WINNSBORO – A small earthquake was recorded in Winnsboro Mills Saturday morning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 2.4 magnitude quake was recorded at 1:15 a.m.
The weekend quake was the second in South Carolina in a week and the second in the Midlands this year. A 2.4 magnitude quake was recorded near Pageland on Thanksgiving night, and a 1.6 magnitude quake was recorded in Chapin in May 2017.
WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro woman was charged last week with ‘ill treatment of animals, torture’ for strangling a cat to death.
Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Kerri Anne Dexter, 39, on Nov. 25, after they were called by the woman’s relatives who told them that Dexter had been growing marijuana at her home on Rion Road and had strangled a cat to death, according to the incident report.
Deputies said the relatives told them Dexter had buried the dead cat in the yard somewhere.
The report stated that the relatives expressed concern for the children who lived at the residence because they said Dexter projected her anger on the animal to the point of killing it.
One of the relatives told deputies that Dexter told him that she got angry with the cat for urinating on a bed and strangled it to the point that it died, the report stated.
Dexter also reportedly told deputies that she grew marijuana that she used to self-medicate due to stress, but that her relatives had pulled the plants up and thrown them away.
Deputies seized containers of marijuana seeds and paraphernalia.
Fairfield Animal Control was called and came to the home, dug up and photographed the dead cat.
Dexter was released on a $5,000 bond.
WINNSBORO – The County’s new economic development website has launched. And no one could be prouder of it than Ty Davenport, the County’s Director of Economic Development.
“We wanted our new site to elevate Fairfield County and be attractive to companies interested in investing in the area,” Davenport said. “And I think it does that.”
To view the new website, go to https://www.fairfieldcountysc.com/
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Deputy Administrator Davis Anderson announced last week the hiring of two new directors for the County – Russell Price as Fairfield County Parks and Recreation Director and Denise Bryan as Airport Director.
Bryan, a private pilot with over 12 years in commercial aviation, has served as interim director since the summer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics with a minor in airport management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. She is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
“This is an airport with so much potential to grow,” Bryan said, “I’ll be working to make it one of the most valuable tools in Fairfield County to attract new business.”
Bryan and her husband, Joe, have lived in South Carolina for 24 years and are both involved in the general aviation community.
Effective Dec. 4, Price, who serves as a Fairfield County magistrate, will begin his new role as the Fairfield County Parks and Recreation Director.
“I’ve worked with Russell for 18 years, including his successful tenure at Drawdy Park,” D Anderson said, “and he always gives 100 percent to his job.”
“I’m looking forward to working with the youth of the county again and improving recreational opportunities for the entire county population including seniors, get-fit participants, after school programs and youth sports,” Price said. Price said he also wants to improve the county’s facilities/parks and many of the recreational programs.
“The commitment by the county administration to improve recreation in the county played heavily in my decision to accept the position,” Price said.
Price and his wife, Julie, and their two children, Georgia Kate and Brody, live in Fairfield County.
“Having someone in this job who is from the community who knows the people and has a background in recreation is a plus for the department as it moves forward,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said. “Both of these new directors are an asset to the County. “Having someone at the airport reporting directly to administration will, I think, improve the safety, professionalism and customer service at the airport,” Taylor said.
WINNSBORO – In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, County Council approved a motion by Councilman Neil Robinson to authorize the County’s attorneys to move forward with the filing of a lawsuit against SCE&G/SCANA and any other necessary parties based upon SCE&G/SCANA’s failure to comply with the terms of the fee-in-lieu contract between SCE&G/SCANA and the County, and to also file a temporary restraining order to prevent SCE&G from abandoning this project and not protecting the assets at V.C. Summer.
“SCE&G and the V.C. Summer Station have been valuable members of our community for many years,” Council Chairman Billy Smith said. “However, the Council owes it to the citizens of our County to do whatever we can to recoup the financial losses created by SCE&G’s decision to abandon the project.
The County is not looking for any kind of financial windfall, we just hope that this litigation can get our County closer to the position it would have been in had SCE&G acted in good faith, diligently completed these projects, and not chosen to abandon the construction of the plants.”
The County issued a statement explaining that, on Nov. 21, 2017, Council approved filing a lawsuit against SCE&G over the decision to abandon construction of two new power plants located at the V.C. Summer nuclear power station in Jenkinsville.
In July of 2010, the County and SCE&G entered into a contract known as a fee-in-lieu of taxes agreement. That gave the utility preferential tax treatment by the County in exchange for future payments of fees by SCE&G to the County once the new nuclear units were generating power.
In reliance on the agreement, according to the statement, Fairfield County undertook a number of long term financial obligations including the issuance of $24 million in bonds to finance multiple construction projects and upgrades that were needed in anticipation of SCE&G’s operation of the plants. SCE&G’s decision to abandon the projects has left the County with significant obligations that would not have been undertaken but for the company’s representations to the County.
Also, according to the statement, the decision will cost the County millions of dollars of lost revenue from the abandonment of the fee in lieu of taxes agreement.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office along with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, are investigating a pedestrian fatality which occurred at 17895 Highway 34 West in Fairfield County at approximately 12:48 AM, on November 19, 2017.
Coroner Chris Hill states that Tavares Deantonio March, age 33, of 1517 Chappelltown Road in Winnsboro died from injuries received when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
The incident remains under investigation by the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office and South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Check out the map to see where all of your favorite businesses will be located for the big event!
WINNSBORO (Aug. 25, 2016) – Coaching is the kind of thing that gets into your blood. Not unlike the ministry, one is ‘called’ to do it.
Forty years ago, brothers Chuck and Steve Raley answered that call, and the two have been coaching football, baseball and basketball at Drawdy Park ever since.
Next month, Fairfield County’s local legislative delegation – Sen. Creighton Coleman and Rep. MaryGail Douglas – will recognize the Raley brothers for their service at a ceremony at Drawdy Park on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.
“I’m honored,” Chuck Raley said recently. “But I don’t coach for the recognition. When you coach kids, you bond with kids, and I’ve bonded with so many kids over the years. I’ve had some really special kids.”
Chuck Raley ticked off a few names that came through Drawdy Park on their way to the NFL; names like Orlando Ruff (Seattle Seahawks), Mike Anderson (Rookie of the Year in 1984 for the Denver Broncos) and Tyler Thigpen (Miami Dolphins, et. al.).
And then there are the ones the Raleys coached who are now coaching themselves – Reggie Shaw (head football coach at A.C. Flora), Jonathan Burroughs (head baseball coach at Westwood) and Demetrius Davis (head football coach at Fairfield Central).
Davis said that during his Drawdy Park days, he played football, baseball and basketball for the Raleys, and from them he learned what it meant to be dependable.
“They never missed a practice,” Davis said. “They are both good guys. For them to continue their service for 40 years is a testament to what kind of guys they are. They’ve had a big fingerprint on sports in Fairfield County.”
A youth coach, Davis said, is a key component to any high school’s feeder program, and a youth coach must strike a delicate balance – coaching kids just enough to develop their talents, but not so much that a kid gets turned off on the sport and never plays again. The Raley brothers, Davis said, have been able to strike that balance.
“They’re one of the reasons why football has been so successful in Fairfield County for so long,” Davis said.
Remembering that the game is supposed to be fun, Steve Raley, 58, said, is part of striking that balance.
“You’ve got to make it fun for them,” Steve said. “If you try to over-coach them, it goes over their heads. You don’t want it to get too complicated or too competitive.”
Chuck, 61, said his kids may not know it, but he has them running some rather advanced plays on the football field.
“I run college plays,” he said. “They don’t know it, but they run them. I simplify them a little, but the kids today are very smart. I love watching kids learn and seeing their talent level grow. I love it when they see themselves make plays they couldn’t make when they started.”
Steve said coaching is like therapy for him, and he hopes to keep doing it for years to come.
“I enjoy being around the kids. They’re real special,” Steve said. “It’s been my pleasure to be with these kids. They pick me up a little bit. I love seeing the progress they make and watching them grow.”
The Raleys have seen a lot of changes over their 40 years as coaches, and one change, they said, is concerning.
“It seems like a number of kids nowadays are more interested in video games,” he said. “They didn’t have video games when I started coaching. Now, kids are not in as good of shape as in the past because of video games. They don’t come out and play sports like they used to.”
“I guess they’d rather do it with their fingers now,” Steve agreed.
But one thing, Chuck said, has not changed.
“The quality of talent is still there,” Chuck said. “We’ve still got a lot of good athletes in Fairfield County.”
The Sept. 22 event is free and current and former players, as well as family and friends, are invited.
County Council reacted Monday night to a recent Fairfield County School Board meeting where a presentation was given by Scott Price, an attorney for the S.C. School Board Association and William Halligan of Childs and Halligan, P.A. on a proposed South Carolina Education Finance Restructuring Act.
The act, which proponents plan to bring to the state legislature in January, would equalize state funding for all students, no matter where they live in South Carolina.
Council members Ferguson, Kamau Marcharia and Kinley attended the school board meeting, and were opposed to the proposal.
“The School Board Association hired Fairfield County School District’s attorney Ken Childs to come up with a plan with the help of 16 school board members across the state, not including our own, to take tax money from V.C. Summer nuclear plant,” Ferguson said. “Why didn’t this happen with BMW, Michelin or Boeing? The school board was told they wouldn’t have to go by the County’s millage anymore.”
“It was a two year study paid for by the S.C. Senate and prompted by representatives in Aiken,” Ferguson continued. “No contact was made during this study with the S.C. Association of Counties. I was disappointed that our senator didn’t mention that this study was going on. If money was expended for over a period of two years — that our delegation didn’t know this was going on — expenditures are supposed to be seen by every senator in the state.”
“I would like to talk to Senator Coleman,” Council member Dwayne Perry said, “to see what he thinks about taking the power plant money out of Fairfield County. What is his stance?”
“They think they can come and hire a bunch of high paid lawyers and run ripsaw over us,” said Brown. “They couldn’t go to an Aiken or Charleston County and try to do this.”
“Let the people who decided not to have nuclear reactors in their county decide how they will get money,” Ferguson said. “People are going to come at us and do their dead level best to get our tax money.”
The Independent Voice of Blythewood is now the Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, and the now weekly newspaper is pleased to launch this, its first Fairfield County edition.
As part of its expansion into Fairfield County, The Voice has added two new staff members to lead its news-gathering efforts – James Denton and Jill Cincotta. Denton, a 13-year veteran of community newspapers, will serve as editor and oversee the news operations of The Voice.
“This is a very exciting time to be part of a locally owned community newspaper,” Denton said. “These two communities have so much in common and so much to offer, and we look forward to offering them a strong newspaper.”
Denton can be reached at the Blythewood office at 803-708-8105, or by email at James@BlythewoodOnline.com.
Cincotta, winner of the 2011 Montgomery FOIA Award from the S.C. Press Association, will staff the Winnsboro office, the location of which will be confirmed early next week, and will be the lead reporter for Fairfield County news.
“I am excited about the new venture and looking forward to continuing to report the news about and for the Fairfield community,” Cincotta said.
Cincotta can be reached by email at Jill@BlythewoodOnline.com.
Part of The Voice’s agenda includes a new state-of-the-art Web site, www.FairfieldCountyVoice.com, which went live today. The site will keep readers up to date on breaking news and sports, and will offer a valuable outlet for advertisers to get their message out to readers. The Voice will also soon be launching a mobile application, so readers can take The Voice with them on their smart phones wherever they go.
“One of the best things about The Voice is that it is part of the community,” Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice, said. “Our ownership is right here, our billing is right here, our newspaper is put together right here. It’s not done all piecemeal two or three counties away, or even five or six states away. We’re right here in Fairfield and in Blythewood.”
Ball will handle advertising chores for The Voice. Advertisers can reach her at 803-767-5711, or by email at Barbara@BlythewoodOnline.com.