PICKENS — The culmination of a nine-month narcotics investigation led to the arrests of eight individuals on drug charges Monday by Pickens City Police.
37 of 51 narcotics warrants issued have been executed. Other arrests are expected to follow as the investigation continues.
Those charged were 52-year-old Gregory Webb, 19-year-old Carlton J. Holley Jr., 32-year-old Fredrick L. Smith, 74-year-old James Nathaniel Holloway, 21-year-old Willis L. Earle, 32-year-old Darnell C. Russell and 26-year-old Terry Hallums Jr., all of Pickens, and Patty L. Holloway, 53, of Six Mile.
Earle, Hallums, James Holloway, Patty Holloway, Russell, Smith and Webb were all charged with conspiracy to sell crack, distribution of crack and distribution of crack near a school. Holley faces charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, distribution of marijuana and distribution of marijuana near a school.
Webb has not been arrested by Pickens police yet, as he is incarcerated at another facility in the state on unrelated charges.
According to officials, the arrests are the result of a months-long investigation. 37 of 51 warrants have been executed in the investigation.
Those arrested were or are being held at the Pickens County Law Enforcement Center. Bonds have been set. The case is still being investigated by the Pickens Police Department.

[A young ghost enjoys the Cannon Hospital Trick or Treat Trail last year. Trick or treaters will swarm the hospital grounds Saturday for this year’s annual Halloween event.]

COUNTY — Children throughout the county will enjoy Halloween activities throughout the coming weekend as communities distribute candy and offer free entertainment.
In Easley, Old Market Square will be the center of activities, as ghosts, goblins, spooks and other strange creatures trek to downtown for the annual Children’s Fall Festival Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.
The event will kick off with traditional trick or treating with downtown merchants.
The focus will also be on Old Market Square, which will feature free games, inflatables, contests, music, a magician, a balloon artist and more, and kids will line up for a costume contest, with prizes in age categories from 0-5, 6-10, 10-17 and 18 and older.
S.H.I.N.E., United Christain Ministries and Gold Harvest will be sponsoring a food drive during the event. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to the food drive booth to recieve a ticket to enter a drawing for a Nintendo Wii game system.
Between 7:45 and 8 p.m., prizes will be awarded for costume contests.
In Pickens, final preparations are under way for the 17th annual Cannon Hospital Trick or Treat Trail.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4:30-7 p.m. at the hospital’s fitness trail.
The event is free and open to children ages 12 and under. Participants will walk the fitness trail and trick or treat at the various booths set up along the trail. Businesses, churches and other organizations have volunteered to set up booths on the trail and hand out candy to the children.
For more information on the trail, contact Amanda Dow at 898-1252.
Liberty will also host a trick or treating event in downtown on Friday night from 4-6 p.m.
The city of Liberty, the Liberty Fire Department and many merchants will take part, and the city expects thousands of kids for the annual event.

COUNTY — Municpal elections are being held across Pickens County on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Voters will fill local polling places to select candidates running for council, mayor and commissioner seats in several cities and towns.
Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. for the elections, which will decide races in Pickens, Liberty, Easley, Six Mile and Central.
In Central, a showdown for mayor is expected as current councilman David Donald runs against incumbent Mac Martin. The four candidates running for three council seats are Paige H. Bowers, Benji Cumbie, Ken Dill, Joe N. Moss, Jerry Turner and incumbent Tracy Reynolds.
In Liberty, current mayor Brian Deese and former mayor Eddie Hughes are facing off for mayor. Incumbent Dwight Yates is running against Ellen Berry Seals for a council seat.
Richard Gettys and Dick Leopard are both seeking the commissioner’s seat for Easley’s combined utilities.
In Six Mile, two seats are up for grabs as local realtor Brenda Rippy, V. Aaron Smith and Roy C. Stoddard seek voters’ support.
Pickens also has three seats available, with Jason Cassell and Joe Durham being the incumbents facing the challenges of Preston A. Bruce, Carlton Holley and Patrick Lark.
To vote in the elections voters must be duly registered on the County Books of Registration for Pickens County as an elector and a resident of the city or town at least thirty days prior to the date of election.
Polling Places in the City of Easley: Countryside Village, 706 Pelzer Hwy., Easley, SC 29642 – 132 Zion; Natl. Guard Armory, 107 Rockmount Rd., Easley, SC 29640 – 133 Smith Grove – 137 Woodside. Senior Citizen Center, 401 Blair St., Easley, SC 29640 – 134 Arial Mill – 135 Park Street; Easley Union Baptist Church, 200 N. Pendleton St., Easley, SC 29640 – 136 Simpson; Brushy Creek Baptist Church, 100 Clay St., Easley, SC 29642 – 138 Brushy Creek – 142 Powdersville I – Anderson County Precincts – 121 Powdersville – 164 Hunts Meadows; First Baptist Church, 300 E 1st Ave, Easley, SC 29640 – 139 Pickensville – 140 Easley; St. Mattias Lutheran Church, 501 Powdersville Rd., Easley, SC 29642 – 141 Forest Acres; Presbyterian Home, 205 Bud Nalley Rd., Easley, SC 29642 – 143 Powdersville II; Rock Springs Baptist Church, 212 Dayton School Rd., Easley, SC 29642 – 144 Rock Springs; Georges Creek Baptist Church, 1991 Saluda Dam Rd., Easley, SC 29640 – 147 Georges Creek; Calvary Hill Baptist Church, 510 Rampey St., Easley, SC 29640 – 148 McKissick.
Polling Places in the Town of Six Mile: Six Mile Community Building, 106 S. Main St., Six Mile, SC 29682 – 113 Six Mile – 114 Praters Creek II.
Polling places in the Town of Central: Pickens County Library Central/Clemson Branch, 105 Commons Way, Central, SC 29631 – 107 Clemson I – Central I; Central Elementary School, 608 Johnson Rd., Central, SC 29631 – 109 Central II – 110 Pike
Polling places in the City of Liberty: Liberty First Baptist Church, 403 Edgemont Ave. Liberty, SC 29657 – 128 Rices Creek – 129 Liberty I – 130 Liberty II.
Polling places in the City of Pickens: Pickens Fire Station, 302 Johnson St. Pickens, SC 29671 – 121 Pickens I – 122 Pickens II – 123 Pickens III – 124 Pickens IV – 125 Glassy Mountain.

COUNTY — The school district of Pickens County has weathered seven state budget cuts since January 2009, and they’re preparing for more.
Finance Director Missy Campbell told school board members Monday night it will probably be November before the school district will know the status of state funding for Pickens County schools.
In January after notification of a $3.7 million state reduction to the school district budget, the school board approved two pay cut actions which saved close to $1 million for the 2008-09 school year.
Other cuts to date include $582,326 from local teacher supplements, eliminating any increase above the previous year, a 25 percent cut in per-pupil allocations totaling $365,675, a reduction of $807,797 from central services funds, almost half a million in budget adjustments in step upgrades and related actions and $51,000 from closing the middle school Lakes and Mountains Summer Program. The district also eliminated employee travel, reduced the use of classroom substitutes and canceled student field trips.
In September, the district was notified by the state of a possible additional $2 million cut.
Campbell said, “It’s very early in the game, too early to tell. We’re watching our cash position carefully.”
She reported the district dipped into the reserve fund and used $2.7 million to help offset state cuts, and cut operating expenses where ever possible. The board had authorized the use of up to $3.1 million from the reserve fund..
Although state cuts were deep, they were not as deep as they might have been due to the state’s acceptance of money from the federal stimulus package.
South Carolina Secretary of Education Jim Rex cautioned earlier this year that the stimulus money was not a permanent fix for the problem.
Rex emphasized that the infusion of federal funds would only
partially blunt the impact of state budget cuts that have resulted from
a school funding system that relies largely on sales tax revenues.
Anticipating a lower revenue number and fitting the projected budget into that financial picture is one step the district has taken, Campbell reported.
“We purposely under budgeted revenue,” she said.
2008-2009 revenue collections were $15.7 million. 2009-2010 revenue collections are projected to be $14.3 million.
Campbell said the finance office is working to prepare to deal with possible future cuts.
When asked to comment on how school districts can cope with state budget cuts, Phillip Bowers, who represents the 13th Judicial Circuit on the State Board of Education said,
“I don’t see how local districts can continue to absorb cuts. Columbia politicians have to be held accountable- they created this predicament. It’s disturbing that they’ve put teachers last. We have great teachers, but they can’t do their job without funds.
Over the last few years, Columbia politicians have increased spending by over a billion dollars on things like festivals, new cars, traffic lights and fire engines. Yes, those things are important, but are they higher priorities than education?
And what did those politicians do when money got short? Instead of cutting out new vehicles and festivals; they hid in the shadows and let the Budget and Control Board slash budgets indiscriminately. Education should be a priority, but politicians take the easy route and just cut everything. It’s a ridiculous way to run government. ”
Bowers is a resident of Pickens County and is chair of the innovations and finance committee for the 17 member State Board of Education. His appointment to the board expires in 2012.

A.R. Lewis principal Kathy Brazinski was presented with the Caleb Crawford Child Advocate Award at last week’s Cheer for Children fundraiser, hosted by Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County. The fundraiser raised $9,000 for PCAPC. Pictured above, from left, are: Cortni Nations of Prevent Child Abuse, Crawford and his aunt Maryann McIntosh, Brazinski and SDPC superintendent Dr. Henry Hunt. For the full story, please turn to page 2A.