BLYTHEWOOD – The South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control (DHEC) confirmed that a fox found near Brunner Circle and
High Pointe Drive in the Cobblestone Park neighborhood in Blythewood has tested
positive for rabies.
One person was potentially exposed and has been referred to
their healthcare provider. Three dogs were exposed and will be quarantined as
required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.
The fox was submitted to DHEC’s laboratory for testing on
Nov. 1. Test results were reported
positive on Nov. 2.
Two other rabid foxes found in Winnsboro caused exposures in
July and again in September.
“To reduce the risk of getting rabies, always give wild and
stray animals plenty of space,” said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program Team
Leader with DHEC. “If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it and contact
someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer,
wildlife control operator, or wildlife rehabilitator.”
An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through
broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or
brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal. If your pet is found with
wounds of unknown origin, consider that your pet may have been exposed to
rabies.
If you believe that you, someone you know, or your pets have
come in contact with this fox, or another animal that potentially has rabies,
please call DHEC’s Environmental Affairs Columbia office at (803) 896-0620
between 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, or after hours and on holidays at
(888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2).
Keep pets up-to-date on their rabies vaccination. It’s one
of the easiest and most effective ways to protect against the disease. This fox
is the tenth animal in Richland County to test positive for rabies in 2021.
For more information on rabies, visit www.scdhec.gov/rabies
or www.cdc.gov/rabies.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has
arrested four suspects in connection with the murder of a man near Blythewood
on October 13, 2021.
Officers say 23-year-old Tyler Hill, 23-year-old Eric Bolar,
30-year-old Antonio Leslie and 40-year-old Antonio Ivery have been arrested and
booked into Alvin S Glenn Detention Center on murder and other charges.
Deputies say they responded to reports of a shooting in the
300 block of Glen Dornoch Way, in Blythewood, around 7 a.m. Oct. 13. After
arriving at the scene, deputies found a man in the yard of the home,
unresponsive, with gunshot wounds to the upper body.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died
from his injuries.
The investigation revealed the four men had shot the victim
during an attempted robbery.
Hill is charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.
Bolar is charged with murder, attempted armed robbery,
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a weapon during
a violent crime.
Leslie is charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.
Ivery is charged with murder, attempted armed robbery,
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a stolen
pistol.
Video Differs with Media Report on Bell’s Brush-Up with 1st Responders
Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill displays some of the protective gear first responders must wear while speaking at the council meeting.
WINNSBORO – In a confrontation with Fairfield County first
responders following last week’s county council meeting, a video showed Council
Chairman Moses Bell, when asked whether he thought he was a county employee,
responding, “Yes, I am.”
During a council meeting earlier that evening, Bell and
council members Shirley Greene, Michael Trapp and Tim Roseborough voted to pass
first reading of an ordinance that would make all full time employees,
including each council member, eligible to receive $1,200 from the first $2.2
million installment of the county’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. A second
$2.2 million installment will be received in 2022. The vote also gives $600 to
all part-time employees and $200 to all temporary employees, including poll
workers, for a total payout to employees of $460,000.
But according to ARP guidelines, council members are likely
not eligible for the funds.
While council members receive salaries, insurance,
retirement and workers compensation paid for by the county, a state official,
in answer to an inquiry by The Voice, said council members are considered
employees for tax purposes only, that they are not employees of the town
subject to town personnel policies or eligible for additional payments to
employees.
Council members not eligible
The U. S. Treasury’s final interim rule on ARP funding only designates
premium pay for essential workers, and it is unlikely that council members can
qualify as essential workers.
According to the state statue, when council votes to
increase pay to its members, that increase cannot be implemented until after
council’s next general election.
In a July 8, 2013 ruling, the S.C. Attorney General stated,
“The General Assembly shall never grant extra compensation, fee or allowance to
any public officer…
“Although the language of this provision expressly prohibits
only the General Assembly from taking any such action, we have repeatedly
advised that it also serves to limit political subdivisions, such as counties
and municipalities, at least in the powers delegated to them by the General
Assembly. Ops. S.C. Att’y Gen., 2012 WL 6218333 (Dec. 4, 2012); 2002 WL 1340428
(May 9, 2002).
“Our Supreme Court has defined ‘extra compensation’ for
purposes of Article III, § 30 as “any compensation over and above that fixed by
law or contract at the time the service was rendered.” State ex rel. McLeod v.
McLeod, 270 S.C. 557, 559, 243 S.E.2d 446, 447-48 (1978).
Councilmembers Clarence Gilbert, Douglas Pauley and Neil
Robinson, who said they were not included in creating the ordinance, voted
against it, saying that essential workers in hazardous jobs like first
responders should get the bulk of the ARP disbursements for employees.
First responders push back
It is that issue that brought 40 or so Fairfield County
first responders to last week’s council meeting to protest what they felt was
the majority 4’s inequitable distribution of the ARP premium payments. Prior to
the meeting, four speakers – Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill, Jennifer
Fitch of EMS and citizens Randy Bright and Jeff Schaffer – supported the first responders’
viewpoint.
While another media stated that public comment speaker Jeff
Schaeffer was ejected from the meeting, a video of the meeting confirms that
while Bell called for Schaffer to be ejected, he was not.
That media also reported that first responders “left in a
huff” and “wait[ed] outside until council adjourned,” and “engaged in a heated
discussion with Council Chairman Moses Bell until a concerned citizen
encouraged Bell to ‘leave for his own safety.’
Video shows no danger
But a video of the scene outside the county building more
accurately shows that Bell was never in any danger from the first responders,
and that it was a South Carolina Law Enforcement (SLED) agent, in attendance on
a separate issue, who placed his hand on Bell’s shoulder as Bell was shouting
at first responders. The agent then guided Bell to his truck and suggested that
he get in his truck and go home. Bell complied, but rolled down his window and
shouted accusations at the first responders as he drove off.
While the video of the encounter shows the situation
becoming boisterous, it also shows Bell thrusting himself into that escalation
time after time, unlike Trapp, Green and Roseborough who exited the building,
acknowledged the first responders, then got into their cars and left without
confrontation.
The video shows Bell readily participating in a shouting
match with first responders. Three times he started to get in his pickup truck
to leave, each time turning back to the first responders, most of whom were
across the street from him.
“You all didn’t say a word when they didn’t give you a
dime,” Bell shouted several times, referencing comments he’d made earlier that
evening in chamber that blamed members of a previous council for refusing to
give CARES Act money to first responders a year earlier.
“Last year, [former
Councilwoman] Bertha Goins suggested that we give the essential workers – to
include EMS and the sheriff’s department – a bonus pay,” Bell said. “Members
from Saving Fairfield got involved and it didn’t even get to the agenda.”
That didn’t happen
Councilman Neil Robinson said that is incorrect.
According to Robinson, the proposal to give CARES Act funds to first responders last year was made by Goins and himself, but that it was Bell who balked at giving the CARES money to the first responders, Robinson said. “He wouldn’t cooperate in funding the first responders unless all the county employees got the same money, just like he’s doing now. He caused such a ruckus that the proposal never went anywhere, never even got to council for a vote,” Robinson said. “It was not Saving Fairfield’s or other council members. Sometimes Mr. Bell gets very creative in how he remembers things.”
Another sticking point with first responders, Gilbert, Pauley and Robinson was the ordinance’s allocation of $500,000 for recreation in Trapp’s district – $350,000 for a park in Blair and $150,000 for park upgrades at Willie Robinson Park – instead of to first responders.
“Is that $500,000 for recreation a bonus, too?” one first
responder called out to Bell, mocking Bell’s insistence that the ARP payouts to
employees was an employee bonus since they had not received a raise last year.
The ordinance allocated payouts for the following:
$350,000 for a mini park on Overlook Road in Blair, Trapp’s district
$150,000 for upgrades to Willie Robinson Park, also in Trapp’s district
$8,000 for a Community in Schools program
$500,000 to repair a DHHS building roof
$75,000 for a project manager position in Economic Development
$30,000 to repair a fire truck engine
“We don’t know yet which of these are actually allowed by
the U.S. Treasury’s interim rule for payout,” Pauley told The Voice. “We have a
lot to look into before paying out this money.
The third and final vote on the ordinance is set for 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8, in council chambers.
CORRECTION: The story originally said that Willie Robinson Park is in Councilman Bell’s district. That was an error. It is in Councilman Trapp’s district.
More than 50 cookers will be lining the tracks at this year’s Pig on the Ridge. | Barbara Ball
RIDGEWAY – The first weekend in November means one thing in Ridgeway: the Pig is back. Friday night’s “No Pigs allowed” runs from 6 – 10:30 p.m. with activities for kids, craft sales, a street party with DJ Doug Pauley, and delicious and different non-pork cuisine for sale.
Saturday kicks off with the BBQ judging contest at 9 a.m.
and the fun lasts until 1 p.m. There will be more of Friday plus a
Classic/Antique Car Display, hog-calling contest and a cruise-by with Town
Councilman Don Prioleau entertaining as he introduces and comments on the
vehicles.
With sunny skies and a slight fall chill, it should be the
perfect weekend for shopping at vendor booths or at the stocked-for-Christmas
shops along Palmer Street.
The Pig on the Ridge is manned by Ridgeway volunteers who
give hours of their time throughout the year to make the festival enjoyable for
the thousands barbecue lovers and shoppers who attend every year.
“We’ll have a new, younger steering committee running the
festival this year,” Rufus Jones one of the original four steering committee
members said. “We’ll be here to help,” he said of the members of the former
steering committee, but they are all experienced and with pit master Tony Crout
heading up the barbecue cookers, it’s going to be lots of fun with plenty of
good food and shopping,” Jones said.
Every year the steering committee holds a dinner prior to the festival for the volunteers. This year it was held at Purity Lodge and guests were catered by Doko Smoke barbecue.
POTR Volunteer Dinner
Larry Weldon
RIDGEWAY – About 50 volunteers who make the Pig on the Ridge
happen gathered at the Purity Lodge in Ridgeway for dinner, visiting and
getting ready for the big weekend starting Friday Nov. 5, and lasting through
about 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 6.
From left are the new steering committee: Deb Truesdale, Mack Miles, Belva Bush Belton, Tony Crout and Tony Jones; and the outgoing POTR steering committee, from left: Henry Dixon, Don Prioleau, Rufus Jones and Gloria Keeffe.
Below, the buffet barbecue dinner catered by Doko Smoke. At right, Larry Weldon, the train man who delivers the barbecue dinners to the train engineer during the festival when the train rolls through town.
JENKIINSVILLE – Seven earthquakes have stuck in and around
the Jenkinsville area over a seven day period with the first on Monday, Oct. 25
and the last on Monday, Nov. 1
All of the week’s earthquakes have been under 2.5 magnitude,
and none were strong enough to be felt by humans.
“We were at our cabin in that area over the weekend when
they were occurring,” Judy Bonds told The Voice, “and we didn’t feel anything.”
Others in the area also reported not feeling any effects from the tremor.
Jenkinsville is located in the southwest corner of the
county, near Lake Monticello and the V.C. Summer nuclear site. The minor
tremors have all been located around the Monticello reservoir near
Jenkinsville.
The latest tremor occurred at 10:59 a.m. Monday, underwater
at the reservoir, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was a 2.0
magnitude and occurred at a depth of just under 0.86 miles beneath the ground
surface.
While it’s not unusual to see quakes at this location in
Fairfield County, according to the S.C. Emergency Management Division, it is
unusual for there to be so many in a short amount of time. However, the SCEMD
said seismologists believe these are normal background activity and are not
indicators of larger earthquakes to come.
BLYTHEWOOD – Current Town Councilman Sloan J. Griffin, III
and Planning Commission Chair Rich McKenrick handily won the two open seats on
Blythewood Town Council Tuesday night.
Passed over for an endorsement by the Blythewood Chamber of
Commerce and openly campaigned against on Facebook by former mayor Mike Ross,
Griffin, with 364 votes (42.72%), was the top vote-getter Tuesday night of the
three candidates. Rich McKenrick, who was the chamber’s pick, garnered 301
votes (35.33%).
Roxann Henagan, a political newcomer, received 141 votes
(16.55%).
Sitting Councilman Larry Griffin, whose name was on the
ballot even though he withdrew from the race shortly after filing for a third
term, received 36 votes 4.23%). There were 10 (1.17%) write-in votes.
Just 519 of the 3,267 eligible electors voted Tuesday, for
an almost 15 percent turnout. Griffin swept three of the town’s four precincts
– Blythewood 1, 2 and 3. McKenrick took the only two votes that were cast in
the Ridgeway 14 precinct.
The chamber board of directors voted to endorse only one of
three candidates for the two open seats on council prior to the candidate forum
and without interviewing the candidates. Ross, who is chairman of the
Blythewood chamber, went after Griffin on Facebook the day before the election,
urging town residents to think twice before voting for Sloan Griffin III.
In its endorsement of McKenrick, the chamber board of
directors noted that McKenrick has “repeatedly demonstrated his support of our
local Chamber of Commerce.” The chamber depends on the town council to fund
many of their public events.
“I just want to thank
all the voters who came out today, who believed in me, who trusted and voted
for me,” Griffin said. “Now, I’m looking forward to serving the citizens of
Blythewood for four more years,” he said following the win.
Griffin recently worked with Blythewood’s State House
Representative Kambrell Garvin to bring $250,000 of the House’s earmarked money
to Blythewood to be used to upgrade park infrastructure and security in Doko
Meadows. He said he’s looking to continue to improve and maintain the park.
“It’ a wonderful asset for the town and for our families,
and I want to be sure we continue to upgrade and maintain it.
“And we seriously want to work toward better traffic control
in the town. That’s a priority on my list,” Griffin said.
McKenrick, who organized a recent survey of 29016 residents
and chairs the town’s planning commission, says he wants to continue moving
Blythewood in the right direction. That direction, he says, has to do with
paying attention to the comprehensive plan that is currently being written for
the town.
“I also think this council needs to rise above petty
differences and concentrate on what’s best for everyone. It’s time to listen to
new ideas and maybe change the way things have always been done,” McKenrick
said. “I would particularly like to see the town get itself out of this mess of
lawsuits and move on to a better place. That’s important.”
The election was held at Blythewood Recreation Park on Boney Road.
Winners Sloan Griffin and Rich McKenrick congratulate each other. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – Though Westwood’s Cross Country teams may not
have pulled first place finishes in the
Region 4-4A meet on Tuesday, Redhawk runners were among the first to
finish in both the girls’ and boys’ runs.
Westwood standout Emma Ashley pulled another first place
overall finish for the girls with a time of 19:39.55. Seventh grader Christina
Tyndall came in second for the Redhawks and 16th overall at 22:43.41. Parker
Horton (24:03.51), Annalisa Athanas (25:49.27) and Faith Tobais (27:40.52)
rounded out the girls’ score.
Westwood’s William Tyndall finished first and in second
place overall with a time of 16:47.72. Aidan Keck followed closely at 16:57.13
for fourth place overall. Joe Eberlin (18:38.54), Bryce Strickland (18:42.53)
and Caden Henderson (19:15.18) were the Redhawks’ top five finishers.
Pepper Douglas, a 3-1/2 year old Schnauzer, of Winnsboro, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge sometime between Wednesday, Oct. 20 and Sunday Oct. 24, 2021 under tragic circumstances.
After the security wire around her yard was unknowlingly
broken at her home on Wednesday, Oct. 20, she and her two pup sisters took the
unexpected opportunity, as curious pups will do, to explore the surrounding
woods. The three most likely spent some quality time tracking and chasing
various small game before her two sisters returned home safely the next day.
Pepper was not with them. She was found Sunday morning
where it appeared she had been laid on the railroad track after possibly being
shot.
On May 5, 2018, Pepper and her sisters were purchased
from a private breeder in Spartanburg, S.C. by Jimmy Ray Douglas. From then
until her untimely death, Pepper’s life was filled with unconditional love,
happiness, and fun adventures.
One of Pepper’s most joyous activities was riding around
downtown Winnsboro with her sisters in the front seat of the family pickup truck
driven by Douglas, who lovingly referred to the three pups as “my girls.”
Pepper, at all times, and considered herself the protector of her two sisters.
She was also known to take seriously the responsibility to alert her family
when visitors would come to the house.
While Pepper was not a famous dog, she was very important
to her family, and the day before she was found, Douglas sent The Voice
newspaper a notice for a $2,000 reward for her safe return.
Pepper is survived by her two sisters, Honey and Sugar
(from the same litter), Douglas and many adoring friends and extended family
members.
She was preceded in death by two older family pets Baby
and Blusslubla, who Pepper was buried next to in the yard at her home.
If
you would like to honor Pepper’s memory, please make a donation to the
Fairfield County Animal Shelter, located at 1678 US Highway 321 N, Winnsboro,
SC 29180 or make a donation by phone at 803-815-0805.
BLYTHEWOOD/FAIRFIELD – The staff of the Central Midlands
Council of Governments seeks public comment and input on the 2021 update of the
natural hazard risk assessment and mitigation plan for the Central Midlands
region, which encompasses Fairfield County and Blythewood.
The purpose of this plan update is to meet the requirements
of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 by helping local governments in the
region to be more prepared and resilient to the impacts of natural hazards,
such as wildfires and floods.
The plan details the nature of the most significant natural
hazards threatening the region, and contains hazard mitigation goals and
strategies that address the natural hazard priorities of participating local
governments. After public comments are addressed, local governments may choose
to pass a resolution to adopt the updated regional plan, making them eligible
for FEMA hazard mitigation grants.
A virtual public meeting will be held through the offices of
Central Midlands Council of Governments on Nov. 1. 2021, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The public may access the plan draft and register for the virtual public
meeting by visiting www.cmcog.org and searching for “Press Releases”. A
physical copy is also available for review at the offices of the Central
Midlands Council of Governments on 236 Stoneridge Drive, Columbia, SC, 29210.
For further information and to provide comments on the draft
plan, individuals may attend the virtual public meeting or contact Mr.
Guillermo Espinosa at (803) 744-5126 or email him at gespinosa@cmcog.org by
close of business hours on Nov.1, 2021.
WINNSBORO – A woman who was found dead in the woods off Bull Run Road in White Oak by Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies may have been the victim of a homicide.
The Charlotte Mecklenberg Police Department notified the
Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, Oct. 14, that a 30-year-old
female named Laporscha Chantal Baldwin was reported missing by her mother on
Oct. 10, and that they had information that Baldwin might have been murdered.
The incident report stated that a witness had reported that
a man named Charles William Combs, 35, was a suspect in the case and had been
in the Bull Run Road area between 3 and 5 a.m. on Oct. 11, possibly attempting
to dispose of the body, according to the report.
At about 5:45 p.m. that day, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s
deputies located the body of a deceased female in a wooded area off Bull Run
Road which was closed due to a bridge being out.
The Charlotte Mecklenberg Police Department identified the
body as that of the victim in their case.
There is no information about how the woman died or a motive
in her death.
The incident is being investigated by SLED and the
Mecklenberg Police Department.
