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  • SC House District 41 candidates have their say

    • Annie McDaniel
    • Charlene Herring
    SC Rep. Annie E. McDaniel

    I know District 41 and will fight for it because Fairfield is home. I am a lifelong resident of Fairfield County and educated by our public schools. I am a proud alumna of the University of South Carolina where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting and my Master’s Degree in Public Administration.  I also completed two Ph.D. level education administration courses in Finance while earning my Master’s Degree.

    I know the value of education and the love our teachers pour into our children. In 2000, I was elected to and served 18 years as a member of the Fairfield County School District Board of Trustees, fighting for our children, teachers, and public schools. During my tenure on the School Board, I was elected to the State School Boards Association Board and served locally as Board Chair, Secretary, Finance Committee Chair, Student Hearing Committee member, and Delegate to the SCSBA Delegate Assembly. My work and experience with students, parents, and teachers fundamentally impacted how I view public service.

    This experience served as a backdrop for my 2018 campaign to represent District 41 in the South Carolina State House. With a rich background serving in the field of education, you allowed me to expand my service and tackle the challenges we face as a community in the fields of healthcare, economic empowerment, environmental protection, and quality of life.  I am proud of the blessings my constituents have received as a result of my service to District 41.

    In November of 2018, I was elected to the SC General Assembly.  My 2018 bid was historic because I became the first African American since reconstruction, and the only African American woman to represent District 41. This history has been humbling and has inspired me to fight for ALL South Carolinians. Our destiny as a State and District are truly tied together as one and I am committed to ensuring that our destiny is bright!

    During my first year in office, noteworthy accomplishments included being the first freshman legislator to get a bill passed (E-Rate expansion) and my appointment as a SC State Director for the National Women in Government Organization. Additionally, I serve on the Medical, Military, Public, and Municipal Affairs Committee.

    I would be honored to receive your support on June 9th. The Governor recently signed a bill allowing no excuse absentee voting during this primary.  I encourage you to visit scvotes.org to request an absentee ballot and vote now through June 8th. You may also absentee vote in-person through June 8th at Midlands Technical College’s Fairfield Campus.

    I am proud of the work I have accomplished thus far and am dedicated to continuing to fight for you and your families.

    Challenger Charlene Herring

    A Voice for Education, Business, Towns and Cities

     As a lifelong educator, small business entrepreneur and former mayor, I am now a candidate for SC House District 41 which encompasses Chester, Fairfield and Richland Counties.

    The pandemic does not care if we are Democrat or Republican. We are all in this together and my mission is to be our voice for education, business and towns and cities in the new “normal”. It will require a flexible vision as well as creative and collaborative problem solving strategies to recover our economy.

    America was built and will survive this pandemic on the backs of business and industry, but continued assistance must come from all levels of government and in different formats. I am a small business owner myself, a member of the Board of Directors of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce and a former three-term mayor of Ridgeway.  I had the opportunity to lead the initiative for accelerated business growth in our community.  I understand the value of a team approach and the necessity to develop strong partnerships to assist small businesses in re-inventing themselves through training, business start-ups, e-commerce and monetary incentives. 

    My passion for education is evident. I have been recognized early in my profession as a SC State Teacher of the Year Finalist. I want to use my extensive and successful career experience in public education, both teaching and administration, to make some real improvements in the way we educate our children. I plan to visit classrooms and schools to see and hear firsthand the prevalent needs of educators and students.  I want to engage the public and to work personally to support the implementation of teacher retention strategies as well as the accessibility of broadband internet service for all students at home.

    Regarding towns and cities, I will work to secure reliable funding levels through legislation concerning the Local Government Fund so government entities can continue to provide the needed services of safety, health care, infrastructure, recreation and cultural activities for their citizens. I will support local and fiscal accountability and management of resources that are critical to serving citizens and governing efficiently and effectively.

    I am prepared to bring a lifetime of public service and merge it with my strong work ethic to make the quality of life better for all of us in House District 41. I can do it if you will give me the opportunity.

    Please visit HerringforSCHouseDistrict41.website or my Facebook page for more information.

  • New bill would limit state senators’ power to nominate magistrates

    Report highlights Fanning, Underwood connection

    WINNSBORO – In small counties like Fairfield, a single state senator routinely has unilateral authority to nominate magistrates.

    That would change, however, under a new bill recently prefiled by two Republican state senators.

    Senate Bill 903 would expand nomination responsibilities to a county’s legislative delegation, which include both state House and Senate members.

    Dubbed the “Magistrate Reform Act of 2020,” the bill strikes existing language that gives senators exclusive power over nominations.

    If adopted, S. 903 would appoint magistrates “with the advice and consent of the legislative delegation of the county in which the magistrate shall serve,” the measure reads.

    “An appointee receives the advice and consent of a legislative delegation if the appointee receives a majority of the weighted vote of the Senators in the legislative delegation and a majority of the weighted vote of the members of the House of Representatives in the legislative delegation,” the bill continues. “If the legislative delegation provides advice and consent to an appointee or if the legislative delegation rejects an appointee, then the legislative delegation shall report to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the Senate, and the Governor.”

    While the bill would affect every South Carolina county, its impacts would be most directly felt in smaller counties. Among them is Fairfield County, where Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, has direct control of Fairfield appointments.

    If S. 903 becomes law, Rep. Annie McDaniel, D-Winnsboro, would also be able to nominate magistrate candidates.

    McDaniel said she supports the general premise of the bill, saying more than one person should be involved in nominating magistrates. However, she wanted to reserve comment on the bill’s specifics until she could read its full text.

    “When you have just one person, it lends itself to some concerns,” McDaniel said. “Any time you have more people involved that means you’re empowering the people.”

    In addition, S.903 prohibits the family member of any state lawmaker from being nominated. Family members of former lawmakers must wait two years after the lawmaker leaves office to become eligible.

    Another provision, aimed at curbing magistrates serving in a “holdover capacity,” magistrates may not serve more than 90 days after the date that their term expires, according to the legislation.

    When a “non-lawyer magistrate” sentences a defendant, magistrates hearing any appeals must possess a law degree, and any case that’s appealed begin from scratch, the proposed law states.

    Introduced Dec. 11 by Sens. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort and Tom Young, R-Aiken, the bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to legislative records.

    Young is also the sponsor of a second bill that targets magistrates with stains on their record.

    S. 905 states that “any magistrate or magistrate candidate who has been reprimanded by the supreme court or any other disciplinary authority may not be appointed or reappointed unless approved by a majority of the senate after the senate is informed of the reprimand or disciplinary action.”

    If passed, S. 905 could impact Chester County Magistrate Angie Underwood, who previously was hit with a one-year suspension by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

    Nominated by Sen. Fanning, Underwood is the wife of former Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood, who’s now under federal indictment. Angie Underwood was also part of a panel that interviewed candidates for Fairfield County magistrate vacancies earlier this year.

    “I support magistrate judge reform and am both sponsoring and cosponsoring separate bills that are filed right now to implement magistrate judge reforms,” Young said in an email sent to The Voice.

    S.903 and S. 905 come in the wake of investigative reports by The Voice about four controversial magistrate nominations in Fairfield County. When Fanning nominated the magistrates last spring, none had law degrees and all were appointed without taking tests that are required by state law to be passed by nominees before they are appointed.

    Two of Fanning’s appointments required multiple attempts to pass the basic, sixth-grade level competency exam.

    One candidate required at least three tries before achieving a passing score, according to judicial records that The Voice obtained.

    Two Chester County candidates that Fanning nominated also had to take the exams multiple times, records show.

    In June, following The Voice’s initial reports about magistrate appointment irregularities in Fairfield County, the S.C. Governor’s Office instituted a new policy requiring proof that magistrate nominees have passed their competency exams before being appointed.

    Since then, the Post and Courier (Charleston) and ProPublica, a non-profit investigative newsroom, published a joint report highlighting abuses in the nomination of magistrates statewide.

    Both news organizations also published a report highlighting potential conflict of interest issues between Magistrate Angel Underwood and her husband, the former sheriff.

    “And yet, just months after returning to her magistrate duties, the judge [Angel Underwood] secretly aided the sheriff’s office in drafting a complaint against her colleagues on the bench,” Post and Courier reporter Joseph Cranney wrote in This judge is married to the sheriff. Ethics complaints have piled up.

    The report also notes that Fanning has removed six of 10 magistrates in his district while retaining Angel Underwood in spite of her having received a suspension from her magistrate duties after conflicts involving her husband, the sheriff.

    To read the Post and Courier report, click here.

  • High-speed chase ends in crash

    BLYTHEWOOD – A high speed chase that began on Two Notch Road near Sparkleberry Lane Thanksgiving morning ended in a crash in front of The Voice’s office on Main Street in downtown Blythewood.

    Joseph Jenkins, 64, was charged with driving under suspension, third offense; failure to stop for blue lights, second offense; expired tag; reckless driving; seatbelt violation and operator uninsured.

    The chase began after officers noticed an out-of-date sticker on the license plate of a grey Mercedes traveling east on Two Notch Road a little before 8 a.m., Thursday. A check on the plate revealed it was registered to a 1985 Ford Bronco out of Darlington, S.C., officials reported.

    Sheriff’s deputies attempted to pull the Mercedes over. Instead of stopping, the Mercedes sped off, leading to a high speed pursuit through multiple red lights on Two Notch Road, according to Richland County Public Information Officer Josef Robinson.

    Deputies reported that they pursued the Mercedes as it turned right on to Rabon Road, then continued on to William Harden, Hardscrabble Road, Clemson Road, North Springs Road, North Brickyard Road then Farrow Road before turning right on to Wilson Boulevard that became Main Street in downtown Blythewood.

    As the Mercedes alledgedly continued speeding east through Blythewood, it crashed with a white Nissan Path Finder SUV carrying a family of three, that was turning left onto Main Street from Langford Road.  After that crash, the Mercedes continued on Main Street to the intersection at McNulty Road where it came to a stop as it crashed into a curb.

    With the assistance of a K-9 officer, Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jenkins, who was first transported to a local hospital, then transferred to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia.

    The three occupants of the SUV were transported to a local hospital. No information is available concerning injuries.

    Story was updated December 4 at 4:41 p.m.

    BLYTHEWOOD – An early morning crash on Main Street at the intersection of Langford Road in downtown Blythewood, in front of The Voice’s office, occurred about 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.

    The accident, which involved a white Nissan Pathfinder and a grey Mercedes, was the result of a high-speed chase involving law enforcement, according to deputies. No information concerning injuries or other details about the accident are available at this time.

    The accident is under investigation by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. 

  • Whitaker named FCSD’s top teacher

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County School District named its Teachers of the Year for the district’s eight schools as well as a District Teacher of the Year during the annual convocation.

    Crystal Whitaker, the Social Studies Department Chair at Fairfield Central High, was named the Fairfeld School District Teacher of the Year.

    Whitaker, who is in her eighth year of teaching – six of those at FCHS – teaches U. S. History and AP U.S. History

    The other seven schools in the district are being represented by their respective Teachers of the Year: Kerisha Camack (McCrory-Liston School of Technology), Kimberly DeReef (Fairfield Magnet School for Math & Science), Craig Jelks (Fairfield Middle School), Richard Johnson (Fairfield Career & Technology Center), Bryan Simmons (Kelly Miller Elementary School), Randall Sims (Fairfield Elementary School) and Lori Yarborough (Geiger Elementary School).

    Whitaker will be competing for the 2020 State Teacher of the Year.

    • Crystal Whitaker – Fairfield Central High School
    • Kerisha Camack – McCrorey-Liston School of Techology
    • Kimberly DeReef – Fairfield Magnet School for Math & Science
    • Craig Jelks – Fairfield Middle School
    • Richard Johnson – Fairfield Career & Technology Center
    • Bryan Simmons – Kelly Miller Elementary School
    • Randall Sims – Fairfield Elementary School
    • Lori Yarborough – Geiger Elementary School

  • Shelter seeks person(s) responsible for dog’s torment

    $250 Reward Offered for Conviction of Anyone Responsible

    WINNSBORO – Around noon on Sept. 11, a Fairfield County Animal Control officer picked up a young male Pit Bull stray with wounds so gruesome that after he was brought into the shelter and photographed, the staff felt the need to attach warnings ‘before opening’ on some of the photos they posted on the shelter’s Facebook page.

    Pepper was found with a two-inch deep gash around his neck caused by an embedded tether.

    Those photos showed a gaping wound on the dog’s neck, a gash about two inches deep, completely circling the neck. A tether (cord) around his neck had cut through the flesh and was embedded in his neck.

    “The cord was so tight around the dog’s neck we could only see it from underneath his chin [where the ends of the knotted tie were hanging down] near his jugular,” Samira Yaghi, a shelter volunteer, posted on the shelter’s Facebook page along with several horrific photos of the dog’s injuries. “Sliced through like a knife, the cord was so tight and so far in, the staff could not remove it. We could smell the infection from a distance,” Yaghi added.

    In addition, the dog’s neck was swollen with fluid from the restricted circulation caused by the cord, according to the veterinarian report.

    Unable to extract the cord, the shelter staff transported the dog they named Pepper to Blythewood Animal Hospital for emergency surgery.

    Within hours, shelter volunteers had raised enough funds over social media to pay for the life-saving surgery to remove the cord.

    At the animal hospital, doctors discovered two other lesser cuts circling the dog’s neck consistent with the beginning of other cords or objects embedding into the neck according to vet reports.

    A veterinarian at Blythewood Animal Hospital removes the cord embedded two inches deep in Pepper’s neck.

    The tether could have been embedded for up to three months, the report stated.

    And there were other problems.

    Malnourished and infested with heartworms, Pepper needs more donations for heartworm treatment.

    The dog was reported to the shelter as a stray after he reportedly roamed onto someone’s property in the Greenbrier area.

    Members of the Hoof and Paw Benevolent Society say someone in the community must know the dog and are offering a $250 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the dog’s condition.

    “We are hopeful that by offering this reward that someone will recognize this dog and come forward,” Kathy Faulk, a Hoof and Paw board member said. “When you see something like this, say something so we can all put an end to animal abuse and neglect.”

    For now, Pepper remains hospitalized and will continue on extended use of antibiotics and pain meds with consistent cleaning, Bob Innes, Director of Fairfield Animal Control, said.

    “What this poor dog has endured, for who knows how long is deplorable,” Innes said.

    “Despite his painful injuries when Pepper was brought in, he was very sweet, wagging his tail, soaking in the kindness and care he was receiving.” Yaghi said. “We would like to thank everyone who donated toward his medical care. That support is the only way we can tend to these emergencies efficiently and immediately.”

    Anyone wishing to provide information about the person(s) who neglected or abused Pepper, can contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office at 803-635-4141.

    To donate to Pepper’s heartworm treatment, go to: https://www.paypal.me/friendsoffairfield.

    Hoof and Paw Benevolent Society is offering a $250 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Pepper’s injuries.

  • County industrial property to go to RCPC

    BLYTHEWOOD – Of the 1,300 acres that Richland County hopes to purchase and have rezoned for a Blythewood Industrial Park, almost 500 acres (two parcels) are in the county, not the Town of Blythewood, and the county will have jurisdiction over their re-zoning.

    The two parcels, located along Blythewood Road, west of Fairfield Electric Cooperative’s facility, will go before the Richland County planning commission Monday, Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. for a public hearing and recommendation to council.

    While the public can sign up to speak their minds about the rezoning, county staff has already made up its collective mind, recommending that the planning commission not approve the rezoning.

    Both parcels are zoned rural (RU). The County is asking for one of the parcels (456.01 acres) to be rezoned to Light Industrial (LI) and the other (27.54 acres) to be zoned for General Commercial (GC).

    The 2015 Richland County Comprehensive Plan designates the RU zoned area as Neighborhood (Low-Density) for future zoning.

    According to the staff report, the LI district is intended to accommodate wholesaling, distribution, storage, processing, light manufacturing and general commercial uses.

    “The zoning request [for the 456.01 acres] is not consistent with the objectives for non-residential development within the Neighborhood (Low-Density) future land use designation,” staff stated in its report. “Within the Neighborhood (Low Density) designation, the Comprehensive Plan recommends that industrial development with significant community impacts, i.e., noise, exhaust, odor, heavy truck traffic) is discouraged. The variety of industrial uses allowed under the LI district includes potential uses which would be incompatible with the general area as it is currently developed.”

    For these reasons, staff recommended disapproval of the requested map amendment.

    Likewise, the county’s planning staff recommended disapproval of GC for the smaller parcel, stating that it was not consistent with surrounding zoning and would constitute leapfrog development.

    Blythewood Town Council has rezoned about 600 acres from Development (D-1) zoning to Limited Industrial (LI) at Richland County’s request and passed the first of two votes to rezone the remaining 163 acres of the 1,300 acres.

    The Blythewood planning commission voted 3-3 on the recommendation to Town Council which resulted in no recommendation. Blythewood Council will take its second and final vote on September 23.

    Richland County Planning Commission will meet on Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers, 2020 Hampton Street in Columbia 29202. The Commission’s recommendation will then go to County Council.

    Blythewood Town Council will meet on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., at the Doko Manor. That vote will be the final vote for the rezoning request for the 163 acres.

  • Sheriff seeks shooting suspect

    Bouknight

    WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a suspect involved in a recent shooting incident in the Poplar Street area of Winnsboro.

    Charles Bouknight, 30, is wanted for 4 counts of Attempted Murder, Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime and Discharging a Firearm into a Dwelling during an incident that occurred Saturday, Aug. 17th in the 400 block of Poplar Street.

    If anyone has information regarding his location or this incident, they are asked to contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office (803-635-4141) or Crimestoppers (1-888-CRIMESC or 1-888-274-6372). If anyone sees Bouknight, they are urged to immediately call 911.

  • First UMC hosts active shooter training

    WINNSBORO – The Safety Team at First United Methodist Church in Winnsboro is bringing Precision Tactics for an active shooter training session to be held in the church’s fellowship hall on Thursday, Mar. 8 at 6 p.m.

    Percision Tactics was featured last week on WIS-TV and has been endorsed by Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott for their work in active shooter training.  The company is a partner with the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association and provides this type of training to churches, businesses and law enforcement agencies.

    The session is being held to familiarize law enforcement officers with the church’s team and procedures.  The company specializes in church security and will be bringing in the simulation equipment prepared to work with the church’s safety team using inert pistols.  After the training, the church’s safety team will actively work during worship services and any other time as deemed necessary.

  • Ridgeway Library readies for move

    RIDGEWAY – The Ridgeway Branch of the Fairfield County Library will be closed temporarily starting Sept. 1, 2017.

    The library is unable to stay in its current building and is in the process of securing a more permanent location. In the meantime, the Bookmobile will provide service one afternoon per week (day and location to be determined). Until a new location is found for the library, the Winnsboro library will provide computer access and all other library services.

  • Fairfield County Strategic Plan