Dangerous intersection?

Additional traffic control not planned for Sweetwater

November 5, 2005

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

The second serious accident in less than a month at Sweetwater Road and U.S. 25 Bypass has some nearby residents questioning the safety of the Greenwood intersection.
On Tuesday, a two-vehicle crash sent several Greenwood residents to the hospital, including a mother and child who were taken by helicopters to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
In early October, a three-vehicle wreck in the same location injured two residents, Greenwood Police Department reports said.
Both wrecks occurred after drivers traveling on Sweetwater Road approached the intersection and entered the path of traffic on the bypass. But a local traffic engineer said the intersection will not get a traffic signal any time soon.
Residents along Sweetwater Road said they were not surprised to see wrecks occur at the intersection, which has stop signs for the secondary road, and many said high speeds and heavy traffic in the area are to blame.
There is no traffic signal at the intersection, but yellow signs on the bypass caution drivers that driving speeds should be reduced from 55 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour through the intersection.
But Sweetwater Road resident Billy Loftis — who was injured in the Oct. 7 wreck at the intersection — said the signs are ineffective.
“Nobody pays attention to the speed limit. They just blow through there. If they don’t go through (the intersection) at 50-plus, they don’t go through it at all,” Loftis said.
Loftis said he has driven through the intersection “hundreds of times,” and it is a routine that now makes him nervous.
“I sit there and wait — even if I thought somebody was coming from a hundred yards away or better,” he said.
Ellen McCravy, who has lived on Sweetwater Road for about 23 years, said the traffic on the bypass and secondary road has only gotten worse over the years.
“When you get ready to cross the road or turn left onto the bypass, you might sit there for five minutes before you can get across,” she said.
She said the addition of houses, businesses and the Greenwood Learning Center has compounded the problem.
“You really have to watch the traffic coming out of the school onto the bypass,” she said.
Sweetwater Road resident Raymond Bryant said the roads themselves — not just the traffic — are also a factor in some of the wrecks.
When traveling north, the four-lane U.S. 25 Bypass is narrowed to two lanes only feet from the Sweetwater Road intersection.
On the other side of the intersection, a dip in the roadway makes it difficult for drivers on Sweetwater Road to see traffic on the bypass and vice versa, Bryant said.
“Speeding is part of it, but the contour of the ground is also a problem,” he said. “People come up out of that hole and they can be on top of you before you even see them.”
Bryant said he has contacted the S.C. Department of Transportation about getting a traffic signal put up at the intersection.
“I’ve been living here for 100 years and watching all of these accidents – of course I’m concerned with this intersection,” he said.
Greenwood City Manager Steve Brown said he also had spoken with transportation department officials about installing a traffic signal at the intersection.
“It has been an area of concern. We felt like, for a long time, it should have been signalized,” he said. “Our concern was not waiting until there was a fatal accident before deciding that (a signal) was needed.”
Kevin McLaughlin, district traffic engineer with the S.C. Department of Transportation, said the department, during the past eight years, has received a number of requests for a traffic signal at the intersection.
He said the department responded to requests in 1997, 1998 and 2000 by conducting traffic count studies and accident history research at the intersection.
“That data is then applied to signal warrants. If the requirements are met, we can install a signal. If they are not, we can’t,” he said, adding that the signal warrants are regulated by the federal highway administration’s national manual of uniform traffic control devices.
McLaughlin said the Sweetwater Road/ U.S. 25 Bypass intersection doesn’t meet traffic requirements and the number of angle-type collisions that occur at the intersection is not high enough to install a signal.
Signals are not always the “cure” to an intersection’s problems, McLaughlin cautioned.
“All intersections have accidents to some degree or another. Traffic signals can typically increase the number of (rear-end and left-turn) collisions,” he said.
Though no plans are in place at the time, McLaughlin said widening the bypass to four lanes from U.S. 25 South to Cambridge Avenue could ease some of the traffic problems at the intersection.
“It could make it a whole lot better,” he said.
Greenwood Assistant Chief of Police Michael Butler said drivers in the area also can help bring down the number of collisions by staying alert while driving through the intersection.
“People should slow down and abide by the signs that are in place,” he said. “People need to be aware that it may be in their best interest to use more caution than normal.”

Vikes flex muscles

Emerald pounds Gilbert in playoff opener

November 5, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Emerald High School football team, say hello to the second round of the Class AA playoffs.
The Vikings (9-2) pummeled Gilbert, 56-13, in Friday’s first-round game at Frank Hill Stadium. They will play host to Palmetto next week.
It was an overpowering performance by the Vikings, who took a commanding 14-0 lead just 2 minutes, 3 seconds into the game and never looked back.
Emerald never even had to punt.
“I thought it was important that we jump on them early,” Emerald coach Mac Bryan said. “I felt like we wouldn’t have a lot of emotion after last week’s game with Ninety Six. And I was right, we didn’t have much emotion. But I was very pleased with the way we handled business.”
Business was the opportune word to use in conjunction with Emerald quarterback Dan Wideman. The senior North-South game selection put in what was, for him, just another day at the office.
He connected on 16 of 26 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for three touchdowns on 103 yards rushing.
Such was the offensive onslaught that little-used Emerald back-up quarterback Evan Bledsoe also tossed two touchdowns, including a 61-yard bomb to Tavares Gilliam in the third quarter.
“Evan is a fine young quarterback,” Bryan said.
“It was nice to let him get in and get some time. He has a bright future ahead.”
Emerald came out and scored on the opening drive of the ball game.
The Vikings began with great field position at the 50-yard line. Wideman streaked into the end zone from 22 yards out just 1:57 later, putting Emerald up 7-0.
Emerald quickly devastated any chance of a Gilbert response.
On the ensuing kickoff, Emerald kicker Joseph Taylor skidded a driving kick across the ground toward the Indians’ Kodi Price. Price bobbled the football, and was then swamped by a wall of Emerald defenders. Vikings’ cornerback Emmanuel Smith scooped the ball up at the 16-yard line and raced across the goal line.
The turnover and subsequent score put the Vikings up 14-0 with 9:57 still remaining in the opening quarter.
The play seemed to deflate the Indians, who looked at each other with raised arms and shrugged shoulders shortly thereafter. Bryan spoke about the game-changing turnover.
“We knew we would need some turnovers,” Bryan said. “That one was big.”
Emerald put an exclamation point on the first quarter with its first long passing play of the night.
Facing third down at the Emerald 35-yard line, Wideman dropped back to pass but was flushed to his right. He fired a pass towards Tony Rapley, but the ball hit Gilbert defensive back Marco Anderson directly in the hands. The ball popped free and was grabbed out of the air by Rapley, who then snaked his way to the end zone for the 65-yard score, putting the Vikings up 21-0 heading into the second quarter.
Though it may not have seemed like it, apparently the play worked out just how Wideman and Rapley planned it.
“Right before we went out there, Dan was asking me what was going on out there, because we were having trouble passing,” Rapley said. “I told him just to throw it up deep. He was worried about having it picked off if he did. I just told him if someone tipped it, I’d save him.
“Then we went out right then and did exactly what we were talking about. Crazy.”
Midway through the second quarter, Emerald once again took to the air for a long score.
Wideman took the shotgun snap from center and rolled to his left at the 41-yard line. He gave just the slightest ball fake before lofting a long, tight spiral down the left sideline. Demarco Anderson made an adjustment on the ball and stepped past Gilbert cornerback Melvin Sims to make a twisting catch. Anderson jogged over the goal line for the score. The play capped a 84-yard, 1:38 drive and put Emerald up 28-0 with 3:40 remaining in the first half.
Emerald used tough defense and their timeouts to help secure itself one more possession in the first half. Once they had secured the possession, it took the Vikings only 48 seconds to score.
Wideman bulldozed his way to a touchdown from 15 yards out, capping the 59-yard drive. The quarterback’s second rushing score of the night gave Emerald a comfortable 35-0 halftime lead and essentially sealed next Friday’s date with Palmetto.
“We just have to go out there and play just like every other game,” Rapley said. “We’re at home, so we need to come out and play our game and move on.”

Eagles hammer Laurens

November 5, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

LAURENS — The Greenwood High School football team didn’t want to leave it up in the air. The Eagles wanted to reach the playoffs on their own.
And with Friday night’s convincing 30-12 victory over Laurens at K.C. Hanna Stadium, they did so, clinching Region I-AAAA’s second automatic bid into the Class AAAA, Division II playoffs.
“We might have had to win just to get in, but we’re certainly now,” Greenwood coach Shell Dula said. “We don’t know who we’re going to play. Somebody said we might be at home, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“No matter what we’re going to have to win three games to get to the state championship game. And no matter who it is, it’s going to be three good people.”
The official Class AAAA playoff bracket will be released today by the South Carolina High School League. The Eagles’ seed, opponent and location of the game will be determined by the points system. The team could be placed as high as fourth — which would mean a first-round game at home — or as low as seventh.
The Eagles locked up their eighth straight postseason appearance behind a dominating defensive performance.
The Greenwood defense, which has been plagued with injuries, finished with three interceptions and three sacks and kept North All-Star running back Trandon Dendy under 100 yards rushing.
Dendy, who came in with over 1,800 yards rushing on the season, finished with 85 yards and a touchdown, but had five carries for negative yardage.
“We’re finally back at 100 percent and everybody was focused,” senior linebacker Anthoine Lagroone said.
“We wanted to come out and put the pressure on them early to give our offense started. We didn’t have too many blitzes because we wanted to keep an eye on No. 4 (Dendy), and not let him break out any big runs.”
Before Laurens gained a yard and before Greenwood ran an offensive play, the Eagles enjoyed a 6-0 lead.
Dendy was stopped for a run of no gain on the game’s first play from scrimmage. On play No. 2, Greenwood’s Greg Corbett stepped in front of a Seth Strickland pass and dashed into the end zone for the touchdown and the 6-0 lead.
“All week, we were working on getting pressure with our defensive line, and because of that, coaches told the defensive backs to play their man tight,” Lagroone said. “We just made it happen with that pressure.”
The Raiders went three-and-out on the next series, and the Eagles took over at the Laurens 46 after a short punt. Ten plays later, the Eagles settled for a 28-yard field goal from Baldwin and a 9-0 lead.
Another short punt on the Raiders’ next series gave Greenwood even better starting field position, opening up from the Laurens 38.
Junior running back Jarvie Robinson took the handoff on the first play and broke to the left side for a 12-yard gain. After tacking on the 15-yard face-mask penalty, the Eagles had a first-and-10 from the 13.
Two plays later, junior tailback Zach Norman ran in for the 6-yard score. Baldwin’s extra point gave Greenwood the 16-0 lead with 1:45 left in the first.
Laurens responded on its next series. Dendy, who broke loose for a 12-yard gain on the first play of the drive to give the Raiders their first first down, ended the 12-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 16-6 with 10:42 left in the half.
The Eagles added to their lead later in the second quarter. After the two teams traded punts, Greenwood started from its 33. After Edwards had runs of 24 and 13 yards, the Eagles’ QB hit a wide-open L.B. White for a 33-yard touchdown pass and a 23-6 lead.
With 5:49 remaining, the Raiders attempted to make it a two possession game. But the 12-play drive ended with Strickland’s second interception. This one to Greenwood’s Demond Hayes in the end zone.
Neither team found the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter. Greenwood again benefited from a short field, starting its first drive of the fourth from the Raiders’ 34.
A lofted pass from the Shrine Bowl bound Edwards to North-All Star tight end Alex Sellars put the ball on the 3. Edwards did the rest, running to the left corner of the end zone on a busted pass play. Baldwin’s extra point made it 30-6.
Laurens sophomore Tyler Boyd, coach J.R. Boyd’s son, took over at quarterback on the Raiders’ ensuing series and drove the team to its second score in seven plays. The younger Boyd capped the series with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ken Byrd to make it 30-12.
Greenwood took possession with 7:20 remaining, and behind straight-ahead running from backup tailback Marcus Carroll and Norman, the Eagles ran out the clock.

Opinion

‘Gang of 14’ deal shows signs of falling to pieces

November 5, 2005

The “Gang of 14,” was a bipartisan group of U. S. senators who struck a deal a couple of months ago to facilitate approval of President Bush’s court appointees. The deal was to avert changes in the rules to halt filibusters unless there were “extreme” circumstances. S. C. Republican Lindsey Graham was one of them.
Some now seem to think the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito creates that extreme. Others don’t, and indications are that the agreement is being scuttled and a battle will ensue.
It may be that Republicans believe Democrats in the “gang” are backing off their agreement and that they have no choice but to reconsider their stance on changing the rules on filibusters to give the GOP the advantage.
It wouldn’t be surprising, though, if the backlash they received from their constituents over the deal-making had something to do with it, too. Some folks around Greenwood were not happy.

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

Obituaries

Charlie Beaudrot

GREENWOOD — Charles Louis “Charlie” Beaudrot, 86, resident of 171 Orchard Park Drive, husband of Alice Scott Beaudrot, died November 4, 2005 at Hospice House in Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood County, August 28, 1919, he was a son of the late Thomas Clayton and Mabel Pratt Beaudrot. A graduate of Greenwood High School, he was also a graduate of Clemson College. Mr. Beaudrot was a US Army Veteran of World War II having served in the First Infantry Division in the European Theater of Operations. After his return from World War II, he owned and operated Beaudrot’s Greenhouses, and upon the retirement of his parents, he owned and operated Beaudrot’s Flowers, Inc. until his retirement in 1971.
A member and former deacon of the First Baptist Church, he was also a former member of the Greenwood Rotary Club and the South Carolina Florist Association. He formerly served on the Board of Trustees at Connie Maxwell Children’s Home.
Surviving in addition to his wife of the home are a daughter, Ann Scott Beaudrot Snead and husband Jim of Greenwood. Three grandchildren, Seal Nisbet Wilson and husband John of Greenville, Allison Snead Patrick and husband Richard of Sumter and Catherine Nisbet Goins and husband Stephen of Huntersville, NC. Seven great grandchildren, Sloan Wilson, Walker Patrick, Chandler Patrick, Mary Ellis Goins, Claire Goins, Sarah Goins and Anna Charles “Charlie” Goins. Two sisters, Mary B. Herndon of Greenwood and Anne B. Holfeld of Gastonia, NC.
Family burial services will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Memorial services will be conducted at the First Baptist Church at 3:00 PM Sunday with Dr. Tony Hopkins officiating.
The family is at the home in Orchard Park and will receive friends in the church parlor immediately following the memorial service.
Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, 722 Grace Street, Greenwood, SC 29649, Hospice House, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the charity of one’s choice.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Beaudrot family.
PAID OBITUARY

Kenneth H. Butler

PALATKA, Fla. — Kenneth Harold Butler, 65, formerly of Greenwood, S.C., died Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005 at the Crestwood Nursing Center in Palatka.
Born in Greenwood, S.C., he was a son of the late Bennie Daniel and Madge Alice Dorn Butler. He was formerly employed with Greenwood Mills and worked for Sun Bean and Winn-Dixie in Florida. He was a Navy veteran and was of the Lutheran faith.
Survivors include two sons, Randy Butler of Woodbridge, Va., and Keith Butler of Covington, Ga.; a sister, Mary Alice Evans of Lincolnton, Ga.; a brother, Rayford Lewis Butler of Troy; and six grandchildren.
Services are at 2 Monday at Blyth Funeral Home in Greenwood, conducted by the Rev. Terry Bonds. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is from 7-9 tonight at Blyth Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of a niece, Sharon B. Cooke, 510 Milford Springs Road, Greenwood.
Memorials may be made to the Kenneth Butler Fund, c/o Blyth Funeral Home, P.O. Box 6, Greenwood, S.C., 29648.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Greenwood, S.C., is in charge.

Harold Hodges

GREENWOOD — Samuel Harold Hodges, 85, resident of 844 Edgefield St., husband of Frances Ethridge Hodges, died November 4, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, February 10, 1920, he was a son of the late Thomas Marshall and Fletcher Shirley Hodges. He was a US Army Veteran of World War II and retired from South Main Street Baptist Church in 1990.
A member of Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church, he was also a member of the Tom Anderson Sunday School Class.
Surviving in addition to his wife of the home are a son, William Harold Hodges, Sr. of West Columbia and a sister, Ruth Markham of Greenwood. Three grandchildren, William Harold Hodges, Jr. of West Columbia, Amanda Wickman of Cumming, GA and Julie Dawson of Chapin. A step-grandson, Nick Parcenka of Crestview, FL. Eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted 2:30 Sunday afternoon from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Harvey Peurifoy and Rev. Sandra King officiating.
Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Thomas Henderson, Jeff Wickman, Halley Dawson, William Harold Hodges, Jr., Buddy Simmons and Larry McKellar.
The family is at the home on Edgefield St. and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:00 to 8:00 Saturday evening.
Memorials may be made to the National Kidney Foundation of South Carolina, 500 Taylor St., Suite 101, Columbia, SC 29201.
Online condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Hodges family.
PAID OBITUARY