Daily Archives: 04/19/2016
Car rolls over, kills Pickens woman
PICKENS — An 87-year-old Pickens woman was killed after her car rolled over her early Monday morning.
According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Cpl. Bill Rhyne, the accident occurred at 1:50 a.m. Monday morning on Gladiola Lane.
Roxie Ellen Melton exited her 2014 Ford Fusion, which was not in park and rolled, knocking Melton down, he said.
The car then rolled over her, Rhyne said.
She was transported to Cannon Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley said.
Kelley said Melton died of blunt-force trauma.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is still investigating.
Easley man dies after blowout causes wreck
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
easley — A 48-year-old Easley man died from injuries sustained in a one-vehicle accident last Wednesday afternoon.
Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley identified the victim as Jerry L. Blough of 201 Hillendale Drive in Easley.
Blough was traveling south on U.S. Highway 123, 1.4 miles west of Easley, when the accident occurred, South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Tony Keller said.
A rear tire on the 2005 Ford pickup Blough was driving blew, causing him to lose control, Keller said.
The pickup traveled off the right side of the road way and struck a granite monument, Keller said.
Although Blough was wearing a seatbelt, he was entrapped in the vehicle after the collision and was extracted using mechanical means, Keller said.
Blough was flown to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Highway Patrol is still investigating the accident.
Wings and Wheels for Meals set Saturday
LIBERTY — This Saturday, April 23, The Keowee Flyers, The Pickens County Pilot’s Association and Pickens County Meals on Wheels will host the seventh annual Wings and Wheels for Meals event at the Pickens County Airport from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Admission is a suggested donation of $10 per vehicle at the entrance to the airport. All proceeds from the event go to fund the critical services provided by Meals on Wheels.
“We welcome everyone to fly in or cruise in and enjoy the beautiful Pickens County Airport for a day of family fun,” Keowee Flyers flight school principal owner Ross Russo said. “The Pickens County Airport is a beautiful place to visit and a wonderful place to learn to fly.”
Event-goers will enjoy a variety of activities. Visitors will be able to get a bird’s eye view of beautiful Pickens County when they climb into the cockpit of a fixed-wing plane for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Attendees can also see one of the best classic and custom car shows in the Upstate, with more than 100 vehicles on display. A total of six trophies will be awarded. The People’s Choice award will go to the car that receives the most cash votes by the public. Best in Class is a judged event. Awards will be given to each of the classes: 1900-1948, 1949-1972, 1973-1994 and 1995-2016. The Best in Show will be presented to top overall winner.
Between admiring cars and airplane rides and enjoying a hamburger or hot dog plate grilled to perfection by members of Bates Masonic Lodge, event-goers can watch the Pickens Rescue Squad demonstrate how it gets crash victims out of a wrecked car using the hydraulic Jaws of Life.
“We are thankful for our many sponsors and community organizations who support this event each year,” Pickens County Meals on Wheels executive director Meta Bowers said. “Especially our community partners like the Pickens County Pilot’s Association, Gold Sponsors Tri-State Pump and Control and Blackmoor Agency, Redneck Engineering, the Rescue Squad and Scuba Dive Team, Liberty Police Department, Explorers from Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and the Raptor RC Club for donating their time and equipment and time to support Meals on Wheels.”
This year’s fundraising goal is to raise $13,500 to support one of the 22 Meals on Wheels routes for an entire year. Currently, Meals on Wheels serves more than 310 individuals in communities across Pickens County each weekday, providing homebound elderly and disabled individuals with a nutritious meal, a friendly visit and a safety check that helps them live independently in their own homes. Last year, the organization delivered a total of 61,777 meals, the most in its history.
Located in the McKissick Center for Senior Wellness, Pickens County Meals on Wheels is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that exists to combat the effects of hunger, loneliness and isolation on those living in Pickens County and provide a lifeline through the use of caring volunteers. Founded in 1980, the overarching mission has not changed, yet the reach and impact has continued to expand in Pickens County.
Both home-delivered meals and the Young at Heart dining and activity programs are about more than the meal. These services are crucial to helping people maintain their nutritional health, feel connected in the community and continue living safely in their own homes. For many seniors, this is the only social contact they may have in a day. These services are a vital part of fighting isolation and helping older adults remain active and healthy. Community-based programs like Meals on Wheels provide are a cost-effective way of helping people “age in place.” The cost of home-delivered meals for one year is the equivalent of one week in a skilled nursing home. To find out more about Meals on Wheels and the importance of the work it does in Pickens County, visit pcmow.org, call (864) 855-3770 or email meta@pcmow.org.
Easley officials to update Parks and Rec Master Plan
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The city of Easley will be updating its Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Last week, Easley City Council voted unanimously to award a contract to Alta Planning and Design for professional services related to updating the master plan.
Just how much the contract will be for is not known yet, city administrator Stephen Steese told council.
Professional services providers such as Alta Planning cannot, by law, “provide a definitive price quote,” he said.
“With professional services, we have to go based on qualifications,” Steese said. “They gave us an estimated cost based on similar projects, and it was around $60,000.
“What we will do now is we will go back and negotiate and get a contract together and that contract will outline the estimated cost of the project. We’ve outlined what we want them to do, and they estimated based on that. Because it’s based on hourly rates, they can’t give us a definitive number of hours. The actual hours may be less.”
That contract is “not to exceed” Alta’s estimated cost, Steese said.
The range of price differences in the proposals the city received was between $6,000 and $8,000, Steese said.
Councilman Brian Garrison said the recreation committee recommended going with Alta Planning because the city had worked closely with the firm on previous projects.
Councilman Chris Mann said Alta brings a “broad range of experience” to the table regarding master plans.
The master plan updating process would take about eight to nine months, Steese said. The process could begin in May.
“We’ll probably be finishing this up about the first of next year,” he said.
Next year’s budget process could include items created in the master plan update.
Councilman Kent Dykes said the public would have a chance to weigh in on the plan.
Steese said the first Parks and Recreation Master Plan was created in 2008 and has not been updated since then.
“We’ve seen a shift in growth of different sports, demand for different sports,” Steese said. “Back then, baseball was our big thing. Now we’re kind of built out for baseball and have more demand for soccer, senior sports, stuff like that.”
Local veteran, Korean War POW honored
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Joined by Pickens County Veterans Affairs Officer Martha Dorset, Sen. Larry Martin presents Clemson resident William Herbert Funchess Jr. with the Korean Prisoner of War Medal on Monday.
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A “true American hero” was recently recognized for his service and the hardships he endured while a prisoner of war during the Korean War.
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Pickens County Veterans Affairs Officer Martha Dorset said Howard Metcalf, director of the South Carolina Division of Veterans’ Affairs, contacted VA offices around the state, asking that POWs be sought out so that they could be recognized.
Monday afternoon, Clemson resident William Herbert Funchess Jr. received the Korean Prisoner of War Medal from the State of South Carolina.
“He was so appreciative,” Dorset said. “He’s such a sweet guy.”
Funchess was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry during the Korean War.
Funchess was captured on Nov. 4, 1950, and released on Sept. 6, 1953. Funchess spent 34 months as prisoner, first classified as a prisoner of war and then as a war criminal by his captors.
Funchess said he was falsely judged a war criminal after speaking out during a “Chinese political indoctrination” session. During that session, a mass grave was shown as “proof of the atrocities committed by the U.S. forces,” the men were told.
Funchess took action.
“I stood up and I yelled, ‘That’s a damn lie!’” he recalled. “’Those atrocities were committed by the North Koreans against the North Koreans.”
He was punished for speaking out.
“They grabbed me and took me out of camp,” Funchess said.
Funchess was forced to undress, then to stand at attention for several hours wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
During that time, Chinese and North Korean officers went inside and held a show trial, declaring Funchess a war criminal.
Funchess and other POWs endured unimaginable hardships during their captivity.
“That first winter, we had no blankets,” he said. “We spent the winter in summer uniforms. There was no heat, no light, no warmth, no water.”
Funchess said 1,600 died that first winter in POW Camp Number Five.
“That number is almost unbelievable,” he said.
A further crime was committed against the dead — they were not buried, just placed on a hillside near the camp.
When Funchess was transferred to another camp, “the bodies were still there,” he said.
Sen. Larry Martin presented the medal to Funchess.
“It was both an honor and privilege for me to present the Prisoner of War medal to Mr. Funchess,” Martin said. “Mr. Funchess is a true American hero, having experienced the terrible conditions of 34 months of captivity during the Korean War.
“He embodies the highest ideals of bravery, sacrifice, and love of country. It meant a lot to me to have the opportunity to shake the hand of this fine man and to participate in this tribute.”
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Pickens’ Garrett signs to play soccer at SWU
PICKENS — Pickens High School senior Anna-Marie Garrett was all smiles recently as she accepted a scholarship to play soccer for Southern Wesleyan University.
Garrett said she’d played basketball when she was younger but decided to change it up.
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“I decided, ‘You know what? Senior year, let’s try something new,’” Garrett said.
Jason Evans/Courier
Anna-Marie Garrett signs with Southern Wesleyan as her parents Stephanie and Brian look on.
She plays goalkeeper for the Lady Blue Flame.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Garrett said of playing for Pickens. “It’s impacted my life a lot. It’s a good environment to be around. The girls are a big family. We get along really well, and we take care of each other. There’s a great coaching staff.”
The team is having a really good season so far, she said.
“We are winning,” Garrett said.
She said she liked Southern Wesleyan University’s emphasis on team-building.
“It’s a family,” Garrett said.
Pickens soccer coach Ashley Clay spoke about Garrett’s time on the team.
“This is her first year playing for us,” Clay said. “She came out and started practicing with us, (and) she was so into it. She was so excited about it.
“She’s taken a lot upon herself, just training outside of practice as well. She has improved so much already. She’s very quick. She’s very agile. She likes working with her teammates. She’s a very good team player. I’m impressed with her skills. She’s a very hard worker.”
Clay and her staff sent highlights of Garrett to Southern Wesleyan, and the college’s coaching staff spoke with Garrett as well.
“They’ve seen her play, and her skills spoke for themselves,” Clay said.
Garrett plans to major in criminal justice at Southern Wesleyan. She hopes to become an FBI agent.
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County Relay for Life aims to ‘Paint the Town Purple’
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Easley officials recognized the efforts of Pickens County Relay for Life team members as they help to raise money that will fund the search for a cure for cancer.
Mayor Larry Bagwell recognized members of the Pickens County Relay for Life team during last week’s city council meeting. Bagwell signed a proclamation in conjunction with Relay for Life’s “Paint the Town Purple” awareness and fundraising campaign, declaring April as “Paint the Town Purple Month” in the City of Easley.
Jason Evans/Courier
Members of the Pickens County Relay for Life committee were on hand at last Monday night’s Easley City Council meeting as Mayor Larry Bagwell declared April “Paint the Town Purple” Month in the city.
Money raised during Paint the Town Purple campaign supports the American Cancer Society’s mission of saving lives and creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays, the proclamation states.
“We’re going to paint the county purple,” said Baptist Easley Hospital CEO Michael Batchelor, the Pickens County Relay for Life committee chairman.
The Pickens County team’s goal is to raise $75,000, he said.
“We’re going to raise over $100,000, I believe,” Batchelor said.
Historically, at this point in the campaign, the local effort has averaged about $8,000 in sponsorships, he said.
“Right now, we’re a little over $25,000 just in sponsorships,” Batchelor said.
In Pickens County alone, more than 700 new cancer patients are identified every year, he said.
Any community member can go into any Wells Fargo bank branch or drive-thru to donate to Pickens County Relay for Life through April 30.
“We’re going to achieve this goal,” Batchelor said.
The Pickens County Relay for Life walk will be held April 30 at Easley High School.
Batchelor is offering a personal incentive for the fundraising campaign.
“If we achieve that goal, I’m going to shave my head,” he said.
Councilman Chris Mann had a suggestion for Bagwell.
“I think if they reach that goal, you should shave your head, too,” Mann told the mayor.
Crenshaw seeks reelection to Pickens County Council
COUNTY – In announcing his reelection bid recently, Pickens County Council member Randy Crenshaw said he appreciates the opportunity the people of District 3 have given him to represent them for the past four years.
“It has been a privilege and honor to serve my community in this capacity,” Crenshaw said. “I ask you for your vote as I seek reelection in the upcoming June 14 Republican Primary.”
Crenshaw is a lifelong resident of Pickens County and has a vested interest in the future of Pickens County.
“I am retired from Blue Ridge Electric after 27 years,” he said. “My wife, Sandra, and I own a small cattle farm in the rural area of the county. I serve on the board of directors for the Pickens County Cattlemen’s Association, the Pickens County Farm Bureau and also the Clemson Extension Agency advisory board. I am a member of Mountain View Baptist Church, where I serve as deacon.”
While the area has gone through some difficult times during his time on council, such as the recession in 2008, when the state of South Carolina began making cuts to the funding going to local governments, Pickens County survived in excellent financial condition, according to Crenshaw.
“Pickens County has maintained a balanced budget for over 10 years without a tax increase or cuts in services,” he said. “We have the fifth-lowest taxes of 46 counties in South Carolina. Our county is solvent, and we maintain a healthy reserve. This was accomplished through sound conservative principals.”
Crenshaw said the county maintains 670 miles of county roads and 74 bridges “with a very effective and fair road paving program that we adopted.”
“I know there still some bad roads in Pickens County, but these are not county roads and are not covered by our road paving program,” he said.
Crenshaw said he is aware of the needs of the people in the district, such as high homeowners insurance premiums and better EMS services in the outlying rural areas.
“We also have a situation with serious overcrowding at the county jail,” he said. “County council is currently working to find solutions to these problems, and I will not be satisfied until it is done.”
Crenshaw knows economic development has been slow in recent years, but said he is happy to report that an announcement is upcoming concerning new job opportunities coming to Pickens County in the near future.
“There will be one announcement next week, with more to follow in the very near future. This is good news for everyone,” Crenshaw said.
Crenshaw is particularly proud of the rich heritage of Pickens County.
“Hagood Mill is extremely popular, with improvements being made regularly,” he said. “The South Carolina petroglyphs at Hagood Mill are an amazing piece of history and are a major attraction.”
Crenshaw said his plan is to keep working and fighting for the people in his district and all of Pickens County.
“It is for this reason I am seeking reelection,” he said. “I am asking for your continued trust and support. Please vote on June 14. If you have any questions for me concerning the county, I welcome your calls.”
Crenshaw can be reached at (864) 637-8143.
More than one way to skin a cat
We all have a left and right side of the brain. Or at least that’s what they tell us. The two sides of the brain communicate with each other but — and this is just a non-scientific opinion — not everybody’s brain sides communicate well.
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Now that the tax deadline has arrived and departed once more, I can think of no other particular situation that gives as fine an example of a brain at war with itself.
Some of us tend to be more visual than others, so a file cabinet can be particularly disturbing. We know that some people find file cabinets helpful because they file things in them in an order that makes perfect sense, at least to them, and then are able to remember the name of the file, where it is located in the cabinet and what it contains.
Allow me to say that this system doesn’t work for everyone as it is supposed to.
Some people are handicapped in that they view paperwork in a different way.
I’ve found that color works for me. That is, I have to have a basket on a counter or shelf that has a bright color that I can see.
For some of us, if something such as a folder is put away in a file cabinet out of sight, the brain thinks it has disappeared from the face of the earth because it is no longer visible.
It no longer exists, so therefore no more thought is given to this folder until the tax deadline rears its ugly head. That’s when a mad search begins, looking for the vital lost documents that are invisible to people suffering from this particular condition.
Many years ago, I worked as a bookkeeper for an insurance company. Part of the job included filing documents. This is when I used to have a recurring dream about pulling the file drawers open and removing all the folders, throwing them up in the air and watching them float down in complete disorder. Then, in the dream, I’d get a bottle of Coca Cola from the ice chest, shake it up thoroughly, pop the top and spray it all over the scattered papers.
It was a happy dream, as though a great celebration was occurring, and I always woke up in a state of jubilation.
It was as though I’d been freed from some form of slavery.
It was years before the realization hit me that just because I despised filing and regimentation didn’t mean I was a bad person. Just that that particular system didn’t work for me.
So I made up a system that does work for me. Also, I read a book loaned to me by a dear friend titled “Organizing for the Creative Person” that changed my life.
Each day when the mail comes, it no longer languishes on the counter. It is opened immediately while I stand next to the trash can, and the trash can is the recipient for most of it. Most of it doesn’t even have to be opened, just dumped.
This has cut clutter on the kitchen counter almost out. And it is probably the single greatest innovation introduced in our household since the beginning of time.
Keeping important papers in file folders, but not in a closed file cabinet has also been life-changing.
Anything with an open top or anything transparent works best. Just as long as it is clearly visible, everything works better for me.
So recognizing the problem and finding ways to work around it is possible for the non-regimented person. And it doesn’t mean the person is wrong, just that it is more effective for some people to approach filing in a different way. Or as Grandmama always said, “There is more than one way to skin a cat.”
Tax season has come and gone, and once more we’ve survived it more or less intact. And now we have a whole year before we have to do it again. Rejoice.
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Courier Letters to the Editor 4-20-16
Is the UN in charge of Pickens Co.?
Dear Editor,
My understanding was the Pickens County Comprehensive Plan was shelved and was not ever approved. But yet the county council is getting ready to amend it. Pickens County Taxpayers Association and Conservatives of the Upstate members vehemently opposed the comprehensive plan several years ago, as it is a danger to the Pickens County citizenry’s rights.
By amending this supposedly “shelved” plan … does this make it valid now?
Both PCTA and COTU have spoken numerous times on our disapproval of any comprehensive plan that weakens the citizenry’s rights, especially in the area of property rights. There was objectionable language in the plan that we brought attention to several years ago.
The council members are our only defense against this United Nations Agenda 21 of developing “comprehensive plans.” By passing this amendment, I am assuming the plan now is being taken off the shelf and given teeth.
I oppose taking this comprehensive plan off the shelf, along with Conservatives of the Upstate members. We were assured it didn’t have any teeth and just sat on a shelf.
Council’s No. 1 priority should be protecting the Pickens citizenry’s rights — and I truly understand the safety issue of the coal ash. But by amending the plan, I fear this gives the “shelved” plan teeth for misuse by other forces, such as HUD and the EPA, as well as non-governmental groups like Ten at the Top and Upstate Forever, etc … to have ammo to further their agenda.
Sustainable development encompasses every aspect of our lives, and its goal is social equity. It is a political movement to replace capitalism with government control of EVERYTHING! It is a relentless attack on property rights and freedom.
Please ask our council to be vigilant on what they are about to do by opening the door to this document by amending it. Taking it off the shelf gives it new life. The United Nations, EPA and HUD are watching, I am sure, to gain footholds wherever they can.
Are we not sovereign? Do we truly want to open the door to the United Nations dictating the guidelines of what we can grow, eat, where we can live, the method of transportation we use to get to work, what jobs we can have, how many children we can have and what kind of education our children can have?
Johnnelle Raines
Pickens
A letter to America
Dear Editor,
America continues to deny God and the word of God. These haters of God continue to deny the historical fact that America was founded by people who believed in the Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God who said that in the beginning He created the Heavens and the Earth and later created everything in them and that He did it for his pleasure.
Each colony was founded by a different Christian denomination. Generally, a whole church congregation left their home country and shipped to what is now our America, as a church/unit. Each colony established its church denomination as that colony’s church, and taxed the residents to support it. This practice continued even after the colonies became states.
When the U.S. Constitution was approved, the colonies believed in the sovereignty of God Almighty over all. Because of that, most colonies specified, in their approval, that all those appointed or voted to serve in America’s three branches of government be professed Christians who knew God, and God’s word contained in the Holy Bible, both the Old and the New Testament.
Unfortunately, we now send some people to all three branches of our government who have no idea about God or what His commandments to man are. They have twisted God’s word, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and its subsequent amendments so that everything goes.
So yes, history does show that America was founded as a Christian nation under God. And yes, one of the Founding Fathers was a deist (one who believes God created Heaven and Earth but then left it entirely up to man). But Benjamin Franklin’s mistake only shows how smart educated people can be ignorant of God’s biblical history, which clearly shows God had an active hand and is still playing a part in this world.
But the important thing to know is that God will punish and destroy the wicked, most of mankind, because they rejected His plan of salvation, which He offered through the blood of Christ. How soon, only God knows!
Manuel Ybarra Jr.
Coalgate, Okla.
