Blackwell may defend job

February 13, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

Suspended Ware Shoals High School principal Jane Blackwell has been asked to tell the school board why she should keep her job following her arrest on an obstruction of justice charge last month.
The Ware Shoals School District 51 school board had a closed meeting Monday with school board attorney Bruce Davis at the district office building. Afterward, Davis made public the contents of a letter the board is sending to Blackwell informing her of her right to a hearing to show cause as to why her position at the school should not be terminated.
Davis, of Mt. Pleasant, said Blackwell has 15 days to respond. If and when Blackwell accepts the invitation, the board and Davis will set a date for the hearing.
Davis said Blackwell, who was placed on paid administrative leave, has the right to have a private hearing. However, he said he hopes that won’t be the case.
“It is imperative that we process this matter as openly and publicly as we possibly can,” Davis said. “I am hopeful that not only will Mrs. Blackwell ask for a hearing, but that she ask for a public hearing. This community needs to know the informational basis on which this decision was made.”
Davis said he thinks it is very important residents be present to hear what Blackwell has to say at the same time the board hears it.
District 51 superintendent Fay Sprouse did not participate in Monday’s meeting because she is Blackwell’s first cousin.
She also declined to comment on the results of the meeting.
Blackwell was arrested Jan. 22 by the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of obstruction of justice. The principal is accused of withholding information from investigators in their investigation of Jill Moore, the former Ware Shoals cheerleading coach who is alleged to have provided two then-16-year-old cheerleaders with alcohol and cigarettes.
Moore, who resigned in the wake of the scandal that garnered national media attention, is also accused of placing the girls in an “incredibly inappropriate situation” in regard to a sexual relationship Moore was having with National Guardsman Thomas Fletcher and helping facilitate a sexual relationship between one of the cheerleaders and Guardsman Jeremy Pileggi.
Fletcher and Pileggi were not charged by authorities — the age of sexual consent in South Carolina is 16 — but were demoted and fined by the National Guard last week.
Investigators searched Blackwell’s office when they suspected Blackwell knew more about the accusations against Moore than she was telling authorities. During the search, deputies seized two computers, calendars, notebooks and assorted other documents.
A supplemental report released by the sheriff’s office accuses Blackwell of misleading authorities and intimidating witnesses and potential witnesses. The report also noted investigators found notes within a dated journal of Blackwell’s where she indicated she had been personally investigating Moore’s actions before the authorities became involved.
The supplemental document also describes a meeting in which Blackwell told cheerleaders they were not to talk about the incident with anybody but her. Also, she allegedly ordered bathroom doors at the school to be locked during class transition times so students could not send text messages about the incident to people outside school.

Playoff hoop action opens

Lakelands has six girls squads in postseason play, three at home

February 13, 2007

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

Beginning tonight, records won’t mean anything when girls basketball teams from around the state tip-off at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the state playoffs.
Winning a state championship isn’t easy, but the formula is. A five-game winning streak guarantees that the respective squad will be the last one standing on March 2 and 3 at the Colonial Center in Columbia.
Greenwood (Class AAAA), Emerald (Class AA) and Calhoun Falls (Class A) lead a pack of six teams from the Lakelands area. Those three squads were rewarded for their solid seasons by receiving No. 1 seeds from their regions in three Upper State playoff brackets.
Ware Shoals missed out on a Region I-A’s top seed following a loss to the Lady Blue Flashes in a tie-breaker game Friday. However, the Lady Hornets will open the playoffs at home against No. 4 seed Southside Christian.
No. 3 seeds McCormick and Saluda won’t be able to enjoy the comfort of playing in their home gyms. The Lady Chiefs and the Lady Tigers are headed on the road for their first-round games against Christ Church and Columbia High, respectively.
The Lady Eagles host the No. 4 seeded Byrnes. Coach Susan Thompson and the Region I-AAAA champion Lady Eagles, barring a loss, are scheduled to play the first three rounds on their home court.
“We just look at one game at a time but we have looked at that and noticed that if we keep winning, we get to stay home and that’s a plus for us,” Thompson said.
Thompson said that in the playoffs, she’ll look to the same core group that has performed well for the Lady Eagles all season. The team had a review course during Sunday’s practice.
“We basically went over all of our offensive and defensive plays and then worked on our man defense,” Thompson said. “Basically, we had the same type of practice that we always have.”
Emerald coach Anarie Duckett and her Lady Vikings are also looking at a possible three-game homestand, based on the brackets and their positioning.
They face No. 4 seed C.A. Johnson tonight in Viking Country. A win would extend the Lady Vikings’ current winning streak to 11 games, which started on a Jan. 9 victory over Batesburg-Leesville.
Duckett has spent time looking over game film and likes her team’s chances in this first-round match-up. She’s also upbeat about the Lady Vikings’ positioning and the possibilities of making a run deep into the playoffs.
“I swapped film with the C.A. Johnson coaches the other day and if we play well, we should be able to win. But we’ve got to play the game,” Duckett said. “I told somebody the other day that the draw looks like it’s in our favor as long as we can win the games. I just hope that if we get to the third round, they’ll allow us to play in our gym because it might not be big enough.”
Duckett said that she expects her front line, led by Brittany Connor, to continue to play well for the Lady Vikings, whose game plan has been to get the ball inside this season, but added that point guard Dede Carter will have to do well.
“This time last year she was a little shaky when it came to pressure time,” Duckett said. “She’s really shown me some things this year that she has improved on since last year.”
First-year Lady Blue Flashes coach Risha Bomar has her team sitting pretty with a No. 1 seed, thanks to a 10-1 Region I-A finish.
Since winning the Crescent Tournament in late December, the Lady Blue Flashes have been on a roll and hope to continue on tonight at home against No. 4 seed Whitmire.
“It’s always better to play on your home floor,” Bomar said. “We’re just going to stick to our full-court press and pressure the ball.”
Bomar said she expects the Lady Wolverines to have a solid post presence, which is why she wants to use pressure on the ball to keep it out of the post.
“We were playing some very good basketball. The last two games haven’t been that great,” Bomar said. “I think we still have a lot of good basketball to come.”
McCormick coach George Edwards has plenty of tape to look at when it comes to the Lady Cavaliers. The Lady Chiefs were knocked out by them in the third round of the 2006 playoffs.
“They’re no strangers to us and we’re familiar with what they’re going to do,” Edwards said. “They’re tall and talented but we’re going to put forth a good effort.”

Obituaries

Inez Brown

TRENTON — Inez Settles Freeman Brown, of 1128 Springfield Church Road, died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at Aiken Regional Medical Center.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Butler & Sons Funeral Home, Saluda.

James ‘Jimmy’ Davis

ABBEVILLE — James “Jimmy” Davis, 81, of 1297 Cambridge St. Extension, died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville.
The family is at the home of his companion, Sarah K. Jordan, 101 Horton Lane.
Services will be announced by Abbeville & White Mortuary Inc.

Stephen B. Dolny, Ph.D.

Stephen B. Dolny, 72, of Greenwood, South Carolina, passed away Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, following a long fight with cancer.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Steve moved to Greenwood following a 37 year career with the General Electric Company, including leadership assignments in Greenville, SC, Pittsfield, MA, Schenectady, NY, and GE’s corporate headquarters in Fairfield, CT.
Steve served as vice president of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, where he led a community-wide Positive Management Leadership program. He was a trustee of the South Carolina Educational Resources Foundation and on the executive board of an educational subsidiary of the National Association of Manufacturers. In Greenwood, he was a co-founder and co-chair of Bridges, a unique youth leadership program; a board member of the Community Theater; chair of the Children’s Center; a mentor for the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice; board member of the United Way of Greenwood County; board member of Lander University Foundation. Steve and his wife, Linda, sponsor five endowed scholarships to Lander. In 2004, he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Lander University.
In 1992, Steve and his wife, Linda Latham Dolny, moved to Greenwood, SC, and established the headquarters for PML Associates, Inc., a management training and human resources consulting firm to more than 250 of the Fortune 500 companies across North America. Through PML Associates, Steve and Linda pursued their lifelong mission to “awaken the passions of people to lead”, and together, they have affected the lives of more than 8,000 senior corporate leaders.
In addition to his wife and partner of 25 years, Steve is survived by his son, Mark Dolny of Cambridge, Mass., and his wife, Amy Conklin and their son, Nathaniel; his son, Dan Dolny of Collierville, Tenn., and his wife, Sharon, and their daughters, Hannah and Jessica; his brother, Warren Dolny of Brooklyn, New York; and by nieces, nephews and many loving friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Stephen B. Dolny Scholarship Fund at Lander University, payable to The Lander Foundation, 320 Stanley Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29649.
The family will receive friends Wednesday 1:30 p.m. at Bishop’s Hall, The Church of the Resurrection, 700 Main Street, Greenwood, 864-223-5426. Funeral services will begin at 3 p.m. at The Church of the Resurrection.

Mary Frazier

HODGES — Mary Frazier, 71, wife of Matthew Frazier, of 1202 Shirley Road, died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at the Hospice of Greenwood. The family is at the home. Arrangements will be announced by Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals, SC.

John ‘Driggers’ Hanks

ABBEVILLE — John Avril “Driggers” Hanks, 85, resident of 3012 Hwy. 20, widower of Alta Lee Uldrick Hanks, died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007 at Abbeville Area Medical Center.
Born in Abbeville, SC, he was a son of the late Thomas H. and Elizabeth Pearman Hanks.
He was a retired automobile salesman. After retirement, Mr. Hanks became very active in cattle farming. He was also a member of Keowee Baptist Church.
He is survived by 2 sisters, Mary E. Hanks and Ida Lou Hanks of Honea Path, SC; a niece, Francine West and her husband, Howard of Holly Hill, SC; and a brother-in-law, Frank Uldrick and his wife, Betty of Abbeville, SC.
He was preceded in death by 3 brothers, Guy, Herman and Herbert A. Hanks and 2 sisters, Ora Bell Hanks and Elma Hanks.
Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007 at 11 a.m. from Keowee Baptist Church, with the Rev. Jerry Mize officiating. The burial will follow in the church cemetery. The body will be placed in the church at 10 a.m. The body is at The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Tuesday evening. The family is at their respective homes.
Memorials may be made to Keowee Baptist Church, 4640 Keowee Road, Honea Path, SC 29654.
Online condolences may be sent to the Hanks family by visiting www.chandlerjacksonfh.com.
The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home, Abbeville, SC, is in charge of arrangements.

Opinion

Vote, not blocking votes should be lawmaker duty

February 13, 2007

Two or three years ago Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S. C., helped broker a deal between Republicans and Democrats in the U. S. Senate that would allow for up or down votes on President Bush’s judicial nominees. Graham felt the sting of some voter anger, to be sure, but that effort did lead to some nominee confirmations, including the Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court and another justice.
The voters’ ire was understandable. They felt that Graham was being a little too “chummy” with some Democrats. Be that as it may, though, there should never have been a need for Graham or anyone else to do anything to assure a vote on federal court nominees.

WHEN SOMEONE IS NOMINATED for the court or any other federal position, an up or down vote should be automatic.
That’s not the way the system presently works, though. That can be seen in the current arguments over whether the president should increase the number of American troops in Iraq. Democrats and Republicans want competing resolutions - non-binding or otherwise - on the troop question. Each side apparently is blocking a vote on each other’s resolutions.
Parliamentary maneuvering has been used to block votes and other actions in the past by both major political parties.
The vote is important to all Americans. That allows every citizen to have a say in how their government operates. Their votes decide who will represent them.

VOTERS, THEN, MUST BE more than concerned when the people they elect fight each other to prevent official votes on a variety of issues. If elected officials don’t support the right for their peers to vote on issues that concern the people, why should the people support those who prevent votes on those issues?
Every issue, regardless, should be voted on. That’s what the system is all about. If any issue is too serious for the people’s elected representatives to vote on it, maybe it shouldn’t even be a consideration. The same goes for the state Legislature.
If people are encouraged to vote, why shouldn’t lawmakers get the same kind of encouragement?