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BLYTHEWOOD – As the buildings in the massive Scout project are going vertical on the west side of I-77, a giant bridge is being constructed over I-77 and Community Road, just north of Exit 24. The bridge, which will rise approximately 40 feet above the roadway, will accommodate a rail spur that will reach from US Hwy 21 near Boomer Road (just south of the Town of Blythewood), over I-77, to the Scout plant.

 In addition, Hwy 21 will be realigned from just south of Boomer Road, to go around the Fairfield Electric Coop substation and connect back to another section of Hwy 21, just west of the Coop substation.

A new road will connect the realigned section of Hwy 21 to the Scout plant via a new I-77 interchange that will be located just north of the rail bridge over I-77.

The concrete and steel I-77 bridge, rail bed, realigned Hwy 21, as well as the new connector road are funded from a $200,000,000 pot of money provided by the SC Department of Commerce, according to Jae Mattox, Assistant Director of Alternative Delivery for SCDOT. Mattox is responsible for pre-construction efforts of SCDOT’s design build projects in the state.

As for the timeline of these projects, Mattox says the bridge for the rail overpass is approximately 50 percent complete.

“Earthwork is ongoing to bring the site up to the final elevation, and vertical construction of the bridge columns will begin in February,” Mattox told The Voice. “Besides building up the rail bed, we’re installing foundations for the bridge. The bridge itself is going to be very high, about 40 feet above the I-77 roadway. It’s much higher than other bridges you’ll see around here,” he said.

Mattox says the I-77 bridge should be substantially complete by December of this year (2025).

Once the bridge work is completed by SCDOT over I-77, Mattox says Norfolk Southern will begin constructing all aspects of the rail – including the track work – from Hwy 21, over the I-77 bridge to a rail yard at the Scout plant. He says the rail should be completed during spring 2026.

The realignment of Hwy 21 and the bridgework to take Hwy 21 over the rail is anticipated to begin in early 2026. The Hwy 21 bridge over the rail will be four lanes wide to allow future widening of the road (see map on page A1).  A new I-77 interchange, the connector road and a slight realignment of Farrow Road should all be completed sometime around November 2026, according to Mattox.  

“The materials to build the rail will have to be brought in by rail. The strands of steel rails are each a quarter of a mile long,” Mattox says. “You can’t bring them in on a truck. They have to be transported by rail. So, the rails are actually built as the materials are delivered by train.”

Work to both realign Hwy 21 and build the rail track will start at Hwy 21 just south of Blythewood and continue in the direction of the Scout property.

“It was first planned to have an at-grade crossing for the train to travel over the realigned Hwy 21, but it soon became apparent to DOT engineers that would be a safety issue,” Mattox says, “with the increasing traffic on Hwy 21. The best course of action, and the one we chose, is to build a bridge for Hwy 21 to go over the railroad.”

The new I-77 interchange will be built just north of where the rail bridge crosses I-77 (between Blythewood Exits 24 and 27.)

FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Paige Crippen, of Blythewood is currently wanted by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office for charges including Financial Transaction Card Fraud and Financial Transaction Card Theft, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office received a report regarding the fraudulent use of a citizen’s credit card.

Following a review of financial records, investigators were able to identify Crippen as the suspect.  Surveillance footage confirmed Crippen using the credit card for unauthorized purchases.

According to the news release, investigators have obtained an arrest warrant for Crippen and have made multiple attempts to locate her, but these efforts have been unsuccessful.

Anyone with information on Paige Crippen’s whereabouts or who has seen her is urged to contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office at 803-635-4141 or Investigator Robert Byrd at 803-815-4120.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Due to the National Day of Mourning for President Carter, the National Regulatory Commission (NRC) is rescheduling the Jan. 9 public meeting about the V.C. Summer plant. The NRC will provide the new meeting details as soon as possible.

The NRC is seeking public comment on the draft supplemental environmental impact statement for a second, or subsequent, renewal of the operating license of Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit 1, in Jenkinsville. The draft report contains the NRC staff’s evaluation and preliminary conclusion that no environmental impacts would preclude extending the license from 60 years up to 80 years.

The NRC staff held a webinar on Dec. 17 to gather information. The rescheduled meeting will be in-person. As part of these meetings, the staff will describe the environmental review process and accept comments from the public on the draft report.

Members of the public can also submit comments on the draft report online at regulations.gov, under Docket ID NRC-2023-0152; by email to SummerEnvironmental@nrc.gov; or by U.S. mail to Office of administration, Mail Stop TWFN7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The deadline for submitting comments is Jan. 21, 2025.

Summer Unit 1 is a pressurized-water reactor about 26 miles northwest of Columbia, S.C. It was initially licensed in 1982 to operate for 40 years, until 2022. The NRC approved a first license renewal in 2004, extending operation for 20 years until 2042. The plant owner, Dominion Energy South Carolina, submitted the subsequent license renewal application on Aug. 17, 2023, seeking to extend the license to a total of 80 years of operation, until 2062. The subsequent license renewal application can also be viewed at the Fairfield County Library located at 300 West Washington Street, in Winnsboro.

The draft report is part of the NRC’s environmental review, and is available on the NRC’s website. A final supplemental environmental impact statement is anticipated to be issued in June 2025. General information about reactor license renewal is also available on the NRC website.

For more information, contact Scott Burnell at 301-415-8200.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Just before 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a missing 83-year-old man with a heart condition in the Lake Monticello area. The man’s daughter reported that she had last seen her father around 9 p.m. the previous evening. 

When deputies arrived at the residence, they began a preliminary search of the area. Shift Lieutenant McLemore found several concerning signs: the front door was open, the man’s hat was in the yard, and a piece of clothing was discovered at the edge of the woods. A perimeter was quickly set up, and investigators, along with the Sheriff’s K-9 units, were called to assist in the search. 

With temperatures dropping to the mid-20s overnight and only reaching around 40 degrees this morning, time was of the essence. The K-9 team, led by Sgt. Alan Cox, began a detailed search of the area. Investigators also worked with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to track the missing man’s cellphone. Additional K-9 units and drones were dispatched from the Chester County Sheriff’s Office to assist. 

After about an hour of searching, a breakthrough came when one of the K-9 officers spotted a figure at the bottom of a 20-foot ravine. The officer descended into the ravine and confirmed it was the missing man, who was alive but weak. Lt. McLemore then carried the man out of the woods for much needed medical care. EMS was notified, and the man was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Despite the cold temperatures and the man’s heart condition, he is expected to make a full recovery. 

 WINNSBORO – The National Weather Service has confirmed three tornadoes swept through Fairfield County Sunday morning. 

The most significant of the three tornadoes was the last one to hit the county and was rated an EF-1 with peak winds of 95 mph. It began just south of Winnsboro near a manufacturing plant on Highway 321 and Guardian Way around 8:56 am. As the tornado ripped through, it overturned four empty trailers and snapped multiple utility poles along Highway 321. 

As the tornado advanced eastward, it caused damage to industrial facilities, snapping numerous trees along Industrial Park Road, and crossing Highway 34 East. 

The tornado then traveled a total of 4.89 miles with a maximum width of 250 yards before dissipating near Horse Creek Road. 

Two other tornadoes had already touched down, both less severe EF-0s. 

The first of the three tornadoes hit around 8:52 a.m. with peak winds of 80 mph, touching down near Highway 269 and Mockingbird Lane south of Rion in Fairfield County. It traveled 3.72 miles with a maximum width of 200 yards. 

This tornado caused minor shingle damage to homes, snapped some tree limbs, uprooted at least one tree, and crossed several roads, including Bundrick Road and Greenbrier- Mossydale Road, before dissipating near Highway 321. 

The second of the three tornadoes, also rated an EF-0 with peak winds of 75 mph, began in Richland County near Old Hilton Road, east of Chapin, and moved northeast into Fairfield County around 8:35 am. 

This tornado had a path length of 11.2 miles and a maximum width of 150 yards. It caused sporadic tree damage, crossing I-26 and Bush Mill Road, as it continued over the Broad River into Fairfield County before dissipating near Highway 269. 

WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Sheriff Office recognized Sergeant Brandy Caldwell as the 2024 Officer of the Year for Fairfield County.

Caldwell serves as a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Fairfield Middle School, where her leadership and commitment to the well-being of students have been transformative.

“Sgt. Caldwell’s influence extends beyond Fairfield County.” Says Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery.  ‘She has held positions on the South Carolina DARE Association Executive Board and currently serves on the Executive Board of the South Carolina Association of School Resource Officers (SCASRO). Through her statewide connections, Sgt. Caldwell has become an invaluable resource for SROs across South Carolina, ensuring best practices in school safety and student engagement.

A graduate of Fairfield Central High School’s Class of 2002, Caldwell began her distinguished career with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office in 2008.

Sheriff Montgomery commended Sgt. Caldwell, stating, “Sgt. Caldwell is a well-trained SRO who works tirelessly to bridge the gap between our youth and law enforcement. Her dedication fosters a positive impression not only within our schools but throughout Fairfield County. She exemplifies the core values of our office and is a vital asset to our team. She is the first one in the door every morning and the last to leave,” Montgomery says. “Her personal motto, ‘Children First,’ reflects the heart of her work.”

“To be a school resource officer, you have to have a passion for children,” Caldwell says. “It’s got to be inside your heart that you want to make a difference in your community. It’s beyond just the school doors that we can help them. They know that if something’s happening in the community, they can come to the school resource officer, and we’ll work to make sure that we’re supporting them as well.”

“Sgt. Caldwell’s selfless dedication, proactive mindset, and ability to connect with students have made her an irreplaceable part of the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office,” Montgomery says.  “Her work ensures that students feel supported, valued, and safe, both within their schools and in the broader community.”

RIDGEWAY – Tammi Neal, 54, of Ridgeway, was arrested by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, Dec. 4 after deputies responded to a reported stabbing at a residence on Salutation Lane in Ridgeway, according to a report from the Sheriff’s office.

Upon arrival at the residence, deputies discovered a male with a knife wound to his chest, the report stated. The victim was identified as 44-year-old George Thomas Yorn Jr. Despite a responding deputy rendering lifesaving measures until EMS arrived, Yorn succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Neal was taken into custody and transported to the Fairfield County Detention Center where she was charged with Murder and Possession of a weapon during a violent crime and is awaiting arraignment.