Dist. 50 files suit

Countersuit follows closed ‘officer meeting’

December 8, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Greenwood School District 50 has countersued a Greenwood resident for $50 million after he sued the system because of its bond plan.
District 50’s attorneys, Childs & Halligan, filed their counter lawsuit and claims on Dec. 4, said Childs & Halligan’s attorney Allen Smith.
Named in the countersuit are Henry Johnson, former owner of the Rental Center and plaintiff along with the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation in a lawsuit filed Nov. 3 against District 50, its bond plan, superintendent Darrell Johnson and former chairwoman Dru James.
The countersuit asks for $50 million, as that’s the amount the district and taxpayers will pay if District 50 is not allowed to close on its installment purchase bond plan in 2006, according to bond underwriter UBS Securities, Smith said. District 50’s attorneys also deny the majority of Johnson’s claims, including that the district has violated South Carolina’s 8 percent bonded indebtedness limit.
Childs & Halligan further claim Johnson and the foundation began the lawsuit to disrupt the installment purchase bond plan.
“When someone accuses responsible public officials of illegal activity, it’s our responsibility as lawyers to defend our clients against those false accusations,” Smith said.
District 50’s bond plan would leverage as much as $145 million over a 25-year period to pay for construction of three elementary schools, and renovations and modifications to the rest of the schools in the district. Bonds are typically sold by government agencies to the public and investors to pay for large projects, where the money gained from the bond sale is given to the issuing agency and paid back over an established amount of time.
The district has been plagued with mistrust about the bond plan by public officials, including Greenwood County councilmen Dee Compton and Bob Jennings and state Rep. Mike Pitts.
Superintendent Darrell Johnson was unavailable for comment about the countersuit on Thursday.
Board chairwoman Debrah Miller and vice-chairman Frank Coyle both referred to Childs & Halligan for more information about the countersuit, but Miller did say the attorneys felt the need to countersue to protect District 50’s legal rights.
Henry Johnson said the countersuit gave him the message that he shouldn’t mess with people in power, but hasn’t met with attorney Jim Carpenter to discuss what to do about the countersuit.
Carpenter said the countersuit is designed to intimidate people who want to question the district.
He thinks Childs & Halligan is arguing more over the legal issues than the actual facts of the case and believes his client has a good case.
Some of the district’s board members and administration met Wednesday to discuss the counterclaim at a session that not all board members knew about until after the fact.
Board member Lary Davis first heard about the session attended by Darrell Johnson, assistant superintendent of business Gary Johnson, Miller, Coyle, and Childs & Halligan attorney Keith Powell that lasted for several hours in an e-mail sent out by the district Thursday morning.
“These meetings that a few weeks ago were called ‘sessions;’ now I believe they are called ‘officer meetings,’ yet the bond issue is discussed. (It’s) disheartening to some of us board members who are never invited,” Davis said. “Frankly, I’m getting fed up with it. I’ve complained to the previous board chairman to no avail.
“It’s time for the public to get involved, to not only come to the public meetings, but to get up and say ‘enough is enough.’ Meeting the bare legal requirements should not be our primary measuring stick for governing the school district. Ethics should be.”
Board member Dan Richardson, who served the lawsuit to District 50’s administration office before he was elected to the board, didn’t know about the session until he read his e-mail Thursday afternoon.
He said he was not notified about the session beforehand — an action in violation of posted school board policy. “And I’m very angry about it, on top of that,” Richardson said.
Board member Tony Bowers said he hadn’t heard about the session beforehand, but wanted to check on the countersuit before commenting further.
Newly elected board members LeVerne Fuller and James Williams had no comment about the countersuit.
Board secretary Tom Pritchard was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Search is on for McCormick robbery suspect

December 8, 2006

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

McCORMICK — McCormick city and county law enforcement officials are searching for a man who they say robbed a McCormick bank on Thursday.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., a single black male entered Regions Bank on Gold Street brandishing a firearm.
The suspect demanded an undisclosed amount of cash from bank employees. The robber left the bank on foot, and no employees were injured in the exchange of funds.
“We had a little bit too much excitement here today,” McCormick Police Chief Leroy Martin said Thursday evening. “This is the kind of excitement we don’t need.”
McCormick police say it’s uncertain whether the suspect was aided by an accomplice, or whether a “get-away” vehicle was employed.
The robber is described as a light-skinned, African-American male wearing a dark-colored hood, a multi-colored jacket and light-colored blue jeans.
Several agencies responded to the robbery, including the Greenwood County Canine Unit. Martin expressed gratitude for all the support that was offered and utilized.
“The employees handled themselves exactly according to their protocol,” Martin said. “I would also like to thank the McCormick County Sheriff’s Department, the South Carolina Probation and Parole Department, the South Carolina State Highway Patrol, the district office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, as well as the Greenwood County Canine Unit for their much-valued assistance on Thursday.”
Martin said a reward leading to the suspect’s capture is being offered.
All calls, either to the McCormick Police Department ((864) 852-2985) or the McCormick County Sheriff’s Department ((864) 465-3200), will be kept strictly confidential.
“It is that time of the year,” Martin added. “All merchants should be careful and take nothing for granted. If escorts are needed, we will be available and we’ll do what we can to provide that assistance to all businesses.”

Lighting up the night

Children’s home has sparkling start to holiday

December 8, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

Many people go all-out in decorating their homes during the holidays. Some even compete with neighbors, seeing who can show off the bigger and brighter display.
It’s pretty safe to say, however, that few in the Lakelands area can compete with the annual display set up at Connie Maxwell Children’s Home.
The home kicked off its sixth annual “Connie Maxwell Christmas” Thursday, ushering in a weekend of entertainment and nearly a month of sparkling lights.
Connie Maxwell public relations director Miller Murphy said the staff and children at the home are looking forward to a great season.
“We look to be in good shape right now,” Murphy said. “This is our sixth year, and we think it will be the best.”
There were be several events on the campus Thursday night that will continue tonight and Saturday night. The light display will be on nightly from 6 to 8:30. There is a live nativity scene, as well as carriage rides. A petting zoo offers another attraction.
With the weather set to be cold this weekend, hot chocolate is available. Temperatures in the 30s and a driving wind couldn’t keep crowds from buzzing about the grounds Thursday.
“It makes it feel like Christmas,” said Greenwood’s Glen Gabriel, enjoying the petting zoo with his wife and two children. “The kids are having a blast.”
The cold certainly kept volunteers busy serving up the hot chocolate.
“We’re thrilled with the crowd tonight,” said Gayle Wiseman as she served out another steaming cup. “We look forward to it keeping up all weekend. The cold weather makes it better.
At 7 tonight and and Saturday night, there will be performances in the sanctuary of Connie Maxwell Baptist Church.
Tonight the home’s tone bell group will perform, as will musical guests Sound Doctrine of Christ. Saturday’s 7 p.m.
show will be a musical performed by the Connie Maxwell Children’s Choir.
Thursday’s night saw the tone bell group put on a show, while the Lexington Baptist Church Senior Adult Choir also sang.
The lights will be on every night from now until the end of the month. Murphy said workers began putting them up in October. The live nativity is especially popular, particular with some of the wildlife involved, he said.
“We’ve got live llamas out there,” Murphy said, laughing. “They substitute as camels. Someone donated them a few years ago, and I was wondering what we would do with a llama. They go great with the nativity, though.”
Murphy said he expects more than 12,000 people to look at the lights by the end of December. He said a wide array of people come out to take in the display.
“It’s all over the place,” Murphy said. “Senior citizens come out in great numbers. At the same time we see a lot of teenagers and young people come out, on dates and such. They like the carriage rides. We have also had a very strong response from our Hispanic community here in town.”
With a large number of people coming through, Murphy said it has been a small problem keeping traffic flowing through the years. Cars have often been backed up in front of the school all the way down Maxwell Avenue over the years.
“We’ve done some tweaking ,” Murphy said. “I think we have it worked out well this season. We want as many people as possible to come out and see us this weekend and throughout December.”

Chris Trainor covers area news for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ctrainor@indexjournal.com.

An All-Star lineup

Area players having fun while getting ready for North-South game

December 8, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports editor

Fans of high school football in Greenwood and the Lakelands area have one more event left before they have to take a bow and close up the 2006 season for good.
Greenwood High School’s Pat Aiken and Josh Norman, Saluda’s Markel Mobley and Ware Shoals’ Letavious Williams will take part in the 59th annual North-South All-Star game at 12:30 Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium in Conway.
Former Ware Shoals coach Jet Turner, who now is at Clover, is an assistant coach for the North in the game, which will be broadcast on television on SCETV beginning at noon.
The 2006 South Carolina Mr. Football will be announced at tonight’s all-star awards ceremony at the Myrtle Beach Performing Arts Center.
The players have known they were all-stars for some time now, but Monday marked the first chance for them to see that goal realized.
“It kind of hit me when we pulled in from that long ride and I saw all the other athletes,” said Aiken, a 6-foot-1, 290-pound All-Lakelands offensive lineman. “I’m blessed to be down here.”
But for others, it will take more than football practices before it hits home.
“I don’t think it will really hit me until Saturday when I take the field for real,” Mobley said. “It’s been fun practicing and doing what you want to do. I’m definitely enjoying myself.”
For the past week, the four area players traded their school books to study their football playbooks, along with 40 of their peers on the North squad.
“Everything is football for the most part 24-7,” said Norman, an All-Lakelands player who will be playing in the defensive secondary for the North. “It’s just about going out and having fun and showcasing what you can do. That’s what this week is all about.”
But the consensus among the Lakelands all-star quartet is that this week is more than just fun and games. It gives them an opportunity to be seen by college coaches and scouts from across the Southeast.
For players such as Mobley, an All-Lakelands defensive back, and Williams, an All-Lakelands defensive lineman, who come from smaller schools, this all-star game opens the door for better college viewing.
“I’m hoping to get better college offers,” the 6-3, 215-pound Williams said. “It’s like a tryout for me.”
But the two from the smaller schools aren’t the only ones looking for a shot, as the two Greenwood players haven’t committed yet either.
“Hopefully, I can get a look from some more colleges and scouts,” Aiken said. “I haven’t got many offers from big schools. I really want to play football at a big university.”
And it didn’t take Aiken long to see there was a difference, albeit slight, from the level of competition during this week’s practice and what he experienced over the regular season.
“I know I’m going to have to step my game up,” Aiken said. “Everybody here is good and I’m seeing different ways they attack. I’m learning different moves.”
Mobley agreed.
“They’re a whole lot faster and bigger than back home, but I’m keeping up with them just fine,” he said.
But like a true all-star should, the players have enjoyed the challenge of going up against their equals.
“I like it,” Williams said. “There’s no sorry players out here, and that’s making me be the best that I can be. Half of the dudes are from bigger schools, and with me going up against those guys, it will make me look better.”
Even though there is business to attend to, the all-stars do make sure they take time to stop and enjoy some of the aesthetics available in Conway.
“It’s great to get to hang around with a bunch of people I didn’t know before,” Williams said. “This week is about having fun and getting looked at by college coaches.”
Aiken took time for a haircut. The senior lineman, like so many of his Greenwood teammates, shaved his head Mohawk-style during the Eagles’ championship run. But Aiken took the time Monday to get rid of the lone strip of hair over the top of his head.
“Well, one of the first things I did was cut my Mohawk off,” Aiken said. “Josh still has his, but I’m almost bald now.”
This all-star week did have its drawback for the two Greenwood players. While Aiken and Norman have been knee deep in life 15 miles from the beach, 200 miles away the rest of their Eagles teammates have been reveling in their Class AAAA, Division II title win.
“I’m glad to be down here but I miss my teammates and I miss being able to celebrate our championship win,” Aiken said. “I’m going to have to put it on hold for a week and then when I get back I’ll celebrate with my friends.”
Norman agreed.
“I haven’t really had the chance to celebrate,” Norman said. “But once I come back to Greenwood, I’ll make it known.”

Ron Cox is the sports editor for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: rcox@indexjournal.com.

Opinion

Warmth, compassion can do a lot of things

December 8, 2006

You just have to be there. There are so many who depend on the kindness of strangers, not only to get a daily meal and a little human warmth. They need the human touch - and compassion - just to live.
They are, of course, the dogs and cats that go through the Greenwood Humane Society’s shelter by the hundres. The shelter is located behind the Greenwood Civic Center.sssssssss The lucky ones somehow convince people to give them a home. Some do that by smiling at visitors looking for a pet. Anyone who doesn’t believe they really do smile just doesn’t know anything about the feelings of animals ..... and probably doesn’t care.

WHAT ABOUT THE MANY, many unlucky ones who have no future? How do the workers and volunteers of the Humane Society manage to do what they have to do and not feel the emotional pain? How do they make life and death decisions, almost every day, knowing what it means to themselves and the dogs and cats that cannot stay?
How can it not affect their very souls?
They accept the responsibility because if they didn’t, no one would. The also do it because they know in the overall scheme of things some difficult and painful decisions have to be made. They do it because their decisions, as difficult as they are, mean that sacrifices save many other lives.

THE FOLKS AT THE HUMANE Society deserve the gratitude of every person in Greenwood County. What can the rest of us do to help them? They also deserve the kind of support - money, material, work - the rest of us can give them. Help is always needed. A check. A $20 bill ..... or even a $1, if that’s all anyone can do, a bag of food or litter or a roll of paper towels. Many things are always needed. Most of all, don’t forget the people at the shelter and the bundles of pure love for which they devote their time and energy to give them a future ..... to give them life.
Out of sight, out of mind, they say. Make sure that doesn’t happen in Greenwood.

Obituaries

Stella Alhadeff

DONALDS — Stella Hassen Alhadeff, 95, widow of Peter Alhadeff, of 108 Oak Creek Drive, died Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006 at Abbeville Nursing Home.
Born in Seattle, Washington, she was a daughter of the late Edward and Rebecca Russo Hasson. She was a homemaker and she was of the Protestant Faith.
Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Bill (Shirley Rae) Bryant of Donalds, a sister, Lucille Karsh of Seattle, Washington, two grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006 at Pruitt Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. George Wilson officiating. The family will greet friends immediately after the memorial service.

Rev. Carroll Andrews

CONWAY — Rev. Carroll Willis Andrews, 74, resident of 240 Amber Lane, husband of Lucille Fullwood Andrews, died Dec. 6, 2006 at his home surrounded by his family.
Born in Lamar, SC, June 2, 1932, he was a son of the late Ernest and Estelle Parnell Andrews. He was a graduate of Lamar High School, North Greenville College, Furman University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC. Rev. Andrews was a retired minister who served forty-seven years in churches in both North and South Carolina.
Rev. Andrews was first married for forty years to the late Wilma S. Andrews.
Surviving in addition to his wife of ten years are two daughters, Lynne A. Wilkie and husband, Steve, and Kay A. Tuck and husband, David, all of Greenwood; stepchildren, Reubin Fullwood, Jr. and wife, Barbara, Barbara F. Bryant and husband, Larry, Larry W. Fullwood and wife, Debbie, Elaine F. Montgomery and husband, Roger, Donna F. Richardson and husband, Dennis, David M. Fullwood and wife, Tammy, Carole F. Argenzio, Janet F. Carter and husband, Terry, and Christie F. Johnson and husband, Stevie; grandchildren, Krista W. Pendley and husband, Kevin, Andrew Wilkie, Ryan Wilkie, Deanna Tuck and Katelyn Tuck; twenty-four step-grandchildren and twenty step-great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by a brother, Thomas J. Andrews, two sisters, Harriett Hall and Ernestine Andrews and a stepson, Douglas H. Fullwood.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Glenn Mosteller and Mr. Terry Carter officiating.
Burial will be in Oakbrook Memorial Park.
Pallbearers will be Andrew Wilkie, Ryan Wilkie, Kevin Pendley, Gary Ficklin, Stevie Johnson, Roger Montgomery, Dennis Richardson, Chris Bryant and David Fullwood.
The family is at the home of Kay and David Tuck, 104 Cothran Drive and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.
Memorials may be made to Mercy Hospice and Palliative Care. PO Box 50640, Myrtle Beach, SC 29579.
For online condolences you may visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Andrews family.

Betty Dozier

LINCOLNTON, Ga. — Mrs. Betty Mercier Dozier, widow of Lindsey Dozier, of Washington Highway, died Wed., Dec. 6 at Wills Memorial Hospital, Washington.
Funeral services will be held Sat., Dec. 9 at 11 a.m. at Hephzibah Baptist Church with Rev. Allen Danner officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
Mrs. Dozier, daughter of the late W. Frank and Annie Laurie Ferqueron Mercier, was a lifelong resident of Lincoln County. She was a member of Hephzibah Baptist Church.
Mrs. Dozier was preceded in death by her first husband, Clifford Fine. She was also preceded in death by her siblings, W. Frank Mercier, Jr., Robert “Bobby” Mercier, Ann M. Richardson.
Survivors: daughters, Marsha Fine Davenport, and husband, J.D., Greenwood, SC, Pamela Fine Gill, and husband, Peyton, Cumming, Ga.; sister, Patsy M. Bowen, and husband, Emory, of Greenwood; grandchildren, Chris Myers, and wife, Cynthia, Brad Roakes, and wife, Kristy and Jessica Roakes; great-grandchildren, Sampson Higgins, and Kayla Roakes.
Visitation: 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Friday at Beggs Funeral Home, 200 May Avenue, Lincolnton, Georgia (706) 359-4117.

Watt Hackett III

ATLANTA — Watt Hackett III, of Atlanta, died Dec. 4, 2006 at Crawford Long Hospital. Born in Greenwood, he was the son of Watt II and the late Martha B. Hackett. He was a graduate of Brewer High School. Services will be Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006 at Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home. The family is at the home of his father, 1677 Havilon Drive S.W., Atlanta, Ga. Announcement courtesy of Robinson & Son Mortuary, Inc.

Malvenia Parker

ABBEVILLE — Malvenia Parker, 66, of Abbeville Nursing Home, died Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, at the nursing home.
Services will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.