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  • Blythewood council zooms into homes

    Now showing on computer screens near you: next meeting zooms April 27 at 7 p.m. The first public meeting is tentatively set for May 14, when the official budget workshop will be held.

    BLYTHEWOOD – In a special called virtual meeting Monday afternoon at 2 p.m., Town Council appeared online via ZOOM to discuss the disposition of ATAX and HTAX funds that Council has already dispersed to organizations for events that, because of the COVID-19 shutdown, have been cancelled.

    During a meeting earlier this year, Council voted to give $20,000 to the South Carolina Diamond Invitational baseball tournament that was to be played April 15-18. 

    “We’ve already given them $16,000 of that money. The tournament has been cancelled now, and I recommend they just keep the money and use it next year,” Mayor Bryan Franklin said.

    “But we don’t know what’s going to happen next year,” Councilman Larry Griffin said. “I suggest they send the money back to the Town [government], and we can make adjustments in the bookkeeping. Then we’ll see what’s going to happen next year. That way we’re protecting the Town’s money.”

    “That sounds reasonable,” Franklin said. “And if they’ve already spent $2,000 of that money, they can account for that on a spread sheet.”

    Rodeo

    Franklin said Buck Coggins had already received $20,000 of a $25,000 HTAX award for the rodeo that was re-scheduled from April 24-25 to November, 2020.  Because the event has been rescheduled, he is being allowed to keep the money for the November event.

    Council will consider funding for other events scheduled in July and August as the event gets closer, Franklin said. One of those events is an LPGA golf tournament arranged by Christie Coggins to be held at Cobblestone Park in August.

    “That event is expected to bring about 50,000 people to town, and she will be requesting HTAX funds for that,” Franklin said.

    Farmers Market Opens

    In other business, council voted to allow the Farmers’ Market to hold its season opening in the park on Wednesday from 4 – 7 p.m.

    Franklin said the market is an essential business just like the state farmer’s market and that the Wednesday event would observe all the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines for social distancing – gloves worn, no food vendors and no live bands.

    “It’s no more dangerous than going to the grocery store,” Franklin said.

    Some members expressed an interest in opening up the entire park but, after a half hour discussion about what areas actually makes up the park and whether they should mark off certain areas with police tape, council members voted 5 – 0 to open only the Farmers’ Market.

    Late Fees Waved

    In another 5 – 0 vote, Council waived the late fees on business license renewals until June 1.

    There was also some discussion about waiving ATAX and HTAX payments to Town Hall, but town attorney Jim Meggs said there is a difference between a business license fee and accommodation and hospitality taxes.

    “ATAX and HTAX are actually trust monies collected by the restaurants and hoteliers from the tourists and remitted to the Town [government],”Meggs said. “That’s different from giving relief to our businesses from paying late fees for a business license they have not yet paid for.”

    Town Clerk Melissa Cowen said of the 235 businesses in the town, only a few have not renewed their business license, and that during the COVID-19 shutdown, she has not been charging late fees for late renewals.

    Budget Schedule

    Council voted 5 – 0 on a budget schedule proposed by Town Administrator Brian Cook.

    “In lieu of having our usual public council budget workshop,” Cook said, “I will have one-on-one meetings with each council member at town hall the first week in May. On May 14, we’ll have the official budget workshop where citizens can participate. Then the goal meeting is set for Tuesday, May 26 when we’ll have first reading of the draft,” Cook said. “We’ll have our regular meeting on June 22 for final reading and a public hearing.”

    ZOOM Meetings

    Finally, after an almost three-hour meeting, council voted 5 – 0 to allow the town’s subordinate boards and commissions to meet using ZOOM if they so choose.

    The next meeting will be another ZOOM meeting on Monday, April 27, at 7 p.m. To watch the ZOOM meeting, go to townofblythewoodsc.gov and click on the YouTube icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

  • Sheriff seeks help IDing suspect

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office seeks the public’s assistance in identifying a burglary suspect.

    An unknown individual broke into a residence in the Monticello area of Fairfield County near SC 215 and Lake View Circle on Friday, April 17 between 10 and 11 a.m. An image of the suspect was captured on a surveillance camera.

    If you recognize this individual, contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 635-4141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC (1-888-274-6372) or visit www.midlandscrimestoppers.com to email a tip. Your identity will be kept anonymous and, if your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.

  • Free COVID-19 testing in Fairfield

    WINNSBORO – After four days with no increase in the number of coronavirus cases reported in both Fairfield County and Blythewood 29016 ZIP code, on Tuesday, April 21, DHEC reported those numbers rose again from 25 to 26 in Fairfield and from 35 to 38 in Blythewood 29016 ZIP code by Wednesday.

    The rate of cases in Fairfield County per 100,000 population remains high – 8th highest for the 46 counties in South Carolina according to charts on DHEC’s website. The state has not yet reported any deaths from COVID-19 in either Fairfield County or the Blythewood 29016 ZIP code.

    Governor Henry McMaster and State School Superintendent Molly Spearman announced Wednesday morning that schools in the state will continue to be closed for the remainder of the school year in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

    A new site provided by Cooperative Health for drive-thru COVID-19 testing is now available in Fairfield County and is free, but testing will only be administered to those who have an appointment. Insurance is not required for testing or treatment for COVID-19. The tests and treatment are provided at no charge to patients.

    For information about how to receive free testing in Fairfield County, see below.

  • Murder suspects arrested

    • Smith
    • Trapp

    WINNSBORO – Two men have been arrested in connection with a murder and an attempted murder that occurred last weekend in Winnsboro.

    Rondell Trapp, 35, was arrested early Tuesday morning in Richland County by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Neil Smith, Jr, 26, was arrested early Wednesday morning in Lexington County by Fairfield County Sheriff’s Deputies along with members of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

    The two men are accused of shooting Juan J. Williams, 46, in the chest during an altercation at about 8 p.m. on Saturday in the 200 block of Birch Street according to incident reports. Williams was transported to Prisma Health Richland where he was pronounced dead.

    Trapp and Smith are also accused of shooting a second victim who was transported to Prisma Health Richland where he was treated for, what were believed to be, non-life threatening injuries.

    Both suspects are charged with one count murder, each, and one count of attempted murder, each, and are currently being held at the Fairfield County Detention Center where they are awaiting bond. 

    In a previous case, Trapp was acquitted last November of murdering R. J. Gadsen in October, 2015.

    Another suspect, Joseph James Turner, 23, was arrested following the Saturday incident and charged with disturbing the peace, according to reports, and has been released on bond.

    Second Shooting

    As officers were investigating the Birch Street shooting, another shooting occurred about 9 p.m. a few houses away in the 100 block of the same street.

    Broome

    There, deputies found Dydreekus D. McDaniel, 22, lying on the ground, with a gunshot wound in the upper abdomen, according to reports. He was transported to Prisma Health Richland where he was treated for, what was believed to be, non-life threatening injuries.

    A bystander stated that the person who fired the shots was driving a white crown Victoria with polka dots on the rear of the vehicle, according to the incident report.

    Shortly after the shooting occurred, the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety reported its officers had detained a vehicle that matched that description near a residence on Frazier Street in Winnsboro.

    An individual at that address, Shawn Alston Broom, 25, was arrested for attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and taken to the Fairfield County Detention Center, where he remains.

    Both investigations are on-going.

  • One dead, two injured in two separate shootings

    • Trapp
    • Smith

    WINNSBORO – Two men were arrested following two separate shooting incidents in Winnsboro Saturday night that left one man dead and two others injured. Two suspects are still being sought by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office. The shootings were not drive-by shootings as initially reported in The Voice.

    The first shooting occurred shortly after 8 p. m, Saturday evening. The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office was responding to a disturbance in the 200 block of Birch Street that involved several individuals when they learned shots had been fired at the scene, according to an incident report.

    Broome

    Upon arrival, deputies found two men with gunshot wounds. One victim Juan J. Williams, 46, was shot in the chest and transported to Prisma Health Richalnd where he was pronounced dead.

    A second victim was transported to Prisma Health Richland where he was treated for, what were believed to be, non-life threatening injuries.

    The Sheriff’s Office is looking for two suspects in that shooting – Neil Thomas Smith, Jr., 26, and Rondell Timothy Trapp, 35 – for one count murder, each, and one county of attempted murder, each.

    Trapp was acquitted last November of murdering R. J. Gadsen in October 2015.

    Another suspect, Joseph James Turner, 23, was arrested following the incident and charged with disturbing the peace. He has been released on bond.

    As officers were investigating the Birch Street shooting, another shooting occurred about 9 p.m. a few houses away iin the 100 block of the same street.

    There, deputies found Dydreekus D. McDaniel, 22, lying on the ground, with a gunshot wound in the upper abdomen, according to reports. He was transported to Prisma Health Richland where he was treated for, what was believed to be, non-life threatening injuries.

    A bystander stated that the person who fired the shots was driving a white crown Victoria with polka dots on the rear of the vehicle, according to the incident report.

    Shortly after the shooting occurred, the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety reported its officers had detained a vehicle that matched that description near a residence on Frazier Street in Winnsboro.

    An individual at that address, Shawn Alston Broom, 25, was arrested for attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and taken to the Fairfield County Detention Center, where he remains.

    Both investigations are on-going and Smith and Trapp should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who knows the whereabout of either of these two individuals are asked to call 911 or call the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office at 803-635-4141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC (888-274-6372) or visit www.midlandscrimestoppers.com to email a tip. Your identity will be kept anonymous and, if your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.

  • Multiple victims in two shootings in Winnsboro

    • Smith
    • Trapp

    WINNSBORO – Two men were arrested following two separate shooting incidents in Winnsboro Saturday night that left one man dead and two others injured. Two suspects are still being sought by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department. The shootings were not drive-by shootings as initially reported in The Voice.

    The first shooting occurred shortly after 8 p. m, Saturday evening. The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department was responding to a disturbance on Birch Street that involved several individuals when they learned shots had been fired at the scene, according to an incident report.

    Broome

    Upon arrival, deputies found two men with gunshot wounds. One victim died after being shot in the chest, according to reports. The deceased victim’s name has not yet been released by the coroner’s office.

    The other victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. His condition is not known at this time, but it is not believed to be life threatening, according to officials.

    The Sheriff’s Department is looking for two suspects in that shooting – Neil Thomas Smith, Jr., 26, and Rondell Timothy Trapp, 35. Trapp was acquitted last November of murdering R. J. Gadsen in October 2015.

    Another suspect, Joseph James Turner, 23, was arrested following the incident and charged with disturbing the peace. He has been released on bond.

    As officers were investigating the Birch Street shooting, another shooting occurred about 9 p.m. a few houses away on the same street.

    There, deputies found a 22-year-old man lying on the ground, with a gunshot wound in the upper abdomen, according to reports.

    A bystander stated that the person who fired the shots was driving a white crown Victoria with polka dots on the rear of the vehicle, according to the incident report.

    Shortly after the shooting occurred, the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety reported its officers had detained a vehicle that matched that description near a residence on Frazier Street in Winnsboro.

    An individual at that address, Shawn Alston Broom, 25, was arrested for attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and taken to the Fairfield County Detention Center, where he remains.

    The 22-year-old victim was transported to Prisma Health. His condition is not known at this time.

    There is no indication from deputies at this time as to what started either shooting incident.

    Multiple victims in two drive-by shootings in Winnsboro

    WINNSBORO – Two drive-by shootings were reported on Birch Street in Winnsboro Saturday night around 9 p.m. Two people were reported injured in the first shooting and a third person was injured at the same location in the second shooting while deputies were on site, sources reported to The Voice. 

    Deputies have recovered a vehicle believed to be involved in the second shooting.

    A victim from the first shooting was reportedly taken to Prisma (Richland Memorial) in Columbia. There is no information about the other two victims.

    Sheriff’s deputies are searching for multiple suspects at this time.

    The story will be updated when more information is available.

    Multiple victims in two drive-by shootings in Winnsboro published April 18, 2020 at 11:02 pm.

  • Corona cases by ZIP: Fairfield, 17; Blythewood, 26

    BLYTHEWOOD/FAIRFIELD COUNTY – On Friday, April 3, Governor Henry McMaster ordered the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control (DHEC) to resume the practice of releasing confirmed COVID-19 case numbers by ZIP code after DHEC had announced earlier last week that it would stop providing the ZIP code information. 

    The latest DHEC ZIP code update available (released on April 9 at 4:08 p.m.) lists 26 confirmed cases for 29016, 25 of which are in the Blythewood community, and 1 in a small area of Fairfield County that lies in 29016. The total number of confirmed cases in Fairfield County’s ZIP codes is 17.

    Looking at the rate of cases per 100K of county populations, Fairfield County ranks 8th highest at 76.07, just behind No.7, Charleston County.

    Those numbers, as of Thursday, included four new cases in Blythewood and one case in Fairfield County (29055), but DHEC’s estimated current cases for both Blythewood and Fairfield County are much greater – 160 in Blythewood 29016 and 94 in Fairfield County’s ZIP codes.

    Estimated cases are calculated by DHEC based on evidence that for every known case of COVID-19, there could be up to 9 people with the virus who remain unidentified in the community.

    “There are many people within our communities who have the virus and have never been tested,” DHEC said. “[Those with] undocumented infections often experience mild, limited or no symptoms, which is why they go unrecognized, and they can expose a far greater portion of the population to the virus.”

    The DHEC chart also includes ‘possible’ cases which would bring Blythewood 29016’s total cases to 186 and Fairfield County’s to 111. The number of total possible cases is derived from combining the reported and estimated cases.

    While the official number of cases who have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina is 2,792 as of Thursday, health officials said there could be nearly 19,500 cases currently across the state.

    As South Carolina moves from containment strategy to a disease mitigation strategy, there’s less focus on the number of individual cases in an area and more focus on limiting overall spread throughout the state, SCDHEC officials stated.

  • Fairfield councilwoman countersues JWC

    JENKINSVILLE – Jenkinsville Water Company’s lawsuit against one of its fiercest critics “is atrocious” and “utterly intolerable in a civilized community” according to a response and countersuit recently filed in Fairfield County Circuit Court.

    On March 4, the JWC filed a slander and defamation lawsuit against Fairfield County Councilwoman Bertha Goins, alleging her criticisms damaged the organization’s reputation.

    All told, Goins’ response to the lawsuit lists 13 defenses and six counterclaims. Several defenses note that the JWC has had a long history of trouble with state and federal regulatory agencies.

    Among them is a new revelation that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has labeled the JWC as a “serious violator,” according to the litigation and EPA website.

    The website notes that the EPA found the JWC in non-compliance for nine of the past 12 quarters.

    Further, the site states the JWC has had two quarters with “significant violations” and 20 informal enforcement actions in the past five years.

    In bringing suit, the JWC has said Goins’ past comments that Jenksinville water is “substandard” and contains sediment are untrue.

    “The above-referenced statements are false, defamatory and impugne [sic] the good reputation Jenkinsville Water Co. has with respect to the quality of its water,” the original lawsuit states.

    The JWC and its lawyer have also touted recent state water tasting contests the organization has won.
    However, only a small fraction of the state’s water companies actually entered the contest. Also, the contest officials said they didn’t verify the authenticity of submitted water samples, relying instead on an honors system, a representative of the state rural water association told The Voice.

    The JWC has faced additional violations from the S.C. Public Service Commission and S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, according to the counterclaim.

    In her response, Goins asserts the JWC has a duty to provide water “water that is safe for them to drink, to cook with, to bathe in, and to otherwise use in their homes.”

    Upon information and belief, Jenkinsville Water Company has a long history of failing to comply with the rules and regulations of the Public Service Commission…[and it] does this to avoid appropriate oversight of its operations,” the litigation states.

    The counterclaim goes on to say that the JWC routinely violates the state’s Freedom of Information Act, and that the water company is using the legal system to harass and intimidate Goins.

    Goins has requested a jury trial and seeks a slew of unspecified actual, punitive and other damages.

    “Defendant asserts that Plaintiff’s conduct as described herein, and as will be shown at the trial of this matter, is atrocious, utterly intolerable in a civilized community, and so extreme and outrageous as to exceed all possible bounds of decency,” the countersuit states.

    Read more about this developing story in Thursday’s edition of The Voice.

  • BREAKING -COVOID-19 cases to be available by zip code

    FAIRFIELD/BLYTHEWOOD – Governor McMaster has directed South Carolina DHEC to again report coronavirus cases by zip code instead of just by county.

    “Starting today, I have directed SC DHEC to publicly disclose the up-to-date numbers of confirmed cases by local zip code.  In addition they will provide the estimated number of residents who are likely infected and untested within that same zip code,” McMaster said in a news release.
    He further stated that providing this non-identifying information violates no state or federal privacy laws and is in the public’s interest. 

    “It is my hope this disclosure will reinforce to South Carolinians the seriousness and dire necessity of staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

    Those zip code numbers are not yet posted but are expected to be posted later today. The Voice will post cases at blythewoodonline.com by zip code for Fairfield County and Blythewood each day after 4 p.m. 

  • R2 board suspends public comment

    SCSBA Recommends Districts Not Accept FOIA Requests During Pandemic

    COLUMBIA – In an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19, the Richland Two school district has followed the lead of other government agencies by streaming meetings electronically.

    No member of the public may attend meetings in person nor participate in public comments. They can listen to audio on the district’s website.

    By a 6-1 vote, the Richland Two board voted Tuesday night to suspend policy BEDH, which spells out the district’s public participation policy. Board trustee Lindsay Agostini opposed the measure.

    In a related vote, the board also voted to cancel the April 7 meeting, citing a lack of business to address. That vote passed unanimously.

    Agostini said she voted against suspending policy BEDH, fearing it would prevent parents with students facing expulsion hearings from addressing the board.

    “While not frequent, on more than one occasion we’ve had parents come and address the board in public participation,” she said. “As long as we’re having a board meeting and talking about appeals, I can’t support this.”

    Trustee Amelia McKie said suspending the policy doesn’t prevent parents or the community from communicating concerns to the board. She said it’s imperative to make meetings “more skeletal” to protect district staff, students and the public from COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus.

    Initially, the board agenda only stated that the board planned to vote to take action on policy BEDH, without any explanation. Board agendas typically include supporting documentation further explaining the measure being voted on.

    After The Voice brought this to Richland Two’s attention, the district amended the agenda to state that the board planned to suspend policy BEDH.

    The decision to suspend public participation came at the recommendation of the SCSBA, according to the revised agenda. On its website, the SCSBA recommends “temporarily eliminating public comment” periods as a way to curtail COVID-19.

    “If your board policy allows for public comment, the board should make a motion and approve temporary suspension of the associated policy… until the COVID-19 threat has ended,” the SCSBA site states.

    Jay Bender, a media law attorney with the S.C. Press Association, of which The Voice is a member, said there’s no law requiring local governments to provide a public comment period. Public bodies are only required to allow the public to speak at meetings where there’s a public hearing, such as during budget passage.

    The S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) also allows public bodies to conduct business electronically. Streaming can be by video or audio; the law only states such meetings be broadcast electronically.

    “It would be better if they could stream it,” Bender said.

    Richland Two’s audio streaming encountered some hiccups Tuesday evening.

    “The school board association has never thought anything should be public. They are run by superintendents whose goal is to keep all unfavorable news about schools out of the press.”

    Jay Bender, Media Attorney

    The Voice attended the meeting remotely and experienced occasional interruptions in audio. Sometimes audio volume fluctuated and other times, audio cut out altogether.

    During a discussion of cancelling the April 7 board meeting, Agostini reported that she couldn’t hear Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis’ explanation of the measure.

    “That was a very bad echo. I didn’t hear a word that was said,” she said.

    Other board members reported not being able to hear portions of the meeting.

    Richland County resident Gus Philpott, a frequent critic of the board, vehemently objects to suspending public input. He also takes exception with virtual meetings as well as board members participating remotely versus in person.

    “There is no need to suspend BEDH. If the Board is successful at prohibiting the public from attending the meeting, there won’t be anyone to speak, will there?” Philpott wrote in an email to board members.

    “Please consider how very serious it is to attempt to silence the public,” Philpott continued. “You might benefit by re-reading the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which refers to abridging the freedom of speech.”

    The South Carolina School Board Association (SCSBA) also recommend that school districts not accept any FOIA requests submitted during the coronavirus crisis and de-prioritize requests filed prior to Gov. Henry McMaster’s state of emergency declaration.

    Bender disputed the legality of those suggestions.

     “The law establishes deadlines and I don’t think the governor or anybody else can suspend the law,” Bender said. “The school board association has never thought anything should be public. They are run by superintendents whose goal is to keep all unfavorable news about schools out of the press.”