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  • The Voice receives demand letter

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Voice newspaper and its publisher, Barbara Ball; Blythewood Town Councilman Donald Brock; and the Town’s Marketing Director Jordan Langland received demand letters on Monday, Dec. 15, threatening legal action if certain demands were not met.

    California entertainment attorney Imene Meziane sent the letter on behalf of Blythewood resident Edward Straiter and his business, UniversalCMG World Entertainment.

    The issue concerns a $20,000 award to UniversalCMG last spring from Blythewood’s hospitality tax tourism revenue for the purpose of producing a Juneteenth celebration in Blythewood. That event and other nighttime events in the town were subsequently temporarily cancelled by a town council vote due to public safety concerns.

    “This correspondence serves as a formal demand regarding false, defamatory, and damaging statements published by The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County on Dec. 4, 2025, and written by Barbara [Ball regarding] statements made by Councilman Donald Brock and Jordan Langland,” Meziane wrote.

    The letter, demanding ”retraction, correction, apology and monetary damages arising from defamatory publications concerning Edward Straiter and UniversalCMG World Entertainment,” addressed a story titled, ‘Blythewood Town Council looking for $20K paid out for cancelled event,’ published in The Voice on Dec. 4, 2025.

    The story quoted Brock as saying in a public session of town council, “$20,000 walked away, and it can’t be accounted for.”

    Meziane wrote that Brock’s statement, “was patently false and defamatory,” and that “Barbara Ball, in republishing and amplifying this false allegation in The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County, acted with reckless disregard for the truth by failing to verify key facts… Her article falsely suggested unlawful or unethical appropriation of public funds and thus conveyed an accusation of misappropriation amounting to libel per se under South Carolina law.”

    Meziane added that “Mrs. Ball relied upon incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading information supplied by Jordan Langland, the Town’s Marketing Director, who failed to disclose material obligatory terms, the non-refundable nature of the expenditures, the Town-initiated cancellation, and UniversalCMG’s subsequent successful relocation of the event.”

    Meziane included a list of non-refundable deposits amounting to $19,130 that she said UniversalCMG paid out for the 2025 Juneteenth event before the town “unilaterally cancelled the Juneteenth Celebration, citing public-safety concerns.”

    “Under South Carolina law, libel—the written publication of false and defamatory material—is actionable where it harms a person’s reputation in the community or deters third parties from associating or doing business with them,” Meziane wrote.

    Meziane claimed that Ball’s statements are “actionable as libel per se, imputing criminal conduct and professional unfitness in violation of South Carolina law.”

    For that, Meziane’s letter demands immediate retraction and correction, a public apology, $500,000 for compensatory damages, punitive damages, and preservation of evidence.

    Media Attorney Jay Bender, who represents The Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County and Barbara Ball, responded to Meziane’s demand, citing several South Carolina laws. 

    “There is a fair report privilege available under the common law and the First and Fourteenth Amendments that protects from liability one who publishes a substantially accurate report on statements made by public officials in a meeting and for reporting the contents of public records,” Bender wrote.

    “I have reviewed the news report referenced in your letter and note that the statements to which you and your client take exception quote directly public officials and public records.  In other words, the news report was privileged,” he stated.

    Bender cautioned Meziane against pursuing a legal action, stating that a court in South Carolina recently awarded a newspaper and its reporter more than $76,000 as sanctions against a lawyer and his client for initiating and maintaining a libel action based on the privileged reporting of public records.

  • 17-year-old suspect arrested for murder of 17-year-old

    WINNSBORO – On Saturday, Dec. 13 just before 11 p.m., the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of shots fired at the Winnfield West Apartment Complex.

    Upon arrival, deputies located a 17-year-old male inside an apartment with apparent gunshot wounds. Emergency Medical Services responded and pronounced the individual deceased at the scene.

    Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill has identified the victim as Marvin Donnell Jones, Jr. of Winnsboro.

    The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Crime Scene Unit, along with SLED Special Victims/Child Fatality investigators, were notified and responded to assist with the investigation.

    During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect is also a 17-year-old juvenile male. A short time after the investigation began, the suspect voluntarily turned himself in at the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Fairfield County Detention Center, where he will be charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

    An autopsy was scheduled with Newberry Pathology in Newberry for Tuesday, Dec. 16. This continues to be an active investigation by the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office and SLED.

  • $2.7B offer to revive VC Summer nuclear project

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – A sales agreement approved Monday by Santee Cooper would remove $2.7 billion worth of debt from customers’ power bills as part of a major nuclear restart in South Carolina.

    More than eight years after abandoning the project, the state-owned utility’s governing board unanimously passed an agreement, known as a memorandum of understanding, with New York investment firm Brookfield Asset Management for the purchase of two partially built nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in Fairfield County.

    Santee Cooper and Brookfield must still go through feasibility and other due diligence studies, so the deal could still fall through.

    Regardless, a date for the $2.7 billion payment is unknown.

    It depends on Brookfield finalizing its investment decision. An estimated date won’t be set until June.

    Under the negotiated terms, Santee Cooper will maintain an ownership interest in the reactors of up to 25%. This would give customers access to the power the reactors would produce if completed.

    Santee Cooper also expects Brookfield to use South Carolina companies and workers to complete construction.

    And Brookfield must reimburse Santee Cooper for any past and future costs it racks up as part of the deal-making process. That could include money the utility spent on the consultants who helped it solicit proposals and sort through bids, as well as the cost of cleaning up the site for visitors.

    Santee Cooper and the now defunct South Carolina Electric & Gas started construction on the two first-of-their-kind nuclear reactors alongside an existing unit near rural Jenkinsville in early 2013. But the project was riddled with delays, cost overruns and fraud that led to multiple federal convictions of former executives.

    The utilities abandoned the plant’s expansion in 2017, but not before jointly spending $9 billion on the reactors that never produced a single megawatt.

    Santee Cooper’s share of the debt was $3.6 billion, which customers so far continue to pay for on their monthly bills.

    “Our customers have been paying for this,” Santee Cooper CEO Jimmy Staton said. “It’s time they got some value for it.”

    With a $1 trillion global investment portfolio, Brookfield is seen by supporters of the nuclear reboot as a financially solvent partner capable of taking on the project expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

    “It’s a very attractive deal,” said Sen. Tom Davis.

    The Beaufort Republican has been a champion of the effort to take the failed nuclear project from “a $9 billion hole in the ground” to a possible solution for South Carolina’s growing power needs.

    “It’s all come to fruition in the best possible way for South Carolina,” he said.

  • Portion of Wilson Blvd to close on Dec. 14

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood drivers can expect delays on Wilson Boulevard (Hwy 21) during a temporary road closure while Norfolk Southern installs a new rail crossing.

    According to a notice issued by Norfolk Southern, the Wilson Boulevard will be closed in an area just south of where Rimer Pond Road intersects with Wilson Boulevard, for approximately 12 hours (from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) on Sunday, Dec. 14.

    Traffic will be detoured north and south of the closures on Wilson Boulevard. Electronic signage boards detailing the closures will be set up in the area ahead of the detour.

    Norfolk Southern officials say the closure was strategically planned for a weekend and outside school hours to minimize impact on the public’s travel.

    According to the news release, planning for the closure was coordinated with the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Richland County.

    To avoid delays, drivers should plan ahead for the temporary route disruption.

  • Ordinance aims to regulate vacant buildings

    WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro Town Council passed second and final reading Tuesday night on a new ordinance aimed at cracking down on persistently vacant buildings in Winnsboro’s downtown. The ordinance is aimed at long-empty structures that drag down property values that they say invite crime and stall revitalization efforts, specifically in the downtown area of Winnsboro.

    Ordinance 165 provides a new section in Winnsboro’s building code titled “Vacant Building Regulations.” The new code focuses specifically on the town’s core downtown area and requires owners of vacant buildings to register their properties with the town, in order to secure them, and improve their appearance.

    Council cites its authority to pass the ordinance under a state law that allows the government to “enact such ordinances and regulations as appear necessary and proper for the security, general welfare, and convenience of the Town,” including the abatement of nuisances.

    Why the Ordinance?

    In the findings section of the ordinance, council wrote that persistently vacant buildings are an impediment to neighborhood redevelopment and rehabilitation, lead to lower property values, and create a barrier to a stable neighborhood.

    According to the ordinance, vacant buildings are often unsightly, more likely to become structurally unsound or otherwise dangerous, and can attract criminal activity and create “threats to public health, safety, and welfare.”

    “These issues are felt most acutely in the downtown area,” Winnsboro Town Manager Chris Clausen said. “Part of the reason is that the lots in the downtown area are smaller and the buildings are in close proximity to each other.

    “And when structures get old, they tend to deteriorate more quickly, especially if they are left empty and not maintained.” Clausen said. “Plus, when buildings are vacant, it’s more difficult to find the person who owns them or responsible for them. We feel we need a formal system to identify owners and hold them accountable.”

    What the ordinance does

    The ordinance provides a registration system that will make it easier for county staff to identify and track vacant buildings in the defined downtown area. It will also require owners to secure and maintain those buildings to minimize safety hazards and blight.

    Clausen said the ordinance will help improve the aesthetics in areas where empty storefronts have existed for a long time. The goal is to make them attractive so they don’t detract from other ongoing downtown improvement initiatives.

    To support the enforcement of the ordinance, Town council will adopt a fee schedule for vacant building registration.

    Under Ordinance 165, the town code is amended to add the new “Vacant Building Regulations” division to Title XV, Chapter 150 (Buildings). A separate schedule of registration fees – attached to the ordinance as Exhibit B – was adopted along with the ordinance.

    Registration and Deadlines

    Now that the ordinance has taken effect, the Town will next audit all buildings in the downtown area that appear to qualify as vacant. For each building that appears to meet the definition of ‘vacant,’ the town will send a notice to the owner, with a signed, return receipt that shows verification of delivery and an explanation of the new rules.

    Once owners receive the notice, they will have 60 days – and no later than 90 days from the date it was sent – to provide evidence that the building is not vacant, or they must comply with the new vacant building regulations, including registration.

    Public Hearing and Effective Date

    Council held a public hearing at the meeting, but no one appeared to speak for or against the ordinance.

    The Goal: a vibrant, attractive downtown

    “By forcing absentee owners to register and improve their properties – and by giving town staff the tools and authority to identify and contact those owners – we’ll be better able to curb blight, support nearby businesses and residents, and make the town’s downtown area safer and more appealing to business owners and families to want to invest in our community,” Clausen said.

  • SLED charges Fairfield woman with forgery, fraud

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) charged Felicia Ernestine Coleman, 45, with Forgery – Value $10,000 or More – and Obtaining Property Under False Pretenses – Value $10,000 or More – on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. The South Carolina Office of Inspector General requested the SLED investigation.

    According to the arrest warrant, on or about April 29, 2021, through June 3, 2021, Coleman forged or assisted in the forging of a First Citizen’s Bank statement that was then used to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan that she received in the amount of $20,832. This offense occurred in Lexington County.

    The case is based on First Citizen’s Bank’s records, PPP Loan, records and SLED investigation.

    Coleman was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center. The case will be prosecuted by the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

  • One arrested in Nov. 25 shooting in Winnsboro

    WINNSBORO – While investigating a shots fired incident that occurred shortly before 1 p.m. in the area of Columbia Road and 2nd Street, in Winnsboro on Nov. 25, the Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety located multiple spent shell casings in the roadway.

    Investigators were able to identify a white Honda matching the description given at the scene. They identified the driver as Tyrese Robertson, who was already wanted on outstanding warrants.

    The vehicle was located a short time later and Robertson, taken into custody without incident, was charged with Attempted Murder, Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, and Discharging a Firearm Into an Occupied Vehicle.

    This investigation is ongoing; additional charges may be filed. Investigators believe this was a targeted incident between individuals known to one another.

  • Pullen leaving Chamber for position in Florida

    WINNSBORO — The Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce announced in a statement that Dillon C. Pullen will “transition away from his position as President and CEO of the Fairfield Chamber, effective Dec. 10, 2025.” Pullen told The Voice that he has accepted a position with the Chamber of Commerce in Baker County, Florida.

    The statement said that during his tenure, “Pullen has led the Chamber through a period of renewed growth, enhanced community engagement, and strengthened partnerships with local businesses and government leaders.”

    Under Pullen’s leadership, the Chamber expanded its programming and increased membership participation across Fairfield County. The statement noted that his efforts helped launch new business development initiatives and solidified the Chamber’s role as “a central advocate for business and community collaboration.”

    “It has been an honor to serve the businesses and citizens of Fairfield County,” said Pullen. “I am incredibly proud of what our team and board have accomplished together. Fairfield County is on the move, and I look forward to watching the Chamber continue to thrive and support this momentum.”

    The Chamber’s Board of Directors has appointed former Chamber Board Chair Tina Johnson as Interim President and CEO, effective Dec. 11, 2025. Johnson said she expects a smooth transition as the organization continues its mission to strengthen the local business environment.

    “We are grateful for Dillon’s service and dedication to Fairfield County, and we are excited for the new opportunities that await him,” said Johnson. “Dillon will truly be missed. Our Board will now begin the process of searching for his successor, and until then, I will serve as CEO and continue supporting the Chamber and Fairfield County to the best of my ability,” Johnson said.

    “The Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce remains committed to promoting and improving the business environment, stimulating a vibrant local economy, and enhancing the overall quality of life in Fairfield County,” Johnson said.

  • Body of missing NC man found in Fairfield County

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY — The search for a missing North Carolina man came to an end last week in Fairfield County. The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the remains of 33-year-old Jonathan Charles Shores were recovered from a wooded area off Newberry Rd. on Thursday, Nov. 20.

    Shores, a resident of Mocksville, NC, had been reported missing by his family in Davidson County, NC, on Nov. 11, 2025.

    According to officials, the recovery effort was a joint operation involving local and out-of-state agencies. Staff from the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office worked alongside investigators from the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.

    An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 26. The examination is expected to determine the cause and manner of death.

    The circumstances surrounding Shores’ death remain under investigation by the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office and law enforcement agencies in both Fairfield and Davidson counties.

  • Blythewood Town Council OKs ordinance amendments to reflect government change

    BLYTHEWOOD – During a special called meeting at noon on Monday, Nov. 10, Blythewood Town Council members unanimously voted for final approval of Ord. 2025.008 to amend the Town’s code of ordinances to reflect the change in the form of government from a mayor-council form to a council-manager form.

    A ‘whereas’ clause was added to clarify that while the ordinance took effect on second reading (at the Nov. 10 special called meeting), the change in the form of government will not take place until midnight, Nov. 24.

    Council will hold its regular Nov. council meeting later that same day at 6:30 p.m. at the Manor when Councilwoman Trish Hovis and Councilman Rich McKenrick will be sworn into office.

    In the amended ordinance, the mayor is the default presiding officer at a council meeting, according to Blythewood’s town attorney, but a provision was added to Sec. 30.01(A) of the ordinance to allow the council to elect a presiding member for a meeting that would be someone other than the mayor. The state law does not require that the mayor shall preside at meetings of council.

    In that same section, ‘for that question only’ was added to the following sentence: A member present but disqualified from voting on a question by state law due to a conflict of interest shall not be counted for purposes of a quorum for that question only.

    Sec. 32.03 (A)(1) of the ordinance was amended to allow the town manager to “appoint and remove any officer or employees of the town and fix the salaries of such officers and employees …” other than those that are specifically provided in state law for council to appoint.”

    The word ‘town’ was also included with the word manager where it appeared in the ordinance.

    According to the Municipal Association of SC’s guide to forms of government, the Council-Manager form (SC Code Title 5, Chapter 13) must have four, six, or eight council members plus the mayor. Council holds all legislative and policy power and employs the town manager, town attorney, and municipal judge. Council also adopts a balanced budget, which is prepared for council by the manager.

    Under the Council-Manager form, the mayor has no additional power compared to other council members, and has no administrative responsibilities. He/she presides at council meetings by tradition, not by statutory authority. The mayor may exercise informal authority as leader of council and staff as spokesperson for the council.

    The manager, under the Council-Manager form, serves as chief executive and head of the administrative branch, appointing and removing employees, including the clerk. The manager also sets salaries, prepares and administers the annual budget and makes financial reports. The manager also advises council on departments and appointments.