Daily Archives: 07/23/2014
Police: Vehicle hits home after driver’s throat slit
Man charged with armed robbery, assault, kidnapping
EASLEY — An Easley man is behind bars facing multiple charges after an incident in which police say he cut a man giving him a ride in an attempted robbery, sending a vehicle crashing into a home.
Steven Lamar Williams, 34, of 102 Park St., was charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of kidnapping, first-degree assault and possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime.
According to an Easley Police Department incident report, two friends stopped at the Hot Spot gas station on West Main Street on Friday night. While his friend entered the gas station, the driver of the vehicle was approached by
Pickens Middle School teacher hikes to raise money for cancer research
Photo courtesy Louise Hope
Pickens Middle School teacher Louise Hope recently completed a 28-mile hike in one day to raise money for children’s cancer research after one of her students was diagnosed with leukemia.
By Nikki Rutledge
For The Courier
nrutledge@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Many say there are teachers who make an impact on their students that lasts a lifetime.
Louise Hope, a community education teacher at Pickens Middle School, is one of those teachers.
When the news broke that one of Hope’s eighth-grade students and a fellow Pickens Presbyterian Church member, Kent Townsend, had leukemia, she began searching for a way to help.
She found her opportunity serendipitously.
“It was almost divine intervention the way I happened upon the email that led me to Ultimate Hike,” she said. “I had been thinking to myself ‘What can I do?’ when I scrolled all the way to the bottom of my list of mail, and clicked
Family members charged following convict’s capture
EASLEY — After nearly two weeks on the loose, an inmate escaped from the Pickens County Stockade was arrested last week, and two relatives were charged with helping him evade capture.
According to a release from Pickens County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Creed Hashe, deputies received an anonymous tip that James Christopher Townsend, 41, was at a home on Bakerville Road in Easley.
Officers arrested Townsend at the home at around 12:45 p.m. July 16.
Townsend had been held since June 2 at the stockade, located at 186 Prison Camp Road in Pickens, before he was discovered missing during a routine count at 7 p.m. on July 3.
Townsend, a convicted felon who has a lengthy criminal record for various types of crimes, was serving time for
Saying goodbye
Pickens City Council said farewell Monday night to city administrator Katherine Hendricks, who is leaving the city after five and a half years for a position with the city of Mount Pleasant. Mayor David Owens presented Hendricks with a plaque and a flower vase after city council’s work session. Pictured, from left, are council member Patti Welborn, Hendricks, Owens, council member Carlton Holley, council member Donnie McKinney and council member Patrick Lark. The city will host a farewell for Hendricks next Monday from 11 a.m. to noon.
Pickens council awards contracts
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — In a brief special called meeting of Pickens City Council Monday night, council approved four contracts and some amendments to its 2014-15 budget.
The budget amendments were approved with a 5-0 vote, with councilmen Isaiah Scipio and Fletcher Perry absent.
A contract with Young Plumbing Company for a six-inch high pressure main project for $34,540 was also approved with a 5-0 vote.
A contract for $182,525 to J&M Construction for the Fox Squirrel Ridge and Hendricks Road Project was approved
Cannon honors life and service of Michael Siders
PICKENS — Cannon Memorial Hospital will honor the life and service of Michael Siders, a devoted and skilled clinician that served every patient with kindness and compassion, with a blood and teddy bear drive on Monday, July 28, from 2-6 p.m. at the Cannon Wellness Annex at 865 Pendleton St. in Pickens.
The community may donate blood and/or a teddy bear to the cause. Siders was known as the “big teddy bear” by colleagues, and the teddy bears will be donated to a local charity to place smiles on the faces of local children. AnMed Health will coordinate the blood drive and provide T-shirts. The community may also write a personal note
Farm day in Six Mile
Farm day, sponsored by Medi Home Hospice of Seneca and Mile Creek Farm of Six Mile, began last year in Six Mile. With the positive feedback from residents and family members from the community, officials decided to make it an annual event. Medi Home Hospice goes beyond the healthcare that is delivered to patients; it is a “gift” to those who are living with a terminal illness and a “gift” to their families. Farm day is an example of that; the gift of independence during outdoor activities, the gift of re-acclimating with Mother Nature, the gift of making new friends and spending time with old friends, the gift of being able to mobilize outside of daily routines and the number one gift that is most talked about is, the gift of Medi Home Hospice and Mile Creek Farm bringing back some of the things that were familiar, such as farming and everyone being able to sit around and reminisce over fond memories. Participants in farm day get to take part in goat milk tasting, snap bean contest and lunch is served. Residents and families are invited to pick vegetables from the fields if they choose and visit the on-site chickens. More than 60 residents participated in this year’s event, held on July 8, including hospice patients and their families, along with residents from Heritage Healthcare of Pickens, The Residences at Park Place Assisted Living, Seneca Health and Rehabilitation Center, Morningside Assisted Living and Belvedere Commons Senior Living.
Supreme Court autopsy ruling trumps public accountability
For the second time in a month, the S.C. Supreme Court has ruled against openness and punted important issues back to the Legislature for change.
Last week, the court ruled that autopsy records are exempt from release under the FOIA because they are medical records.
Why does this matter to the public?
It matters because the next time police shoot an innocent man, don’t expect the public to have access to the autopsy report giving the details of the death.
That is what this case was about… the shooting of an innocent suspect. Supposedly in self-defense. Problem is, the autopsy showed the suspect in Sumter County was shot in the back.
Can you see now why autopsy records should be public?
This is a terrible ruling that will allow coroners to withhold information the public has a need to know.
Where Chicken Little went wrong
With age comes perspective, that most valuable quality and one poor Chicken Little did not possess. After all, he was a very young chicken.
In comparing my life to that of Chicken Little, I do feel that in this one example I have come out ahead. Yes, friends, I feel superior to Chicken Little. What an accomplishment. This should not be considered a trivial achievement either, because I come from a long line of champion worry warts. These people believed in being prepared for the 
worst. And yes, to give credit where credit is due, I know they had experienced the worst.
Most of our ancestors lived through war, pestilence, disease and poverty.
So yes, they had reason to worry about the future. On their behalf, I must say they never quit and when each crisis occurred they found a way to meet the challenge. Chicken Little did not share their experiences. Far from it. He spent most of his time and energy focused on responding to something that didn’t happen.
His motives were pure. No question. He lacked perspective and common sense. Chicken Little would have benefited greatly if he had reflected a little more wisely. If he had paused to explore the facts, analyze the situation and act appropriately, everyone would have been spared and we would never have had to
Courier Letters to the Editor 7-23-14
Explaining accreditation
Dear Editor,
By law, the South Carolina Department of Education accredits all public education units — school boards, school district operations and schools, and certifies the diplomas issued by school districts in the state. The School District of Pickens County is accredited by the state, which in its 2012-13 report gave our district a 3.93 (out of 4.0) score. The state gave our school board the highest score of 4.0 or “All Clear,” showing it was and is compliant with state education laws, regulations and standards.
AdvancEd is a private organization our school district pays a fee to to accredit its schools, board and district. This is separate from the accreditation process of the Department of Education; it is voluntary and not required by law. Colleges look at this AdvancED accreditation, so our district chooses to participate in its accreditation process.
In December, AdvancED recommended renewal of our accreditation. Like most all audits or review processes,
