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  • Voice publisher receives Jay Bender Award

    SPARTANBURG – The sixth annual Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism was presented to Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice, at the South Carolina Press Association’s annual meeting in Spartanburg on March 17.

    Jay Bender, left, retired attorney for the South Carolina Press Association, and Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the SCPA, presented the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism to Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice. | Sarah Hinckley

    The award recognizes one daily and one non-daily newspaper journalist in the state who stands up to authority in the public’s interest. As one of the top honors presented by the SCPA each year, it includes a prize of $250 and is named for the SCPA’s attorney of 30 years, Jay Bender, whose career has been dedicated to preserving open government and First Amendment freedoms.

    “Barbara exemplifies exactly what I had in mind when I established the award: a journalist reporting on public affairs, who will push back against the arrogance, cupidity and stupidity of  people in public office,” Bender said. “She is exactly the kind of person that reflects favorably upon journalism and its history. The person who goes out, sees something wrong and reports on it is vital to our democracy.”

    The judges’ comments, which were read during the presentation, made note of Ball’s persistence and dedication.

    “Barbara Ball blew us away with her relentless and aggressive reporting,” the judges wrote, in comments that went on to summarize the range of her work over the previous year.

    “With limited newsroom resources, [she] pushed to get and publish the video of an assault against a detainee at the county detention center. She was persistent in reporting on animal abusers. She followed the story of a town council abusing executive session to prevent the town clerk from bringing her service dog to work. Ball also worked to let the community know what was really going on with the Jenkinsville Water Company, undeterred by intimidation, threats and the circus-like atmosphere of their Board meetings,” the judges wrote. “Ball stands up for the public and refuses to give up when faced with opposition. Her reporting leads to change.”

    “This award recognizes assertiveness in journalism, particularly by journalists who are covering public officials, public figures and public life in general,” Bender said. “To be a reporter, you have to be assertive in the first place, but to go above and beyond like Barbara has done is special.”

  • Council proposes restrictions on POR $

    RIDGEWAY – At its March meeting, Town Council continued chipping away at the Pig on the Ridge (POR) festival steering committee’s longstanding level of involvement with the festival by introducing an ordinance that Interim administrator David Hudspeth said would establish financial procedures for the administration of POR funds.

    While the steering committee – Tom Connor, Councilman Don Prioleau, Rufus Jones and Henry Dixon – has provided general oversight and management of the festival since its inception in 1999, Connor said the Town government has always collected, accounted for, deposited and written the checks for all POR moneys, and that POR expenditures always required Council approval, which was rarely if ever withheld. Council, not POR, had authority to sign POR checks and purchase and cash POR CDs, Connor said.

    In turn, Connor said the steering committee enjoyed autonomy in making decisions regarding how the festival’s money was spent, how charitable donations were distributed, etc.

    “It operated on a gentleman’s agreement between the committee and Town Hall,” Jones said. “There were no problems. Everything ran smoothly. There were no complaints that we mishandled money and no problems from yearly audits. Everything was reported properly and it added up,” Jones said. “We never touched POR cash. It went directly to town hall.”

    Hudspeth’s proposed ordinance would impose strict procedures for all POR expenses and revenues, some of which, Prioleau said, will not work for POR.

    Among those are the requirement that the committee seek Council approval before purchasing a big ticket item such as a town clock which the committee has contemplated purchasing. The committee must also procure goods and services for the operation of the festival in accordance with the Town’s purchasing policies. Prioleau said that won’t work.

    “U.S. Foods works with us. The meat market is up and down, and we don’t lock in on a price ‘till two weeks out,” Prioleau said. “They deliver meat and donate $1,000 to POR. They provide us with quality meat. We can’t just take the lowest bid.”

    “POR has been a community effort and brought the community together. We’ve brought love and commitment and we’ve been doing it for 19 years, so we must have been doing something right,” Prioleau said. “I beg you to review this. We need a better ordinance.”

    After Prioleau’s emotional plea, Councilman Heath Cookendorfer made a motion to table the ordinance until the administrator and POR committee could agree.

    Unlike recent rancorous meetings, there were no interruptions, and Council voted unanimously, 5-0 in favor of Cookendorf’s motion.

    “We’re glad you all are coming to the table,” Mayor Charlene Herring said to Prioleau. “We just want to make sure that we’re all clear and clean. I wouldn’t want anything to stop any of our festivals.”

  • Pope: We need 120 volunteer firefighters

    WINNSBORO – There was good news and bad news about the 20 grass fires that burned 100 acres along Highway 315 S. in Jenkinsville last week.

    Pope pointed out the need for more firefighters at County Council meeting on Monday.

    The good news: “Thanks to the quick actions of our volunteer firefighters, there were no injuries and no structures damaged. Our emergency units did amazing work,” Fairfield County Fire Director Jason Pope reported to County Council on Monday evening. He also reported that the fires, first thought to have been arson, were determined by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department to most likely have been set accidentally, possibly by sparks from a chain being dragged behind a vehicle.

    The bad news: “If the fire had happened during the week, instead of 2:15 on Saturday afternoon, we might have had a different outcome,” Pope said.

    “We have 120 volunteer firefighters in Fairfield County,” Pope said, “but we need twice that many.”

    Pope recently drew attention to the need for more volunteer firefighters in the County. He agreed to donate a check for $300 (contributed by the County’s fire chiefs) to the County’s recreation department if the department’s new director, Russell Price, would agree to be lifted in a ladder truck bucket to the top of the clock tower. Price agreed, and Greenbrier Fire Chief Sammy Castles, standing on a ledge above the clock’s face, greeted Price with the check, a handshake and a firefighter’s helmet that Price wore on the ride down.

    “I’m trying whatever I can to get the word out that we desperately need volunteer firefighters,” Pope said.

    According to the County’s incentive pay rates, volunteer firefighters receive $25 per call. Non-firefighters receive $10 per call. Other incentives include $5 for attending approved firefighter meetings, $15 for attending approved training classes and $15 for responding to wrecks with injuries. Maximum compensation for the month is $250 .

    For information about becoming a volunteer firefighter, call 803-712-1070.

  • Man arrested for attempted murder

    WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro man has been charged with attempted murder and malicious injury for gunning down an acquaintance at the MP Mart across from Fairfield Central High School. The incident occurred on Feb. 20 at about 1:30 a.m. and involved several individuals at the scene.

    Walker

    Reginald Walker, 24, was arrested after he and his brother became involved in an altercation with a teenager at the convenience store. The teenager said he and Walker exchanged words regarding Walker’s sister, and that when Walker showed his gun, the teenager got nervous and hit Walker’s brother.

    A witness inside the convenience store stated that when the teen hit Walker’s brother, Walker came from around the front of his car and began shooting, hitting the individual in the left side.  Walker and his brother and others immediately left in their vehicles according to the report, and two other individuals who were on the scene drove the victim to the hospital.

    The report states that Walker’s brother stated he dropped Walker at his mother’s apartment complex before he (Walker) went to the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety where he gave a statement and was arrested.

    Walker was denied bond on the attempted murder charge and remains in the Fairfield County Detention Center.

  • Element gives $30K for chorus trip

    Before being presented with Element’s check, Fairfield District Honors Chorus presented the songs that they will perform at Carnegie Hall. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County School District’s Honors Chorus learned last September that they are one of five high school bands and choruses chosen to perform next week at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Then, last week, they got more good news when Element TV in Winnsboro donated $30,000 to help finance the $50,000 trip.

    As of last week, the students had only raised $20,000. That’s when Carl Kennedy, Vice President of Human Resources at Element TV in Winnsboro, stepped in. He invited the chorus to perform for the company’s four-year anniversary in Winnsboro on March 9. Following the performance, Kennedy surprised them by presenting them with the check from Element.

    The students will leave by chartered bus on Sunday at 3 a.m., perform Tuesday evening, at 6 p.m., then return to Fairfield County the next day.

    “One of the students told me this morning that they are getting ready to make an impression on the world on the world’s most renowned stage,” Kennedy told the audience. “They are going to make us proud.”

  • Summer concerts coming to amphitheater

    BLYTHEWOOD – A summer concert series is being planned for the Palmetto Citizen’s Amphitheater in Doko Park, with a total of nine family friendly concerts that will begin in June.

    While the plans are still tentative, Martha Jones, president of Bravo Blythewood, said she is announcing the plans now so Bravo Blythewood will have time to survey the community to find out what kind of music and what bands residents want to hear.

    “The concerts will be held on Thursday evenings, with four concerts in June, three in July and two in August,” Jones said. “We are thinking the Aug. 2 date might be a big back-to-school bash that would be free.”

    Jones said Bravo Blythewood will be using a professional concert promoter to handle the bands, vendors, marketing, ticket sales and to oversee the concerts. The cost for the entire series, including the cost for the concert promotion company, will range from $80,000 – $150,000. That cost, she said, might be paid for upfront by the Town Hall, then ticket sales with maybe a $2 surcharge could be used to help pay back that cost to the Town. Jones said Bravo would also be looking to use A-tax money and sponsorship sources to help fund the series.

    “We’ll be sending out the surveys soon,” Jones said, “and I hope everyone will respond and let us know what they want to hear.”

  • FMH on life support

    WINNSBORO – The 800-pound gorilla in the room, also known as Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s mounting financial losses, has for months begged the question – ‘How is FMH going to keep its doors open until the new emergency services facility becomes operational?’

    Month after month, the hospital has tried to stop the bleeding – closing the most unprofitable departments, initiating greater efficiencies in billing and reducing operating costs by more than $2.2 million over the past two years.

    But the financial decline of the hospital continues to snowball, and CFO Tim Mitchell summarized the hospital’s position in no uncertain terms during its monthly meeting on Feb. 27.

    “Fiscal year-to-date operating expenses have decreased by $566,492,” Mitchell told the Board. “But during this same period, gross patient revenues have declined by $1,306,000. Hospital EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the four months ending Jan. 31, 2018 had a deficit of $692,429.”

    In addition, Board Trustee Randy Bright, who chairs the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee, said during the committee meeting that the current budget is already off by about $400,000 because the hospital has failed to make its revenue projections.

    He feared that the hospital is “on pace for a $2,861,000 loss at the end of the year.”

    With no other options left, the hospital turned to the taxpayers for help, in the form of a $4,000,801 funding request to the Fairfield County Council during its meeting the night before the Board meeting.

    The $4,000,801 would be used for several on-going items, Doscher said, such as replacing the hospital’s heating/air conditioning unit and painting the exterior of the building.

    “Some of the funding request would also go towards the planned digitization of hospital patient records since, as we are winding down, we need to deal with all these paper records,” Doscher said.

    Approximately $1 million of the funding would go to support the emergency department until the end of the year, and the remainder – about $2.7 million – would be used to help the hospital deal with its on-going operating losses.

    The Board approved the $4 million county budget request after the fact, with only Board Trustee Ron Smith objecting.  Smith said the request reflected only a worst case scenario and that he wanted the hospital management to develop a best case and an intermediate case scenario to present to the County Council as well.

    Next Steps

    During the County Council meeting Feb. 26, Council Chairman Billy Smith suggested the County purchase the hospital property and thus have a tangible return on the taxpayer’s investment.   Reached by telephone after the Board meeting, Smith said the next steps for County will be to get an appraisal and inspections of the property in order to evaluate its potential purchase.  This could take several weeks, he said.

    Smith noted that the $1.2 million that the County normally budgets for the hospital is part of the FMH budget request and would be provided in quarterly installments as long as the FMH emergency department remains open.  However, this does not necessarily mean the hospital will get everything it asked for.

    “I am not in favor of providing all of the $4 million regardless of the results of the appraisal,” he said.

    “There was no scenario in which any extra funding will be provided over the $1.2 million that the County has traditionally budgeted for the past 20 – 30 years, unless the hospital property is involved,” Smith said.

    Grim Financial Picture

    Despite Board members’ assertion that the need for more than$4 million is a worst case scenario, the information presented during the Finance and Audit Committee meeting prior to the full Board meeting  again highlighted the hospital’s deficit position caused by an unfavorable patient mix, declining revenues and operating costs that are fixed despite an absence of patients.

    For example, the hospital posted adjusted patient collections for January, 2018 of $429,877. This included payments for patient debt collected through tax offsets and the Governmental Enterprise Accounts Receivable collections (GEAR).  Excluding these payments, the hospital collected about $371,000 last month.

    Excluding the GEAR and debt offset payments, Mitchell said, “we have been averaging about $400,000 a month in patient collections, and that is down considerably from a year ago.”

    Mitchell said the hospital had to use some of its board restricted cash to help make the February payroll. Currently, there is a little more than $400,000 in the two funds.  Mitchell proposed moving $25,000 from each fund for a total of $50,000. The board has previously granted hospital management discretion in using board-restricted cash. The finance committee asked Mitchell to pay back these funds from the expected debt set-off and GEAR collections in March.

    By the end of January, the hospital only had a total of 14.9 days cash on hand.  Normally, Mitchell said, the state disproportionate share (DSH) payments and county appropriation the hospital receives in January will help bolster its cash position, but now it is burning through this money a lot quicker.

    For example, Mitchell said, in November and December the hospital’s accounts payable (the money it owes to vendors for goods and services) increased by $200,000.  As of the end of December, 2017, the hospital owed almost $2.9 million for services and supplies to various vendors, making it necessary to use the county and DSH funds to pay down its debts.

    “It’s all a reflection in our decline in revenues,” Finance and Audit Committee Chairman Randy Bright said.  He pointed out that the last time the hospital received the quarterly government funding, it had 28 days cash on hand.

    “If I may re-cast what Randy is saying …our net asset position at the end of October 2017 was $793,000. Our net assets by the end of January 2018 were $283,000.  That is due to these cumulative losses,” Mitchell said. “That net asset position is before we record our unfunded pension liability which is a minus $8 million.”

    Also telling was that the “good” news in the monthly financial report was apparently due to this winter’s flu outbreak. Admissions to the ER department increased to 762 in January from 581 in December, and, therefore, gross revenue exceeded the amount budgeted for the month for both the ER and the imaging services department.

    Even then, Mitchell said, the fact that the emergency department is becoming a much bigger part of the hospital’s “book of business” is not helping its financial picture but it actually hurting it.  This is, by design, he said, since the hospital has closed its cardiac rehab, Blue Granite and home health departments.

    However, a higher percentage of ER patients are either uninsured or receive Medicaid to help them pay for health care.  Of the hospital’s gross charges, 30 percent are self-pay and 34 percent are billed to Medicaid, which pays the least compared to Medicare and commercial health insurance.

    “Typically, we see reimbursement rates from Medicaid at 18 cents on the dollar and from self-pay 15 cents on the dollar,” Mitchell said.

    “So we are seeing an ‘unfavorable’ mix of patients in the emergency department, which is growing as a percentage of our total business.  That is a recipe for these types of numbers,” Mitchell said.

    What’s not making these numbers worse is that the hospital had a considerably better bad debt experience compared to a year ago, Mitchell said.

    Despite this, he pointed out that while operating costs had declined by $566,492, gross patient revenues had declined by $1,306,142.

    “It would be wonderful if they declined by the same amount, but that’s not the way it works, unfortunately. You have got fixed operating costs that either don’t change or that change by very little.   We still have to staff certain departments with the same compliment of services whether we see one patient or a thousand.”

  • Harrison has plans for Pig on the Ridge’s revenue

    RIDGEWAY– After Ridgeway Town Administrator David Hudspeth cashed in 10 Pig on the Ridge CDs in January, prior to their maturity, and deposited that cash into the Town’s General Fund, Town Councilwoman Angela Harrison made a motion at the Feb. 26 meeting that could eventually strip the Pig on the Ridge steering committee of its ability to determine to which charities the festival’s proceeds are given in the future.

    In addition, an item on the March 8 agenda would, if passed, establish financial procedures for the administration of the POR and other festivals.

    The motion came out of an agenda item Harrison asked to have placed on the docket: “Consideration of education grant opportunities for Ridgeway students in District No. 1, Ridgeway.”

    These grant opportunities could be funded, Harrison announced, with profits from Pig on the Ridge and other Ridgeway festivals.

    “Let’s have a charitable purpose of how we can use it [POR profits.] I’ve looked into what we can do…I’m looking at scholarships and ways to give back to our kids. I think it is really important that we use some of our festival revenues…and put it into an educational grant,” Harrison said.

    Before making her motion, “To meet with community and school leaders and partners to develop a budget for an education grant for the whole community,” Harrison unleashed 20 minutes of rapid-fire criticism of the popular barbecue festival that was created 19 years ago by four Ridgeway men: Town Councilman Don Prioleau, former Ridgeway Mayor Rufus Jones, Tom Connor and local Pit Master J. W. Joye. Some years before his death, Joye stepped down and was replaced by Henry Dixon. Prioleau, Jones, Connor and Dixon comprise the POR steering committee and oversee the planning, marketing and management of the festival, the largest barbecue festival in the state for 15 years.  The event is manned by a volunteer army comprised primarily of residents from the community.

    Talking rapidly as she handed out multiple rounds of documents to Council members in dramatic fashion, Harrison took the POR organizers to the woodshed before zeroing in on the agenda item that could eventually transfer control of the POR funds from the steering committee to the community/school committee overseeing education grant opportunities.

    Harrison first lambasted the POR for its out-of-date filing status with the Secretary of State’s office, saying that POR should be in a category for charitable organizations that take in more than $20,000 in sponsor and vendor fees, which the POR does. In that category, the POR would be required to list revenues, expenses and a statement of its charitable purpose with the Secretary of State, not just the Town government. Instead, the festival’s status remains as it was originally filed with the Secretary of State…as an ‘exempt’ charity that brings in less than $7,500 annually.

    “So, the information at the Secretary of State’s office is not correct and we need to have it fixed,” Harrison said.

    Harrison presented no proof, however, that the POR steering committee had made any missteps in reporting revenues and expenses to the Town’s auditor or to Town Hall, which, Prioleau said, has always handled the POR funds. Nor was any proof presented that the POR steering committee had mishandled any of the POR funds in any way.

    Following the Council meeting, Prioleau told The Voice that the failure to update the Secretary of State filing was an unintentional oversight. According to the Secretary of State’s office, that correction can be made by Town Hall in May when the filing is due to be renewed.

    “All this show tonight wasn’t necessary to get a new form filled out,” Prioleau said.

    Next, Harrison said she had “recently sat down and traced the expenditures and revenues from the POR festival and realized that it’s not really giving back to our community as much as it could.”

    She was critical that some of the profits from each POR festival were held in a CD for use as seed money for the next POR festival. Prioleau said the CDs were also used to make large purchases for the town that would exceed the profits from a single year, such as a town clock.

    When Prioleau tried to speak, explaining how ex-Ridgeway Mayor Gene Wilson had helped the POR get organized during its first year and how decisions were made early on to set aside seed money for each successive year’s POR festival, Harrison interrupted him.

    “I’m trying to give you the whole picture,” Prioleau explained to Harrison.

    “I know the whole picture,” Harrison shot back, with a laugh.

    “I listened to you, now…,” Prioleau said before he was again interrupted.

    “Ok, the whole picture,” Harrison said.

    “After the last POR festival, I passed out checks for $300 each to 21 or 22 churches and Geiger Elementary. We’ve donated a lot of money to the community over the years – over $10,000 to renovate the Century House, over $10,000 for a special piece of fire department equipment that we had to save a couple of years for, money to Hurricane victims and to flood victims through the Red Cross, and more,” Prioleau said. “The money in the CDs is just to be sure we have money for the next festival. Now, if you have questions,” Prioleau said, “you need to come to the table and sit down and see what we need to do, but if we’re going to have the festival year after year, either the Town will have to fund it or…”

    “The Town is funding it!” Harrison interrupted again.

    As Prioleau tried to talk, Harrison continued to talk over him.

    “The Town has been funding it,” Harrison said. “You can’t say the Town has not been funding it. It’s been funded by the Town!”

    Prioleau again asked Harrison to let him finish.

    “Pig on the Ridge has never been in the red, not even the first year…” Prioleau said before being interrupted again.

    “I’m not saying you were,” she said.

    “You’re saying the Town is funding Pig on the Ridge,” Cookendorfer interjected and was joined by Prioleau as they emphasized in unison, “but that’s money raised by Pig on the Ridge that the Town is paying out.”

    “I totally understand that,” Harrison said, before changing the subject and repeating, again, that the POR was not filed properly with the Secretary of State.

    “If you’re saying Pig on the Ridge money is not spent properly…,” Prioleau said.

    “You didn’t file it properly, Donald, is all I’m saying,” Harrison said, all the while filming Prioleau and Cookendorfer on Facebook Live with her phone throughout the meeting.

    Cookendorfer told Harrison that she was painting only half the picture.

    “Really?” Harrison asked with a smile and began talking over Cookendorfer again.

    “I am asking to be able to talk without being interrupted,” Cookendorfer said.

    “It’s all right here,” Harrison continued, ignoring Cookendorfer’s plea.

    “Can you stop interrupting?” Cookendorfer asked.

    Mayor Charlene Herring, who had been hesitant to gavel Harrison’s repeated interruptions, instructed Cookendorfer to go ahead and vote on the motion and ask his questions later.

    Cookendorfer insisted he should be allowed to ask questions about the paperwork Harrison handed out since she had not shared it prior to the meeting.

    Asked later by The Voice if she had spoken to Cookendorfer, Prioleau or the other members of the POR steering committee about the Secretary of State information prior to the meeting, Harrison said she had not.

    At Councilman Doug Porter’s suggestion, Herring allowed Cookendorfer to finish asking questions.

    Finally, Harrison segued into a several-minute soliloquy, elaborating on her stated motion and her plans for the education grant committee.

    The vote on the motion passed 3-2 with Herring, Harrison and Porter voting for and Prioleau and Cookendorfer voting against.

    Story updated 3/8/18 at 10:00 to correct Town Council’s meeting date, which is March 8. 

  • SCDOT to repair Blythewood Road Bridge

    BLYTHEWOOD – A 24/7 project to  repair the Blythewood Road bridge spanning I-77 is set to begin by March 15, a  spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Transportation  said Tuesday.

    The project is supposed to be complete by the end of April, but it could take longer. The traffic pattern will not be detoured for the project since the bridge is wide enough to stage the construction so that the lanes can shift and be moved.

    However, there will still be one lane open in each direction throughout the project except when two turning lanes will have to be removed on separate weeks. There will also be some temporary daytime land closures when the staging is being set or shifted.

    Interstate I-77 below the bridge will experience night time lane closures during painting, jacking and bearing repair of the bridge.

    Once the work commences, it will continue 7 days a week until the repairs are complete.

  • Matthews invested as Family Court Judge

    WINNSBORO – Winnsboro attorney Debra Matthews was elected Family Court Judge for seat 2 in the Sixth Judicial Circuit on Feb. 7, to fill the unexpired term of the Honorable W. Thomas Sprott, Jr. Matthews’ investiture was held on Monday, March 5 in the Courtroom of the Fairfield County Courthouse.

    Judge Paul E. Short, Jr. presided over the investiture that was attended by many elected officials, judges and local attorneys as well as Matthews’ family and friends.

    Several of her colleagues spoke during the ceremony, including Family Court Judge Gwendolyn Jones, who told the audience that she has been friends with Matthews since the two, as young attorneys, began their law careers in Winnsboro.

    “Patience and a calm demeanor are the most important characteristics needed for this difficult job,” Jones said, addressing the audience. “Family Court is an extremely emotional area and, Debra, you possess these necessary characteristics, without a doubt. You are firm and deliberate, yet calm and courteous at all times.”

    “I want you to understand that you cannot fix every situation that comes your way, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is your best,” Jones said.

    In offering guidance to Matthews for what lies ahead in her new career, Jones referenced Matthews’s husband who died last summer after battling cancer for several years.

    “Although you were the wife of a residential builder for 28 years, the mother of two sons who are residential builders and you, yourself, hold a residential builder’s license, you cannot fix it all.

    “My dear friend, Debra, you are strong, resilient and a smart, beautiful addition to the bench. Welcome to our wonderful family court. You’ll do well,” Jones said.

    Winnsboro attorney and longtime friend Creighton Coleman praised Matthews for “doing things right.”

    “She has good corporate skills, she has a good temperament, a good work ethic and she’s honest and trustworthy,” Coleman said.

    “Historically, the Sixth Circuit is known to produce some of the finest judges in South Carolina,” Coleman said. “In my opinion, Debra, you will emulate those judges who have served South Carolina well. You will do a great job. We’re proud of you.”

    The investiture concluded with Matthew’s sons, Jody and Raymond, Jr., assisting their mother in donning her robe. Matthews then raised her sons’ hands high and smiled broadly.

    Following the investiture, a reception was held at the Woman’s Club.

    Matthews earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Stockton State University and her Juris Doctorate degree in 1999 from Widener University in the State of Delaware.

    After being admitted to practice in 2001, Matthews opened a private practice in Winnsboro. As a general practitioner, she concentrated in civil and criminal litigation with a heavy emphasis on family law.  Matthews has served as guardian ad litem and as a contract attorney with the South Carolina Commission of Indigent Defense for vulnerable adults, abuse and neglect cases.  She has handled a variety of family law cases.  Her practice also entailed consumer bankruptcy filings in the United States Bankruptcy Court since 2002.

    Judge Matthews was certified as a family court mediator and circuit court mediator in 2010, and is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in South Carolina. She is an active member of the community, having served on the Mid County Water Board, the 6th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Board and the Public Defender Selection Board. Matthews has dedicated her time to the South Carolina Bar pro bono and mock trial programs and serves in her church, St. Theresa’s in Winnsboro, on the finance committee.