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  • Golf course zoning up for vote

    Council Meeting Set for April 23

    BLYTHEWOOD – Crickentree residents who oppose the proposed rezoning of the former Golf Course of South Carolina may have their toughest battle yet on April 23 when the issue goes before Richland County Council for first reading.

    Last month, the County’s Planning Commission voted 7-1 in the resident’s favor – to recommend that Council not change the zoning of the golf course, which shares a border with Crickentree, from its current Traditional Residential Open Spaces (TROS) to Medium Density Residential (RD-MS) use.

    But that win was only the first step in the residents’ effort to defeat the rezoning bid. The request for rezoning will now have three readings (votes) by County Council. The first, on April 23, will be the only opportunity that residents will have to address council about the issue. If Council votes is in favor of the rezoning at that meeting, it will hold two more readings without residents being allowed to speak. If council votes against the rezoning, the issue will be dead for another year or until a different zoning classification is requested.

    Crickentree residents have been reaching out to residents of other golf course communities to attend as well, since those golf courses could be affected next if the Golf Course of South Carolina is rezoned.

    The County planning staff has recommended approval of the rezoning, saying it complies with the county’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan which recommends for that area to be zoned RS-MD in the future. That zoning designation would allow up to 600 or so homes to be built on 8,500 square foot lots.

    But while the planning staff makes that recommendation, it also concludes that approval of the request may promote a density which is not consistent with that of the established and proposed developments of the adjacent and proximate subdivisions (Hunters Run, The Park at Crickentree, and Crickentree).

    Attorney for E-Capital, Robert Fuller, laid out a plan for the property to be developed under medium density zoning, but promised that no more than 237 homes would be built, not the 600 or so allowed under the requested zoning classification.

    Commissioner Heather Cairns interrupted Fuller’s presentation to point out that the Commission’s responsibility was not to consider the plan he was presenting, but to consider whether 186 acres should be rezoned to allow 8,500 square foot lots over its entire existence.

    Resident Russell St. Marie also challenged Fuller’s plan for development of the property.

    “E-Capital is on record that they have no intention of developing this property,” St. Louis said. “They merely want to get the zoning changed and sell the property to a developer.”

    Under questioning by the Planning Commission Chair, Stephen Gilchrist, Richland County Zoning Director Geonard Price said that, according to the purpose statement of the TROS ordinance, it was to insure preservation of conservation, recreation and open space.

    The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 23 at the County Council Chambers, 2020 Hampton Building. Those wishing to sign up to speak for or against the rezoning will need to arrive early to sign up.

    For more information call the County Ombudsman at 939-6000 to direct your call to the planning staff or call Concerned Citizens of Crickentree at 803-719-1242 or visit SaveGolfCourses.com.

  • Goins fights back

    WINNSBORO – Bertha Goins is fighting back.

    A week after a Jenkinsville Water Company attorney issued a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue Goins over comments she’s made critical of water quality, she’s hired her own attorney to safeguard her First Amendment rights.

    Working in a private capacity, Goins’ attorney Tommy Morgan said his client categorically denies making any false and defamatory statements.

    Last Thursday, he wrote back to the JWC’s attorney, demanding that the water company cease infringing upon Goins’ right to free speech.

    “Ms. Goins will not be silenced by Jenkinsville Water Company’s threats of legal action and damages to be sought against her for merely speaking out about the water she receives from Jenkinsville Water Company,” the letter states.

    “Despite your meritless legal demand, Ms. Goins will continue to shed light on the matter that Jenkinsville Water Company seems so intent on keeping in the dark,” the letter continues.

    In a telephone interview with The Voice, Morgan said Goins has no desire to engage in a protracted legal battle. But Morgan noted Goins is committed to speaking freely about water quality issues.

    “We would be happy to have a meeting with the Jenkinsville Water Company over their water quality,” he said. “She was just trying to express her thoughts and concerns.”

    Morgan also questioned why Goins appears to have been singled out.

    “Other individuals spoke to the media about water quality,” he said. “It would be interesting to see if anyone else received a cease and desist letter. This threat of legal action is not going to stop Ms. Goins.”

    Goins has been a frequent critic of not only the Jenkinsville Water Company, but also the Town of Jenkinsville and Greg Ginyard, president of the JWC and the town’s mayor.

    In June 2018, Goins lobbied heavily against a massive annexation effort by the town, which was voted down. Morgan said he couldn’t say whether Goins’ past clashes with the town contributed to the letter.

    “Obviously the water company is distinct and separate from the Town of Jenkinsville,” Morgan said. “Ms. Goins is not focusing on the annexation vote.”

    When asked by The Voice for a comment about Morgan’s response, an attorney representing the water company emailed that, “JWC does plan on making a full response to Mr. Morgan’s letter next week, but we do not see this as a First Amendment issue as defamatory statements are not protected by the First Amendment.”

    On March 28, a Goodwyn Law Firm attorney sent a cease and desist letter to Goins, which disputed remarks she made to various local media organizations stating that Jenkinsville water quality is poor and contains sediments.

    “These false and misleading statements are defamatory and illegal,” the letter stated. “Legal demand is hereby made that you immediately stop such illegal activities.

    “If you continue to make such false and defamatory statements, I have been instructed to take all legal steps to enforce my client’s rights, including filing suit against you, for injunctive relief, slander and defamation seeking all damages allowed by law,” the letter continues.

    Also on March 28, in tandem with the cease and desist letter, the Jenkinsville Water Company sent a separate letter to its members.

    That letter contested of what the JWC calls “erroneous reporting,” and makes several innuendos about being absorbed by larger water companies.

    Both The Voice and The State newspapers, citing public records, have reported that the JWC has been cited by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

    Documents obtained by The Voice show the JWC has been cited three times in the past five years, most recently in 2016.

    As for the suggestion that the JWC is facing absorption, the newly formed Fairfield Joint Water and Sewer Authority, which consists of Fairfield County and Town of Winnsboro representatives, has been discussing ways to beef up infrastructure at the I-77 megasite.

    The authority’s chief objective, however, is to attract new industry to Fairfield County, and not to consolidate other water companies. Absorbing the JWC or any other water company has never been discussed.

    Goins has independently called for the JWC to join the authority, but no other council members have made that suggestion.

    Still, the JWC letter takes several jabs at water authorities.

    “When smaller companies are taken over by a larger water system, this historically results in rate increases between 100% and 150%,” the letter states. “We are committed to not letting this happen to JWC members.”

    Morgan questioned the JWC’s statistics.

    “I have no idea where they got that data from,” he said.

  • Good news for Brelynn

    Breelyn Seeger cuddles with her mom, Mandy Seeger, during the Family Fun Day fundraiser at Doko Park on Sunday. | Photos: Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – Last week, Mandy Seeger received the best news she’s had in a long time. Doctors at Duke University Hospital notified her family that a donor has been found and approved whose bone marrow is a match for her daughter, Brelynn.

    Brelynn, 5, has suffered from a debilitating immune deficiency called Combined Variable Immune Deficiency (IKAROS) for most of her life.

    She and her family – mom, Mandy; dad, Scotty and her brother Bryson, 16 – left Wednesday for Durham, N.C. where they will remain for up to a year as Brelynn undergoes treatment that, hopefully, will cure her illness.

    But the road to wellness will be long and difficult for the five-year-old and her family.

    “For the first week or so, she’ll have several doctor visits. Then on April 29 she will be admitted to Duke, where a tube will be inserted into her arm and through the main artery in her heart where it will remain for six months. Three lines will run off that tube for pain medication, nutrition and blood sampling.”

    And that’s just the beginning.

    “To prepare her for the bone marrow transplant, she will undergo chemotherapy for 8 – 11 days,” Seeger said, “and will remain in the hospital for up to 45 days.” Then the family will have to remain in the Durham area near the hospital for up to a year.

    “We will all stay at the Ronald McDonald House for the first two months, then we hope we will be able to move into a small apartment near the hospital for the remainder of our stay,” Seeger said. “But it’s first come, first served, so we hope one will be available when the time comes.”

    During that time Brelynn will continue to remain isolated until her immune system becomes strong enough to ward off germs that, in the past, could have proven fatal.

    Both Mandy and Scotty are taking year-long, unpaid leaves from their jobs – she works from home for Amazon and he is a business technician for Spectrum.

    “My grandmother will also be going with us to help look after Brelynn. While she’s in the hospital, at least one of us is required to stay with her every moment. We’ll be responsible for much of her daily care – mouth washes four times a day, taking her on short walks every day, even when she doesn’t feel like it, bathing her and other things,” Seeger said. “We’ll take shifts in her hospital room around the clock.”

    Bryson will also move with the family and attend school online.

    “He didn’t want us to go off and leave him here,” Seeger said. “We’ll all be together through this.”

    Seeger said there are many risks for her daughter during and after the transplant.

    “But it’s our best hope for her to have a normal life,” Seeger said. “It will be very difficult and sometimes scary for her. We are trying to prepare her as best we can. The doctors have told us to tell her what will be happening, to explain everything before it happens.”

    Because of Brelynn’s susceptibility to infections, she has had serious bouts with pneumonia, flu and other illnesses since birth. For that reason, she has spent her young life in near isolation – from friends, from playing with other children, from going shopping and eating out with her family.

    The trials have been many for the family during Brelynn’s illness, Seeger said. Two years ago, Brelynn was hospitalized with pneumonia. She was so ill that she was on life support for a while, her mother said.

    “After that,” Seeger said, “the doctors suggested we take Bryson out of school for a year and a half. The germs he brought home from school were too dangerous for Brelynn.”

    During a benefit in Doko Park last weekend, the family’s church, Pineview Baptist, organized a family festival to raise funds for the myriad of expenses the Seegers will have during the next year.

    It was a rare outing for Brelynn.

    “She just loved it and had so much fun. She ran and played with the other kids from church, ate hot dogs and just had a good time,” Seeger said.

    The event raised about $10,000, something Seeger said her family greatly appreciates.

    “I can’t say how much we appreciate our church members who put this together and worked so hard on it,” Seeger said. “And we are thankful for everyone who came out to wish us well and donate their time, money and effort for us. It meant so much.”

    “After we got home, I asked Brelynn what she enjoyed the most about the park and she said, “’Playing with Amy [the church pastor’s daughter].’ It’s such a little thing that most kids take for granted, but it’s something she almost never gets to do. Hopefully, after this year, she’ll be able to play with other children and do other things that children her age enjoy,” Seeger said.

    The church’s fundraising efforts are continuing with the hope of raising at least $20,000 more. To donate, contact Carla Hawkes at 843-408-3944 or the church’s pastor D. T. Kirkland at 803-381-3898.

    Well-wishers joined the Seeger family on Saturday for a Family Fun Day fundraiser organized by Pineview Baptist Church.

  • Truck fire damaged fuel pumps, canopy at Bojangles

    Fire engulfs truck, fuel pumps and canopy over Bojangles restaurant in Blythewood on Saturday. | Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – “It wasn’t all bad,” businessman Larry Sharpe said on Saturday after a vehicle fire torched two diesel fuel pumps and the overhead canopy of the Blythewood Bojangles restaurant that he owns on Blythewood Road.

    “No one was injured,” Sharpe said, with a grateful tone in his voice.

    It all started Saturday about 5 p.m. when a 2017 Ford F350 truck burst into flames moments after it pulled up to the diesel fuel pump behind Bojangles.

    Tim Mancini and his wife Libee had stopped off I-77 to refuel. They were returning home to New York after a trip to Georgia to pick up a utility trailer that they were towing behind their truck.

    Mancini later told The Voice that he had replaced the truck’s defective oil filter early the morning they left for Georgia, but learned too late that the problem with the filter continued.

    “When I got out of the truck at Bojangles,” Tim Mancini said, “I smelled fuel.  I opened the hood, saw fuel on the new filter, then got back in the truck and turned the ignition on to locate the leak. Gas instantly spewed into the air, first showering the engine, then igniting it,” Mancini said.

    Mancini said that when his fire extinguisher had no effect on the blaze, two men helped him unhook and push the new trailer back from the truck.

    Sharpe later praised his employees inside the restaurant for their quick, perhaps life-saving, actions.

    “As soon as they learned what was happening, they immediately hit the emergency shut-off button to block fuel from escaping the underground fuel lines,” Sharpe said.

    Flames and black smoke engulfed the truck within minutes, shooting into the air and burning the end of an overhead canopy.

    Fire trucks were dispatched from the Crane Creek, Bear Creek and other surrounding stations.

    Sharpe said he estimates the damage to the restaurant and fuel pumps to be about $150,000.

    While Mancini’s truck was destroyed, he didn’t leave with any hard feelings toward Blythewood. Instead, he expressed his gratitude for the two strangers who helped him save the trailer. And he had praise for Sharpe as well.

    “Larry took my wife over to the Dollar Store to get a pair of shoes – hers were burned up with the truck. And he put us up in the Comfort Inn for the night and insisted on paying the tab,” Mancini said. “The next morning, he took us to the U-Haul place to pick up a truck for our trip home. He didn’t have to do all that,” Mancini said, then paused. “You don’t find many people like that anymore.”

    “When you write this story,” Mancini told The Voice reporter, “be sure you say something nice about Larry Sharpe.”

  • R2 board OKs stricter conduct for teachers

    COLUMBIA – Weeks after brushing aside adopting greater accountability measures for their own conduct, the Richland Two school board voted 6-0 for similar conduct rules for district staff.

    On March 26, board members combed through the five-page policy, which lists numerous behaviors classified as “misconduct.” Many behaviors focus on teacher-student interactions.

    Board vice-chair Monica Elkins-Johnson said she thought the staff conduct policy might discourage students from confiding with teachers who they trust.

    “Not all students have a relationship with school counselors,” Elkins-Johnson said. “This [policy] is stating that they can only have these conversations with a school counselor.”

    Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis said the district always encourages dialogue between students and staff. He said the policy is aimed at students in crisis situations, such as suicide.

    “Advice is absolutely not counseling,” Davis said. “We just want to encourage a student, [who] for example is having suicidal [thoughts] or harming themselves, we need to immediately get that student to a trained professional to de-escalate that situation.”

    Board member Teresa Holmes expressed another definition of misconduct, which includes “refusing to follow a supervisor’s instructions and directions.”

    “It’s too subjective that you have to follow instructions without them being clarified,” Holmes said. “You could tell me to go down the hall and if I don’t go, I didn’t follow your instructions. It’s too subjective.”

    Discussion of staff conduct comes on the heels of an ethics controversy involving a quorum of the board.

    At least three members have been fined by the S.C. Ethics Commission. Board chair Amelia McKie owes the most at $51,750.

    In February, board members voted 4-3 against the policy revision that would’ve authorized stripping board members of officer titles “for cause,” provided a supermajority approves.

    Board members found in violation would still retain their elected post.

    Those voting in the majority to reject the measure took issue with the phrase ‘for cause,’ calling it vague.

    Board member James Shadd III, who was fined $13,000 by the ethics commission in 2014, took issue with the proposed misconduct policy’s “for cause” terminology, voting against the proposed policy on Feb. 12.

    He suggested the policy proposal was reactionary, saying sanctions for legal troubles some board members face already exist in state law.

    “What does ‘just cause’ mean?” Shadd III asked.

    A search for the phrase “probable cause” in the state ethics statute generated 19 results. The phrase “just cause” appeared three times.

    Many of the board members voting down the policy were themselves in violations of various state ethics laws.

    “Because of recent events, I have made sure that I’m a stickler to policy now. I’ve become a policy guru,” McKie said in February.

    McKie would’ve been impacted by the policy change had it passed.

    “I would greatly shun having a nebulous policy,” she said. “If you want a policy that tightens things up a bit, I’ve got that.”

    Richland Two board members voted against the policy revisions following an investigation by The Voice that numerous board members violated state law by going months, and in some cases, years without filing campaign finance and/or conflict of interest forms.

    Also at the March 26 meeting, the board discussed language of the district’s profanity policy.

    Elkins-Johnson, the board’s vice-chair, asked if the policy applies to coaches. District staff said it does.

    Violations of the policy are “grounds for placing an employee on administrative leave, with pay, pending an investigation and possible recommendation for termination of employment,” the policy states.

    Ironically, Elkins-Johnson is facing a disorderly conduct charge following an obscenity-laden outburst after a recent school board meeting.

    At the Feb. 22 board meeting, while reading from a prepared statement, Elkins-Johnson apologized “for the language that I used” during an altercation at the Jan. 22 board meeting.

    A Richland County Sheriff’s Department incident report states that Elkins-Johnson cursed and made threatening comments during a dispute involving McKie’s husband and the sister of state Sen. Mia McLeod.

    Elkins-Johnson was charged with disorderly conduct. She’s tentatively scheduled to appear back in court later on April 29, according to Richland County court records.

  • The Voice takes one of three top Press Association awards

    Media Attorney Jay Bender, left, and Executive Director of the S.C. Press Association Bill Rogers present the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism to The Voice Publisher Barbara Ball.

    COLUMBIA – The 7th annual Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism was presented to The Voice’s publisher, Barbara Ball, and reporter Michael Smith at the South Carolina Press Association’s annual meeting in Columbia on April 6. This is the second year in a row that the newspaper has received the honor.

    The award recognizes one daily and one non-daily 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 media attorney Jay Bender, whose 30-year career has been dedicated to preserving open government and First Amendment freedoms.

    “Very often you hear football coaches say that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” Bender said in a telephone interview. “And it’s not the size of the paper, it’s the size of the fight in the paper. Barbara and Michael demonstrate what journalism is about in protecting the community from chicanery, fraud and misconduct. They do a great job.”

    The judges’ comments, which were read during the presentation, made note of Ball and Smith’s thorough reporting.

    “They exhibited great persistence in exposing a problem that likely occurs statewide with secrecy in the expenditure of accommodations tax money,” the judges wrote. “Ball and Smith reported on issues from every angle. This newspaper does a good job of holding public officials accountable.”

    “This top award shows that small newspapers can make a big difference in their reporting on community issues,” said Bill Rogers, executive director of the SCPA. “Mrs. Ball and Mr. Smith both have a strong history of investigative reporting and this award is a fitting tribute.  Well done.”

    The Voice also received a number of other awards at the annual meeting. The 2018 Fall Sports Preview won first place for all weekly newspapers in the Sports Section/Magazine category, with the judges commenting, “Wow! Epitome of what a fall sports preview should be.” The 2018 Holiday Entertaining Guide received second place (to The Post and Courier) in the Entertainment Section category, an open category that included daily newspapers. Reporter Michael Smith received second place in the Sports Enterprise Reporting category, second place for Reporting-in-Depth and third place for Series of Articles. Ball’s additional awards included second place for Profile Feature Writing and third place for Reporting-in-Depth.

  • Council ‘retreats’ to Lake Wateree Hideaway

    WINNSBORO – It’s called The Hideaway at Lake Wateree.

    Situated on the secluded shores of Lake Wateree, 22 miles east of downtown Winnsboro, the 3,513-square-foot Airbnb get-a-way sleeps nine, has over 200 feet of lake frontage, and its own boat dock

    “The sun neither rises nor sets facing the front,” a listing on www.zillow.com states. “It’s a very quiet neighborhood. Most nearby homeowners only visit on weekends in the summer.

    The home is an idyllic setting for a summer getaway. It’s also the site Fairfield County Council Chairman Neil Robinson has decided on for the county’s annual budget retreat.

    Officially, the retreat meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

    However, because the home requires a minimum three-night stay, reserving the home will cost Fairfield County taxpayers about $900 [with a possible $150 refund upon departure]. This prompted protest from at least one council member.

    “The County owns plenty of facilities where we could hold whatever meetings we need to at no cost,” Councilman Douglas Pauley said in a prepared statement at Monday night’s council meeting.

    “The expenditure of over $900 to rent the house for the weekend, in my opinion, is not a prudent use of our citizens’ money,” he said.

    Pauley also worried the retreat’s time and location would make it inaccessible for constituents who may wish to attend. “Meetings like this should be held in locations familiar to the general public and citizens who regularly attend our meetings,” he said. “Holding meetings like this in locations that people aren’t familiar with is a barrier to them attending.”

    Robinson said he worked with county administration to find a location that’s affordable and accessible.

    He said the intent is to meet in a setting “without a shirt and tie on,” and discuss county business openly in a relaxed setting.

    “Sometimes we have writer’s block, so to say,” Robinson said. “Sitting here behind this desk, you may not have the idea at this time.”

    Robinson said he’s paying for the food, which consists of a cookout for attending council members. Citizens attending will be on their own for lunch. As for the $900, Robinson didn’t see any issues with the expenditure.

    “It is only money council members have not gone to class to educate themselves that we’re using,” Robinson said.

    For those attending the meeting, the address is 1253 Westshore Drive (Lot 4-B), Ridgeway.

    In other business Monday, council members postponed third reading of an ordinance authorizing a lease agreement between the county and the Community Health Foundation of Fairfield County.

    According to a draft ordinance, the foundation would lease some of the former Fairfield Memorial Hospital property from Fairfield County. The county purchased several parcels in 2018.

    County Attorney Tommy Morgan said the foundation contacted the county a few hours before Monday’s vote, saying they’d like to include additional provisions in the lease agreement.

    Morgan said delaying the vote would give council members more time to review the foundation’s proposed changes.

    Provided both sides agree to proposed changes, the lease agreement could come back to the council for a vote later this month.

  • JWC attorney threatens to sue councilwoman over water criticisms

    WINNSBORO – Bertha Goins is used to being in hot water with the Jenkinsville Water Company.

    A frequent critic of the organization, the Fairfield County Council vice-chair has called out the JWC on a variety of issues, ranging from finances to transparency.

    Goins has also publicly stated she thinks the JWC should be absorbed by a recently formed joint Fairfield County-Town of Winnsboro water authority.

    And recently, in interviews in The Voice and The State about JWC’s water woes, she’s taken aim at Jenkinsville water quality.

    A JWC attorney is fighting back, challenging her assertions that there’s sediment in the water and issuing a cease and desist order to block Goins from further criticizing the water company.

    On March 28, T. Jeff Goodwyn, an attorney with the Goodwyn Law Firm, which represents the JWC, issued the cease and desist letter threatening to sue Goins.

    “If you continue to make such false and defamatory statements, I have been instructed to take all legal steps to enforce my client’s rights including filing suit against you, for injunctive relief, slander and defamation seeking all damages allowed by law,” the letter states.

    At Monday night’s Fairfield County Council meeting, Goins said the letter is an attempt at intimidation. Speaking via speakerphone, Goins was defiant and doubled down on her criticisms of the JWC.

    “I’m going to send a copy of this letter to many people, but I’m going to first send it to the attorney bar association to find out if this is an ethics violation,” Goins said. “Is this a freedom of speech violation to stifle my rights or is it a personal threat?”

    Goins went on to say her husband has been ill for two months, and questioned whether Jenkinsville water quality might be to blame. As for the cease and desist letter, she said it only emboldens her.

    “I want to thank you because you’ve given me a megaphone,” she said.

    Jeff Schafer, a Fairfield County resident speaking during public input at Monday evening’s Council meeting, also questioned the logic of threatening litigation.

    “He [Board chairman Greg Ginyard] is an elected official and our elected officials [the JWC board] have a monopoly on the town of Jenkinsville,“ Schafer said. “We all have a constitutional right to free speech.”

    Jay Bender, an attorney with the S.C. Press Association, said it’s it illegal to take public bodies like the Jenkinsville Water Company to task over issues of public importance.

    “You can criticize a governmental body all you want without being subject to liability,” Bender said.

    The JWC has routinely claimed it’s not a public body despite being formed by an act of the state legislature and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the local, state and federal governments.

    In a 2010 opinion, S.C. Attorney General asserted that the JWC is a public body. In recent court filings, the Jenkinsivlle Water Authority has claimed that it’s not a public body.

    “They’ve been confused for years up there,” Bender said.

    The JWC pushback comes following dual investigative reports in The Voice and The State newspapers.

    According to public records obtained by The Voice, the JWC was cited three times in a five-year period by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

    In a letter to its members, the JWC disputed media reports about water quality, saying that Jenkinsville water is among the best in the state.

    The letter also pushed back on the recently created joint Fairfield County, Town of Winnsboro water authority.

    It accuses government officials of trying to jack up water rates by 100% to 150%, and says further that Jenkinsville will never join the authority.

    “JWC has no interest in being absorbed by a bigger water system,“ the letter says. “When smaller water companies are taken over by a larger water system, that historically results in rate increases between 100% and 150%. We are committed to not letting this happen to JWC members.”

    County and town officials have never stated any desire to absorb the JWC. The authority’s stated purpose is to enhance infrastructure at the I-77 mega site as a means to attract more major industry.

    As for water rates, growing the water authority would actually cause them to decrease, Goins said.

    “That is a foolish thing that anybody could say,” Goins said. “The more people involved, the lesser the cost and the better the benefits.”

    Story was updated 4/10/19 at 2:49 p.m.

  • WDPS captures bank robber

    WINNSBORO – Five months after Winnsboro’s First Citizen’s Bank was robbed, the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety has arrested a Connecticut man for the robbery.

    Hart

    It was the result of diligent police work and cooperation with other law enforcement agencies around the country that led to the capture and arrest of Stuart Hart, 35, for the bank heist, WDPS Police Chief Seibles said.

    “Hart’s identity was confirmed after WDPS officers collected DNA and finger prints from the crime scene after the robbery,” according to WDPS Investigator Michael Carroll.

    “We ran it through the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to confirm the ID,” Carroll said, “then worked with the U. S. Marshall’s service to track Hart to New Haven, Connecticut where the Marshall’s service made the arrest on Tuesday, March 26.”

    Captain John Durham and Carroll then traveled to New Haven on Saturday to transfer Hart back to the Fairfield County Detention Center where he is being held on charges of ‘Entering a financial institution with intent to deprive it of funds’ and ‘Strong arm robbery.’

    Wearing a Batman hat and a Bob Marley t-shirt, Hart entered the bank shortly before 6 p.m., on Oct. 12, and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, according to a report on the incident.

    The report stated that the teller said she had observed the suspect standing outside the bank for a while, talking on a cell phone.

    Witnesses in the bank during the robbery reported that the suspect left the bank on foot and turned to the right. A video on the outside of the bank showed the suspect walking through the drive-thru area outside the bank.

    Hart is being held without bond.

  • Local Boykins shine

    John Beckworth’s Boykin, Riley, took the blue ribbon.

    CAMDEN – Blythewood and Winnsboro area dogs made a big splash in the Boykin Spaniel Society Retriever National Championship in Camden the next to last weekend in March, winning the Novice Championship, top Junior Handler and several Judges Awards of Merit (JAMs).

    Penny with the JAM win.

    John Beckworth of Blythewood won the Novice title in a field of 68 entries with his 5-year-old Boykin, Riley, and earned a JAM with his 2-year-old Boykin, Pennie.

    “I was as proud of her as I was of Riley,” Beckworth said. “She is a young dog that is showing a lot of promise. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for her.”

    The Novice event was a two-day elimination process with several land series and finishing with a water series held in a pond featuring a lot of overgrown brush and trees for the dogs to contend with during a retrieve, Beckworth said.

    “Ideally, you want the dog to swim to the bird, pick it up and swim directly back to you,” he said. “Riley was the only dog that actually swam to the bird and swam straight back to me.”

    Beckworth admitted he was somewhat surprised at Riley’s performance because he has not had extensive training.

    “He is a great dog, though. He loves to work and he has good marking skills. The only thing holding him back is me. I just don’t have the expertise to take him to the next level. But maybe one day I will try to get a little more formal training with him,” he said.

    “I guess that was just my day,” said Beckworth who has owned Boykins for more than 30 years.

    Nan Gaddy with her Boykin, Tucker

    One of the JAMs in the Novice Class was earned by Nan Gaddy’s Boykin, Tucker, despite some unexpected interference with his retrieve.

    “There were decoys in the water and the dogs had to swim through the decoys. My dog got tangled in one of the decoys and was pulling it. He got up on land, shook off the decoy, got back in the water and found the bird. He had a traveling companion,” Mrs. Gaddy said with a laugh, “but I was really proud of him.”

    Tucker has competed in two other trials so far and has already earned the Started Retriever Title, said Mrs. Gaddy, whose family has had Boykins since the 1960s.

    “My husband (Dr. Roger Gaddy, mayor of Winnsboro) had three Boykins when we met and Tucker is the second puppy I have got since then. I would like to get him to the point that I can compete with him up to the higher levels,” she said.

    “I think he is going to be a really nice dog. He has a lot of heart and he is a ball of fire.”

    Bill Crites, Junior Handler Blake Wooten, Dawn Crites with Hal

    Tucker came from a litter produced by Bill and Dawn Crites who have Lily Pad Boykins in Blythewood. Four from that litter earned JAMs at the national trial.

    “One of our dogs, Hal, a seven-year-old male, made it all the way through Novice with a Junior Handler,” Crites said. “At the end of the show Blake Wooten was awarded the Chairman’s Club for the highest scoring handler under 16. Blake’s dad is Allen Wooten, who operates Palmetto Gun Dogs in Rembert.”

    Crites, a member of the Boykin Spaniel Society Board of Directors and chairman of the National Championship for the past 15 years, said this year’s event had a record turnout with nearly 300 handlers from 14 states, some from as far away as Texas and Washington State.

    From left, Branch, Story and Ever