Steven Massey (left) stretches to make the return. Westwood struggled against Ridgeview dropping the contest 5-1. Massey picked up Westwood’s only win over Jefferson Fulmore. Ryan Hiller was bested by Ethan Kene, and Oliver Ellis dropped consecutive sets to Kaleb Phelps. Zackery Gonzales suffered a 4-6, 6-0, 10-5 loss to Marc Bumanglae. Blazer Jack Talledo defeated John Heath 3-6, 6-3 .The Blazers won a forfeiture victory in the double’s event.
WINNSBORO – The County’s budget for FY 2017-18 passed second reading Monday night, weighing in at $38,852,148, up $5,574,341 over last year’s budget of $33,277,807.
While the budget allows for a two percent one-time bonus for county employees, it does that and more without a tax increase. With more revenue than was budgeted last year, the county’s fund balance grew by over $5 million.
While most of Council’s budget discussion took place during two budget workshops, the draft ordinance suggests the biggest increases in spending went to Behavioral Health ($500,000 toward a new facility), the Sheriff’s Department ($307,201), the Detention Center ($224,524), Emergency Management ($206,976), EMS ($276,301) and Animal Control ($162,962.)
Other increases in expenses come in the Recreation Department ($75,518), Fire Department ($74,793), Building and Maintenance ($57,049) and Planning/Building/Zoning ($56,519.)
The biggest decreases in departmental spending come in Data Processing ($61,967) and Human Resources ($56,900.)
Revenue Up
On the revenue side, Property Taxes are expected to bring in an additional $875,482, with the Multi-County Industrial Park accounting for $650,000 of that amount. Revenues from the State are up $573,514 and total Special Revenue Funds are up $1,037,411.
Budget documents can be found on the County’s website at www.Fairfieldsc.com.
BLYTHEWOOD-The Blythewood softball team tried to spark a rally several times against Spring Valley Tuesday night.
But on Senior Night at the Blythewood softball field, Jordan Bostic and the Vikings stayed one step ahead of the Bengals.
Bostic went 4-for-4 with a 3-run home run in the third inning to give Spring Valley an 11-5 win to close out the regular season.
“It just seemed we were one hit away, one catch away,” Blythewood head coach Jordan Atkinson said. “We had several 0-2 (in the count) hits, and that can’t happen. We weren’t very selective at all (at the plate), and in the third inning they batted through their lineup.” Blythewood (4-8 in Region 5-5A, 7-13 overall) opens the playoffs at Ashley
Ridge Thursday in the District V Tournament. West Florence and Lexington will also play in that bracket.
The Bengals took a 1-0 lead on Spring Valley in the bottom of the second inning. Grace Campbell led off with a double, moved to third on Savannah Simpson’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Courtney Watts’ infield groundout.
Faith Manley struck out to retire the side.
The lead didn’t last long.
Spring Valley sent 10 batters to the plate in the third. With two runners on and nobody out, Bostic got things started when she swung on a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the leftfield fence to give the Vikings a 3-1 lead. Spring Valley got two more runs in the inning to take a 5-1 lead.
“In the first game they didn’t have Edgerton (who went 2-for-3) and Bostic,” Atkinson said, referring to Blythewood’s 10-2 victory March 28. “We let them control the game.”
Blythewood rallied for two runs in the bottom of the third, but got cut short.
Reagan Auton drew a walk, Emily Bush singled and Parker drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out. That set up Sammy Hall’s 2-run single to cut Spring Valley’s lead to 5-3.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, that’s all they could get. With Hall and Parker aboard and nobody out, Spring Valley retired the next three batters to strand the tying runs.
The Vikings then got a run in the fourth, two more in the fifth, and three in the seventh to take an 11-3 lead.
Blythewood, which stranded two baserunners in the sixth when they were down 8-3, got a hot start in the final inning.
Bush singled to lead off the inning and Parker doubled her home to make it 11-4 Vikings. Hall reached on a fielder’s choice that struck Parker from the bases. Erin Goff was hit by a pitch and Grace Campbell singled in Hall to make it 11-5, but that was the most Blythewood could get.
Savannah Simpson struck out and Courtney Watts hit into a game-ending fielder’s choice.
“You leave runners on base and make errors, it’s not a success,” Atkinson said. “Not a success.”
Spring Valley 0-0-5-1-2-0-3-11 12 0
Blythewood: 0-1-2-0-0-0-2-5 8 3
WP: Molly Coleman LP: Emily Bush
Hitters: Spring Valley – Jordan Bostic 4-4, HR. Molly Coleman 2-3, 2B. Alexis Edgerton 2-3. Mary Freeman 2-3. Jade McKie 2B. Blythewood – Kendall Parker 2-3, 2B. Grace Campbell 2-3, 2B. Emily Bush 2-4.
It was the day of the pet in downtown Winnsboro on Saturday as all kinds of dogs (as well as a baby goat) arrived at the gazebo on Congress Street for the third annual Downtown Merchants’ Paw Parade.
After registration, the contestants settled into competition mode, and the judging began. And this year, it was serious judging.
There were several competition categories, such as ‘Best Tail Wagger,’ ‘Best Smile,’ ‘Best Costume,’ etc.
Then the four-legged contestants took to the streets for a sidewalk parade. It was a traffic stopping event.
Following the parade, the winners were named and awarded gold star trophies. Best in Show went to TY10, the big German Shepherd. TY10 also won the coveted ‘Best Behavior’ trophy.
The Paw Parade is an initiative of the Winnsboro Downtown Merchants Association supported by the Town of Winnsboro and the Fairfield Chamber of Com
Recently I took a little road trip deep into the South to the place I call home. I drove along dirt roads, watched chickens peck while I sipped coffee and silently cursed the fact that there was not a grocery store within 40 miles that stayed open past 6 p.m.
Seeing old friends and family is always a delight and reminiscing about old times is even more delightful. At one point, conversation turned to my grandfather and how a great portion of the food I grew up with came from his farm. I was particularly fond of thick, slab bacon, turnip greens and cornbread.
Driving back to Blythewood I began to daydream about cornbread. I grew up eating buttermilk cornbread bread cooked in a black iron skillet but on some level I knew there was much more to be done with stone ground cornmeal.
A little investigating and good old-fashioned community cookbook turned up lots of great cornmeal recipes. It was a brutal decision, but I managed to narrow it down to my top three.
I was instantly intrigued by a cornbread that was leavened with yeast and included a lot of flour. What sort of Yankee invention was this? At first glance, I’d be hard pressed to call this cornbread yet this airy loaf is exactly that. While traditional corn bread is a quick bread that is leavened with baking powder, Arizona Corn Bread is more time consuming and depends on yeast for a rise.
I love this strange (to me) mix of yeast bread and corn bread. This is best straight out of the oven; it tends to go stale quickly. If this happens, immediately cut it into cubes and make croutons for taco salad or chili.
Arizona Corn Bread
Yield: 2 loaves
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tablespoon sugar
2 packages (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
½ cup canola oil
½ cup chopped green onions
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¼ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup cream style corn
2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
5 to 6 cups all purpose flour
Additional cornmeal
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients; set aside. In a saucepan, heat the sour cream, oil and onions to 120°F to 130°F. Add the to the cornbread mixture; beat until blended. Beat in the eggs, cheese, corn and jalapenos. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about an hour.
Punch the dough down; turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into two loaves. Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans; dust with additional cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down in the prepared pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
Brush butter over the loaves; bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown; cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.
Remove from the pans and cool on wire racks.
Southern culture is a complicated thing. We have much to regret, but we’ve done a few things right, pimento cheese and corn muffins come to mind. Pimento cheese folded into corn muffin batter can transform a bad day into a good day. I am not joking. Try it and see.
Pimento Cheese Muffins
Yield: 6 jumbo muffins or 12 regular muffins
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup prepared pimento cheese
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray and set aside.
Place the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and sugar in a mixing bowl; whisk to combine. In a separate mixing owl, combine the milk, oil, and eggs; stir to fully combine and then stir in the pimento cheese.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill the muffin tins 2/3 of the way and bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 3 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack. I prefer these served hot.
Making cookies with cornmeal was a new experience for me. These Peanut Butter Cornmeal Cookies are such a nifty twist on a traditional peanut butter cookie. I love the crunchy, sandy texture that the addition of cornmeal gives these little gems. You’ll want to have some in the cookie jar with friends come to visit. They go just great with a glass of sweet tea on the porch.
Peanut Butter Cornmeal Cookies
Yield: about 4 dozen
½ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Drop by the teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
BLYTHEWOOD – After a lengthy discussion about their desire to downzone Blythewood’s R-5, R-8 and R-12 high-density zoning districts to the D-1 zoning district with minimum lot sizes of 20,000 square feet, Council sallied forth Monday evening to vote unanimously against a zoning request from developer D.R. Horton for those same high density zoning districts on 89.65 acres on Wilson Boulevard.
Horton’s request came with a recommendation of denial from the Planning Commission who had voted against the request two weeks earlier.
“It seems a challenge to approve this considering what we have just been discussing,” Councilman Malcolm Gordge commented. “It is illogical to approve this zoning,”
“I agree,” Mayor J. Michael Ross said. “We just talked about the Planning Comnmission to downzone and here we would be approving something to be actually R-5 and R-8 which is what we want to get away from. Until we get the infrastructure that we need and that we have planned for, it seems we are making a mistake to not slow down and go to a larger size lot so the density is reduced.”
The audience applauded, and Councilman Tom Utroska continued with that thought.
“A lot of towns have this (high density) zoning,” Utroska said. “But we don’t have a property tax here. If we do (what they do) we’re going to wind up with a property tax so we can afford all these subdivisions. The residents who contacted me are totally opposed to high density.”
“The people who called me want that 98 acres downzoned to larger lots,” Councilman Eddie Baughman said.
After several other similar testimonials from Council members, Utroska called for the vote and it was unanimous against Horton’s request.
Council had initially discussed eliminating R-5, R-8 and R-12 zoning altogether. Acknowledging that eliminating the three zoning districts could turn in to a mountain of administrative work for the Town staff and Council, Utroska asked Town Planner Michael Criss if there was another way to accomplish their desired goal of less density without the peripheral problems that might be created with the complete elimination of the three zoning districts.
Criss suggested an alternative approach that involved selecting undeveloped parcels of land within the R-5, R-8 and R-12 zoning districts and rezoning them to a lower residential density.
“This would declare the Council’s concern about the density and pace of residential development in Blythewood and at the same time preserve the zoning of existing or vested developments,” Town Administrator Gary Parker told Council.
Council can not vote on the issue until it goes before the Planning Commission for a recommendation.
WINNSBORO- Greats Fall managed to just edge-out Richard Winn in a 11-10 fireworks show. that went into extra
innings, and consisted of late-inning heroics as well as a controversial ending. The game was called in the eight inning on a technicality with Richard Winn trailing by one with a man on third, after a pitch passed the catcher and the Eagles’ batter stepped out of the box, a no-no in high school baseball and was tagged out.
“I hate to see a really good game end like that,” Richard Winn head coach Paul Brigman said. “We showed a lot of heart tonight and came back twice from pretty difficult situations and I feel like we were about to tie the ballgame back up and to have something happen like that to kinda end it was just disappointing.”
The scoring onslaught began early on. Great Falls’ first batter of the game Connor Henson reached on an error, then swiped second before being brought home by a Tydris Tharpe RBI single.
Richard Winn’s bats went down in order in the first two innings, and the Eagles only brought four batters up to the plate in the third. Meanwhile, the Red Devils padded their lead with two more runs in the second frame, via a walk and an RBI grounder.
Down 3-0, the Eagles made their move in the fourth. Brandon Miller sparked the beginning of Richard Winn’s offensive onslaught when he led the inning off with a single and Chris Christianson followed him-up with a base on balls.
The Red Devils got the next two batters to hit shallow fly balls that kept the runners on second and third at bay, but Jimmy McKeown’s big double scored Brandon Miller.Ethan McManus, Richard Winn’s next batter, ripped a single that scored Christianson’s pinch-runner.
Offense kept coming in Great Falls’ half of the fifth. Josh Lewis knocked in Aaron Blackmon from second with a ground-rule double, that stretched their lead to 4-2, but an excellent Richard Winn double play prevented further damage.
Thanks to a couple of singles mixed with three walked batters, including one intentional walk and a wild-pitch the Eagles had a three-run fifth inning. Jimmy McKeown recorded his second RBI of the night in the inning, and Richard Winn took their first lead of the game, 5-4.
The lead was short-lived because the Devils tied it back up in the sixth. Connor Henson also picked up his second RBI when he knocked in Trent Eisenhower.
Nothing was going for was the Richard Winn offense in the sixth, leaving things tied up at 5-5 headed into the final frame. Aaron Blackmon was hit by a pitch and Josh Lewis walked to start the seventh.
Trent Eisenhower knocked both of those runners in with a double, but he was tagged out trying to stretch his double into a triple. Still, Great Falls held a 7-5 lead, and Richard Winn had only three more outs to come back.
It did not look good for Richard Winn to start off the seventh, as they popped out easily for the first two outs, but a Bryant Carvalho single kept the game alive. Then, Jimmy McKeown channeled his late game heroics, and knocked in a double to pick-up his third RBI, but most importantly it brought them a point closer to a tie.
A couple of wild pitches led to McKeown crossing the plate for the game-tying run, and the game headed to an extra inning. Richard Winn walked the first Great Falls batter of extra innings, then allowed a single and then another walk that juiced the bases up.
Koby Roof cashed in when he hit a ball perfectly to the gap for a bases clearing triple, and Roof scored on a fielding error in the same play. One swing of the bat put the Eagles down 11-7, and again they had just three outs to tie it back up.
The bottom of the eight kicked with a routine fly-ball out, but Peyton Gilbert reached base on a one-out single. Brandon Miller walked on the next at bat, and Chris Christianson followed with an RBI-single that scored Gilbert from second.
Zack Taylor grounded out for the Eagles second out, but not before Miller could score from third. Bryant Carvalho picked up another clutch hit with an RBI-single that pulled the Eagles within one, and then stole a couple of bases to get to third.
That left to game resting on the bat of of Jimmy McKeown, who came in with three hits and three RBIS, but he would not get a chance to swing it. The umpire called the third out after a pitch passed the catcher, and McKeown stepped out of the box, which opened him up for a tag and out.
“We’ve been talking all year about how young we are but we really in the last four or five ball games we’ve turned a corner,” Brigman said. “We were just talking, we scored 50 something runs in the last four ball games. Our hitting has came around it’s really just about us trying to find good solid pitching to go along with it right now.”
Richard Winn still remains in a good spot as far as the playoffs concerned, which start on May 1.
RWA: 0-0-0-2-3-0-2-3-10
GFHS: 1-2-0-0-1-1-2-4-11
Hitting: 1B- Peyton Gilbert (3), Brandon Miller, Bryant Carvalho (2), Jimmy McKeown, Ethan McManus (RWA); Connor Henson (2), Koby Roof, Austin Parker, Tydrus Tharpe (2) (GFHS). 2B- Chris Christianson, Jimmy McKeown (2) (RWA); Josh Lewis, Trent Eisenhower (GFHS). 3B- Koby Roof (GFHS).
Pitching: WP- Connor Henson, LP- Ethan McManus
COLUMBIA – State Senator Mike Fanning has been cleared by the State Law Enforcement Division of accusations by an Estill woman last fall that Fanning had an inappropriate relationship with her when she was a teenager and a student in his class.
In a report filed with the Hampton County’s Office Sept. 30, 2016, the woman said the relationship lasted into her college years.
“Based on a review of the materials provided and research of the applicable law, the information given would be insufficient to support any general sessions charges,” SLED investigator Sean P. Thornton stated in a memo last month. “I would note that the law prior to 2010 did not include a specific section dealing with teacher student relationships,” Thornton wrote.
PROSPERITY- The fourth seed Region 3-A Fairfield Central Griffins dropped their opening round playoff game 11-1, to the sixth seeded Mid-Carolina Rebels. Rebels’ starting pitcher Jonathan Bickley dominated with just two hits allowed, zero earned runs and struck-out five,
“If we don’t find a way to get to our next game that’s going to be McManus’s last time pitching,” Griffins’ head coach Scotty Dean said. “He’s our best guy, he wasn’t on today, I seen him do much better. On top of that we didn’t hit the ball. We only had two hits and that’s tough when you’re playing the number six 3-A baseball team in the state of South Carolina.”
The Mid-Carolina Rebels made the first dent on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning. Corey Stone, the second batter of the inning, reached on a single and Bickley earned him self some run-support by scoring the runner on a double.
Fairfield tied things back up in the second after a bases loaded walk brought Travious Williams’ pinch runner in from third. Williams had singled to open up the inning, and was replaced on the base-path by Ledeavux Ashford.
The 1-1 tie was short-lived, and Mid-Carolina opened themselves up a lead with a three-hit, four-run third inning.
The Griffins walked two and tossed two wild pitches to help the Rebels’ cause.
A hot Mid-Carolina kept padding the lead in the fourth, while the Griffins’ went down in order in two of the last three innings. Jalen Bates Caldwell started the inning off with a single, and after a couple of wild-pitches, he found himself on third.
Cade Ruff brought Caldwell home to score with a deep sac fly. Corey Stone followed him up with a double, and his third hit.
Ruff came into score after Jonathan Bickley picked up a second RBI-single. That left the bases full for the Rebels with just one out left, but CJ Simmons got a double play, but Mid-Carolina bounced back with a big fifth, that finished the game off.
A couple walks and three hits, including a double off of the bat of Caldwell. Cade Ruff knocked in a couple RBI’s on a single, and then came home on a wild-pitch for the eleventh and final run for the Rebels.
The Griffins travel to Emerald High School on Thursday. If they lose the season is over, but a win will keep the season alive, and the Griffins will hit the road Saturday.
“Like I just got through telling them you got to fight, you got to scrap,” Dean said. “ To win every pitch, to win every inning, to win every out, and just extend the season by getting to the next pitch and getting to the next out. It’s tough, you spend a lot of time with these guys, these seniors, they worked their butt off. I think we’re a better baseball team than what shows sometimes. That team ain’t ten runs better than us.”
FCHS: 0-1-0-0-0-1
MCHS: 1-0-4-2-4-11
Hitting- 1B- Travious Williams, Harvey Smith (FCHS); Jalen Bates Caldwell, Cade Ruff, Corey Stone (3), Jonathan Bickley, Hunter Clinton (MCHS). 2B- Jalen Bates-Caldwell, Corey Stone, Jonathan Bickley, Preston Farmer (MCHS).
Pitching: WP-Jonathan Bickley , LP- Stanley McManus
BLYTHEWOOD – The second annual Order of the Bengal was hosted Thursday evening at Doko Manor by former 
Blythewood High School Superintendent Dr. Sharon Buddin O’Keefe and the BHS Education Foundation. The Order of the Bengal recognizes individuals in the Blythewood community, outstanding Bengal alumni and current or former faculty and staff who have significantly and positively contributed to Blythewood High School. The Order was bestowed on 11 honorees or their repersentatives, in photo at right.
Nicole Durig (left) was the first individual State Champion at BHS. Mark and Karen Greiner accepted the Order of the Bengal for their son Grayson Greiner, former Blythewood and University of South Carolina baseball standout who played in the College World Series and is currently playing in the Detroit Tigers organization with the AA Erie Sea Wolves. Melanie Jinnette was the first BHS band booster president. Dr. Greg Glover was the first guest speaker at the dedication ceremony of Blythewood High School in 2005. Marianna McKeown was the Student Activities Director at BHS from 2005 to 2011. Jack Carter, Chief Operations Officer for the District, managed the building and construction of the school in 2005. Ms. Jamison represented her son Rodney Jamison who was posthumously honored as a member of the 2006 State Championship football team. Rodney scored the first touchdown in BHS football history. Josh Fulmer is the first former BHS student to return as a teacher and was a member of the 2006 varsity football State Championship team. Jeff Scott, Co-Offensive Coordinator with the National Champion Clemson Tiger football team, coached the BHS Bengals football team to the 2006 State Championship during the school’s first year of conference play. Kevin Shull and Doug Payne represented Bill Hart, CEO of Fairfield Electric Cooperative, as the BHS Business Partner. Not pictured: Vince Lowry, former Athletic Director for Blythewood High School.