Summer jobs scarce for area teenagers

June 4, 2005

By WALLACE McBRIDE
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Thousands of Lakelands teenagers will be filling out job applications this summer, but many are already learning there is little demand for part-time, temporary labor.
It’s a time of the year when some retail stores and restaurants see a rise in young people looking for work, but a change in the school season doesn’t necessarily mean a change in the economic season.
“We usually keep people all year round, so we don’t really need people for the summer,” said Sherry Scott, manager of The Crate. “If jobs come open we’ll definitely hire.”
“Traffic has picked up a lot since kids got out of school, looking for applications,” said Helena Jeanlys, assistant manager of Foot Locker. “We’re going to start hiring in July for back-to-school. We usually hire around the holidays a lot more than other times of the year.”
“Our store just does not hire in the summertime unless we need somebody,” said Mary Wieders, Waldenbooks assistant manager.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old to qualify for employment at the store, she said.
“Opportunities are somewhat limited for them this year with the unemployment rate pretty high in our area,” said Paul Walker, area director of the Greenwood County One-Stop Workforce Center.
“It’s affected the number of jobs for students, as well as everybody else.”
Traditionally, teenagers seek retail and restaurant work for short-term summer jobs, but today they are looking for anything available, Walker said.
Since school ended, Scott said she has been receiving between 10 and 15 new applications a day. The store can’t accommodate many, if any, of the applicants.
“We usually only employ five or six people,” she said.
“I think I’ve applied to six places in the mall, and I applied at five more places outside of the mall,” said Amanda Chandler, 17, a rising high school senior from Greenwood.
“You always have to go in and keep asking the manager if they’re still hiring,” she said. “You kind of have to bug them if you want a job. If you act like you really want a job they’ll probably give it to you.”
Samantha Bollinger, 15, said she is applying at both locations of a Greenwood restaurant, but doesn’t hold out much hope for finding summer work.
“There’s nowhere that will hire a 15 year old,” she said.
Teenagers are sometimes competing with adults for new jobs, and some even take adult steps to become more competitive, Walker said. It’s not unusual to have a teenager come to One-Stop in search of employment assistance.
“We see a few, but we haven’t seen as many this year as we normally do,” Walker said. “We ask employers to contact us at this time of year, we’d love to put them in touch with young folks looking for work.”
Walker said these jobs can range from big business to yard work.
“We’re willing to try to find someone to do the work,” he said. “We have a lot of people to choose from right now.”

Familiar outfield, untried infield for Post 20 squad

June 4, 2004

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

When the Greenwood American Legion Post 20 baseball team takes the field for its season opener Monday night, there will be a certain sense of familiarity.
Coach Billy Dean Minor returns his entire starting outfield, first baseman and catcher for Monday night’s season opener at Easley.
Greenwood has its home opener at Legion Field the following night against Belton.
Former Calhoun Falls standout Clint Burden, who played for Anderson College this season, will be in left field, with former Emerald all-star Will Gary in center and Justin Lovvorn, who just finished his senior year at Emerald, in right.
Ninety Six’s Justin Jenkins will be at first base, with Saluda’s Lamar Dukes back behind the plate.
Burden, who has been Post 20’s leadoff hitter for the past two seasons, led the team in several major statistical categories during the 2004 season, including batting average (.419), hits (31) and runs scored (26).
Jenkins led Post 20 with 26 RBIs last year and the five returners accounted for 102 of the team’s 193 hits last season, along with 85 runs and 77 RBIs.
Minor said Jenkins will be penciled in at first base, with legion newcomer Brandon Miller of Emerald as backup, with Wade Scott backing Dukes at catcher.
“Our big guys — Will Gary, Justin Jenkins, Wade Scott, Lamar Dukes and Justin Lovvorn — are going to have to hit with power,” Minor said.
With those five positions locked up, the real question for Minor is his infield.
“This is one of the few times that I can remember during my time coaching this legion baseball team that a week away from the start of the season, I wasn’t going into the season with a set lineup,” Minor said.
Abbeville High School graduate Doug New will compete with several newcomers to fill the infield spots at second, third and shortstop.
Milton Brown and Josh Lovvorn, who were the Vikings’ starting second baseman and shortstop this season, Greenwood graduate Kyle Behrendt, former Calhoun Falls shortstop Clint Richey and Thornwell’s Juston Collier will contest for playing time in the Post 20 infield.
“They’re going to battle,” Minor said. “It depends on who performs when they get the opportunity. If somebody’s hitting and playing good defense, we’re going to try to find a place for them to play.”
Minor said could also have the use of returning legion player Blake Moore at both infield and pitcher after the Emerald graduate recovers from an arm injury. Moore is one of three Post 20 players dealing with an injury early in the legion season.
Minor said Burden - who was injured during the college baseball season - and Dukes - who injured his arm - should be cleared to play before Monday’s opener.
“It’s unusual to go into the start of the season with this many injuries,” Minor said.
For the first time in a few years, the League VII lineup of teams remains the same. Post 20 will again play two home and two away games against Easley, Belton, Greenville and Walhalla.
“Belton looks like they are vastly improved, Easley is always going to be good, Walhalla returns like 15 players and Greenville has some new school added to their area,” Minor said. “I think overall our league is going to be a lot stronger.”
And even though Post 20 as the state tournament host team, receives an automatic bid into the championship tourney, Minor said his team is shooting for earning a spot.
If Greenwood is an automatic qualifier, the team receives the eighth and final seed, which means it faces the tourney’s top seed.
“We still want to qualify our way into the tournament,” Minor said. “Our first goal is always to win our league. After that, we’d like to qualify to the state tournament on our own.”
Post 20 has an alumni game at 2 p.m. today at Legion Field.

Opinion

Domestic abuse is given some welcome attention

June 4, 2005

When a tougher domestic abuse bill was discussed in the S. C. House of Representatives in April, Rep. John Altman, R-Charleston, raised a ruckus with some insensitive words about domestic abuse victims. We noted at the time that despite what Altman said, it just might do more to get a strong bill passed than anyone would expect. It did and it has.
A new and tougher domestic abuse law was approved by the Legislature this week and victims’ advocates were pleased. Others, however, questioned the idea of punishing abusers and would rather see those convicted undergo treatment.
“I think we will move our state (below) the top 10 in the nation in domestic violence homicides,” said Vicki Bourus, director of the S. C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. This state has ranked number one in the nation in the number of women killed by men.

“I KNOW IT WILL SAVE LIVES,” said Laura Hudson, spokeswoman from the S. C. Victim Assistance Network.
On the other hand, Columbia lawyer Kathrine Hudgins, president of the S. C. Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, doesn’t believe the new measure will deter domestic violence.
“What we need to do to help people is to get them into treatment programs, not throw them into jail,” she said. “As a general principle, mandatory minimums (jail time), don’t solve problems.”
The new measure calls for mandatory minimum sentences of 30 days for second offenses, and one year for third and subsequent offenses and criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature. It also sets minimum fines for first and second offenses at $1,000 and $2,500, respectively, and makes third and subsequent offenses felonies.

SINCE THERE ARE DIFFERING opinions on what should be done about domestic violence convictions, maybe a compromise should be considered. Why not keep the minimum sentences and require those convicted to undergo treatment while incarcerated. Let them pay for the treatment, too. That would send a more comprehensive message to domestic abusers that the people of South Carolina take such violence seriously and will not let the guilty off with a slap on the wrist.
The measure would have to be amended later by the Legislature, but now that the first hurdle has been crossed, that should be a simple matter.
Whatever the case, though, domestic violence is a problem. It’s encouraging to see South Carolina recognize the need to solve it.

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

Obituaries

Clyde M. Cunningham

WATERLOO — Services for Clyde M. Cunningham, of 137 Cunningham Circle, are 2 p.m. Sunday at Laurel Hill Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Herbert E. Glenn, assisted by the Revs. Guy Sullivan and R.A. Pilgrim and Evangelist Linda Cunningham. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are church trustees.
Flower bearers are church missionaries.
The family is at the home of a sister Marie C. Taylor, 125 Cunningham Circle.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.

Woodrow Fisher

Woodrow Fisher, 88, of 628 Gage St., died Friday, June 3, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Edgefield County, he was a son of the late Luke and Bell Walker Fisher. He retired from the State Highway Department and was a member of Morris Chapel Baptist Church.
Survivors include a son, James Fisher of Orlando, Fla.; three daughters, Bobbie Williams, Effie Morgan and Minnie Lee, all of Greenwood; a brother, Luke Fisher of Washington, D.C.; two sisters, Ollie Watson of Washington, D.C., and Ethel Bailey of Largo, Md.; 16 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.

Julia Tribble

HONEA PATH — Julia Murff Tribble, 92, of 224 Wildwood Drive, died Friday, June 3, 2005 at The Maples.
Born in Abbeville County, she was a daughter of the late James Alphaeus and Agnes Murff Tribble. She was a 1934 graduate of Erskine College and attended Furman, Winthrop and the Women’s College of Greensboro, N.C. She retired from Greenwood School District 50, teaching in South Carolina public schools for 40 years.
She was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Survivors include nieces.
Services are 3 p.m. today at Pruitt Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Nellie Cloninger and Mark Willis. Burial is in Donalds Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation is 2-3 today at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Pruitt Funeral Home is in charge.

Charlie Worrill

WARE SHOALS – Charlie Worrill, 83, of 2341 Laura Court, Snellville, Ga., formerly of Ware Shoals, husband of Mary McAlister Worrill, died Thursday, June 2, 2005 at Embracing Hospice in Snellville.
Born in Langley, he was a son of the late Paul Kingsley Sr. and Annie Berry Worrill. He was retired from Riegel Textile Co., a World War II Army veteran and a member of the Ware Shoals First Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of Snellville; three daughters, Charlene Truncer of Hochton, Ga., Eve Chiles of Snellville and Beth White of Greenville; three sisters, Mildred Teague of Asheville, N.C., Ruth Poteet of Arden, N.C., and Ruby Owens of Ware Shoals; six grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Graveside services are 2 p.m. Sunday at Oakbrook Memorial Park, Greenwood, conducted by the Rev. Leon Jones.
Visitation is 5-7 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
Family members are at their respective homes.
Parker-White Funeral Home is in charge.

John Young

John Henry Young, 84, of 326 Circle Drive, husband of Lucille Clinkscales Young, a former City of Greenwood police chief, died Friday, June 3, 2005 at Hospice Care of the Piedmont Hospice House.
Visitation is 2-3:30 Sunday at Blyth Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home.