Efforts to curb teen pregnancy remain priority

April 16, 2005

From staff and wire reports

Teen pregnancy prevention advocates in South Carolina are encouraged by a national trend downward in the teen pregnancy rate. But people who work with Greenwood teens facing crisis pregnancies say prevention efforts must continue.
Numbers from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy show that nationally, the teen birth rate was down about 30 percent.
Among South Carolina teens ages 15 to 19 the birth rate dropped 27 percent between 1991 and 2002, according to the new figures.
Experts say that the lower birth rate is due in part to South Carolina’s comprehensive health education law. That law requires children be taught about sex, HIV prevention and contraception, with a strong emphasis on abstinence.
Yet, even with the trends showing a decrease in teen pregnancy nationally, Lesa Jefferies, program coordinator for A Place for Us Ministries, said the agency still gets at least one call a week and its home has been full since the fall.
“The phone still rings even if we don’t accept all of them into our program,” she said. “They say it’s going down in the state, but I don’t see it. We’re getting the same as we did when we started (two years ago).”
Jefferies said 14 girls have gone through the program – which provides participants who agree to various guidelines and educational programs with a place to stay during the pregnancy.
Africa Lomax, regional director for Heritage Community Service in Greenwood, said the organization teaches abstinence to students in several local schools.
“We like to think that we have seen a difference in teen pregnancies rates and we hope we’re a part of that,” she said. “We do pre- and post-testing of students who participate in our program to see if their attitudes toward sexual activity before marriage have changed, and we’ve been seeing a great reduction (in sexual activity before marriage).”
Lomax said the program is primarily targeted for public middle and high schools although the agency also meets with educators to discuss ways get the message out to teens who are susceptible to peer pressure.
“We try to do more than just say no to sexual activity and show slides,” she said. “We have a character building program that encourages students to avoid other risky behaviors,” she said. “We want to give them the right tools to keep them out of trouble.”
“Making an intervention for teen pregnancy is so important for all of our society because having babies young just starts off that family at risk and will have an impact for many, many generations,” said Dr. Janice Key, director of adolescent medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The national abortion rate has declined steadily during the past decade so experts don’t believe it has played much of a role in the drop in teen births.
Educators say parents need to discuss sex with their children.
“Kids want to be respected as being able to make decisions on their own, and they want to get all of the information,” said Barbara Grube, maternal child health educator for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. “We really like to encourage parents to increase that dialogue at home.”
But while the birth rates have dropped, experts caution that there are still a lot of teens having children.
“Even though we have made some really significant progress, when you look at international figures, South Carolina’s teen birth rate is more comparable to Haiti than it is to Canada,” said Bonnie Adams, executive director of the Columbia-based New Morning Foundation, an organization that promotes teen pregnancy prevention. “We still have a long way to go.”

Probe into mill fire ends

Investigators say cause undetermined

April 16, 2005

By SHAVONNE POTTS
Index-Journal staff writer

NINETY SIX — Along with the Ninety Six Plant No. 10 itself, evidence that would have likely led investigators to find a cause of the March 10 fire that burned the mill was destroyed by the inferno.
Maj. Jeff Miller, with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, said the cause of the fire is listed with the State Law Enforcement Division as “undetermined.”
“Because of the amount of damage and several eyewitness accounts who said the fire, in its early stages, was on the third floor, it has made it impossible to determine a cause,” he said.
Nearly 100-150 residents had to evacuate the mill village when fire erupted at the former textile mill.
Firefighters from more than 15 stations throughout Greenwood and surrounding counties battled for hours to contain the blaze.
Firefighters eventually let the fire burn itself out the next day as residents and onlookers gathered to watch the mill smolder the morning after watching it go up in flames.
The owner of the mill, Vintage Building Materials of South Carolina Inc., was in the process of removing asbestos before deconstruction, which originally was scheduled to begin in September 2004.
The mill’s bricks were to be sold for reuse by a shopping mall near Jacksonville, Fla.

Scaling back the pounds

Eagles coach Mike Wilson put new self to the test at Cooper Bridge run

April 16, 2005

By MICHAEL STONE
Index-Journal sports editor

Nearly two years ago, Mike Wilson stepped on the scale at Greenwood High School.
For seven years Wilson — the Eagles’ jayvee football head coach, who assists with the offensive line on the varsity — had stepped on the scale on the first day of practice to see how much he weighed.
And when he stepped on the scale in August, 2003, Wilson didn’t like what he saw. “It’s kind of a tradition, to get on the scale to see where I was when the year started,” said the 5-foot-11, 40-year-old, who has a family history of heart disease and high blood pressure. “I looked at the scale and it said 325, and I realized ‘I’m a time bomb.’”
So Wilson decided to do something to defuse that time bomb.
The teacher at the G. Frank Russell Career Center made a few dietary changes, cutting down on sweets and soda.
More importantly, he started working out Monday through Friday at the high school.
Wilson started on a stationary bicycle, then graduated to walking on a treadmill before jogging on one.
The results? Wilson is down to 260 pounds, and earlier this month completed the Cooper River Bridge Run.
Wilson has a little ways to go to get to his goal of 230 pounds, but don’t expect to see him running in road races around the Upper State.
In fact, the Cooper River Bridge Run might be the only race he competes in annually.
Wilson learned about the race last year, when he and wife Lita were in Charleston during spring break.
“I saw the race on TV and I just thought it would be neat to do, partly because it was the last year of the old bridge,” Wilson said. “I didn’t even know how long the race was. I just thought you went from one end of the bridge to the other.”
The bridge is in the middle of the annual 6.2-mile race, and by the time Wilson had committed to running in the event, he had been training at the high school for eight months.
Wilson joined Greenwood High School football coach Shell Dula and assistant coach Dan Dickerson for early morning training sessions, leaving his home in Belton by 5:45 a.m. so he could begin his workout at the high school by 6:45.
Wilson started his training by riding the stationary bicycle, going three miles the first day.
“That’s when I found out how out of shape I really was,” Wilson joked.
After he got up to 10 miles a day on the stationary bike, Wilson realized he could burn more calories by working out on the treadmill.
He started by walking on the flattest level, gradually getting to where he could jog on the biggest incline.
In a typical day, Wilson will burn between 700-800 calories during his early morning runs.
Once or twice a week, he will run long enough to burn 1,000 calories, about a 4 ½-mile jog on the treadmill.
The week before the bridge run, Wilson did only 1,000-calorie workouts to prepare for the 10K race.
More than 18,000 people finished the run, and while Wilson was ready for the distance and the crowd, one thing he couldn’t account for was the weather.
He had to contend with rain during the first part of the run, and battle wind gusts that exceeded 50 mph when running on the bridge.
“You turn up the bridge and you would just hit a wall of wind,” Wilson said. “Once you got off (the bridge) the wind was broken up by the buildings, but there were times (on the bridge) you were running and you felt like you weren’t moving forward.”
Wilson completed the race in 1 hour, 12 minutes, 38 seconds, but said his time was unimportant compared to his goal, which was running the race without stopping.
As far as his other goals, Wilson still has a little more weight to lose.
But his blood pressure is down, his heart rate is less than 60, and when he steps on the scale when football practice starts at the end of July he knows he’s going to feel better than he did two years ago.

Opinion

Illegal immigrant or not, no one escapes tax man

April 16, 2005

South Carolina, like many states, has had an influx of Hispanics, mostly from Mexico, in recent times. That has brought some complaints that they take from but don’t contribute much to society as a whole. That’s a faulty assumption. They pay taxes.
Sooner or later, no matter who may live in this country, the government will find a way to tax them. One observer put it this way: “… Illegal immigrants pay sales tax every time they buy a shirt at a store or a gallon of gas for the car. They pay property taxes when they rent an apartment or buy a home. You heard right. Illegal immigrants can buy homes. Most banks in the United States have no qualms lending money to illegal immigrants as long as the borrowers are willing and able to pay it back with interest as would anyone else. And not all undocumented immigrants are poor farmworkers.

“ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ALSO fork over a fortune in payroll taxes each year, which helps keep afloat some of America’s most beloved entitlement programs. In fact, what illegal immigrant workers kick in annually to the national kitty for Social Security could be mistaken for the GNP of a small country.
“We’re talking about as much as $7 billion a year, according to recent estimates by the Social Security Administration. That’s the amount of Social Security tax revenue collected annually on earnings by illegal immigrants in the United States – earnings estimated at more than $50 billion annually …”
These immigrants may pose problems for various localities in various ways. However, they pay up ….. one way or another.

ACTUALLY, IF THEY ARE illegal, they pay Social Security taxes but, being illegal, they likely will never collect any of it in benefits. The money they pay into the Social Security system is simply kept by government.
In effect, then, they are contributors to society in ways we don’t always think of. It’s true, to be sure, that much 0f what some earn here is sent to families “back home.” Nevertheless, much of it stays here and becomes part of the local economy.
Some create some problems, but all in all, they have shown a willingness to work that is not always apparent in some of us.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Mary Jane Felkel Austin

Mary Jane Felkel Austin, 73, of 1006 Saddle Hill Road, Greenwood, died Thursday, April 14, 2005, at Self Memorial Hospital, following a brief illness.
Funeral services will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at Tranquil UnitedMethodist Church, Greenwood, with the Rev. Jim Patterson officiating. Visitation will follow services and continue until 8 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 17, at Jericho United Methodist Church, Elloree, with the Rev. Robin Griffeth and the Rev. Jim Patterson officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will follow the services.
Pallbearers will be Don Felkel, Lynn Felkel, Nicholas Felkel, Michael Felkel, David Felkel and Greg Davis.
Mrs. Austin was born Nov. 2, 1931, in Calhoun County, a daughter of the late Marion Young and Nancy Nora Bickley Felkel. She was a retired banker with SC Bank and Trust, formerly first National Bank, of Orangeburg and Elloree. She was a member of the Tranquil United Methodist Church of Greenwood and a former member of Jericho United Methodist Church, Elloree.
Survivors include her husband, Daniel Odell Austin of Greenwood; one daughter, Joan A. Duncan of Charleston; one son, Daniel Odell Austin Jr. of Greenwood; and five grandchildren.
Fogle-Hungerpiller Funeral home of Elloree is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials to Tranquil United Methodist Church, 1702 McCormick Highway, Greenwood, SC 29646.
PAID OBITUARY

Benjamin Byrd

ABBEVILLE — Benjamin Franklin Byrd Sr., of Belleair Beach, Fla., formerly of Abbeville, widower of Evelyn Byrd, died Friday, April 15, 2005 at Morton Plant Rehabilitation Center in Clearwater, Fla.
Services will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.

Bernice Elmore Gilbert

NEW YORK CITY — Bernice Elmore Gilbert, 79, of 230 W. 129th St., Apt. 12-E, died Thursday, April 14, 2005 in New York.
Survivors include a brother, Willie Elmore of Greenwood, S.C., and two sisters, Helen Anderson of Greenwood and Georgia Mae Thomas of Bronx.
Services are Tuesday at Lance Funeral Home.
Local family members are at the home of Willie Elmore, 108 Peachtree St., Magnolia Place, Greenwood.
Lance Funeral Home, 109 W 132nd St., is in charge.
Announcement courtesy of Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc., Greenwood.

William Eugene Greene, Sr.

Veteran, Milliken Plant Manager, Civic Leader
UNION, SC – William Eugene (Bill) Greene, Sr, 77, beloved husband of Meredith Roberson Greene of 400 Wilson Street, died at their home on Friday, April 15, 2005, at 1:37 A.M. Mr. Greene, the youngest son of William Robert and Georgia Anna Gosey Greene, was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina on May 14, 1927. Educated in the Rutherford County School System, he served in the United States Navy, 1945-1946; four years in the Naval Reserves; and achieved the rank of captain (search and rescue pilot) as a member of the United States Civil Air Patrol.
On March 19, 1947, Mr. Greene was employed by Milliken & Company. As a truly dedicated and highly capable employee, Mr. Greene quickly rose from an entry level job to ascending upper-level managerial positions, including those at Excelsior, Ottaray, and Lockhart plants in Union County as well as ones in Tryon, North Carolina; Lisbon Falls, Maine; Golden Valley, North Carolina; and Toccoa, Georgia. During his last eight years of Milliken employment, he worked as a Consultant to Customers with technical problems and on new fabric designs at the Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was recognized by Mr. Roger Milliken at the Milliken Special Awards Banquet on January 30, 1996, for forty-eight years of continuous service.
Other honors included being President of The Southern Woolen and Worsted Textile Association for three terms; a recipient of one of the South Carolina Governor’s highest and most prestigious awards, “The Order of the Palmetto,” during the Richard W. Riley administration; a recipient of the Service to Mankind Award (1992-1993) presented by the Union Sertoma Club; and the first Lifetime Ex-officio Member of the Union County Airport Commission of which he had served as Chairman.
Mr. Greene was a member of First Baptist Church of Union, where he will be remembered for his kindness and generosity to those in need. Other memberships include the following: the auxiliary of the United States Air Force; the American Legion, Post #22; (Master Mason/ Life Member) Union Masonic Lodge #75; the Union Shrine Club; the Hejaz Shrine Temple in Greenville, South Carolina; (charter member) the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association; and (Life member) Union Elks Lodge #1321, where he served on a variety of committees. For over thirty years, Mr. Greene was actively involved in local, state, and national Elks committees, leadership roles, and projects. Locally, he served as Esteemed Leading Knight (1972-1974), Exalted Ruler (1974-1976); Trustee Union Lodge (1976-2003); Grand Lodge Advisor to the Union Elks Lodge; and President of the Union Elks Lodge Past Exalted Rulers Association. State positions included: District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Western South Carolina (1976-1977); Vice-President Western District (1978-1980); President of South Carolina Elks Past Exalted Rulers Association (1979-1980), State President of South Carolina Elks Association (1980-1981); Director of the South Carolina Elks Executive Committee (1994-1995); and South Carolina Elks Scholarship Committee. Mr. Greene also served as Chairman of the Elks National Foundation, local and state levels. Even during his declining years and final battle with lung, brain, and spine cancer, Mr. Greene remained adamant that local students apply for and receive Elks scholarships on the state or local level. He was very honored and proud to be of service to his community, his state, and his country. Awarding scholarships is one of the ways that he accomplished his personal goals and achieved his dreams of being of service to mankind. Another was his active participation in the local, state, and national projects to support efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Four phrases defined his life: his Church, his Family, his Country, and his Contributions to the Betterment of Mankind.
Surviving in addition to his wife are a daughter, Deborah Greene of Union; two sons and a daughter-in-law, William Eugene Greene, Jr of Chapin; David Alton Greene and his wife, Suzette of Waterloo, a granddaughter, Heather Webb Greene of Spartanburg; four grandsons, Patrick Corey Greene of Hodges; Tyler Casey Greene of Greenville, North Carolina; Sean Michael Greene of Waterloo; and William Eugene (Trey) Greene, III, of Chapin; a great-granddaughter, Summer Leigh Greene of Greenwood; a great-grandson, Cameron Anthony Greene of Hodges; a sister, Jessie Greene Crawford of Mansfield, Ohio; a brother Dennis Alton Greene of Rutherfordton, North Carolina; numerous nieces and nephews; a “third” son and loving caregiver, Eric Bruce Walker of Union; a “fifth” grandson, Christopher Mark Shook; and a special friend, Pamela Trussell of Chapin. Mr. Greene was predeceased by a son, Norris Franklin Greene; two sisters, Alda Greene Bowen and Louise Greene Rash; and two brothers, George Tew Greene and Robert Clyde Greene, all of Rutherford County, North Carolina.
Visitation will be held Saturday, April 16, 2005 from 6:00 until 8:00 at the S.R. Holcombe Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life service conducted by Reverend Robert Emory and Reverend Jerry Lawson will be held Sunday, April 17, 2005 at the First Baptist Church of Union at 3:00 P.M. The Committal at Union Memorial Gardens will follow the service.
Active pallbearers will be grandson: Tyler Casey Greene; nephews; Dennis Michael Greene and William Charles Greene; Christopher Mark Shook, James Lancaster, Gary Lindler, Michael Swofford, and Ronald Wade. The following are asked to assemble at the church at 2:45 P.M. Sunday to serve as the honorary escort: The Sam Cain Sunday School Class, Former and Present Milliken Associates, Local and State Elks, S & M Investment Members, Masons, Shriners, Sue Cudd and Airport Commissioners, Bill Wingo and friends, William and Wanda All, Rick and Connie Anderson, W.C. Bennett, Paul Davis, Donnie and Debbie Ivey. The family is at the home, 400 Wilson St., Union.
Memorials contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church Relay for Life Fund, 405 East Main St., Union, SC 29379, the American Cancer Society, 154 Milestone Way, Greenville, SC 29615 or to the Elks National Foundation, P.O. Box 188, Union, SC 29379.
The S. R. Holcombe Funeral Home. (www.holcombefuneralhomes.com)
PAID OBITUARY

Clara Crawford Griffin

Clara Crawford Griffin, 92, died Thursday, April 14, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Troy, she was a daughter of the late Rev. John and Lois Crawford.
Survivors include a daughter, Beatrice Childs of Greenwood; a son, David Tolbert of New York, N.Y.; a sister, Effie Spearman of Greenwood; three brothers, Samuel Chiles of McCormick, Edward Chiles of Augusta, Ga., Leroy Chiles of Pittsburgh; nine grandchildren; several great-grandchildren.
Graveside services are 1 p.m. Monday in The Evening Star cemetery.
Visitation is 6-8 Sunday at Parks Funeral Home.
Parks Funeral Home is in charge.

Bennie L. Jones

Bennie L. Jones, 75, of 526 Valley Brook Road, husband of Emmie Goode Jones, died Thursday, April 14, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood County, he was a son of the late William Jones Sr. and Nellie Thomas Jones. He retired from Wright Brothers Pulpwood Co. He was a member of Mount Olive Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a son, Clyde T. Jones of Greenwood; four daughters, Mrs. Marion (Bennie Mae) Parks, Willie Mae Latimer, both of Greenwood, Mrs. Ronald (Brenda) Hill of Cokesbury, Mrs. Earl M. (Linda J.) Anderson Sr. of Columbia; three brothers, James Jones, David Jones, William Jones Jr., all of Greenwood; three sisters, Rebecca Mayes, Mrs. Judge (Thelma) Duncan, Mrs. Charlie (Janie) Fisher, all of Greenwood; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.
Services are 10:30 a.m. Monday at Robinson & Son Mortuary, conducted by the Rev. H.T. Legons, assisted by the Rev. E.L. Cain. Burial is in Old Mount Zion Baptist Church Cemetery, Epworth.
Pallbearers are grandsons and nephews.
Flower bearers are granddaughters and nieces.
Visitation is Sunday evening at the home.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Joe Clarence Louden

Services for Joe Clarence Louden, of 110 Watson St., are 1:30 p.m. Monday at Robinson & Son Mortuary, conducted by the Rev. George Devlin, assisted by the Revs. Johnnie Waller and Norris Turner. Burial is in The Evening Star cemetery.
Pallbearers are Jessie Williams, Marion Boyd, Sam Watson, Otis Bowman and friends of the family.
The family is at the home.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Guynell Ridlehoover

Guynell Elvira Wilson Ridlehoover, 81, wife of James Irvin Ridlehoover, died Friday, April 15, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Westminster, she was a daughter of the late Talmadge and Ina Cowan Wilson. She retired from Nantex Riveria Corp. and was a member of Horeb Baptist Church.
Survivors include the husband; two sons, Marshall Ridlehoover of Birmingham, Ala., and Frank Ridlehoover of Spartanburg; two sisters, Wilma Ponder of Greenwood and Helen Hodges of Hodges; three brothers, DeWitt of Taylors and Ralph and Marett Wilson, both of Greenwood; three grandchildren; a great-grandchild.
Services are 3 p.m. Sunday at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Richard Ridlehoover and Benny Ridlehoover. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers and honorary escorts are nephews.
Visitation is 1:30-2:30 Sunday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Horeb Baptist Church, Bradley.
The family is at the home of a sister Wilma Ponder, 315 Jackson Ave.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com