2A volleyball North/South All-Star Team. Kristi was also an All-Region player for 2010. Hear from her and other NHS students and faculty on Wednesday's 9AM Coffee Hour live from Newberry High School.

Senator Ronnie Cromer and Rep. Walt McLeod both brought special recognition from the State House in honor of Little Mountain Elementary School’s 100th anniversary and rededication.

School Board approved first reading of an ordinance realigning the district’s policy regarding swearing-in of newly elected board members to reflect state law of the swearing-in being within 2 weeks of the election.

Newberry County School Board will hold their next public board meeting on January 24 at 7:30 in the Learning Center.

Authorities Searching for Men Who Owe Combined Total of Over $50,000 in Back Child Support
Posted: December 13, 2010 1:23 PM

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your assistance in locating three men who are being sought for Failure To Appear In Court For a Family Court Bench Warrant.

Sheriff Lee Foster says that the three men owe more than $50,000.00 in back child support.  Foster went on to say that their failure to pay child support has a significant impact on their children and ultimately on every tax-paying citizen.

Sheriff Foster said that deputies had made numerous attempts to locate the men without success and that the addresses listed were last known addresses for identification purposes only.  The men were identified as follows:

Jeffery Lamont Griffin, 34, 200 Berry Hill Road Apartment 101, Columbia, SC. Griffin is $11,086.74 behind on his child support payments.

Anthony Allen Noah, 37. 376 Hill Trace Road, Newberry, SC.  Noah is $23,202.71 behind on his child support payments.

William Jeffery Taylor, 40, 308 Drayton Street, Newberry, SC.  Taylor is $25,577.61 on two outstanding child support payments.

The three men are a combined $59,857.06 behind in their child support payments.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC,
www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

Coroner Identifies Victim in Fatal Accident
Posted: December 12, 2010 4:03 PM

Newberry County Coroner Craig Newton has released information pertaining to an early morning traffic collision in Newberry County.  The accident occurred in the northeast section of Newberry County at approximately 12:01 am on Sunday morning.

The single vehicle collision killed the driver of the vehicle, who was the only occupant.  Coroner Newton identified the deceased as William Joiner Bedenbaugh, 19, of Prosperity.

According to Coroner Newton, an autopsy showed that Bedenbaugh died instantly from severe trauma caused from the collision.  Newton said that while Bendenbaugh’s vehicle caught fire after the collision, all fire related injuries were post-mortem.

“The holidays are such a special time of the year and I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child during this difficult time,” said Coroner Newton.  “I know I join Sheriff Foster and all the law enforcement agencies involved in extending our deepest sympathy to this family.”

The accident is under investigation from the SC Highway Patrol, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Newberry County Coroner's Office.

Inman Man Arrested By Whitmire Police;
Charged with Attempted Armed Robbery
Posted: December 11, 2010 2:35 PM

Whitmire Police have charged Shawn F. Kinard of Inman with Attempted Armed Robbery and Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime.

At around 7:30 PM on December 9, Whitmire Police received a call about Kinard being intoxicated and jumping out in front of traffic.  A Whitmire officer responded and located Kinard, and he was placed under arrest for public intoxication.  On Friday morning, Whitmire Police received a call from a trucking company in Rock Hill, and it was discovered that the subject, prior to his arrest, had assaulted a truck driver who had been held by traffic (a house fire on Church Street caused blockage of Highway 72).  While waiting for the road to clear, the truck driver stated that Kinard, whom he did not know, opened the passenger door to his vehicle and climbed up the steps. He also presented a pocket knife and demanded the driver's money and some beer (in which the truck was hauling). The truck driver was able to fend off Kinard and left the scene after he was told by an annonymous bystander that the police had been called and that Kinard had been arrested.

 

UPDATE: More Arrests Made in Drug Roundup in Newberry County
Posted: December 8, 2010 6:27 AM

In an update to the drug round up from yesterday, deputies say that eight more people from the suspect list have been taken into custody.

They were identified as Clifton Gallman, Ozzie Goree, Travis Griffin, Shanon Haltiwagner, Rosena Harrison, Kalkita Kinsler, Rashod Williams, and Lonnell Williams have all been taken into custody.

More arrests are expected and updates will be issued as warranted.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

Original story:
More than a year of investigative work by officers of the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry City Police Department and the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) culminated Tuesday as law enforcement officers took to the streets with more than 80 arrest warrants for 38 suspects.

The warrants charged the suspects with distributing illegal drugs including crack cocaine, marijuana and controlled substances. Many of the suspects are also charged with distributing the drugs within a half mile of a school or park. Several of the suspects are charged with multiple counts of distributing illegal drugs.

Just after noon Tuesday, officers from the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry Police Department, SLED, Prosperity Police Department, Whitmire Police Department, and Chapin Police Department began rounding up suspects on the arrest warrants.

“Because of today’s court systems drug investigations have become one of the most difficult investigations because of the evidence necessary to convince a judge or jury of the person’s guilt,” said Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster. “So many today are inclined to think that “they are just selling drugs” without a thought to the substantial amount of property crime that occurs to obtain drug money, the tremendous amount of violent crime that occurs in the drug culture and the long term affects that drugs have on those the drugs are being sold to especially young people. It is an absolute fallacy to believe that drug sales and usage or a victimless crime because the reality is anyone can become a direct or indirect victim of the crimes associated with drugs such as larcenies, burglaries, home invasions and armed robberies.”

While the penalties for using and selling drugs have been decreased, property crimes such as scrap metal thefts and burglaries can be directly attributed to the use and sell of illegal drugs. Further, the illegal drug trade can be intrinsically linked with gangs and gang related violence as many gangs use the proceeds for the sale of illegal drugs as capital for their operation.

“Almost twenty years ago, an individual received substantial time for selling drugs. The judge told him that he was a career drug dealer and that if he ever got caught again, he would never get out of jail. Since that time, the same person has been sentenced several times for the same offense. Today, he is being charged with five counts of dealing drugs. Obviously he has never received enough punishment to make him stop, so he keeps on selling and poisoning our community and our children,” elaborated Newberry Police Chief Jackie Swindler.

“Many times people make a complaint to law enforcement and they think that nothing is being done; however, drug investigations take a substantial amount of time and effort to bring about successful prosecution and for obvious reasons we cannot let the public know about the investigation,” said Chief Jackie Swindler of the Newberry Police Department. “Just because the community does not outwardly see an investigation never means that there is not one going on, these investigations just take time.”

“I would also encourage citizens to get involved and stand behind law enforcement by serving on juries and listening to the facts, not emotions. Citizens should encourage the courts, prosecutors, and politicians to be tough on drug dealing and the ripple effect these drug dealers have on the community, businesses and schools.

As of Wednesday morning, 22 of 38 suspects were in custody.  Officers say that Candace Alewine, Stanton Austin, Darryl Chapman, Ryan Davis, Taquana Davis, Pasqual Duckett, Michael Garcia, Rashaun Harmon, Likevis Jackson, William Joiner, Danny Kincaid, Kalkita Kinsler, Justin Lambert, Keith Long, Michael Long, Michael Maybin, Malcolm Malone, Larry Nance, Anqual Rutherford, Randall Sims, Tyrus Strother and Roy Wise were all in custody.  Bond hearings are scheduled throughout the day Wednesday by the Newberry County Central Court.

Both Sheriff Foster and Chief Swindler praised the partnership of local and state law enforcement agencies in their team work during the investigation. Both men went on to say that without the information and assistance of citizens throughout Newberry County such investigations would not be possible.

To see photos of the suspects, click HERE.

To view the list of those charged, addresses and current charges, click HERE.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

Christmas Parades Show Spirit of the Season
Posted: December 7, 2010 10:57 AM

The Newberry and Prosperity Christmas Parades were held over the weekend, and as usual, kicked off the season in a special way.

The Prosperity Christmas Parade was sponsored by the Town of Prosperity, and the winners in the various categories were:

Best Holiday Decorated Float
1st Place $100.00 – Triangle Day Care
2nd Place $50.00 - Twin Oaks Animal Hospital
3rd Place $25.00– Wightman UM Church

Best Holiday Decorated Vehicle
$50.00 Prize - Hillbilly Clan Car

Best Showmanship
$50.00 Prize - South Carolina Music & Dance Academy

Classic Car
$25.00 Prize 100 Years of Christmas – Kenny Stockman

The Newberry Christmas Parade winners were:
Overall - St. Mark's Catholic Church
Best Float - Newberry County Career Center FFA
Best Walking Group - Newberry County Career Center HOSA

 

County Council Report
Posted: December 2, 2010 6:52 AM

Newberry County Council met last night and postponed county employee raises or bonuses for a third year. After legal advice in executive session, council voted at a work session to send the question of bonuses back to the personnel subcommittee, asking that the committee begin looking at the issue for the 2011/12 budget year, which starts in June. The $200,000 that was set earmarked for the potential bonuses in the 2010/11 budget will roll over to next year's budget. Department heads asked that it remain earmarked for potential bonuses. During the open council meeting, council did vote to provide employees with a $50 gift certificate again this year as a "Christmas gift."

Council also approved final reading on a FILOT or fee in lieu of tax agreement with FG Wilson who owns Caterpillar. At one point Caterpillar was looking at folding up in Newberry, but a new FILOT agreement with the county and the state helped convince Caterpillar to not only stay but bring 450 new jobs here to Newberry.

Caterpillar has three years to add the jobs and the investment of $15 million. The FILOT agreement will act as a tax credit against the taxes due for the first $15 million in investment on the facility. This credit only remains intact if Caterpillar maintains 650 employees. After the first three years of build up, the county will verify this number each year.

Council approved second reading of an ordinance for $1.9 million General Obligation Bond Anticipation Note. This money would allow Piedmont Tech go ahead with the purchase the old WalMart shopping center at Wilson and Evans. The money will be paid back to the county once the general obligation bonds are sold for the new phase of the capital penny sales tax.

Council approved second reading of an ordinance to extend code enforcement officers appointment for the life of their employment in that position.

At their last meeting, council voted down a request to extend county maintenance on Long St. in Prosperity. The road is currently maintained only back to a certain point. A developer who owns the land further down the road would like to bring electricity and water and sewer down the road to make his property more valuable. However, the landowners who own and maintain the last section of the road do not want to give up their property for the widening of the road, which would be required if it is county maintained. At last night's meeting, Council voted to stop maintenance on the entire road.

Newberry County Council will meet again on Dec. 15 at 7pm in the Courthouse Annex where they will hear the 2009/10 audit.

 

NCP Presents "Dr. Dolittle" at Prosperity Civic Center
Posted: November 30, 2010 11:34 AM

The Newberry Community Players will continue their season of road trips with a classic children’s theater play in Prosperity this weekend. NCP’s Imagination Alley Children’s Theater will present “Dr. Dolittle” December 3-5 at the Prosperity Civic Center. Over twenty Newberry County students take us on an adventure with this classic tale of a doctor who can speak to animals. The animals tell Dr. Dolittle that there are sick monkeys in Africa. When they crash their boat into Africa, they are introduce to a whole cast of characters including the Pushme-pullyu, which is somewhat like a two headed llama.

Director Ellen Hunt stated, “I was in love with Rex Harrison’s version of the movie growing up. It was one of the things that made me want to act. When I read this script, which is closer to the book and the classic movie than the Eddie Murphy movies, I hoped that these students would have a similar experience.”

On the Road

The performances will be held at the Prosperity Civic Center at 250 School Drive, which is the remodeled auditorium of the old Prosperity school. Heather Hawkins, Chair of NCP, commented, “We are so excited to be at the Prosperity Civic Center for both of our children’s shows this year. We cannot thank them enough for their warm welcome. We are glad to be a part of the busy weekend in Prosperity.” The Prosperity Shoppers Walk is also this weekend (on Saturday Dec. 4 from 6-8p) and the Prosperity parade on Sunday Dec. 5 at 3pm.

In tribute to Prosperity, the script has even been altered so that Dr. Dolittle is from a little town called Frog Level (the original name of Prosperity). Another change from the original is that Dr. Dolittle is a woman in the NCP production.

Tickets

Come discover the world of “Dr. Dolittle,” this weekend December 3-5. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday productions are all at 7:30pm. There is no matinee because of the busy weekend schedule. Advance tickets are encouraged as there is limited space. Call the Newberry Opera House Box Office at 803-276-6264 or purchase tickets online at www.newberryoperahouse.com. Remaining available tickets will be sold at the door. All tickets are $8.

For the Animals

Since the production is all about a human learning to listen to and help animals, the Newberry Community Players are excited to partner with the Newberry County Animal Shelter to bring gifts to their animals. Those attending the production are encouraged to bring donations such as puppy food and kitten food, toys and treats, stainless steel food bowls, beds, blankets, litter, litter pans, cleaning supplies such as bleach and dish detergent, and gift cards from big box stores.

See you in Prosperity!

 

Dr. Horn Honored as Distinguished Professor
Posted: November 19, 2010 5:01 PM

Dr. Charles Horn, department chair and professor of biology for Newberry College, was recently honored at the 2010 Professors of the Year and Distinguished Professors Luncheon. The event, held November 4, at the University of South Carolina, honors faculty that are dedicated to helping students in both public and private colleges and universities. It was sponsored by the South Carolina Higher Education Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Horn was awarded a certificate as a Distinguished Professor of 2010. When asked, Dr. Horn expressed that he was honored and excited to be the representative from the College for the competition. Dr. Horn was nominated by former Newberry College President, Dr. Mick Zais and Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Wayne Kannaday.

According to Dr. Kannaday, Dr. Horn was a natural choice for the nomination. “Charlie Horn has, for many years at Newberry College, exemplified excellence as a teacher, a researcher, a campus leader, and an active member of the community,” says Dr. Kannaday. “His knowledge of and zeal for the unique ecosystem of Lynch’s Woods signals his place as one of the state’s true environmentalists, while his passion for his students and subject matter earns him a ready nomination for the Governor’s Teaching Award.”

Dr. Horn holds a Bachelor’s of Science from George Mason University, a Master’s of Science from Ohio State University and a Ph.D from the University of Alabama. He also serves as Director of the Newberry College Summerland Honors Society, Treasurer to the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society and faculty advisor to both the Chi Beta Phi Science Honor Society and to the Newberry Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honorary. He has also been a recipient of various teaching awards throughout his career.

County Council Report
Posted: November 18, 2010 4:38 PM

Courthouse Requires Extensive Waterproofing

Newberry County Council met last night (Nov 17) and heard a report on the water retention problems in the Courthouse. All offices were removed from the basement when flooding took place this last year. These offices were relocated to other buildings such as Voter Registration in the Bi-Lo Shopping Center, and Building and Zoning in the Agricultural Building bumping Clemson Extension to their new location on Harrington. Irwin West, county consultant with Carter Goble Lee, reported at length to council on the water retention damage and proposed plan of action at Wednesday night’s meeting.

He stated that much of the problem was with how the remainder of the basement was excavated and built out during the last basement renovation. He suggested that the county rewaterproof the entire building: from repairing and resealing the flat underbelly of the roof all the way up over the caps to exposing the substructure of the foundation and resealing with multiple water resistant materials down below the concrete gaps. He even stated that the county should consider not putting the dirt back against the building but simply creating a retaining wall or walking plaza around the base of the building.

County Council authorized administration and Mr. West to go forward with issuing an RFQ (request for qualifications) for an expert in repairs for water retention problems. Administration was also authorized to prepare a bid package for the roof section of the work. The 2010 budget includes $295,600 for this Courthouse work. However, the extensive amount of proposed work is expected to far exceed this amount. Council will reevaluate what work will be done after receiving bids for the roof and information from the water retention expert.

FILOT Agreement with Caterpillar gets Second Nod

Council approved second reading on a FILOT or fee in lieu of tax agreement with FG Wilson who owns Caterpillar. At one point Caterpillar was looking at folding up in Newberry, but a new FILOT agreement with the county and the state helped convince Caterpillar to not only stay but bring 450 new jobs here to Newberry.

Caterpillar has three years to add the jobs and the investment of $15 million. The FILOT agreement will act as a tax credit against the taxes due for the first $15 million in investment on the facility. This credit only remains intact if Caterpillar maintains 650 employees. After the first three years of build up, the county will verify this number each year.

CPST Projects Begin Getting Funding

Council approved a resolution declaring the positive results of the Capital Projects Sale Tax Referendum vote November 2. Council also approved first reading of an ordinance for $1.9 million General Obligation Bond Anticipation Note. This money would allow Piedmont Tech go ahead with the purchase the old WalMart shopping center at Wilson and Evans. The money will be paid back to the county once the general obligation bonds are sold for the new phase of the capital penny sales tax.

Saturday To Be Bishop James Day in Newberry County

County Council approved a proclamation naming Saturday, November 20, 2010 to be Bishop Frederick Calhoun James Day in Newberry County. Bishop James will be honored Saturday as part of Shiloh AME Church 180th anniversary at 6:30.

Miscellaneous from County Council

Council also approved a proclamation honoring the 25th Anniversary of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Council approved first reading of an ordinance to extend code enforcement officers appointment for the life of their employment in that position.

After executive session for legal advice, Council took a vote regarding the extension of county maintenance on Long St. in Prosperity. The vote failed with only Councilmen Hipp and Stockman voting in favor. A second motion to stop county maintenance on the entire road stalled and will be on the agenda for the next meeting. The road is currently maintained only back to a certain point. A developer who owns the land further down the road would like to bring electricity and water and sewer down the road to make his property more valuable. However, the landowners who own and maintain the last section of the road do not want to give up their property for the widening of the road, which would be required if it is county maintained.

School Board Report
Posted: November 15, 2010 3:58 PM

Swearing In of School Board Members

Newberry County School Board met last night (Nov 15) and swore in a new member and two returning school board members. During the recent election, Lee Attaway, who has served on the School Board for 12 years, won the District 2 seat for another four years as a write-in candidate. Clyde Hill has served for 14 years on school board and was elected for another four years without opposition in District 7. Hugh Grey was sworn in for his first year on the school board, taking the place of board chair Don Saylor in District 5. Election of new officers will take place in January. Until then, Vice Chair Jody Hamm will officiate.

Superintendent Benny Bennett announced that with all of the planned building program phases complete, the $78 million NICE installment purchase plan will still have an estimated $3.5 million. Following executive session, the School Board voted to hire Cummings SMG (who has been handling construction oversight) to compile a capital needs list and cost estimates so that the board can select the most needed items to complete within the next 2 years.

Speaking of the final phase of the construction program, Little Mountain Elementary School will hold their rededication this Sunday at 2pm.

CFO Susan Dowd previewed the upcoming budget season. She stated that several committees were reviewing state school funding including the ITA (Index Taxpayer Ability) Committee. A district’s ability to bring in revenue through property taxes affects their state Act 388 funding.

The Senate Select Committee is reviewing K-12 funding and is currently discussing codifying flexibility in how districts can spend state funding. They are also reviewing statutory deregulation for charter schools. Organizations such as the SC Association of School Business Officials also are working on proposals. They are looking at everything including uniform millage across the districts.

The Teacher of the Year and Support Staff Person of the Year reception will be held at Newberry Middle School at 6:30pm on December 7.

To avoid the Christmas holiday break, Newberry County School Board will meet next on the second Monday in December (December 13) at 7:30pm in the Learning Center.

 

Foster Named SC Law Enforcement Victim Advocate Association Sheriff of Year
Posted: November 15, 2010 3:58 PM

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster has been named the South Carolina Law Enforcement Victim Advocate Association Sheriff of the Year.

Sheriff Foster was nominated for the award for his outstanding dedication toward victim services and his personal dedication to citizens and employees to go the extra mile to serve others.

Sheriff Foster was acknowledged for efforts to be available and accessible to those who need him, and for the many hours he works including late nights and weekends assisting with investigations and major incidents affecting Newberry County.

In addition to the services for traditional crime victims, Sheriff Foster insures service to many people of the community who need assistance. Providing officers to assist with the Meals on Wheels program, assisting the elderly during extreme hot or cold weather, providing transportation to dialysis patients during wintery weather condition were some of the non-traditional victim’s services Sheriff Foster spearheads.

Sheriff Foster was also recognized for his working relationship with other agencies.  One specific event was recognized when Sheriff Foster sent several School Resource Officers from Newberry County who were out of school for the summer to Gaffney, where they have year round school, to protect and
serve the schools so that the Gaffney officers could assist in the search for a serial killer.

“I feel that he is very deserving of this reward and should be recognized for his accomplishments and dedication to the citizens of Newberry County and the State of South Carolina.  He is so much more than just Sheriff to this small community,” wrote Victim’s Advocate Connie Johnson in her nomination letter.  “Even though he is in the position he is in, he still takes time to talk with his employees and be concerned with their personal
life and their families.”

This sentiment is echoed throughout the employees of the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Newberry County.

Congratulations to Sheriff Lee Foster on being named the South Carolina Law Enforcement Victim Advocate Association Sheriff of the Year.

The award was presented on November 12 at  a luncheon at the statewide conference of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Victim Advocate Association held in Myrtle Beach.

Four File for City District 2 Seat
Posted: November 12, 2010 1:34 PM

Filing closed at noon Friday for those wishing to run for the District 2 seat on Newberry City Council. The seat opened up when Foster Senn was elected as mayor. The candidates include: Karen Wyatt, Heath McCutcheon, Wayne Heller, and Edwin Wicker.  This special election for the District 2 seat will be held on January 11.

 

 

City Council Report
Posted: November 10, 2010 5:37 AM

Council adopts resolution designating the first Friday of December as Arbor Day
City Council passed a resolution designating the first Friday of December as Arbor Day within the City of Newberry. In line with Council’s goals and objectives for 2010-11, the resolution establishing Arbor Day will strengthen the pursuit of Tree City USA designation which is a goal within the Quality of Life section of the work plan.

Arbor Day is traditionally observed annually. Assistant City Manager Matthew DeWitt is currently coordinating tree plantings with the Newberry County School District and Newberry County for December 3. DeWitt has also prepared an application to The National Arbor Day Foundation for Tree City USA designation.

Second reading of ordinance to rezone 1410 Wilson Road passes
Newberry City Council unanimously passed the second reading of an ordinance establishing General Commercial zoning for 1410 Wilson Road on Tuesday night.  Council received a request from Billye West to annex the 1.25 acre lot, Tax Map #342-2-5-12, which is currently a vacant lot located next to what was formerly Jeffrey Dean Chrysler-Dodge.

Roughly 75 percent of the lot has been in City for many years and carried a General Commercial zoning designation. The remaining 25 percent was annexed in order to facilitate the planned construction of a 4,000 square foot Doctor’s Care. A public hearing was held for citizens to voice opinions, for and against, the rezoning of the lot. There were no comments.

Council annexes and rezones remaining lot at 1804 Wilson Road
After receiving an annexation request from Billye West to annex a small 0.01 acre of unincorporated property located at the southwestern corner of 1804 Wilson Road, Tax Map #342-27. The small triangular piece of property located immediately adjacent to the old Wal-Mart storm water detention pond was been combined with a 0.99 acre parcel located at the corner of Wilson Road and Kinard Street.

The 0.99 acre parcel already zoned General Commercial. On Tuesday, Council approved the annexation and rezoning of the 0.01 acre lot to General Commercial status. Council will conduct a second reading of the ordinances and a public hearing at the December 14 meeting.

First reading of ordinance authorizing lease/purchase agreement for new trash loader
Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the lease-purchase agreement for a new trash loader, which is a knuckle boom loader used to collect yard trash, large household items, white goods and appliances. The City uses three such trucks and the new loader would replace a 2002 Freightliner.

As part of the budget process, Council authorized the purchase of a truck by lease-purchase agreement in a principal amount not to exceed $105,000 and term of no more than 60 months.

Other news from City Council meeting
Council agreed to move the work session for Tuesday, November 16 from 6 p.m. to 5 p.m. Items for consideration will be the implementation of the Capital Projects Sales Tax, the utilization of Clemson University PRTM to conduct a Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the coordination of special events, festivals, and improved communication with merchants, relations between the City and Newberry College, and on-going development projects.

Mayor Foster Senn and City Manager Jeff Shacker honored Jimmy Cromer, Todd Guy, and Doug Currier for service to the City. Cromer and Guy have 10 years service in the Utility Department while Currier has served five years with the Planning and Development Services Department.

Council approved the reappointment of Evangeline Shell to the Municipal Planning Commission. Shell’s term expires in November. Shell was recently elected Chairperson by her peers.

Crimestoppers Tip Leads to Arrest of Wise
Posted: November 9, 2010 12:34 PM

A confidential tip given through Crimestoppers has led to the arrest of a man wanted for three counts of Attempted Murder.

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster says that Michael Dewayne Wise, 25, of 201 Church Street in Prosperity was taken into custody just after midnight and served three warrants each charging him with Attempted Murder.

Sheriff Foster said that the arrest was a direct result of a Crimestoppers tip on the location of Wise.  Foster said the deputies from the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Newberry Police Department went to an apartment in Grant Apartments located on Louis Rich Drive in Newberry and found the suspect hiding under a bed.  He was taken into custody without incident.

Wise was being sought for the July 22 shooting of three people in the Helena section of Newberry County.

Investigators said then that a van came driving slowly into the Helena area and opened gunfire on people standing in the yard of a residence.  Three people were struck by the gunfire in the lower extremities.  All recovered from the injuries.

A short time after the shooting, deputies found the van abandoned nearby in a ditch.  Investigators launched an investigation that led them to identify Wise as the shooter.

Sheriff Foster praised Crimestoppers as a valuable tool in the communication and cooperation between law enforcement and the community and to many law enforcement investigations.

A bond hearing will be scheduled for Wise later today.

 

Coroner Identifies Woman Killed in Traffic Collision
Posted: November 5, 2010 7:09 PM

Newberry County Coroner Craig Newton has identified the woman killed in a traffic collision today in Newberry County.

Coroner Newton identified the woman as Linda Gail Nelson, 34, of Chappells. An autopsy will be performed on Saturday morning to determine the exact cause of death.

The accident happened off Island Ford Road and Long Sumpit Roads near Chappells.

 

County Council Report
Posted: November 4, 2010 9:37 AM

Newberry County Council met last night (Nov 3) and approved final reading of ordinances to sell JF Hawkins/Springfield Place.  The vote was 6 to 1 in favor – with Councilman John Caldwell voting in opposition.

The sale is for $11.3 million and also includes tax incentives for the buyer Madison Healthcare Management, whose management arm is called Prestige. The first three years the company will not pay property taxes. During year four through ten, the company will pay no more than $157,000 - for a total of $1.1 million in taxes the first ten years. After the tenth year, the company will go on a regular tax schedule at around $314,000 a year. The tax incentives will save the company over $2 million in taxes. Currently, the facility does not pay property taxes since it is a county facility.

These tax incentives are allowed under the state rules applied to multi-county parks. Since the property is within the City limits and the City will be affected any tax agreement, Newberry City Council approved a resolution agreeing to this multi-county park on September 14 at their regular meeting.

There is a 45 day period of time where each entity do any final due diligence.

During the public hearing at the last council meeting, attendees expressed concerns such as: the sale price, the loss of local oversight on the facility, a loss of state benefits for employees, fear of a rate increase on those who sold their own property expecting to stay in the facility the rest of their life, and a responsibility to provide for our community elders within our community even if they can’t pay full price.

When explaining their reasons for voting as they did, Councilman Les Hipp stated, “I’ve been actively involved in contract negotiations – as we all have. I feel that the contract protects the residents, the employees, and I think it protects the county as far as the tax incentives.”

Councilman Edgar Baker stated, “We’ve done a lot of due dilligence. Two of us have gone to visit 2 places. Anybody in JF Hawkins/Springfield place would be a lot better off.”

County Administrator Wayne Adams stated that the final contract includes stipulations regarding: a 3.5% cap on rate increases per year for the first few years, a job offer for all current employees, and an agreement that all those currently in the facility can stay as long as they have a payer source even if that payer source does not pay the full amount such as Medicaid or Medicare.

Caterpillar to Expand by over 400 jobs

Newberry County Council also approved a resolution and first reading regarding a Fee In Lieu of Tax (FILOT) agreement for Caterpillar (owned by FG Wilson LLC). At one point Caterpillar was looking at folding up in Newberry, but a new FILOT agreement with the county and the state helped convince Caterpillar to not only stay but bring 450 new jobs here to Newberry.

Caterpillar has three years to add the jobs and the investment of $15 million. The FILOT agreement will act as a tax credit against the taxes due for the first $15 million in investment on the facility. This credit only remains intact if Caterpillar maintains 650 employees. After the first three years of build up, the county will verify this number each year.

More from County Council’s Nov 3 meeting

Final reading passed to approve zoning change on CR Koon Hwy across from Colony Church Rd. The ordinance would change the zoning on two parcels, which were once home to businesses including a chiropractor, from Single Family Residential to General Commercial.

After not receiving a grant that was submitted Friendly Fire Department requested $56,000 for air packs to replace the 20-year-old air packs. Council will take the money from a 2008 series equipment lease-purchase bond that had savings.

In a 4 to 3 vote, Council voted to approve $554 in extra travel money for Councilman John Caldwell who serves with SC and National County Council Associations.

Councilman Kirksey Koon stated, “We have to remember that this money belongs to the taxpayers. It is unfortunate but many of these conferences are no more than paid vacations.

Councilman Caldwell, who actually voted against the measure, stated that “even if you don’t approve the funds, I will continue to attend and be involved because I think it is important to know what is going on outside of Newberry County.”

Newberry County Council next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 7pm in the Courthouse Annex.

Missing Person Found in Harbison Area
Posted: November 3, 2010 2:20 PM

Nanette Workman Ramon-Castro (right) was found Wednesday afternoon in the Harbison Mall area.

A release Tuesday from the Newberry County Sheriff's Office stated that she had been missing, and last seen around Old Jollystreet Road and Highway 76 in Newberry County.

No foul play is suspected, but she will be undergoing a medical evaluation.

Local Election Returns
Posted: November 3, 2010 5:36 AM

Unofficial Election Returns for Newberry County

Contested Races

County Council District 6

Bill Waldrop 928   Greg Taylor 527

School Board District 5

Hugh Grey 847  Don Saylor 616

Whitmire Mayoral Race

Tim Carroll 235  Raymond Thrift 164

The following candidates were elected to Whitmire City Council Michael Thomas, Jimmy Brock, Dwight Lane, Crystal Harsha, Debbie P. Harris, and Cassie Fowler.

The referendum regarding the continuation of the Penny Sales Tax was overwhelming approved 8,070 to 3,640.

Write-in votes in both the School Board District 2 and Soil and
Water Conservation District Commission must be verified before an official winner in announced. Results are expected by Thursday. All votes will be certified on Friday at 9am at the Voter Registration Office on Wilson Rd.

For statewide races visit http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/19077/38899/en/summary.html.

Following is a breakdown of the polling places in Newberry County (click on individual graphic to see larger version):

 

NCMH Board Meeting
Posted: October 27, 2010 7:52 PM

At the October Board meeting, the Board of Trustees approved:
1) Employed physicians’ benefits.
2) Dr. Brown’s contract renewal.
3) The 2010 legal compliance assessment.
4) The Board’s Executive Committee responsibilities, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position description and the Medical Staff board position, which requests County Council to amend the hospital’s governance ordinance to reflect the current practice. The current practice is for the Medical Staff to elect a member to the Board and for the Chief of Staff to serve as an ex-officio member. The term of the Medical Staff representative should be the same as other Board members.
5) The “Unqualified” audit. “Unqualified” means the auditors agree that the financial records are accurate and is the best results for a financial audit.
6)  Approved the recommendation of the Medical Executive Committee to grant Medical Staff membership and privileges for Dr. Daniel Sheehan.  Dr. Sheehan is a physiatrist and has recently joined Palmetto Bone and Joint.  A physiatrist is a new specialist for our hospital and is a nerve, muscle, and bone expert who treats injuries or illnesses that affect how you move as well as pain management.  Dr. Sheehan graduated from Georgetown University’s medical school and completed his residency at Harvard University.

Finance
Newberry County Memorial Hospital (NCMH) experienced a net operating income of $39K for the month of September compared to a budgeted operating income of $36K. Net revenue was $205K below budget for September and $999K under budget YTD.  Expenses were $224K under budget for September and $910K under budget YTD.  Consolidated net income for September is $52K and YTD is $80K.

Statistics
Current Month
Acute Inpatient discharges were 9% (14) over budget but 2% (3) under PY.  Total surgeries were 2% (5) over budget.  E.R. visits were 5% (106) under budget and 15% (317) under prior year.
YTD 
ED visits are 6% (320) under budget and 7% (390) under prior year.  Acute discharges are down 14% (78) YTD from the prior year.  Inpatient surgeries are down 14% (25) YTD, Outpatient surgeries are down 3% (9) YTD, and endoscopies are down 4% (8) YTD.    

Net Revenue
Gross Revenue was $104K (1%) over budget.  A continued increase in self-pay revenue and a decline in Commercial revenue caused a net increase in revenue deductions.  A change in accounting, recommended by our auditors, for self-pay bad debt allowance caused an increase of $341K to bad debt expense in September compared to our previous self pay allowance system.  Self-pay revenue is $1,368K compared to $407K in the prior year.  Self-pay revenue YTD is $1.2 million more than the prior year.  
Gross days in accounts receivable are 54 compared to 72 as of September 30, 2009.  Collections were $2.8 million for the month of September.  The cash position declined $783K in September due to five accounts payable runs during the month instead of the usual four.

Expenses
Salaries have effectively been reduced according to volumes.  Salaries were $138K under budget for the month and $400K for the year.   By utilizing the QHR productivity system, opportunities for savings have been identified.
Supplies were $49K under budget in the month of September and $230K under budget for the year. 
Purchased Services   were $19K under budget in the month of September and $90K under budget YTD. 

Total Expenses were $224K under budget in September and $910K under budget YTD.

Operating Cash Position of NCMH decreased by $783K during the month of September.  The operating cash position of the hospital has decreased by $1.15 million YTD.

People
Staff Development
Newberry County Memorial Hospital has been awarded an equipment grant through the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (SCAHEC) to install an audio and video teleconference system for education and training of health professionals.

Leadership Development
Four members of our leadership team attended the “Taking You and Your Organization to the Next Level” conference.  It focused on building systematic performance measures into our culture.  We have had a follow-up session to plan our implementation.

We will have a Leadership Retreat in November to focus on building communication and negotiating skills in our leaders.  We will also have a variety of other educational topics.

Steve Anderson attended QHR’s Regional Leadership meeting in early September.  Spreadsheet tools were provided to assist the hospital in “meaningful use” criteria.  A notebook of information pertaining to 1) improving Emergency Department operations, 2) physician recruiting best practices, and 3) improving service line profitability was provided.  This information was distributed for use in hospital operations.

Interviews and the selection process are underway for a director of the Emergency Department.  We have two very strong candidates and the selection hopefully will be forthcoming over the next month.

Three of our clinical leaders are attending QHR’s “Nurse Manager” conference.  Previous attendees report this is an excellent program to enhance our leader’s education.

Rounding
One of the processes implemented from “Taking You and Your Organization to the Next Level” is hourly rounding.  A concerted effort is being made to incorporate hourly rounding on our patient care units.  Research has proven that it reduces patient falls, patient complaints, and patient calls while increasing patient satisfaction.

Physicians
Our Materials Management Director will be presenting information on the QHR/HPG Physician Purchasing program at the office managers meeting on September 29.  This may be opportunity for our physicians to purchase supplies for their offices at a lower cost through our group purchasing organization.

Dr. John Thompson joined the Little Mountain Family Healthcare practice at the J. Kess Derrick Medical Center part time on October 1.  He will continue part time practice with Newberry Internal Medicine as well.  We are posting this information on Facebook, running ads on WKDK and in The Observer. There are also plans to do billboards for the practice and additional signage in the Little Mountain area.   Organizationally, supervision of the facility was reassigned to John Boozer. 

Recently, we invited Dr. Ed Rodelsperger, Director of the Emergency Department at Roper Medical Center in Charleston, to evaluate our emergency department for noted improvements.  We are in process of incorporating those recommendations into practice.

Plans are underway for the Little Mountain Family Health Center at J. Kess Derrick Medical Center to join the National Health Service Corps, a federally funded entity.  

In addition, plans are underway to have the Little Mountain Family Health Center at J. Kess Derrick receive “Rural Health Clinic” status, through application to CMS.  The Office of Rural Health indicates that, by achieving such status, the practice would be entitled to cost based reimbursement which would improve our financial performance there.

Dr. Dion Franga is a general surgeon who has been assisting with call coverage on weekends while we only have one surgeon.  He is interested in considering NCMH as a permanent position following completion of his military service in early 2012. 

Employees
Our most recent patient experience scores indicate that we are in the 85th percentile in their national database for overall patient satisfaction.  We celebrated our Top 15% in country patient experience scores with cake and ice cream for all employees.  We appreciate the great performance of our staff.

NCMH has been designated as one of the “Best Midlands Companies for Working Moms” by the March of Dimes and the Greater Columbia Business Monthly. We have included a copy of the article in the September issue of the magazine and have released the information to local media.

Ron Vigus Walked in Your Shoes in our Behavioral Health and Materials Management Departments.  He spends time shadowing employees to learn more about them and their job and how it contributes to providing exceptional care with a personal touch.

Volunteers
Our Volunteers recently approved $8,356 in contributions to assist a variety of departments with special requests.  These contributions will assist our staff and serve our patients as we provide exceptional care with a personal touch.  One new project included is providing NCMH note cards for our staff to write to their patients, thanking them for choosing NCMH.
Community
Ron Vigus and Andy Hawkins participated in the Midlands United Way Focus Group to define needs in our community

Ron Vigus participated in St. Marks AME Church’s fundraiser and the Opera House’s recent major donation announcement event.

Ron Vigus has begun meeting with community leaders.  These have included, Scott Koerwer, President of Newberry College, Rusty Denning, Associate VP of Piedmont Tech, Mayor Foster Senn and Ted Smith, Chamber of Commerce. 

Quality
Congratulations to our Medical and Nursing staff for consistency in achieving top performance in our core measure reported data!  The core measures are evidenced based best practice standards.  Our Staff achieved 100% IP AMI (inpatient heart attack), 100% HF (inpatient Heart Failure), 96% CAP (inpatient Community Acquired Pneumonia), 95% SCIP (inpatient Surgery), 100% OP AMI (outpatient heart attack), 100% OP CP (outpatient Chest Pain), and 100% OP Surgery.

We have submitted to the College of American Pathologists (CAP) our follow up report from our September 2, 1010 CAP inspection of the laboratory.  Our Blood Gas Lab component has appealed the issue cited and has been successful in having it removed.

Growth
Our new television advertising is receiving very positive comments from community members. We are reducing our ad placements until after the election to maximize its impact.

Posters for both the Community Hospital image campaign and the Primary Care campaign are now up to support the two campaigns. Billboards for the image campaign are going up and print ads have begun. We are very excited about the images used in these campaigns.

We are distributing Primary Care physician cards at Industry Health Fairs. The Wellness Center organized two in October. Many departments supported this effort.

Marketing efforts are advancing for Little Mountain and our other owned practices.
Please take a look at our new website www.NewberryCountyDoctors.com. We had our second filming day to add specialists to our site. The physician videos and bios/contact info are available on this new site. We are planning to add patient testimonials.

Service
We are awaiting SC DHEC’s approval of our Swing Bed application.  Upon approval we will open the Swing Bed program and await an unannounced inspection by SC DHEC.  Upon completion of that inspection, we will be able to bill for Swing Bed services.   Transferring into a Swing Bed program will allow us to offer inpatient rehabilitation services to a broader population of patients and reduce our costs.

We continue to work with GMK Associates for modifications to the Pondfield Road office building (in preparation for placing another general surgeon there) and building designs for the new Emergency Department.   During October, pre-bid meetings will be held with contractors who are interested in bidding on the Pondfield Road project.    In addition, our Certificate of Need application for the new ED has been presented to SC DHEC.

Community
Our Wellness Center has begun to administer flu vaccines to businesses and industries that had us reserve vaccines for them earlier this year.  Clients include but are not limited to Dr. James Williams, Shakespeare, City of Newberry and Newberry Electric Cooperative. 

Wellness promotions are where held at Caterpillar on October 19 and Pioneer Foods on October 20.  Approximately 150 Caterpillar employees participated and 78 pre-diabetic screenings were completed.  Approximately 75 of Pioneer’s 170 employees participated and 35 pre-diabetic screenings were done.  We have issued an invitation to Pioneer management to visit the hospital and meet with various service providers, for relationship development purposes.

Our Safe Kids Halloween, which will be held in the rear employee parking lot, will be on October 28, from 6—8 pm.

Exit Exam Dip for Two High Schools
Posted: October 28, 2010 10:34 PM

The State Department of Education released the HSAP (formally known as Exit Exam) scores for 2010 today. While statewide passage rate increased slightly, two Newberry County high schools saw slight decreases. Mid-Carolina decreased scores by only .2% passage rate to 78.5%. Both females and African Americans saw a three to four point drop in ELA (English Language Arts) with males and white students dipping slightly in math.

 

Newberry High School saw a 2.6% decrease in passage rate with 60.2%. The biggest change in NHS scores came with a dramatic dip in Hispanic scores both in ELA and math. African Americans saw a 4 point increase in ELA.

 

Whitmire Community School, however, increased their first time passage rate to 86.1% from 80%. Males saw a 20 point jump in their English Language Arts and a 10 point jump in their math scores.

 

Overall the district scores dipped to 71.1% from 71.6% in 2009. These percentages are for first time passage of both ELA and Math sections.

 

County Council Report
Posted: October 21, 2010 3:37 PM

Tax Levy Rolls Back With Reassessment
Newberry County Council met last night (October 20). At the meeting, County Auditor Donna Lominack presented the 2010 tax levy.  Total county/school levy will be 387 mills, which is a county general fund millage of 136.3, county GO bonds will be 6.6 mills, school general fund at 184.8 mills, county special education at 6.3 mills, and school GO Bonds at 53 mills. Both the school district and the county took a 1.01% operational millage increase based on population increase after rolling back millage for reassessment. The county also added 2.2 mills to their GO bonds in order to fund lease purchase of regular replacement of emergency equipment. Overall there is a countywide 16 mill decrease from last year due to rollback millage in this reassessment year.

What about the municipalities? The City of Newberry rolled back millage by 9.4 mills to 83.9. Town of Little Mountain's millage remains the same this year at 40.7 mills. The Town of Pomaria rolled back their millage by 0.4% for a total of 3.6 mills. The Town of Prosperity rolled back millage by 3.4 mills for a total of 37.6 mills. The Town of Whitmire rolled back millage by 12.8 mills for a total of 99.2 mills. Reassessment makes this a unique year with calculating taxes. Per the state law that was implemented since the last reassessment property can only increase by 15% no matter the actual market value of the property. An owner occupied $100,000 home that stayed at $100,000 with reassessment would see a $27.20 decrease in taxes this year.  Owner occupied $100,000 home that increased the full 15% during reassessment would see a 11.25% increase in cost or $94.12. 6% assessed property also has to pay school operational taxes. For example, a second home or rental property assessed at $100,000 that stayed at $100,000 during reassessment would see a $96 decrease this year. A $100,000 home assessed at 6% that increased the full 15% during reassessment would see a 10.4% increase or $252.30. Individual tax bills should be accessible via the internet by next Wednesday or Thursday. Tax bills should arrive shortly there after. Auditor Lominack encouraged people to call her office with questions. Councilman Edgar Baker reminded those attending that the school taxes are almost 100 mills more than county taxes. 62 cents of every dollar in taxes is for school board approved millage.

County Council Zoning/Roads
Third reading on the rezoning of property on Jollystreet Rd near I-26 for a home and commercial business was postponed until the second meeting in January. Second reading passed to approved zoning change on CR Koon Hwy across from Colony Church Rd. The ordinance would change the zoning on two parcels, which were once home to businesses including a chiropractor, from Single Family Residential to General Commercial.

Recreation Department agreements with the YMCA and the Town of Prosperity were renewed without change. It has been in place since August 2006.

Cannon Construction won the low bid on the renovations to the Silverstreet Fire Station to accommodate 24-hour EMS. The bid was just over $47,000. The scope of work includes a basic office, day room, bunk beds, and an isolated ambulance bay but does not include generator work. Engineers are still determining if it is more cost effective to tie into the Fire Departments generator or add a new generator for the addition. Stationing Medic 2 at this location has been determined to increase the response time in Silverstreet and Chappells without significantly decreasing response time in the City since the unit roams out to the Bush River Industrial Park if Medic 1 is out of the City. County Council approved the inclusion of Beisel Rd into the county road system. Despite not being a paved road, the road does fall under the road ordinance’s provision of being maintained by a governmental agency. The road has gone through the petition process and has 100% of the residence signed off on the right-a-way easement. Some county maintenance has been done on the road over the years in collaboration with the Forestry Service since the property is nestled within Sumter National Forrest. After much discussion, Council voted to leave the speed limit on Felker-Setzler Rd at 20 mph. The road leads to one residence and one commercial turkey farm.  The county ordinance does allow for 30 mph on triple treat roads. However, today the road would not meet specs since it is only around 11.5 ft wide. The commercial farmer requested that the speed limit be raised since it is now a triple treat road. Concerns about meeting 18 wheelers on this narrow road with limited sight sections have caused the residence to request the speed limit stay the same. Consensus was that so much time had been taken with setting the speed limit originally and it should stay the same. Council agreed to follow the State’s lead when it comes to Christmas holidays for employees. Employees will receive Friday Christmas Eve plus Monday and Tuesday following Christmas.

Final Vote on Springfield Place Sale Postponed until Nov. 3
Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, County Administration had announced that final reading of an ordinance to sell JF Hawkins/Springfield Place was to be postponed until Nov. 3. County Administrator Wayne Adams stated that the contract was complete, but council wanted a little more time to read over it.  Adams stated that the final changes to the contract dealt with capping of increases within the first few years, deciding who paid for earned leave, putting in writing that all employees would be offered a job with the company, code compliance guarantee, etc. The final contract also addresses all contracts with other companies that Springfield has signed and equipment lists. The contract payment will hold back $500,000 in payment in case of liability issues such as Medicaid audit that is pending. The audit’s first report stated that the nursing home had been overpaid by $200,000. County Administrator Adams also stated that “profit” after bonds are paid off sale should run between $600,000-$800,000.

Sue Summer spoke during public comments stating that the buyers’ lack of courtesy to Mrs. Melvina Busby in not offering to leave when she requested to talk to council without them in the room was all that we needed to know about their character. She reiterated that “we want to care for our own.” She also asked that a clause be added to the contract giving the county first right of refusal (sale cost plus $1) if the company ever decides to sell in the future.

Below are tax levy documents that were presented at Wednesday night's meeting. Click on individual graphics to see larger versions.

 

Delay in Final Reading on Sale of JF Hawkins/
Springfield
Posted: October 19, 2010 8:18 AM

Click HERE for the release from County Administrator Wayne Adams on the delay in the third and final reading on the sale of JF Hawkins/ Springfield. (PDF format)

 

The Insiders To Speak in Newberry on October 28
Posted: October 21, 2010 10:01 AM

Juvenile offenders from the Department of Juvenile Justice will provide basic and personal facts when they speak to an audience of youth and parents at the City of Newberry Safety Center courtroom, Nance Street. The program is scheduled for Thursday, October 28, 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
          
THE INSIDERS is a community service-crime prevention project sponsored by the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice, Community in Schools. THE INSIDERS is a group of teens from DJJ, Columbia. They will provide simple advice and food for thought, remembering the choices that cost them their freedom and landed them behind chain-link fences topped with razor wire.
          
Department of Juvenile Justice is “home” to about 1,000 young inmates from the state, ages 12 to 17. Its facilities are no longer called “reform schools” or “home for troubled boys”, but prisons. Daily life involves a loss of privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of choice, and in most cases, loss of contact with most friends and family members.
           
Communities in Schools Inc, (CIS) is the largest stay-in school network in America that targets at-risk youth, offering an alternate approach to education. The Communities in Schools at the Department of Juvenile Justice serves as a national model in a juvenile correctional facility, being the first of its kind in the nation.
           
Andy Broughton, who guides THE INSIDERS program, states that DJJ has six teens that travel around the state delivering personal lessons. All INSIDERS are required to maintain absolutely spotless records from day to day in order to keep their membership on THE INSIDERS team.
           
Each speaking engagement follows a format of general overview of Department of Juvenile Justice Cities in Schools. THE INSIDERS follow with personal testimonials. The program will be concluded with questions and answers from the audience. A single session is generally one hour.
           
MADD Newberry County, along with city and county law enforcement departments sponsor THE INSIDER program for youth education. City Police Officer Sergeant Kevin Goodman is official host, the Reverend Eddie Bledsoe, invocation, and Andy Broughton, guest speaker.


SC Arts Commission Awards Grant to Opera House
Posted: October 20, 2010 7:10 AM

The Newberry Opera House was awarded a $20,314 operating support grant for fiscal year 2011 by the S.C. Arts Commission.

“This funding from the S.C. Arts Commission gives our operating budget significant help and we are very grateful” commented Dr. James Wiseman, chairman of the board of the Newberry Opera House. He continues “The Opera House will match these funds with well over one million dollars – and the economic impact of these funds are major to the life of Newberry.”

City Council Report
Posted: October 20, 2010 7:08 AM

Second reading of ordinance to set tax levy for 2010-11 passes
In June, City Council adopted a General Fund Budget featuring a revenue-neutral property tax, but without an established millage rate. With the reassessment process complete, Council voted to adopt a rate based on the state-established formula for calculating rollback or post-reassessment millage. This process allowed the 2010-11 fiscal year budget to be balanced without a tax increase.

Council approved the second reading of an ordinance that sets the millage for the 2010-11 fiscal year at 83.9 mills. The projected post-reassessment property tax revenue of $2,021,119 is $4,881 short of the $2.026 million budgeted in June. The City Staff prepared a General Fund budget in May that allowed a balance of $4,423 for justifiable use.

Council approves second reading for annexation request for lot on Wilson Road
The Newberry City Council accepted an annexation request to annex the remaining portion of Tax Map #342-2-5-12. A 1.25 acre lot located at 1410 Wilson Road, the vacant space is adjacent to what was Jeffrey Dean Chrysler-Dodge and across the road from Morris Furniture.

Ward Braswell has received plans for the construction of a 4,000 square foot Doctor’s Care on the lot. In addition to traditional operating hours, Doctor’s Care will offer family care, urgent care and pediatric care during evenings and on the weekends. Indications are that the building will be expandable with an additional 1,700 square feet possible in the near future.

Second reading of procurement ordinance passes
Council adopted an ordinance implementing sections 2-34 and 2-35 of the City Code. Section 2-34 establishes the procedure for handling bidder protests. Under this proposal, an aggrieved bidder would have 10 days following the date of award to protest the decision. Section 2-35 makes explicit the city’s commitment to provide minorities and women equal opportunity to participate in contracting and procurement activities of the City. Section 2-35 also prohibits discrimination against any person or business on the basis of race, age, gender, handicap, etc. and to conduct contracting and procurement activities in a manner that prevents discrimination.

 

School Board Report
Posted: October 19, 2010 7:59 AM

Background Checks Now Officially Required Not Just for Teachers and Administrators But Also School Volunteers and Fieldtrip Chaperones
Newberry County School Board met last night (October 18) and approved second and final reading on policy revisions dealing with new state mandates requiring background checks for new hires and new volunteers.

According to the district, administration has been requiring both SLED background checks and National Sex Offenders Registry checks on all employees and volunteers/chaperones prior to the implementation of the law, but these updated policies specify the implementation of background checks and who pays for the checks.

Changes to the policies also codifies the policy allowing for actual contracts to be signed just until the end of a TERI agreement with a letter of agreement signed to finish out the school year.
The policy changes also put in writing the policy of utilizing
E-Verify for hiring, which is required for all public employers.

Second reading also passed to make officially changes to the testing policy. The state readiness test requirement was removed. The district hadn’t used it for several years. The policy changes added the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) standardized test. The NAEP test is administered nationwide at random and is currently considered the most accurate mode of comparison for students at a national level. This year Pomaria Garmany and Newberry Elementary School 4th graders will take the paper and pencil version of the test.

Susan Dowd, District CFO, reported millage estimates from the County Auditor. School general operating millage, which applies to 6% assessed residents and businesses, will rollback to 184.8 mills from 194 mills. Millage rollback is required during a reassessment year so that the governmental agency does not in principal bring in more money than before reassessment. School debt service will remain at 53 mills. The value of a school district mill has been estimated at $115, 789 mills.

The School Board also presented awards to the students who placed in the Newberry County Ag Expo Art exhibit. Awards were based on work from last year’s classes: Jack Lawrence (2nd place for kindergarten); Kimiya Byrd (1st place for 1st grade); Kamari Gray (1st place for 2nd grade); Enrique Vasquez (3rd place for 2nd grade); Isabella Wilson (1st place for 3rd grade).
Newberry County School Board next regular meeting is scheduled for November 22 at 7pm in the Learning Center.


City Council Report
Posted: October 12, 2010 9:31 PM

Mayor-elect Foster Senn sworn in, Kyzer honored
Mayor-elect Foster Senn was formally sworn into office at the Newberry City Council meeting on Tuesday night. Judge Partridge was present and administered the Oaths of Office after a short speech from Mayor Kyzer. Partridge first swore in Councilmen Glasgow, Goudelock, and Boyd before reciting the oath with Mayor Senn. In honor of Mayor Kyzer’s tenure with the City, Council passed a resolution recognizing the former Mayor’s twenty years of service.

First reading of ordinance to set tax levy for 2010-11 passes
In June, City Council adopted a General Fund Budget featuring a revenue-neutral property tax, but without an established millage rate. With the reassessment process complete, Council voted to adopt a rate based on the state-established formula for calculating rollback or post-reassessment millage. This process allowed the 2010-11 fiscal year budget to be balanced without a tax increase. The property tax rate will need to be established by Wednesday, October 20 and Council has scheduled a special meeting on October 19. Council approved the first reading of an ordinance that sets the millage for the 2010-11 fiscal year at 83.9 mills. The projected post-reassessment property tax revenue of $2,021,119 is $4,881 short of the $2.026 million budgeted in June. The City Staff prepared a General Fund budget in May that allowed a balance of $4,423 for justifiable use.

Council agrees to resolution designating October as Community Planning Month
City Council adopted a resolution to designate the month of October as Community Planning Month in the City of Newberry. The American Planning Association has established October as National Community Planning Month in an effort to promote the positive contributions that professional planning makes to the quality of life in communities across the United States. The designation in Newberry gives the City an opportunity to publicly recognize the dedication and hard work of the volunteers who serve on the City’s planning boards.

Council approves annexation request for lot on Wilson Road
The Newberry City Council accepted an annexation request to annex the remaining portion of Tax Map #342-2-5-12. A 1.25 acre lot located at 1410 Wilson Road, the vacant space is adjacent to what was Jeffrey Dean Chrysler-Dodge and across the road from Morris Furniture. Ward Braswell has received plans for the construction of a 4,000 square foot Doctor’s Care on the lot. In addition to traditional operating hours, Doctor’s Care will offer family care, urgent care and pediatric care during evenings and on the weekends. Indications are that the building will be expandable with an additional 1,700 square feet possible in the near future. This ordinance will require two readings and the second will take place during the October 19 meeting.

More news from City Council
Council approved request from Ms. Mildred W. Boozer of Silverstreet to receive out-of-city water service. Pursuant to City policy, Ms. Boozer has agreed to execute an annexation covenant indicating a willingness to annex her property if it becomes contiguous to City limits. Council adopted an ordinance implementing sections 2-34 and 2-35 of the City Code. Section 2-34 establishes the procedure for handling bidder protests. Under this proposal, an aggrieved bidder would have 10 days following the date of award to protest the decision. Section 2-35 makes explicit the city’s commitment to provide minorities and women equal opportunity to participate in contracting and procurement activities of the City. Section 2-35 also prohibits discrimination against any person or business on the basis of race, age, gender, handicap, etc. and to conduct contracting and procurement activities in a manner that prevents discrimination. Mayor Kyzer and City Manager Jeff Shacker recognized James Long for his ten years of service with the Utility Department and also his retirement on October 18. Long began his employment on September 18, 2000 and holds the position of Electric Lineman A. Council approved there- appointments of Mr. Tommy Bowers and Ms. Robin Newton to the Newberry Housing Authority Board of Directors. The new five year terms would begin in November and December of 2010, respectively.

Schools Selected as Literacy Pilot Sites
Posted: October 11, 2010 8:50 PM

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex today named 10 elementary schools to a pilot project aimed at using student performance data more effectively in helping younger children who are struggling with reading. Rex said state-funded reading specialists will work with the 10 “Literacy Academy” pilot sites to employ more effective ways of identifying struggling readers, intervening more quickly to provide targeted instruction, and more closely monitoring student progress to determine how well interventions are working. “This is basically about developing a tighter focus, a quicker response and better follow-through,” Rex said.  “We want to identify struggling readers earlier, provide the additional resources and time needed to address their needs, and then accelerate their learning.” The schools are McLees Elementary, Nevitt Forest Community School of Innovation and Varennes Academy of Communication and Technology (Anderson 5); Gallman Elementary, Pomaria Elementary and Prosperity-Rikard Elementary (Newberry); Blue Ridge Elementary (Oconee); Greeleyville Elementary, Hemingway Elementary and St. Mark Elementary (Williamsburg). The 10 elementary schools were selected based on applications they submitted to the South Carolina Department of Education. Once struggling readers are identified by analyzing test scores and classroom teacher observations, extra help could be provided before school, during school or after school.  Each school’s financial and staff resources will be evaluated, as will each school’s current strategies for intervention, instruction and follow-through monitoring. The Literacy Academy project is one of several pilots which began this year, designed as part of a comprehensive plan for improving student achievement in South Carolina.


Deputy Loses Control of Vehicle Trying to Catch Motorist
Posted: October 8, 2010 9:57 AM

A Newberry County Deputy is recovering at home this morning after an attempt to catch a high-speed motorist that caused the deputy to lose control of his patrol vehicle.

At around 3:30 this morning, a Newberry County Deputy was completing a report in his vehicle on S.C. Highway 121 near U.S. Highway 176, when a vehicle passed him at an extremely high rate of speed.  The deputy attempted to catch the vehicle but could not, so he radioed ahead that he had just seen the brake lights of the car applied near the intersection of S.C Highway 121 and Old Whitmire Highway.  Because of the distance, the deputy was not sure if the vehicle turned.

Another deputy near Highway 76 and Old Newberry Highway turned onto Old Whitmire Highway to look for the vehicle.  Near the intersection of Old Whitmire Highway and Folk Road, the deputy met the vehicle traveling 104 miles per hour (Old Whitmire Highway is a 50 mile per hour zone).

The deputy turned around in an attempt to catch up to the vehicle; however, during his acceleration, the back tire of the car caught a freshly-repaired pot hole, and the loose gravel caused the deputy to lose control of the police vehicle and wreck.

The deputy was shaken up by the incident, but was not injured. 

Neither officer was ever in a “chase” with the suspect vehicle; however, both were making a bone fide effort to catch the vehicle and take such a reckless and dangerous driver from the roads.

No vehicle description is available for the suspect vehicle at this time.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

County Council Meeting/Potential Sale of JF Hawkins/Springfield Discussed
Posted: October 7, 2010 4:03 PM

Newberry County Council met last night (Oct 6) and heard public comment regarding the potential sale of JF Hawkins/Springfield Place. WKDK will continue to air comments from the meeting at various times. The proposed sale is for $11.3 million and also includes tax incentives for the buyer Madison Healthcare Management, who management arm is called Prestige. The first three years the company would not pay property taxes. During year four through ten, the company would pay no more than $157,000. For a total of $1.1 million in taxes the first ten years. After the tenth year, the company would go on a regular tax schedule at around $314,000 a year. Saving the company over $2 million in taxes. Currently, the facility does not pay property taxes since it is a county facility. These tax incentives are allowed under the state rules applied to multi-county parks. Since the property is within the City limits and the City will be affected any tax agreement, Newberry City Council approved a resolution agreeing to this multi-county park on September 14 at their regular meeting. Final reading regarding the sale of JF Hawkins and Springfield Place will be held on October 20 during the 7pm Council meeting in the Courthouse Annex.

More from County Council’s Oct 6 meeting Final reading passed on two rezoning ordinances. The first ordinance deals with the rezoning of the north-western side of Dennis Dairy road at the intersection of Quaker Rd. The change from R-2 Rural to Limited Commercial would allow for the expansion of the lawn mower repair business that is currently located on the property and for a home to be put on the property. Final reading also passed to rezone another non-conforming use where a hair salon business would like to expand at 13269 CR Koon Highway. The zoning change would take RS-1 Single Family Residential to General Commercial. First reading passed to approved zoning change on CR Koon Hwy across from Colony Church Rd. The ordinance would change the zoning on two parcels, which were once home to businesses including a chiropractor, from Single Family Residential to General Commercial. County Council also approved the recommendations presented by the Accommodations Tax Committee. Just under $39,000 in tourism related funds from FY 2009 were disbursed to local entities such as Newberry Opera House, Newberry Visitors Center, and Little Mountain Reunion. Promotional Related funds that are collected this year will be disbursed 61% to the Newberry County Chamber, 15% to Prosperity Business Association, and 24% to Capital City Lake Murray.

Meth Lab Discovered in Kinards; Three Arrested
Posted: October 6, 2010 3:44 PM

Three people have been arrested after deputies discovered a Meth lab in the Kinards section of Newberry County.

Investigators from the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the residence located at 557 Smith Family Road yesterday afternoon just after 3:00PM.

Sheriff Lee Foster says that the officers found a meth lab, meth, various paraphernalia used in making and using meth and more than a $1000.00 in cash located in the residence and in a storage shed located just behind the residence.

Three people were taken into custody at the residence. Law enforcement identified those people as:

John William Dobbins, 50, of 557 Smith Family Road, Kinards Timothy Lee Walsh, 52, of 556 Smith Family Road, Kinards Sandi Ann Wyatt, 26, of 342 Milam Road, Clinton All three have been charged with Manufacturing Methamphetamine. This charge is Dobbins third offense and a first offense for Walsh and Wyatt. No bond hearing has been held at this time.

A clean-up crew contracted with the Drug Enforcement Agency responded to the scene and handled the clean up. There was no danger to other citizens in the area as the home is remote in its location.

Investigators say that they also found a four wheeler that had been stolen from Laurens County. Investigators from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence, recovered the four wheeler and assisted with the on scene investigation. The subjects may face additional charges related to the stolen four wheeler.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC,
www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

Third Burglary Suspect Arrested
Posted: October 6, 2010 3:47 PM

The third suspect in the burglary that occurred Monday afternoon on Fish Pond Road was taken into custody this afternoon when he surrendered himself to law enforcement.

Deputies announced on Tuesday that they were searching for still searching for as Sammy Junior Tribble III, 25, of 144 Dover Lane, Newberry, SC. Tribble turned himself in at the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office just after noon today. Sheriff Lee Foster said that Tribble’s surrender was based in large part on the support of the media and the public making it difficult for Tribble to find somewhere to hide from law enforcement.

Sheriff Foster also said that investigators are convinced that Tribble and the other suspects (arrested earlier in the week) are responsible for a string of burglaries on and around the Highway 34 area.

Additional charges are anticipated against all of the suspects.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC,
www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

Dufford Center for Cultural Diversity at Opera House
Posted: October 4, 2010 5:04 PM

James E. Wiseman Jr. DMD, chairman of the Board of the Newberry Opera House and Dr. William E. Dufford, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Dufford Cultural Diversity Center announced today the gift of $500,000 to the Newberry Opera House for the establishment of the Dufford Center for Cultural Diversity at the Newberry Opera House.  These funds will underwrite the Dufford Cultural Diversity Series. In partnership with the Dufford Center for Cultural Diversity, The Newberry Opera House will work through artistic programming,  to further mutual goals:To become aware, in a positive manner, of the diversity among us.

To acquire a positive understanding of culture, ethnicity and/or social status different from our own To develop attitudes of appreciation for those of different origins and backgrounds. In light of our school, community and national unequivocal move toward a more diverse population, refine and embrace a system of value which will influence the standards of society to honor diversity.The Newberry Opera House through interaction with the schools, and the creation of the Dufford Cultural Series and the Dufford Lecture Series will work toward realization of these goals and help bring the children of Newberry County into the forefront of those who recognize that peace, understanding, appreciation, and acceptance are the way to a successful life.To further this work the Newberry Opera House will present:Three Dufford Lectures and four main stage events (these numbers may vary slightly year to year) and work in partnership with the School District and specifically with the downtown elementary schools. To underwrite this work, the Dufford family will establish a separate $500,000 fund in an Opera House account for this purpose.Dr. Dufford and the Advisory Board of the Dufford Cultural Diversity Center have guided the direction of the concept of the Cultural Diversity Center since 1998.The Newberry Opera House Board of Directors hopes and plans to continue this relationship seeking their input and guidance as the Dufford Cultural Diversity Center develops and grows.

 

UPDATE: Two PC Students Killed in Wreck
Posted: October 4, 2010 1:55 PM

Two Presbyterian College students from Germany were killed in a wreck with Newberry County EMS on Friday night. The two students have now been identified as Lea Kraemer (22)

and Sarah Doelker (23). Gray Funeral Home is assisting with the transport back to Germany for funeral arrangements.

 

SC Highway Patrol reports that EMS was running Code 3 with red lights around 7 1/2 miles west of Newberry on Hwy 76 Friday, October 1 around 9:20pm. Five students were returning to PC also traveling west along highway 76 in a 2008 Volkswagon Jetta. The Highway Patrol reports that the driver of the car pulled to the right but decided to turn left onto another road just as the ambulance went to go around the vehicle. One student was declared dead at the scene. The other student was in transit to Palmetto Richland when she was diverted to the NCMH ER when she went into cardiac arrest and eventually declared dead. The other three passengers of the car were transported to Palmetto Richland. Both EMS workers worked the scene before being treated for injures - one at Newberry the other at Palmetto Richland.

 

Ron Vigus, NCMH CEO, released this statement, "This is indeed a tragic event. The hospital extends its sympathy and prayers to both the Presbyterian College family and the families of the two young women."

 

The driver of the Jetta has been identified as PC student Caroline Smith of Pawleys Island. Christopher Leagan of Prosperity has been identified as the driver of the ambulance. SC Highway Patrol investigation continues.

 

Those wishing to express condolences can do so through the PC Office of International Programs:

Mailing Address:

Presbyterian College

Office of International Programs

503 South Broad St.

Clinton, SC 29325

 

E-mail: oip@presby.edu

 

School Board Report
Posted: September 27, 2010 10:06 PM

First reading of School Board policy revisions passes
The Newberry County School Board met on Monday night passing the first reading of five policy revisions. The General Assembly passed a new law regarding the requirements of criminal background checks and requires all school districts to perform SLED criminal checks for all new employees. The new law also requires school districts to perform a National Sex Offenders Registry check on all imployees hired to serve in any capacity and all volunteers and chaperones.

New policy GBEBDA establishes the structure for conducting criminal record checks on individuals hired by or volunteering for the district. Policy GCF added the new requirement to use E-verify which is required for all public employers. Policy GCG refers to part-time and substitute professional staff employment and includes a reference to the policy for criminal record checks and participation in the required Annual Substitute In-Service.

Policy GDF added the new requirement to use E-verify for support staff hiring. Policy GCB added verbiage on the issuance of contracts to employees whose TERI agreements expire during the contract year. The new policy will allow the district to issue contracts for the number of days from the beginning of the year until the end of TERI and also gives the Superintendent the authority to continue employment for the remainder of the year under a letter of agreement. This has been a past practice, but hasn’t been placed into policy until now.

School Board hears first reading of Policy Reivisions and Administrative Rule Changes
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Cynthia Downs updated the School Board on necessitated revisions and updates of several Board of Trustees’ policies and administrative rules. Code IJOA and IJOA-R required added language regarding the need for criminal record checks for chaperones and revised statutory references in alignment with policy GBEBDA.

Code IJOB was removed as a separate policy regarding community resourse persons and speakers code due to the embedding into IJOC which also is in alignment with GBEBDA.

Code ILBB and ILB-R delt with test and assessment administration. Code ILBB removed the state readiness test and added the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) standardized test. The NAEP test is administered nationwide at random and is currently considered the most accurate mode of comparison for students at a national level.

15-day Enrollment Numbers
Superintendent Bennie Bennett spoke on the topic of 15-day enrollment on Monday focusing on the elementary level. The elementary teacher to student ratio was 21:1. Bennett stated that overall enrollment was slightly down from a year ago and the total number of students in Newberry county after 15 days was 5,851.

Bennett also gave high school and middle school enrollment for the schools in Newberry County. Newberry High School has 731 students, Mid-Carolina has 730 students, and Whitmire High School and Middle School combined have 264 students.

Newberry Middles School has 672 students and Mid-Carolina Middle School has 593 students.

Newberry County School Board hires two
Approving two new additions, the Newberry County School Board approved the hiring Kayla Cromer and Christy Lantz on Monday night. Cromer, a graduate of Newberry College, will teach fourth grade at Boundary Street Elementary. Lantz, a graduate of Marist College, will serve as a school psychologist for the District Office.

The School Board also provided information on county-wide faculty transactions. Newberry County schools hired 23 new teachers, one ROTC instructor, 17 teachers transferred, and four administrative hires. 45 teachers were lost with five retiring, 10 leaving the profession, seven moving, eight leaving for another district, three not being retained, nine active retirees and the reduction of two others. Overall, the faculty transactions represented a 10 percent turnover.

Other notes from the September 27 meeting
Dr. Buford, a veterinarian, presented a check of over $300 to the local FFA chapter to support the agricultural program of Newberry County Schools. Board member Jody Hamm accepted the check.

The School Board agreed to move October’s scheduled meeting from Monday, October 25 to Monday, October 18.

The School Board agreed on voting delegates for the 2010 Delegate Assembly with Lucy Anne Meetze and Jody Hamm remaining the voting representatives. Ike Bledsoe, Jr. and Lee Attaway will serve as alternates.

 

UPDATE: One Shooting Suspect Surrenders;
Authorities Still Searching for Bryant Sims
Posted: September 28, 2010 11:18 AM

One of the two men sought for shooting incident in Newberry County has surrendered to law enforcement.

Kalvin Earl Simsa, 27, of 532 Beisel Road, Newberry, SC surrendered himself to law enforcement Monday afternoon at the Newberry County Detention Center.

Sims is one of two men being sought for a shooting incident that occurred on Hendrix Road on September 17th.  Investigators say that Kalvin Sims and his brother Bryant Sims worked together to shoot the victim in the case after an argument over a girl.  The men then fled the scene.

Investigators say that they are still searching for Bryant Markevius Sims (left), 23, of 532 Beisel Road, Newberry, SC.  He is described as a black male, 5’8” tall, and 135 pounds.

A Newberry County Magistrate set bond at $75,000.00 surety on Kalvin Sims on the Attempted Murder charge.
If you have any information about this case or the whereabouts of Bryant Markevius Sims, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com. You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

 

Search for Burglary Suspect Continues
Posted: September 24, 2010 8:18 AM

Authorities in Newberry County are still searching for a man they say broke into a local business and has even stolen items from a former relative.

Charles Joseph Williams (right), 38, of 936 Old Jolly Street Road, Prosperity, SC is being sought for Burglary 2nd Degree and 2 counts of Larceny.

Investigators allege that on August 30, Williams broke into Hawg Heaven located in Prosperity and took some change left in donations jar. They also say that in a separate incident, Williams stole a weed eater from his former father in law.

Williams has had ongoing involvement in criminal activity including four prior Burglary convictions.

Williams is listed as a wanted person nationwide.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

 

Shooting Suspects Still At Large
Posted: September 24, 2010 7:12 AM

Authorities are still looking for Bryant Markevius Sims (left) and Kalvin Earl Sims (right).

Investigators are still searching for the men they shot a Newberry County man last Friday morning during an argument over a girl.

On September 17, 2010 at just after 2:30am, deputies were called to Hendrix Road in Newberry County for a shooting incident.  The subsequent investigation showed that the there were several subjects in the roadway arguing allegedly about a girl. During the argument one of the suspects pulled out a pistol and shot the victim in the chest.

Investigators announced later that morning that they were search for two suspects all sought for Attempted Murder in connection with this investigation. They identified those suspects as:

Bryant Markevius Sims, 23, of 532 Beisel Road, Newberry, SC. He is described as a black male, 5’8” tall, and 135 pounds. Kalvin Earl Sims, 27, of 532 Beisel Road, Newberry, SC.  He is described as a black male, 5’8”, and 160 pounds.

The men fled the scene in a burgundy or sandy brown Nissan Altima. No tag number is available for the vehicle at this time nor is there a clear direction of travel.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

 

Winners Announced for Chamber Golf Tourney
Posted: September 22, 2010 5:12 PM

Gerald Meetze accepts the prize for his Capital Kitchen & Bath team’s first place finish in the 18th Annual Newberry County Chamber of Commerce’s Golf Tournament on Friday at the Country Club of Newberry.

The Newberry County Chamber of Commerce hosted the 18th Annual Newberry County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, presented by Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority, on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010 at the Country Club of Newberry.

Players enjoyed lunch sponsored by Sonic Drive In and a delicious BBQ dinner sponsored by Southeastern Insurance Consultants, LLC following the Captain’s Choice tournament.

The first place winner was the Capital Kitchen & Bath team, which included Gerald Meetze, Kelly Berry, Brian Elmer, and Dusty Greer. The second place winner was the Newberry Athletic Club team, which included Mike Hold, Jason Valek, Matt Finley, and Jeremiah Jones. The third place winners for the tournament were Tommy Suber, Mac Bell, Howard Kirkgard, and Buddy Threatt.

Players also received prizes for Longest Drive, Closest to the Pins, and Closest to the Line.

 

Sheriff's Office Donates Car to School District
Posted: September 21, 2010 11:23 AM

If you ask Sheriff Lee Foster or Superintendent Bennie Bennett about the relationship between the two agencies, they will quickly tell you that it is one based upon mutual trust and partnership.  The working relationship has earned both agencies national recognition for many of their programs
particularly in school safety preparedness.  Their newest partnership leads directly into school safety not only for today but for tomorrow.

As part of the curriculum at the Newberry County Career Center, the School District of Newberry County offers a course in Public Safety.  During the course, students are taught a variety of disciplines across the public safety spectrum including law enforcement.  Training in this segment includes basic law enforcement techniques including many patrol vehicle uses
such as using the radio, conducting traffic stops, securing prisoners during transport and other such critical functions of law enforcement.

Herein was the problem, it is extremely difficult to practice vehicle techniques without a vehicle.  They had an old fire truck donated for that portion of the class, but did not have a police vehicle.  Sheriff Foster and his staff have now solved that problem.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office was able to donate a patrol vehicle that was at the end of its lifespan, but would be a practical, hands-on training tool for the students at the career center.

The vehicle, which has in excess of 185,000, was mechanically unable to continue to perform the rigors of patrol operations; however, the students, who would never leave the school lot in the car, could receive invaluable amounts of training from the car.

“This is a wonderful way that we can get the absolute most use of the taxpayer dollar, while educating our children and preparing today’s students to be tomorrow’s law enforcement officers,” said Foster.  “Law enforcement is a wonderful and necessary career and our entire county benefits when
these young men and women are willing to give of themselves and their service back to our county.  I sincerely hope that this will encourage them to pursue their career goals, and remind that you can have a successful career in public safety right here in Newberry County.”

“This is another example of the excellent relationship we have with the local law enforcement agency,” said Bennett.  “I would like to thank Sheriff Foster and the entire sheriff’s department for their donation.  I'm sure that the students and staff at the Career Center will benefit greatly from this very thoughtful gesture.”

The class is taught by Gary McGlohorn, who left the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office where he served as a School Resource Officer, to take the position as an instructor.

 

Friday Morning Shooting;
Authorities Search for Three Suspects
Posted: September 17, 2010 8:55 AM

Bryant Markevius Sims (right) is one of the shooting suspects.

An early morning argument has left one man shot and deputies searching for three suspects.

Just after 2:30am this morning, deputies were called to Hendrix Road in Newberry County for a shooting incident. 

The subsequent investigation has shown that the there were several subjects in the roadway arguing allegedly about a girl.  During the argument one of the suspects pulled out a pistol and shot the victim in the chest.

The victim was transported by personal vehicle to Newberry Hospital and then air lifted to Richland Memorial Hospital for a gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigators identified the victim as Ernest Leon Goree, 27, of 91 Odell Road, Newberry, SC.  He is still undergoing treatment at this time.  The extent of the injuries is not clear at this point.

Investigators quickly pieced together the events that led up to the shooting and are now looking for three suspects.  They have identified those suspects as:

Bryant Markevius Sims, 23, of 532 Beisel Road, Newberry, SC.  He is described as a black male, 5’8” tall, and 135 pounds.

Kalvin Earl Sims (right), 27, of 532 Beisel Road, Newberry, SC.  He is described as a black male, 5’8” tall and 160 pounds.

Antwan Markell Sims (no photo available), 21, of Clinton Meadow Drive Apartment 7F, Clinton, SC.  He is described as a black male, 6’1”, and 145 pounds.

While it appears at this time that Bryant Sims was the person who fired the shot that struck Goree, all three men will be charged with Attempted Murder and all three have been entered as wanted persons nationwide.  There is no indication that the other two suspects had guns at this time.  The three suspects are brothers.

A vehicle parked in the area was also shot during the incident.  Investigators say the suspect shot at least twice during the incident and then shot again as they fled the scene.

The men fled the scene in a burgundy or sandy brown Nissan Altima.  No tag number is available for the vehicle at this time nor is there a clear direction of travel.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com or text your tip to "TIPSC plus your message" to CRIMES (274637).

 

Lt. Governor Debate at Opera House on October 5
Posted: September 17, 2010 9:19 AM

The SC Council on Aging, SC Area on Aging, the SC League of Women Voters, and AARP South Carolina announce a debate between our two candidates for Lt. Governor:

ASHLEY COOPER (Democrat) and KEN ARD (Republican)  at the Newberry Opera House on Tuesday, October 5, 6:00 p.m.

All citizens who are interested in issues involving seniors are encouraged to attend.

County / City Council Report
Posted: September 17, 2010 5:01 PM

Newberry County Council met September 15 and approved second reading to the ordinances pertaining to the potential sale of Springfield and JF Hawkins Nursing Home. Only Councilman Les Hipp voted in opposition saying that he was not decided "against" the sale altogether, but that he would only support it if legal language was included in the contract protecting the current residents.

Council approved three ordinances pertaining to Springfield/JF Hawkins. One ordinance deals with the proposed sale for $11.3 million to Madison Healthcare whose management partner is called Prestige. Another ordinance puts the property in a multi-county business park. And, a third ordinance authorizes a special source revenue credit agreement so that the property can receive tax credits.

If approved, the first three years the company would not pay property taxes. During year four through ten, the company would pay no more than $157,000. For a total of $1.1 million in taxes the first ten years. After the tenth year, the company would go on a regular tax schedule at around $314,000 a year. Currently, the facility does not pay property taxes since it is a county facility.

Since the property is within the City limits and the City will be affected any tax agreement, Newberry City Council approved a resolution agreeing to this multi-county park this past Tuesday night (September 14) at their regular meeting. The vote was 6 to 0 with one abstention by Mayor Kyzer who a few years ago worked for Springfield Place.

The official public hearing regarding the sale will be held on October 6 during the 7pm Council meeting in the Courthouse Annex.

More from County Council’s Sept. 15 meeting

Newberry County Council met on Wednesday (Sept. 15) and approved final reading on an ordinance to provide for the sale of general obligation bonds not to exceed $550,000. These bonds will make two years payments on $770,000 in lease/purchase agreements for emergency vehicles: one fire truck, one van ambulance, two medium duty rescue vehicles, and a pick up truck.

Second readings passed on two rezoning ordinances. The first ordinance deals with the rezoning of the north-western side of Dennis Dairy road at the intersection of Quaker Rd. The change from R-2 Rural to Limited Commercial would allow for the expansion of the lawn mower repair business that is currently located on the property and for a home to be put on the property.

Second reading also passed to rezone another non-conforming use where a hair salon business would like to expand at 13269 CR Koon Highway. The zoning change would take RS-1 Single Family Residential to General Commercial.

Newberry County Council will hold their next regular meeting including public hearing on the sale of Springfield/JF Hawkins on October 6 at 7pm in the Courthouse Annex.

Municipal Election is Certified Without Trip to Poll          

At Tuesday night’s meeting  (September 14) Newberry City Council officially certified the municipal election results. Since there was only one candidate for mayor and no challenge to the incumbent council members, the city was not required to open the polls on Tuesday. Foster Senn will be sworn in as the new mayor of Newberry during the October 12th meeting. Incumbents Lemont Glascow in Council District 1, Zebbie Goudelock in District 3 and Thomas Louis Boyd in District 5 will also be sworn in for another term. A special election to fill Senn's District 2 seat will be held in January.

 

Gasthaus zur Elli One of Best in Nation!
Posted: September 9, 2010 9:41 AM

Gasthaus zur Elli, a German restaurant in Prosperity, has made #3 German restaurant in the Nation and #1 in South Carolina!

The contest was conducted by GermanDeli.com (Inga Boyer, President) out of Texas. "In 1999 I opened Kaffee Haus Steiner Coffee Shop, (and) in 2001 my dear mother died and I named it Gasthaus zur Elli. That was my mother's name, (and) her dream was to open a restaurant in Germany, the War time Children, her dream was gone... I Hildtrud (Wendy) fulfilled her dream," said Hildtrud Steiner of Gasthaus zur Elli.

The award will be given by Mrs. Inga Boyer to Gasthaus zur Elli on Friday, September 10, at 6:00PM.


Deputies Search for Burglary Suspect
Posted: September 8, 2010 12:43 PM

Authorities in Newberry County are searching for a man they say broke into business and has even stolen items from a former relative.

Charles Joseph Williams (right), 38, of 936 Old Jolly Street Road, Prosperity, SC is being sought for Burglary 2nd Degree and 2 counts of Larceny.

Investigators allege that on August 30, Williams broke into Hawg Heaven located in Prosperity and took some change left in donations jar.  They also say that in a separate incident, Williams stole a weed eater from his former father-in-law.

Williams has had ongoing involvement in criminal activity including four prior Burglary convictions.

Williams is listed as a wanted person nationwide.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or www.newberrycountysheriff.com.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC, www.sccrimestoppers.com.

First Reading Passes on Sale of Springfield
Posted: September 2, 2010 11:12 AM

Newberry County Council met last night (September 1) and unanimously approved the first of three readings to sell Springfield Place/JF Hawkins.  The proposed sale is for $11.3 million and also includes tax incentives for the buyer Madison Healthcare Management. The first three years the company would not pay property taxes. During year four through ten, the company would pay no more than $157,000. For a total of $1.1 million in taxes the first ten years. After the tenth year, the company would go on a regular tax schedule at around $314,000 a year. Currently, the facility does not pay property taxes since it is a county facility.

Madison Healthcare owns nursing homes in seven states with offices in New York and California. Their subsidiary, Prestige Healthcare, which is headquartered in Kentucky, would manage Springfield/JF Hawkins if purchased.

Two councilmen and three managers from JF Hawkins/Springfield made an unannounced visit to Prestige managed facilities. Councilman Edgar Baker stated, “From what I saw, this company knows how to treat people.”

Several speakers spoke in opposition to the sale at the council meeting including former County Council Chairman Henry Summer. Summer reminded council that they could control who the facility is sold to only one time. He urged, “Do not balance your budget on the backs of our parents.”

Rep. Walt McLeod spoke on behalf of 57 Springfield Place residents who expressed their fears in a written statement saying that they feared that: “We will lose our current managers AND caregivers whom we have come to love and trust. We will no longer have the quality of care that we currently receive. Fees will increase dramatically.” McLeod urged council to investigate leasing JF Hawkins/ Springfield instead of selling.

Councilman Kirksey Koon stated, “Rest assured every concern that has been expressed at that podium has been discussed and will continue to be discussed by council.”

A special forum will be held at the nursing homes on September 8. Council will meet with residents and their caregivers at JF Hawkins at 10am and Springfield at 11am. The official public hearing regarding the sale will be held on October 6 during the 7pm Council meeting in the Courthouse Annex.

More from County Council’s Sept. 1 meeting

Newberry County Council met on Wednesday (Sept. 1) and approved second reading on an ordinance to provide for the sale of general obligation bonds not to exceed $550,000. These bonds will make two years payments on $770,000 in lease/purchase agreements for emergency vehicles: one fire truck, one van ambulance, two medium duty rescue vehicles, and a pick up truck.

Speaking of fire and rescue, council approved a new policy for semiannual financial reporting by these all volunteer departments. Bank account statements, revenue/expense reports, and documentation will be required every six months for all accounts. Other regulations include supplying documentation for the auditor and the public upon request. Reports will be due on January 15 and July 15 of each year.

First readings passed on two rezoning ordinances. The first ordinance deals with the rezoning of the north-western side of Dennis Dairy road at the intersection of Quaker Rd. The change from R-2 Rural to Limited Commercial would allow for the expansion of the lawn mower repair business that is currently located on the property and for a home to be put on the property. Zoning staff recommends approval, however, the Planning Commission voted to not support the rezoning due to the protest by a neighbor. Second reading and public hearing on the issue should be on the September 15 agenda.

First reading also passed to rezone another non-conforming use where a hair salon business would like to expand at 13269 CR Koon Highway. The zoning change would take RS-1 Single Family Residential to General Commercial.

David Parnell with the Veterans Affairs Office gave an annual report to County Council. In fiscal year 2009, $15.3 million was distributed to veterans in compensation, pensions, education benefits, vocational rehabilitation, insurance, and medical expenditures.

Mike Briggs, President of the Central SC Alliance, also gave an annual report on economic development. He stated that the Alliance has been a part of $150million in investments and 800 jobs that have been announced so far this year in the Alliance territory. Briggs stated that the Alliance had submitted Newberry County on 14 projects (12 new companies and 2 expansions). Of those, 2 are still actively looking in the region with one potential investment in Newberry County of over $10 million and 100 jobs.

Newberry County Council will hold their next regular meeting including second reading on the sale of Springfield/JF Hawkins on September 15 at 7pm in the Courthouse Annex.

 

Election Update
Posted: September 1, 2010 8:39 PM

Noon today (September 1) was the deadline for sign up in the school board election.  Former school district employee Hugh Grey will challenge School Board Chair Don Saylor for the district 5 seat. Incumbents Lee Attaway (district 2) and Clyde Hill (district 7) both signed up for another term without opposition.

 

The other contested race on a countywide board is the district 6 election for Newberry County Council. School board member Greg Taylor is challenging incumbent Bill Waldrop. If Taylor wins, a special school board election will be held. If he loses his bid for County Council, he will remain seated on the School Board.

 

The Town of Silverstreet will not have to hold an election with only enough candidates to fill the seats. Sherry Waddell decided not to run again. Marie Sommers was the only person to sign up for Waddell's spot on council. Gerald Dominick was elected last fall to fill the seat left vacant by Travis Gillman, who is now mayor. Mr. Dominick maintains his seat as the only other candidate to sign up by the deadline.

 

The Town of Whitmire will have an election this November 2. All of the incumbents have filed to run again except Annette McCaskell. With the addition of two new candidates the list of candidates includes Crystal Harsha, Jimmy Brock, Dwight Lane, Debbie Harris, Cassie Fowler, Lee McKee, and former councilmember Michael Thomas. The top 6 vote getters will be elected. The three will the most votes will be elected for 4 years and the next three will elected for 3 years as the town transitions to a staggered election process. Incumbent Tim Carroll is being challenged by Raymond Thrift to fill a two year term as mayor. At the next election in 2012, the mayor position will become a four year term.

Stay tuned to WKDK for more information as we get closer to election day.

 

School Board Report
Posted: August 24, 2010 9:03 AM

Newberry County School Board met last night (August 23) and approved a bond resolution for the sale of up to $6 million in bonds. The bonds will make the yearly payments to the NICE non-profit entity that took out the $77 million dollars used for the total building program.

The exact amount of the bond will be determined by the final value of a mill when the county auditor sets property tax millage later this fall.  The school board has maintained a debt service millage of 53 mills since the building program was undertaken. Any revenue from debt service millage that exceeds the bond payments can be used for items such as a planned technology upgrade estimated at $100,000.

Theo DuBose of Haynesworth, Sinkler, & Boyd explained to the school board that the past five years the building program payments have been made with bonds sold to a local bank. However, with interest rates as low as they are now, his firm suggested that the district sell the bonds through public offering - with bids closing the first of October. The winning bid is expected to resell the bonds to entities looking for US tax exemptions.  The public offering requires more document prep but according to Dubose could yield an interest rate of as little as 1.5% in this current bond market.

During the Superintendent’s Report, Bennie Bennett recapped the Back to School District Wide faculty/staff day held on August 13. Bennett stated that the staff development portion of the day was led by district employees themselves. He stated, “There are great teachers and great practices going on two doors down. You just have to offer