Deadly weekend on roads

3 dead following separate wrecks in Lakelands

August 13, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

Sunday ended one of the deadliest weekends on the roads for Lakelands residents in recent memory.
In all, three Lakelands residents lost their lives on South Carolina roadways in wrecks that happened on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One of the deceased was in his 20s, another in his teens and a third was just 11 years old.
Greenwood County Deputy Coroner Marcia Kelly said Greenwood’s Joshua Thomas Lee Crim, 19, died just after midnight Saturday after being involved in a single-car wereck shortly before 8 p.m. Friday.
Crim and three friends — two males and a female, all of whom are reported to be in stable condition — were reportedly driving north along Stoney Point Road in Greenwood County Friday when the white Mazda driven by Crim slipped off the right side of the road.
The car came to an abrupt and mangled stop about 300 yards beyond Stoney Point subdivision. It took emergency workers about one hour to get all four people out of the car. Crim and one passenger were airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital, while the other two passengers were taken to Self Regional Medical Center by EMS.
Kelly said there was no autopsy performed on Crim and that a toxicology report will be performed by SLED.
A second deadly wreck involving Lakelands residents happened at 6:54 p.m. Saturday at mile marker 82 on Interstate 26 in Newberry County. Highway Patrolman Scot Edgeworth said the wreck involved four vehicles and blocked traffic on the interstate for five hours.
According to reports from Newberry County Deputy Coroner Tommy Hedgepath, the Newberry County collision claimed the life of 11-year-old Anthony Dakota Miller, of Ninety Six.
Dakota was reportedly a passenger in the 2005 Toyota driven by his mother, Tina Miller, 35, of Ninety Six. Two other children, Sierra and Harley Miller, both belonging to Tina Miller, were also in the vehicle.
Tina Miller and the other two children were reportedly airlifted to Richland Memorial Hospital following the wreck, Edgeworth said. Hedgepath said Tina and Sierra received serious injuries, but were in stable condition at Richland Memorial as of Sunday afternoon.
Edgeworth said there were multiple collisions amongst the four vehicles involved in the Newberry County wreck. The other vehicles involved were a Jeep Cherokee, driven by Irmo’s Robert Fryer, a 1998 Ford Ranger, driven by a minor from Simpsonville and a tractor-trailer truck driven by Stephen Sommer, of Martinez, Ga.
Harley Funeral Home in Greenwood will be handling services for the Millers.
A third Lakelands fatal collision happened at 7:05 a.m. Sunday on S.C. 246, about six miles north of Greenwood, near FujiFilm.
David Michael Hayhurst, 26, of 404 Herndon St., Ninety Six, died in the wreck. Greenwood County coroner Jim Coursey said an autopsy performed by Dr. Brett Woodward in Anderson revealed Hayhurst died of blunt force trauma.
According to Edgeworth, the collision involved two cars. Edgeworth said it appeared Hayhurst, driving a 1995 GMC Jimmy, drifted left across the center line, striking a 2002 Ford Explorer, driven by 41-year-old Michael Gilchrist, of Greenwood, head on.
Gilchrist was transported to Self Regional. Meanwhile, his passenger, Teresa Dillard, of Cross Hill, was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Edgeworth said the roadway was blocked near the S.C. 246 wreck for nearly five and a half hours.

People look to Web for medical help

August 13, 2007

By CAROLINE KLAPPER
Index-Journal staff writer

In the past when people felt ill, they’d go to their doctor to find out what was wrong. But today, people often log onto the Internet to find health information.
This phenomenon is known as cyberchondria, and it’s becoming more prevalent as computers and the Internet, now more than ever, play a part in daily life.
This can be a good and bad thing, said Dr. Gary Goforth, director of the residency program at Montgomery Family Health Center.
“As a rule we have more informed patients now,” Goforth said. “They’ve researched things before they come in, and that’s good because better informed patients are going to have better health in the long run.”
Pediatrician Dr. Lyle Pritchard agrees the Internet can be a good source of information and education for parents concerned about their children’s health.
“Overall, I think it’s an advantage, having easy access information,” she said. “I think parents that look something up have a legitimate concern, (and they are) coming in more educated about the problem.”
The bad comes in when patients gather information that is inaccurate or just plain wrong, or when patients experience unnecessary worry and panic after becoming convinced their symptoms indicate a serious illness they don’t actually have.
“The problem with the Web is you don’t know if it’s true or not,” Goforth said, adding even doctors have to be careful when using online sources for information.
He gives an example of a patient who came in with an official looking report that was supposedly from Johns Hopkins University. It said heating food with plastic wrap over it would cause cancer, which is false.
The patient was very worried, so Goforth checked the report out.
He said it looked official and even had the Johns Hopkins logo on it, but when he went to the official Johns Hopkins Web site, they said it was a hoax by someone who had stolen their logo. “They’re very compelling stories,” Goforth said of the hoax and others like it. “That’s been going on for years. I think the Internet just makes this so much more rampant.”
Even though more information is a plus, Pritchard said everyone should be picky about the sources used.
“Unfortunately there’s a lot of not factual information on the Web as well,” she said. “I would just be really wary of believing everything that they read on the Internet.”
In her experience, parents have become worried after reading misinformation about vaccines and other issues from sites with “no scientific data to back it up,” she said.
But even with all of the misinformation and the possibility of patients scaring themselves sick, people such as “Tina” (her name is changed to protect her privacy) have managed to find some answers for a condition her doctors couldn’t quite figure out.
“I actually found my condition and told my doctor about it,” she said.
Tina has a neurogenic bladder, which means she cannot urinate by herself without using a catheter. She went to the Internet to find out about her condition, and discovered a new treatment that wasn’t yet FDA approved.
After approaching her doctor about what she’d found, he did his own research and found a similar treatment that had been approved by the FDA. He got Tina into a study, and a kind of pacemaker for her bladder was surgically implanted.
Two years later, Tina said the pacemaker is working well, and she still uses the Internet to look for information on her health and that of her two children.
“I go on all the time and look and see,” she said, though she admits she has scared herself needlessly on a few occasions.
“If I had symptoms of stuff, I would look it up and ask my doctor, ‘Do you think I have that? I think I have that,’” she said. “I’ll just admit I have been guilty, and I’ve been wrong about certain things.”
Her doctors always listened to her concerns and then discussed whether her symptoms were something that needed to be looked at.
She said her doctors have always encouraged her to seek information about her health and bring any questions she had to them. One of the main Web sites she uses is WebMD, where you can type in symptoms, and it gives you a list of illnesses you could have. This can be a helpful tool, but it can also be dangerous.
“I think there’s positives and negatives,” she said. “You can definitely freak yourself out.”
In the end, Tina said, unless a condition is severe, it’s important to always get the advice of a doctor before becoming too worried.
“I think it’s OK, and do your own research, but I wouldn’t go in (to a doctor’s office), and say, ‘This is it,’” she said. “They have the degree. They’re the ones that went to school all those years.”
Besides just information, the medical sites offer forums where people can discuss conditions with others who are suffering from the same problem.
Tina said she chats in forums and finds them to be very therapeutic because she knows she’s not the only person out there with her problem.
Goforth recommends www.handsonhealth-sc.org. as a reputable source of health information, and Pritchard said accurate information can be found at several sites, including the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org, the American Academy of Family Physicians at www.aafp.org/online/en/home.html and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov.
“I like it when they (patients) tell me what their concern is,” Goforth said. “There’s nothing wrong with reading. You just can’t panic.”
Of course, if a person’s symptoms are alarming and severe, such as a high fever, trouble breathing or chest pains, 911 should be called instead of going to the Internet, he said.
Pritchard has a final warning for cyberchondriacs out there who might encounter dubious medications or treatments on the Internet.
“Before they use any advice that they read on the Internet that’s out of the ordinary, get the advice of your doctor,” she said.

$10,000 donated to soup kitchen

August 13, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

You can buy a lot of soup for $10,000.
It’s a theory the organizers of the Greenwood Soup Kitchen, at the Turner House at 123 Bailey Circle, will soon test— thanks to Satterfield Construction.
Satterfield, long a sustaining supporter of the kitchen, recently presented the organization with $10,000. The amount is, according to soup kitchen chairman Norm Fawcett, far and away the largest one-time corporate donation the kitchen has received in its 20-year history.
“We were beyond thrilled to get this donation,” Fawcett said. “We survive on the donations of churches, individuals and foundations, and Satterfield has always supported us in a big way.”
Tracy Baggett, of Satterfield Construction, said she has had a long-standing good relationship with the soup kitchen, saying she and her children have volunteered there over the years.
“It is humbling to go and volunteer there,” Baggett said. “It reminds you how blessed you are, but at the same time you realize there are folks in need right here in our community.
Satterfield was excited to be able to help the soup kitchen and be a part of what they do.”
Fawcett said the soup kitchen operation has grown exponentially over the years. The kitchen opened Sept. 10, 1987, in the basement of Episcopal Church of the Resurrection on South Main Street, Greenwood.
All those seeking food got personal one-on-one attention that morning.
“We had 15 volunteers serving 14 people,” Fawcett said, chuckling.
The soup kitchen continued serving out of the Episcopal basement for nearly 15 years, finally moving to its current location in 2001. The operation has since expanded— “unfortunately,” according to Fawcett— with 75 volunteers serving nearly 400 people each week.
The kitchen is open at the Turner House from 11 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
Fawcett said the kitchen, which serves 20,000 meals a year, receives all the ingredients for the soup, sandwiches and food served are contributed by local churches, individuals and businesses.
As the soup kitchen commemorates its 20th anniversary, Fawcett said he appreciates all who help things run smoothly.
“Our volunteers and contributors are critical to what the soup kitchen does,” Fawcett said. “We receive no government money, no government backing. This is an organization that is run, supported and utilized by people from right here in the Greenwood community.”

Bruising & Blissful Baseball

A trip to Chicago’s Wrigley Field includes a historical occasion

August 13, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

I’ve witnessed sports history. I’ve got the bruises to prove it.
On Aug. 5, I, along with my brother, Matthew Trainor, of Abbeville, and two buddies, Greenwood’s Jeremy Hallback and Abbeville native Justin Fleming, had the good pleasure of witnessing New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine pick up his 300th career win in a contest against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Glavine’s win made him just the 23rd pitcher in Major League history to get to 300 wins in their career.
You might ask, how did a quartet of fine Southern gentlemen end up in the upper deck at Wrigley Field, aka The World’s Largest Outdoor Bar, on this historical night? A weekend, which capped perhaps the most historical weekend in the history of America’s pastime, a weekend that saw Glavine’s 300th win, Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez’s 500th home run and Giants’ Barry Bonds 755th career homer?
Simple, actually. We got on a plane and flew there. It was the next stop on what is fast becoming an annual trip to Major League parks for our band of knuckleheads. We choose a team, fly in for a couple nights, catch a game, then head home, leaving our hotel room in a condition that would make 80s hair-metal band Poison blush.
We had all been to Atlanta to see the Braves play numerous times and had all been to Fenway to see the Red Sox play. Our baseball sojourn a year ago was to Yankee Stadium, where we watched the Bronx Bombers take on Oakland. So when we planned our next trip last winter, Chicago seemed like the best possible destination.
And let me tell you: If you are a baseball fan, it IS the best possible destination.
Unlike most Major League teams, the Cubs play in what is, literally, a residential neighborhood. Wrigley Field, situated at the corner of Clark and Addison on the north side of town, is a part of a community, not unlike a church, apartment building or storefront.
But on gameday, at least in the time we were there, the 97-year-old stadium becomes the center of the community. A baseball obsessed, blue and white wearing, hard-partying, ticket-hungry community, that is.
Seriously, the scene outside Wrigley before the Cubs took on the Mets that night looked like a mix of “Animal House,” “Fever Pitch” and “Apocalypse Now.” Nothing like the comparably tame and family-oriented scene before a Braves game at Turner Field, the landscape more closely resembled the pre-game atmosphere before a South Carolina or Clemson football game.
Also, much like those pre-game tailgate parties on the Southern collegiate football circuit, we were surprised to find copious amounts of 20-something young ladies patrolling the area sports bars with their Frat Boy boyfriends, dressed to the nines, ready to enjoy an evening of baseball.
For the life of me, I have never been able to figure out why a young woman would want to go to a hot, dirty, crowded game— college football, baseball, whatever— in a mini-dress and high heels. But hey, that’s their God-given right, and, for the record, our group fully supported and appreciated their stance.
And before you fire off that e-mail, we were all well behaved in those regards, so don’t even think about it. Wait, change that, DO send an e-mail, to our wives, saying you heard just how well behaved we all were.
Anyway, after piledriving dinner at Sluggers, one of the approximately 6,763 sports bars within spitting distance of Wrigley, we decided it was time to head on into the stadium.
After squeezing through the dank, narrow concourse— Jeremy’s comment: “This is what a ballpark is supposed to smell like: stale beer and burning meat.”— we stepped out into the lower bowl to take part in a time-honored tradition all true sports junkies have taken part in: The Basking Moment.
It’s that moment, when you first enter a stadium, walk up the ramp and into the sunlight and its all right in front of you. If you’ve ever been to Williams-Brice Stadium or Death Valley on a Saturday in the fall, or even a Braves game, you know the moment.
The teams are busy practicing and stretching, the managers are chatting and filling out line-up cards. Vendors are just getting warmed up, hollering out their pitch for peanuts, soda, cotton candy or beer. There is no greener grass than the grass on a playing field at just this moment.
At Wrigley, this Basking Moment was one I’ll never forget. I grew up watching the Cubs on WGN, but that doesn’t do justice to Wrigley, with its ivy on the outfield walls and and hand-changed scoreboard in deep center field. As we took in the moment, Mets’ rightfielder Shawn Green was in the batting cage, blasting several home runs deep into the right field stands.
This would be a special night.
You’ve probably been wondering where the aforementioned bruises would come in. Well, let’s just say if I ever meet a descendant of the architect who designed Wrigley — opened in 1914— I will happily kick them in the knees.
Why? Maybe because OUR knees spent three hours digging into a rail wedged directly in front of our seats. Like, eight inches from the front of the edge of our seats.
See, that’s the thing about a nearly century-old stadium. It has quirks. There are beams in your line of vision, rails inches from your seat, support rods dangling all throughout the concourse.
We were able to sustain the unforgiving crush of “The *%#!*#@ Rail” for about six innings, at which point we slipped to some different seats. Truthfully, though, we really didn’t mind much.
Our attention was solely focused on the field, where Glavine tossed a gem for his 300th. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, surrendering two runs on six hits. And the defense behind him was sparkling, with third baseman David Wright, first baseman Carlos Delgado and shortstop Jose Reyes (who is a joy to watch play live, by the way) each making leaping or diving grabs for Glavine’s cause.
The Cubs didn’t go down without a fight, with catcher Jason Kendall picking up two hits and a run and pitcher Kerry Wood receiving a thunderous ovation after making his first appearance of the year. But in the end, New York got an 8-3 win and Glavine got number 300.
As we made our way walking down Clark Avenue after the game, numerous people held up signs soliciting ticket stubs, looking for mementos from the historic night.
Though we all decided to hold on to ours, we thought about selling our stubs, just for a moment. After all, we didn’t need stubs to prove we had been there, we had our bruises and we wore them with pride.

Obituaries

Dawnita Burgess

Dawnita Michelle Burgess, 34, of 119 Barkwood Lane, died Saturday, August 11, 2007 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Gaston County, NC, she was a daughter of Mary Louise Turner and the late Jimmy Herlong. She was a homemaker and was of the Baptist faith.
Surviving is her mother and stepfather, Ray Turner, of the home; three daughters, Sierra Dawn Walker of Florida, Courtney Lee Burgess and Taylor Renee Burgess, both of Spartanburg; a son, Dennis Edward Walker of Blacksburg; a sister, Windy Hicks of Umatilla, FL; and a brother, Stephen Herlong of Jefferson City, GA.
The family asks that memorials be made to Harley Funeral Home and Crematory, PO Box 777, Greenwood, SC to the account of Ms. Burgess.
No services are planned at this time.
Harley Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

James Herbert Chiles

James Herbert Chiles died at his home, 215 Siloam Church Road, Friday, August 10, 2007.
He was born in Greenwood County to the late Annie Pearl Carter Chiles and the late Doc Chiles.
He was a member of Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Epworth.
Surviving is a sister, Mae (Anthony) Calhoun of Abbeville; four brothers, Robert Chiles of Abbeville, Bennie (Patrish) Chiles of McCormick, Bell (Grace) Chiles of Greenwood, and Johnny Chiles of Greenwood.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 1 p.m. in the Chapel of Parks Funeral Home with the Reverend Arthur Williams officiating. Burial will follow at Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Epworth.
Pallbearers will be nephews.
Flower bearers will be friends of the family.
The family is at the home of his sister Mae Calhoun, 196 N. Mill Road, Abbeville County.
Parks Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Fred Dodgins

NINETY SIX — Fred Harold Dodgins, 79, resident of 417 South Cambridge Street, husband of Rose Whitlock Dodgins, died August 12, 2007 at Hospice House in Greenwood.
Born in Oconee County September 2, 1927, he was a son of the late Cornelius and Julia Gillespie Dodgins. He was a US Navy Veteran having served in WW II, Korea and Vietnam retiring after 22 years service with the rank of Postal Clerk First Class. He also retired from Greenwood Mills – Sloan Plant.
Mr. Dodgins was a member of West Side Baptist Church in Greenwood.
Surviving in addition to his wife of the home are step-sons, Larry McElroy of Bradley, Steve Webber of Bradley and Benny Webber of Greenwood; three step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Graveside services with full military honors will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Reverend Chuck Sprouse officiating.
The family is at the home and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 7-8:30 Monday evening.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Dodgins family.

Ralph K. Lindsey

Ralph K. Lindsey, widow of Mary Downing Lindsey, died at his home, 403 Bypass 25 N.E., Saturday, August 11, 2007.
The family is at the home.
Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Parks Funeral Home.

R. B. Massey

JOHNSTON — Services for R. B. Massey, age 82, will be held Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. at the Johnston Presbyterian Church with burial to follow in Sunset Gardens Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends at Bland Funeral Home Monday evening from 6-8 p.m. Memorials may be made to Johnston Presbyterian Church, c/o Mr. Harry Bell, 1829 Highway 23, Ward, S.C.
29166.
Mr. Massey, a native of Toccoa, Ga., died Saturday, August 11, 2007. He was a son of the late Robert and Marie Weldon Massey. Mr. Massey retired from construction work as a pipe fitter. He was a Navy Veteran of World War II and was a member of Johnston Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include his wife of fifty years, Dale Yonce Massey; a son, Larry Yonce and wife, Judy of Greenwood; a sister, Bessie Howard of Owensboro, Ky; brothers, John Massey of Huntsville Ala. and George Massey of Greenwood; a granddaughter, Amy Yonce Bartley, and a number of nieces and nephews.
Bland Funeral Home of Johnston is assisting the Massey family.

Dakota Miller

NINETY SIX — Anthony Dakota Miller, 11, of Ninety Six, son of Robert E. Miller, Jr. and Tina Turner Miller, died Saturday, August 11, 2007.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home and Crematory.

Cynthia Witt

Cynthia Lynne Witt, 51, of 230 East Cambridge Avenue, Apt.106, died Saturday, August 11, 2007 at her home.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of the late Jack and Grace Manley Dillashaw. She was a homemaker.
Surviving are two daughters, Beth Patterson-Hales of Greenville and Michele Luther of Missouri; one son, Robbie Patterson of Greenwood; a sister, Peggy Reynolds of Waterloo; a brother, Darrell Dillashaw of Greenwood; and six grandchildren.
No services are planned at this time.
Harley Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

Opinion

Just what does it take to be seen as traitor?

August 13, 2007

Treason means the same thing in South Carolina as it does anywhere else. The law of the land makes it clear that those who engage in traitorous acts shall be punished.
In Article III, Section 3, the U. S. Constitution says: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on Confession in open Court.
“The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall seek Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the life of the Person attainted.”

THAT SEEMS AS CLEAR AS can be, particularly where it refers to giving aid and comfort to enemies of the United States.
How, then, should Americans look at some highly publicized anti-America efforts by some of its citizens. Take actor Sean Penn, for example. Penn has long used his celebrity to demonize this nation, and by that, its people.
Consider just one instance (there have been several). Penn recently visited Venezuela’s despot, Hugo Chavez. He repeatedly has hobnobbed with Communist and other dictators and joined them in denouncing everything American. President Bush has been the favorite whipping boy of Chavez, a man who has systematically eliminated freedoms that Venezuelans have historically enjoyed. He’s also cozied up to the likes of Fidel Castro and Iran’s and Nicaragua’s radical leaders, among others.

PENN RECENTLY VISITED Chavez and traveled around that country with him in what amounted to a Hate-Bush, Hate America tour. At one pointed Chavez glibly put his hand on Penn’s shoulder and declared, “And he’s anti-Bush!”
Penn’s actions, under any definition, give aid and comfort to enemies of this nation. But, Penn also has made similar visits to Middle Eastern dictatorships where his very presence encouraged those who work against the U. S. Again, he gave aid and comfort to America-haters. Others, too, like actor Danny Glover, have taken the same approach.
That should raise a disturbing question for every American who values freedom. When does treason apply?