County — The second half of 2015 was as tumultuous as the first in Pickens County, marked by triumphs and community-shaking tragedy.

The Courier’s year-in-review series wraps up this week with a look back at the stories that broke over the final six months of 2015.

July

In July, kids from around the county got a chance to meet former Daniel High and Clemson football stars DeAndre Hopkins and Jarvis Jenkins as the two NFL standouts joined forces to host their first-ever free youth football camp at Daniel’s Singleton Field.

Tragedy struck, as a Greenville County teen was killed when he slipped and fell down a waterfall at Table Rock State Park. Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley said Jonathan Michael McKenzie, 16, of Simpsonville, was hiking at Mill Creek Falls when he slipped on rocks at the top of the falls and fell more than 50 feet.

As Pickens County was abuzz with 4th of July celebrations, a major story was developing that impacted all of South Carolina. It was announced that the Confederate flag may soon be taken down from Capitol grounds in Columbia. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley asked that the flag be removed following the killings of nine church parishioners at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston on June 17. Local protests were disbanded when a planned protest at the Easley Wal-Mart was halted before it could get started. Easley and other law enforcement officers peacefully ended the protest that had centered around issues with the Confederate battle flag.

A week later, after a long and controversial battle, a final vote made by the S.C. House approved the removal of the Confederate flag from the State Capitol grounds.

Normally only a formality, the vote was the end to a historic decision for South Carolina. After 15 years, the flag was removed and moved to a display in the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum just down the road from the Capitol building.

The City of Easley began gearing up for the Big League World Series, which was set to return to the J.B. “Red” Owens Complex for the 15th year on July 28 through Aug. 4.

Tragedy struck again in the county as a Florida teen died after falling more than 100 feet from a rope course swing at a youth camp in northern Pickens County on July 13. Olivia Paige Grimes, 16, of Lakeland, Fla., was pronounced dead at the scene of the fall at Carolina Point Young Life Camp, Pickens County deputy coroner Gary Duncan said.

On the same day, a hiker died after slipping and falling from a Pickens County waterfall. Craig Schulz, 44, of Greenville, was standing at the top of Twin Falls — also known as Eastatoe Falls — when he slipped and fell, Duncan said.

The following week, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office announced it had turned its investigation into Grimes’ death over to state authorities.

Chief deputy Creed Hashe said the sheriff’s office had completed its initial criminal inquiry into the death and turned over information from its investigation to the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Accidental deaths continued in July, as a well-known owner of an area house-moving service was killed in an accident on the job. Dan Ward, owner of Dan Ward House Movers, was injured while attempting to move a portable classroom at the Clemson Institute of Learning, located at 640 Concord Church Road in Pickens.

In other news, after months of construction and mouth-watering anticipation, dignitaries, officials and local residents took part in a grand-opening ceremony for the new Pickens McDonald’s. The restaurant, which opened to the public on July 16, opened at the same site of the former McDonald’s building at the corner of S.C. Highways 8 and 183.

A 20-year-old North Carolina man dodged a bullet and serious jail time when he was found guilty of a misdemeanor July 23 in the vandalism of Clemson University’s famous icon, Howard’s Rock. After flirting with a deadlocked verdict and a mistrial, the jury of seven women and five men returned a guilty verdict against Micah Rogers on a charge of malicious injury to property with a value of less than $2,000 at the Pickens County Courthouse. The state wanted him found guilty of damages in excess of $10,000 that would have carried a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Baseball players from around the world were in Easley in late July for the Big League World Series. The tournament, in its 15th year in Easley, kicked off with a Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau workout session open to the public at the J.B. “Red” Owens Complex, followed by a home run derby.

In addition in late July, the home of Sen. Larry Martin was among several targeted during a string of break-ins in Pickens. According to Pickens County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Creed Hashe, someone entered through an unlocked storm door into a screened back porch area at Martin’s home and removed a wall-mounted Sanyo television

Dignitaries from across the county joined together to dedicate the new McKissick Center for Senior Health in Liberty. The building, most recently part of Liberty Middle School, had served the Liberty community for many years, once being home to Liberty High School. When the most recent building program led to a new Liberty High School being constructed, the middle school moved to the former home of LHS.

August

August started with high school football season officially getting underway after teams began practicing.

At the BLWS, after dropping its first game in the Big League World Series, the S.C. District 1 host team fought valiantly before being eliminated in the U.S. semifinal.

U.S. marshals helped find a man Clemson police say shot and killed a Six Mile man. Jaron Lamont Gibbs, 23, was charged with attempted murder and murder in the incident, which claimed the life of Robert Porter, 23, of Six Mile.

The City of Liberty was being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Davison. SLED spokesman Thom Berry confirmed the investigation via email, saying the investigation was “active and ongoing.” No other details were released by SLED concerning the investigation. Liberty mayor Eric Boughman confirmed that following an executive session held during the Aug. 10 Liberty City Council meeting, city clerk and treasurer Erin Lewis had been terminated by the council.

The city of Liberty hosted a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event featured a car show, vendors, military reenactors, veterans and various other military organizations.

A man was killed after a trailer detached from a truck and careened through the wall of the shop in which he was working. Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley said 48-year-old Brian Keith was waiting on a customer inside the Home with a Heart Resale Store at 249 Saco Lowell Road in Easley shortly after noon on Aug. 15 when he was struck by the trailer.

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015. Organized in 1940, the Upstate utility marked its “diamond” milestone through a number of different avenues. On the actual date of its founding, Aug. 14, Blue Ridge hosted afternoon drop-ins in the lobby of each of its offices.  Attendees enjoyed anniversary cake and other refreshments and also had opportunity to purchase, at a discount, a coffee-table book the cooperative had published.  A History of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative commemorated the first 75 years of the member-owned utility’s operation.

Pickens County GOP chairman Phillip Bowers and other party leaders were cleared of any wrongdoing in the fiasco surrounding the county convention earlier in the year when state officials announced the results of the event would not be nullified. The South Carolina Republican Party executive committee determined the convention followed rules in accordance with state party regulations.

Easley and Pickens opened the high school football season with their 76th matchup on Aug. 21, with the Green Wave taking home the “Food Fight” trophy with a 29-17 win. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Easley students gathered at the sideline ready to storm the field in celebration. First-year Green Wave coach John Windham raised the trophy in triumph as he recognized his team’s hard-fought victory and praised them for a well-played game.

Southern Wesleyan University announced it would receive $1.1 million in federal funding over five years that will benefit the neediest groups of students, providing them with resources that will help them to realize their dream of a college degree. The TRIO Student Support Services grant will provide Southern Wesleyan with $220,000 per year for the next five years to serve 140 students each year who are first-generation college students, students with disabilities and students from low-income families.

September

September began with Six Mile Elementary School celebrating its 25th anniversary at its current site with a ceremony and the opening of a time capsule buried when the building was opened in August 1990. Principal Clif Alexander, who was a teacher at SME when the current building was first occupied, opened the capsule and spoke to the crowd during the event.

A reward was offered for information about vandalism at the Old Pickens Presbyterian Church just across the Oconee County line near Duke Energy. According to Historic Old Pickens Foundation vice president Martha Parris, vandals in a vehicle with high ground clearance were responsible for damage to the historic church. Parris said gravestones were crushed or moved from foundations in the church’s cemetery, a tree was damaged and a window was broken in the historic building.

The annual Dacusville Farm Show was held at Tom Turner’s 55-acre farm off Earls Bridge Road. The event, which had been a Pickens County tradition for years, was resurrected in recent years by those who love old tractors and a slower pace of life. Pickens County was built on such values, and it showed as thousands came to enjoy Labor Day weekend at the show.

The historical Bradley-Boggs House started being renovated to house Enrapt, Pickens’ first theater and arts center. Enrapt is a place that provides cultural entertainment in the forms of live theater and supporting art communities through classes, workshops, space availability and production.

For the second year in a row, a record number of new students enrolled in Southern Wesleyan University’s traditional program at Central. According to Chad Peters, vice president for enrollment management, the university enrolled 263 new students — 194 freshmen and 69 transfer students.

An opening date was planned for the new Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. Formerly known as the Rock Art Center, the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site of South Carolina was set to open on Sept. 19 as the mill hosted the South Carolina State Fiddling Championship.

Pickens County was rocked in mid-September when legendary Pickens High School football coach Bill Isaacs and his neighbor, Dickie Stewart, were shot and killed in broad daylight on Sept. 14. A man who lived across the street from the victims is charged with two counts of murder in the killings.

Albert Leon Bowen, 64, of 412 Gilliland Road, is charged in the case, according to arrest warrants. Bowen is also charged with two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Word of the deaths spread quickly around the community like wildfire following the shootings.

A little less than a week later, a sea of blue filled Bruce Field, as hundreds of former players, friends, fans and family gathered to pay homage to the winningest football coach in Pickens High School history. Isaacs’ family opted for his memorial service to take place on the field where many remember him leading the Blue Flame for 28 seasons.

Isaacs’ neighbor was remembered as a hero following the two men’s tragic deaths. Stewart showed his heroic spirit when he went to the aid of a neighbor in need. With no concern for his personal safety or well-being, Stewart went to check on his neighbor, Isaacs, who lay in the grass near his home along North Homestead Road. In a 911 call he made on the morning of the incident and released by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Stewart was heard going without concern to check on his friend, never showing fear as he did.

Moments later, Stewart was shot and killed, just as Isaacs had been moments earlier. According to all who knew him, nothing would have kept Stewart from lending a hand. That was just the kind of man he was.

It was announced in September that Pickens County students improved their scores on both the SAT and Advanced Placement exams in 2015. SAT scores for students in the School District of Pickens County in 2015 beat national averages and rose from the previous year, while county students improved their performance on AP exams even as the district expanded the number of test takers.

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office turned to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for assistance in investigating the hanging death of an inmate. Sheriff Rick Clark made the request shortly after the body of Michael Morris, 34, of Easley, was found in an area used as a cell within the Pickens County Detention Center.

Pickens County Courier graphic artist Emily Wright picked up 17 awards in the South Carolina Press Association’s annual Palmy Advertising Contest. Wright’s unique talent earned her two first-place awards, six second-place awards, six third-place awards and three honorable mentions in the 2015 contest.

October

In what was called a 1,000-year flood in South Carolina, Pickens County was drenched with rains to start the month of October. The deluge was felt statewide, but Pickens Cunty was spared the impact of severe flooding, and faced only relatively minor inconveniences compared to the devastating flooding that occurred in the Midlands and Lowcountry and led to at least 14 deaths throughout the state. With only a handful of exceptions, Pickens County residents were counting their blessings after the heavy rains.

The rain did force Pickens’ annual Founders Day Music Festival to move from the downtown amphitheater to Pickens High School. The event offered arts and crafts, entertainment, food and, of course, plenty of live music.

The Pickens County Courier went pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of those whose lives have been affected by this devastating disease, the newspaper accented its front page with pink every week in October. Many of the Courier’s advertisers got into the pink spirit and showed their support on breast cancer awareness pages in the newspaper.

In the second week of October, Pickens County School Board trustee Alex Saitta said items were being discussed in Pickens County School Board executive sessions that should be taking place before the public.

“The last six months or so, the administration and board leadership has fallen into the habit of introducing and encouraging discussion in executive session on topics that the law requires must be discussed in public,” Saitta said.

Saitta cited examples that included closing Hagood Elementary School, changing the schedule of board meetings, an idea introduced by board membership with discussion encouraged on changing the prayer policy, discussion of assistant principal pay and a majority vote to OK a $50,000 facilities study with no public discussion and no public vote.

Pickens County planned to levy a new fire fee against landowners with agricultural deferments whose property doesn’t have a structure on it, and owners of affected properties object strongly to it. Property owners said they received no advance notice of the change, nor were they able to give input on the issue. The fire fee was inserted into the county budget as a line item instead of by county ordinance. An ordinance to create the fire fee would have required three public meetings, with opportunities for public input before a final vote was taken.

A week later, Pickens County Council members revoked the controversial fire fee on unoccupied tracts of land during a special called meeting. Council member Neil Smith of Liberty said the fee as discussed in meetings was not what council ended up with.

“We did a lousy job of implementing it,” he said.

He said the fire fee was intended to target property owners with large tracts of timber who paid no fees for fire protection.

Captain Chad Brooks, a 26-year veteran of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, was selected and presented the 2015 award for the outstanding law enforcement officer at the county level in Columbia.

Despite chilly, rainy weather, a large crowd still turned out as Pumpkintown hosted its 37th annual Pumpkin Festival. The event acts as the unofficial kickoff to fall for many local residents, and the 2015 fest was no exception, as the festival offered food and fun for all.

Pickens’ Al Henderson was awarded a POW medal. Henderson thought he was going to be the guest of honor at the party celebrating his 92nd birthday at Pickens Presbyterian Church.

What he didn’t know was that there was more than a birthday cake and a celebration with friends and family awaiting his arrival. His grandson, Staff Sgt. Victor Wade, flown in from Oklahoma, was on hand to present him with the South Carolina Governor’s Prisoner of War Medal. In addition, Henderson was presented with a proclamation from the state attesting to the extraordinary story of his service and his grueling years as a German prisoner of war.

A new center set to help local entrepreneurs connect, grow and share ideas opened its doors in late October in Pickens. According to officials, the center’s mission is to benefit and advance the development of local entrepreneurs, as well as impact the image of the Pickens community and promote a diversified economy. The center is positioned to serve both the Upstate and Western North Carolina, officials say.

Children and adults alike got dressed up and enjoyed Halloween on Oct. 31. The cities of Liberty and Pickens each had downtown celebrations of the holiday, complete with costume contests and plenty of candy.

November

In November, the City of Pickens got a new police chief, and to many in the community he was a very familiar face. Former assistant police chief Travis Riggs was notified via letter from Pickens city administrator Bruce Evilsizor that on behalf of Pickens mayor David Owens and the Pickens City Council, he had been appointed as the city’s new chief of police.Riggs, 44, grew up in Pickens and was a 1989 graduate of Pickens High School.

A drug sweep conducted throughout Pickens County by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Easley Police Department and South Carolina Department of Probation and Parole resulted in the arrests of 38 people, with another 18 still at large. During a news conference held at the Pickens County Law Enforcement Center, Sheriff Rick Clark said the focus of “Operation Community Response” was to identify and target those involved in the illegal possession or distribution of illicit drugs — predominantly methamphetamine — within the county.

Clark said he is committed to cleaning up the county’s drug problem, evidenced by the results of the recent “Operation Community Response.” As a result, Clark submitted an application for the Recovery Program Transformation and Innovation Fund Grant. The grant’s purpose is to mitigate the long-term social and economic costs of substance abuse and move clients from an active chronic disease state into recovery.

The Pickens County School Board voted to extend superintendent Dr. Danny Merck’s contract. District policy dictates that the board is required to conduct an annual evaluation of the superintendent, and Merck was evaluated in the areas of student achievement, learning environment, quality personnel, communications and resource management, according to officials.

Late in October, a homeless man accused of attacking a television star outside her home in Hollywood turned out to be a former Pickens County resident who had been out of contact with family for more than decade, according to his brother.

David Merck, 45, pleaded not guilty to felony criminal threats and imprisonment by violence during a preliminary arraignment hearing in connection with an alleged attack on “NCIS” actress Pauley Perrette. Merck, who grew up in Six Mile and still has relatives in the area, had not been seen by family members in at least 15 years, his brother, Dean Merck, told The Courier.

Pickens County Council members also voted in November to hire a new Pickens County administrator. David Allen McNeill was to begin the job on Jan. 4. McNeill, who was serving as the county operations manager for Transylvania County, N.C., would have come to Pickens County with 27 years of experience, with 19 of those years in administrative management, but he later decided to not take the position.

The sound of country music filled the air around Pickens in November as fans from around the area came together to enjoy the Rock the Fall Ball. The event, which was organized by the Pickens Azalea Festival Committee, gave country music fans the chance to enjoy name-brand talent in a hometown setting. The concert was held at Pickens’ historic Bruce field to benefit Upstate Warrior Solution. Those in attendance were on their feet the entire night enjoying music from headliners Confederate Railroad and “America’s Got Talent” star Benton Blount. Other local artists Matt Tucker and J. Adam Broome also wowed the crowd with their performances.

The City of Pickens asked for community leaders’ help in applying for an EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant to improve the Doodle Trail trailhead property at the corner of S.C. Highway 8 and Railroad Street. The EPA permitted cleanup applications for the removal of asbestos and lead-based paint, which made Pickens eligible to apply for a grant to remove some or all of the old railroad buildings at the trailhead.

The South Carolina Department of Education released its annual report cards on schools and districts, showing the School District of Pickens County’s on-time graduation rate hitting a new high of 82 percent in 2015. This is the seventh straight year of improvement for the district’s graduation rate.

Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Detective Chuck James has been with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office for the past eight years, and his contributions were recognized as he was named the 2015 recipient of the Billy Wilkins Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement in November.

A month after tabling a recommendation to increase pay for assistant principals, the Pickens County School Board voted 5-1 in favor at its last meeting in November. The original motion to approve superintendent Danny Merck’s budget amendment for the current fiscal year totaling $109,847,325, included $80,001 to align the contract for assistant principals.

Blue Ridge Electric Co-op officially kickoff off the holiday season in late November with the annual lighting ceremony for its Christmas tree. World War II veteran Al Henderson joined Blue Ridge president and CEO Charles Dalton to press the button to light the tree.

December

In December, Pickens County YMCA volunteer Esther Fogle was honored at the Upstate’s National Philanthropy Day celebration, held at Thornblade Country Club in Greer. Fogle, an Easley resident, received the prestigious nomination of Volunteer of the Year by the Pickens County YMCA.

McKissick Elementary School assistant principal Anita Richardson was named the 2016 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. Richardson was selected from an outstanding field of elementary school administrator candidates by a veteran panel of judges. The other finalist for the award was Jennifer Dodds of Chandler Creek Elementary School in Greenville County.

For each season’s Heisman Trophy winner, there always seems to be a defining game where college football’s best player cements his case for the award. With No. 1 Clemson’s playoff hopes on the line in the ACC Championship, quarterback Deshaun Watson delivered his best game of the season in a 45-37 victory over North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 5. The victory clinched Clemson’s second ACC title under head coach Dabo Swinney — the other coming in 2011 — and capped a perfect 13-0 season to put the Tigers in a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Oklahoma at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

December also brought back up the possibility of school consolidations that are on the table for consideration by Pickens County School Board members as they look at the long-range future of academics and facilities in the district. The consolidation of Hagood Elementary School, in particular, was among a number of options presented to the board by the firm of Jumper Carter Sease. While the consolidation option of Hagood was proposed in order to house other district programs such as Adult Education and Alternative Education, district spokesman John Eby said details of rezoning student attendance areas for Hagood Elementary were not part of the consultants’ presentation, nor has any action been taken by the board on any of the recommendations or plans presented.

Pickens First Baptist Church brought community members together in December for a live Nativity, re-enacting the very first Christmas in Bethlehem. The Nativity, held at Legacy Square, was complete with live animals and featured free food, games for children and music.

Liberty Mayor Eric Boughman expressed his pride in what his city accomplished in 2015. During the final city council meeting of 2015, Boughman delivered the state of the city address to let the public know about all of those accomplishments.

“We get a lot of negative things said about us, and I think it is important at least one time of year to point out the positives,” he said. “I want it out there for the public.”

In December, Six Mile Resident Kathryn Hicks got the gift of a lifetime as the young Tiger fan was invited to a Clemson Tiger football practice by head coach Dabo Swinney.

Hicks, 23, is a Tiger. Her blood runneth orange, like so many other fans who love Clemson. Kathryn has been wheelchair-bound since birth, so for her and her family, going to see the Tigers in person at Death Valley on a football Saturday is a tough ordeal. The Hicks family got to watch the team go through practice, and that was amazing for Kathryn, her mother said.

“They ran by us, and we thought, ‘My goodness, these guys are way bigger in person than they are on TV,’” Karen Hicks said with a laugh.

The icing on the cake was when Swinney himself came by to have a touching conversation with Kathryn.

“Dabo came over and talked to Kathryn and was so nice to her,” Karen said. “He bent down in front of her at her level, just talking in general and was talking about how God made her for a purpose and that he was letting her know what a special person she is.”

Greatness does not always come on the football field. More times than not, it comes from the heart, and this group of Tigers have more heart than many can imagine. Hicks and her family can vouch for that.

For Swinney’s Tigers, the year ended with a bang, as the team earned a trip to next week’s College Football Playoff national championship game with a 37-17 win over Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve. Clemson will play Swinney’s alma mater, Alabama, in Monday’s championship game.

PICKENS — Pickens City Council held its first meeting of 2015 on Monday night.

Councilman Carlton Holley missed most of the meeting due to an obligation with a youth sport team. When Holley reported in after more than an hour, he told council members that his team lost, but he was really pleased with the character his team had displayed.

Sue Dinnsen of Duke Energy spoke to council members about instituting the second phase of Duke Energy’s Residential Neighborhood Program, which has been offered in certain neighborhoods in Pickens for the past month.

But that month-long effort was less successful than Duke had hoped, with just 46 of 670 homes opting for the improvements offered by Duke. Now the plan has received a new backer — Honeywell — and the poor weather has passed, so Dinnsen feels it has a chance to be successful.

Dinnsen plans to take the plans to 830 residents in another section of the city, as well as to the remaining 654 customers in the previously targeted area of the city. The group will hold a meeting Jan. 7 at Griffin-Ebeneezer Church in Pickens.

Council then approved the annexation of 2974 Gentry Memorial Highway and 112 Robinson Lane into the city.

Council also selected BB&T as its employee health insurance broker for 2016, as it has been for the past three years.

Council members also agreed to postpone the city work session that had been set for Jan. 18 to Jan. 19 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Donnie McKinney was nominated for mayor pro tem by councilman Fletcher Perry and was approved unanimously.

Two friends, Kelsy Gilstrap and Courtney Brooks, felt led to spread Christmas to rehab patients at Manna Health Care in Pickens. The ladies wanted to do something special. They came up with the idea to make homemade Christmas cards and deliver them to rehabilitation patients at the facility. The girls said it made them feel happy and blessed to do it and seeing the smiles on the patients’ faces as they were given the cards made it very worthwhile.

EASLEY — Thursday Night Live, a professional and amateur musician show, will kick off with a show hosted by Mark Webb on Thursday, Jan. 7, from 6-8 p.m. at the Starving Artist Cafe, located at 114 N. West Main St. in Easley.

The event, which will be held the first Thursday of each month, will promote local musicians and provide an opportunity for amateur musicians and music students to perform in a supportive public venue.

Anyone interested in listening to good music by local musicians and/or supporting local music students should enjoy the show.

The Starving Artist Cafe will host the events, which are sponsored and coordinated by the Fine Arts Center of Easley. Thursday

Night Live will feature a different host band each month who will perform and host the evening.

Contact the Fine Arts Center of Easley at (864) 442-6027 with questions about the event.

Musicians interested in performing at Thursday Night Live should email amanda@fineartscenterofeasley.com.

PICKENS — Arise From The Ashes – Community Development Corporation (AFTA-CDC) was founded a year ago by a group of people invested in Pickens and people within it.

The vision of AFTA-CDC is a holistic approach to supporting and empowering the whole person and family. This approach believes that any part of a person’s whole being that is ignored creates a weakness that can lead to failure.

AFTA-CDC is to be a bridge from dependence to independence for the individual and family. This program is a partnership of support with the participants versus another program that enables, foster’s dependence or becomes a lifelong crutch. The ultimate goal is to ignite hope, inspire dreams and assist them in walking with clear steps and a support system that will hold them accountable. This program will support those that dare to break the dysfunctional family or personal cycles that have proven to be less than productive in their lives.

AFTA-CDC’s mission is “To provide partnership, guidance and support services to families and individuals within the community by removing barriers that hinder their ability to move from dependence to independence and to revitalize a community by igniting hope, structuring goals and nurturing dreams.”

Many programs are planned to be launched to support the current successful organizations and programs that operate within Pickens County under limitations and restrictions. The gaps that the programs of AFTA-CDC will fill will decrease the recidivism rate within the community and county as a whole, decrease the ever increasing rate of public assistance programs, build businesses within this community, decrease the failure and dropout rates in schools, create programs that keep kids off the streets, strengthen families, and so much more.

AFTA-CDC launched its “Hands On Youth” Volunteer Program last summer, with great success motivating 12 to 15 youth ages 8 to 16 to pay it forward. They volunteered three hours a day, three days a week to three different causes — Palmetto Assisted Living Facility, Meals on Wheels and Pickens Community. AFTA-CDC partnered with the Young Democrats Organization to host a voters drive prior to the local elections.

The programs that AFTA-CDC are scheduled to launch in 2016 are a variety of Support Groups including a women’s, men’s and youth group along with a three-tier mentoring program, educational programs that include free tutoring, free information speaker sessions, affordable After School Programs that are interest based and an affordable Summer Program that includes Reading, Activities, Volunteering and Sport Camps. The organization has many upcoming free community events, including a Youth Praise Explosion on Jan. 9, Community Block Party on Jan. 30, Theatre Play “The Devil’s Trial” on Feb. 28 and Taking Back Our Street Rally in March against drugs, crime and violence.

CLEMSON — The Pickens County Legislative Delegation will hold its annual public meeting in Clemson on Thursday.

Reports from organizations and boards will kick off the meeting, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers at Clemson City Hall at 1250 Tiger Blvd. The floor will be opened for public comments at 6 p.m.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend the meeting.

Local residents will have an opportunity to ask questions of and make comments to members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation, and members of the delegation will comment on various issues that may be introduced in the upcoming session of the General Assembly, which will convene on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

The Legislative Delegation consists of Senators Thomas C. Alexander and Larry A. Martin, and Representatives Joshua Putnam, Davey Hiott, Neal A. Collins and Gary E. Clary.

For more information, contact the delegation office at (864) 850-7070.

PICKENS — The Pickens Recreation Department is taking registrations for the spring volleyball and soccer seasons during the month of January.[cointent_lockedcontent]

Signups for both sports began Monday at the Pickens Recreation Center on Sangamo Road in Pickens and will run through Jan. 29.

For volleyball, the following age divisions are offered: 7-9, 10-12, 13-14 and 15-17.

For soccer, coed age divisions offered will include 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12. Depending on the size of leagues, the top two division may be combined.

Birthdate cutoff for both sports is Sept. 1, 2015.

Following registration, a skills/evaluation day will be held for each age division in each sport. The registration fee provides a jersey to be kept, and the fee is $45 for in-city residents and $55 for out-of-city residents. Birth certificates are required at registration.

If you are interested in coaching or need more information, contact the recreation department at (864) 878-2296.

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