Daily Archives: 03/15/2016
DAR members visit WV
At the 111th State Conference of the West Virginia State Society of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Rooche Field of the Wizard of Tamassee Chapter of DAR in Seneca and Mari Noorai of the Andrew Pickens Chapter of the DAR in Clemson were invited guests of Joan Gibson, WVDAR State Awards Chair. This state conference was held at The Greenbrier in White Sulpher Springs. Pictured are Field, Gibson and Noorai at the event.
A jolt of magic teaches students electrical safety
McKissick Elementary assistant principal Anita Richardson, along with principal Gary Mohr, join magician Chris Dixon (center) as he includes students Brendon Lindsey, Kendric Williams and Makaela McIntyre during a magic trick.
EASLEY — Students at a local elementary school got an interesting lesson in electrical safety recently.
However, unlike traditional lecture style lessons, this presentation was of a magical variety.
Using magic tricks and comedy to hold the students’ attention, magician Chris Dixon presented his “Making Accidents Disappear” program, sponsored by Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, to students at McKissick Elementary.
“There is no performing art that is more universally loved among children than magic,” Dixon said. “I’m excited that Blue Ridge Electric Co-op decided to sponsor this program in area elementary schools. Teaching electrical safety in a way that is memorable and fun for the students is a real passion of mine.”
“The Blue Ridge Electric electrical safety program was wonderful,” McKissick principal Gary Mohr said. “The kids were engaged, listening to the presenter for the duration of the program. Combining education with entertainment is the best way to instruct and present information. Blue Ridge does it with this safety program.”
Assistant principal Anita Richardson called the presentation “a great way to teach electrical safety through humor and magic.”
“We are so grateful to Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative for bringing this program to McKissick Elementary,” she said. “Partnerships like this are vital to educating the whole child.”
“At Blue Ridge Electric Co-op we’re totally committed to doing everything in our power to prevent accident-related injuries and deaths among children in our community,” Blue Ridge marketing coordinator Liza Holder said. “A commitment to community and education is one of the things that make rural electric cooperatives different. That’s something our members can be proud of.”
Police ask for public’s help in theft of trailer
A surveillance camera shows a 60-foot enclosed trailer being stolen from the driveway of an Easley home Monday morning. The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is hoping the public can provide information leading to the arrest of two people believed to be involved in the theft.
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — A 60-foot enclosed trailer was stolen from the driveway of an Easley home last Monday, and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help in identifying the suspects involved.
Chief deputy Creed Hashe said Wednesday afternoon that the stolen red “Hallmark” tandem axle trailer has a side door.
The trailer was parked in the driveway of a home on Midland Drive, and the sheriff’s office believes it was stolen around 8:20 a.m. after the homeowner had left the residence.
Located inside the trailer at the time of the theft was a 1931 Ford car described as a black “Hot Rod” model 2s. Hashe said the vehicle is currently not operational.
Three images collected by the sheriff’s office from a home surveillance system near the residence have been provided to the news media. The images show the trailer being pulled by a dark-colored SUV believed to possibly be a GMC Yukon or Chevrolet Tahoe.
Police believe the vehicle may have been occupied by a white male and a white female.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (864) 898-5500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC.
You will be seeing more of less of me
It’s good to be back. It’s been a while.
I started covering Pickens County not quite 10 years ago, after lucking into a job at the Easley Progress. I literally went from being a pizza delivery guy one day to the paper’s entire hard news department the next. I hit the ground running and for the next few years, I ran faster and faster.
One thing people in the news business have gotten used to hearing in recent years is “We’ve got to do more with less.” You get used to having more responsibilities divvied up among less people. And then even less people. And then even less people.
But it’s a great way to learn, and it was a fun learning experience for a long time. I was in my twenties and having a good time. Who needs a social life? Who needs sleep? Not this guy!
Eventually I left the papers and took a job running a website all about Easley. I was writer, editor, picture-taker, uploader, everything and everybody.
It was a fun job. It let me focus on what I’m good at — telling stories — and leaving behind what I’m not good at, which is everything else.
I was able to expand the site’s coverage areas and I got good at getting the stories nobody else was getting.
As I bounced from meeting to meeting, event to event, story to story, I got used to hearing, “Jason! You’re everywhere!”
And it felt like I was.
But the problem with being a one-man band is eventually you get tired of your own tunes. In fact, the very concept of music-making starts to make you twitch.
That’s how it was with me and writing for a long time. I burnt the candle at both ends for so long that I snuffed out my desire to write, both as a career and for my own enjoyment. When it came to writing for myself, if I had the time, I never had the inclination. And if I had the inclination, I somehow never found the time.
Another problem: No time to take care of myself. My diet was pure junk. My weight didn’t just balloon, it Goodyear Blimped.
It was all taking a toll.
So when my previous writing gig went kerblooey a few years back, I found a new job. One that was behind the scenes in journalism. No writing at all. A set schedule. A predictable, seldom-changing set of daily tasks.
And it was … fine.
I mean, it was good.
I mean, it was OK.
All right, all right, it was mind-numbingly boring.
There were nice, talented people putting out a great product every day, but my new job utilized very little of what I bring to the table, in my humble or not-so-humble opinion.
It took me, oh, maybe two days to realize that I missed writing and covering communities very much. I hung in there for two years before leaving to try and figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
What’s that you say? I’m 34 and not getting any younger?
Shush. Age ain’t nothing but a number.
I was very glad when Rocky and Zack reached out to me recently. Helping them out is a happy medium. I get to have a social life and I get to do what I enjoy. It’s nice. I’ll be doing a mix of hard news and feature writing for the Pickens County Courier, and I’m eager to get started.
And it’s an exciting time to be covering this area, with possible school closures and controversies over coal ash, just to name a couple of the most recent topics. It’ll be nice to stop viewing it all from the sidelines and get back into the game.
I’m already enjoying one perk of being back on the scene. I’ve lost quite a bit of weight since the last time I was out covering stories in Pickens County. I’m really enjoying being told that I look good — or at least better — these days. Keep that up. I don’t think it’ll ever get old.
I’m looking forward to getting back in the groove. So you’ll be seeing more of me, in these pages and out and about. It’s going to be fun.
Let’s get started.
Courier Letters to the Editor 3-16-16
Signature issue
Dear Editor,
Under the state law, the school board has authority to close schools. I do not dispute that, but board members also must have a moral authority or standing to make such a decision. When making a decision of such gravity — one that turns lives upside down, changes communities and ends traditions going back to the 1920s, leaders must be conscious of not only their legal authority but whether or not they have the moral authority as well.
Phil Bowers is from Six Mile, with one year on the board. Herb Cooper has been on the board 24 years, and I understand he visited Holly Springs last week, and my bet is that was his first visit. Dr. Danny Merck has been superintendent less than two years, and he doesn’t have a middle school or career center named after him. I don’t have the moral standing either. While I’ve been representing Pickens 12 years, I’m not from here. Frankly, I’m a Yankee with no place messing with a 100-year tradition in Pickens County, S.C., without the blessing of the people who spent their entire lives here.
When I think about the people who should make a decision of this magnitude, I can’t help but think our names are near the bottom of that list, despite what the law says.
Someone like Larry Martin, who has been representing the county for 35 years, been elected and re-elected numerous times, would be seen as having the moral authority to do this. Someone from the Chastain, the Edens or the Lynch families, who have been living in those communities since the 1790s, would be at the top of that list.
Where is the respect for the wishes of those who have been here long before us, or made the investments of time that we haven’t made?
The fact the board seriously considered making this decision against the wishes of the thousands who have put years, and whose families put generations of time and effort into those schools and communities is reprehensible. The fact they voted to close those schools is unforgiveable.
I could see if the buildings blew down in a tornado over the Easter break and then such a decision was hoisted upon us — to rebuild these small schools or not rebuild them? Then we would be justified in making that decision, moral standing or not. But that was not the case here. Absent the necessary moral authority or standing, Judy Edwards, Brian Swords, Phil Bowers, Herb Cooper and Dr. Merck went out of their way to close those freshly renovated schools — some of the top performers in the county — and ended a nearly 100-year tradition up there.
Their names will be mud with these people because they know these “leaders” lack the moral authority or standing to make such a decision in their eyes. The parents of students in those schools, the decades of alumni spread around this county, the families that have been up there since the 1790s or those who just moved into places like the Vineyards know these trustees have not invested one moment of time in these schools or communties.
Later, when these trustees think of why they ran and the superintendent what he aimed to accomplish in his tenure, there will be no way to run away from this decision; closing these schools will be their signature issue, and no one will look upon them favorably for it.
Alex Saitta
School board trustee
Pickens
Do you care?
Dear Editor,
My heart goes out to the families and children who are affected by the school board’s irresponsible and deplorable vote on Monday night. We went through this and know what these changes and challenges will be like for you.
As far as the board members who didn’t listen to the hundreds of people who didn’t want this for their family, their children, their friends and neighbors — I certainly hope you enjoyed your time on the board playing God with the people who voted to put you in that position in the first place and mistakenly trusted you.
There were other options rather than closing any of these schools, and you know it. It amazes me how you four board members can disengage and not care that you just hurt hundreds of families and children.
When you go to sleep at night, will you even think about the children who go to bed crying at night because they’re losing their school, their friends, their trusted teachers and their feeling of safety in all that they know right now? Do you care that their first experience in politics is the knowledge that money matters, not people?
If I have anything to say about it, I will do everything in my power to make sure you do not get re-elected. You have effectively made these children numbers and treated these families like they were part of a business plan, instead of the community that they are. Shame on you.
When the next board seats come up for election, you will be on the chopping block. You have made people feel like their voices are not heard, and you don’t care about what’s best for them and their families, and people do not have short memories.
If there is ever a time to get involved in voting and choosing board members who care about us, and not the schools as a business where you can “write off” loss, now is the time.
We need the “majority” of the board to represent the voters, the families, the children and the community, and as it stands right now, we do not have that.
Personally, I would like to thank Henry Wilson and Alex Saitta for being steadfast in doing your best to keep us informed and truly representing us and the community. It couldn’t have been easy to stand up against the bullies that make up the remainder of the board. But please know that you have our respect, loyalty and appreciation for standing up for what was right and fighting for our children’s best interest.
Laura Demler
Pickens
Pickens Rec plans summer day camps
PICKENS — Registration is now being taken for the Pickens Recreation Department’s nine 2016 summer day camp sessions.
The sessions, which will each last one week, are set for June 6-10, 13-17 and 20-24, June 27-July 1, July 11-15, 18-22 and 25-29, and August 1-5 and 8-12.
There will be no day camp the week of July 4.
All camps will be held at the Pickens Recreation Center at 545 Sangamo Road and are open for children ages 6-12 — those who have completed 5K kindergarten through rising seventh graders.
Camp days will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cost is $70 per child per week or $40 per child per half week. A price adjustment is available for additional siblings for full week sessions. A nonrefundable $25 registration fee is due by May 20 and includes a camp T-shirt. Late registration fees will be $35.
Breakfast and lunch will be furnished through the S.C. Department of Education’s Summer Feeding Program, with dates to come later. There is no transportation for field trips; therefore, each week will feature on-site activities that will include sports, movies, water days, games, bike days, arts and crafts, etc.
For more information, call (864) 878-2296.
Courier Obituaries 3-16-16
ARTHUR JUNIOR GRUBBS III
PICKENS — Arthur Junior Grubbs III, 49, of Pickens, went to his heavenly home on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
Six Mile nursing home plans free wrestling show
SIX MILE — According to Pruitt Health Pickens activities director Danielle Merck, Paul Burnett has a passion for professional wrestling.
Burnett has dreamed of attending another match since he and his wife of 47 years, Gayle, went to a show at the BI-LO Center in Greenville in 2014, before his admission to the nursing home.
Through partnerships with Second Wind Dreams and Golden Corner Wrestling, Pruitt Health is making that dream a reality.
The nursing home, located at 163 Love and Care Road in Six Mile, will play host to a free wrestling show for all community residents at 6 p.m. next Thursday, March 24.
Scheduled to appear at the “Dreamville” show are Ace Armstrong, Big Dan Holman, Josh Powers, Dustin Reagan, Bryson Willis, Chaz Valor and Kevin Phoenix. The card is subject to change.
Merck said Burnett, a former truck driver from Greenville, suffered a stroke in 2005, resulting in aphasia — being unable to verbally express emotion and needs — and decreased mobility.
“Even though his life was changed by the stroke, Paul continues to live life with a positive attitude,” Merck said.
She said the nursing home staff is hoping for a large turnout from the community to share this special event with Burnett and the Pruitt Health family.
Local residents are urged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit on, as a limited number of chairs will be available for the outdoor event. Because it is set to be held outdoors, the weather could play a factor in the show. Officials urge those planning to attend to call ahead or check the Golden Corner Wrestling Facebook page in case of inclement weather.
For more information, call Pruitt Health Pickens at (864) 868-2307.
Statewide gymnastics meet coming to Easley
Courtesy photo
Pictured above are the Easley Gymnastics participants in this weekend’s South Carolina USA Gymnastics Optionals and Xcel Gold, Platinum and Diamond State Gymnastics Meet at the Larry D. Bagwell Gymnasium at the J.B. “Red” Owens Sports Complex in Easley.
EASLEY — Easley Gymnastics will be hosting the South Carolina USA Gymnastics Optionals and Xcel Gold, Platinum and Diamond State Gymnastics Meet at the Larry D. Bagwell Gymnasium at the J.B. “Red” Owens Sports Complex this Friday through Sunday.
It is the largest gymnastics meet to be held in Easley, as the best gymnasts in the state will compete to go to regionals, with 750 gymnasts and more than 4,000 spectators expected over the three-day meet.
Local gymnastics clubs include Easley Gymnastics, Electric City Gymnastics, Kozeev’s World of Gymnastics. Greenville Gymnastics, Upstate Gymnastics, Palmetto Gym, Foothills Gymnastics, Simpsonville Gymnastics and Acrosmith Gymnastics, as well as clubs from Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston and all over the state.
Easley Gymnastics gymnasts include Level 6 — Abby Musselwhite, Alyssa Easlick, Kendall Boyd. Xcel Gold — Ella Hawkins and Lydia Branham. Level 7 — Gracie Jackson. Level 8 — Meredith Brookshire. Xcel Platinum — Calleigh Lollis. They will be attending with their coaches, Dave Arnold and Jenny Haluska.
Visit www.EasleyGym.com/State-Meet for a complete schedule of each day’s competitions. If you would like more information, contact Easley Gymnastics at (864) 269-2007.
Summer day camps scheduled at YMCA
Courtesy photo
Pickens Y camp coordinator Christy Kay, left, enjoys being a part of the kids’ fun at luau day.
EASLEY — The YMCA is now taking registration for summer day camp.
The program is open to children ages 4-13, and begins on June 6 and runs for 10 weeks. Camp is offered in Easley, Pickens and Powdersville.
“Camp is awesome,” Pickens Y camp coordinator Christy Kay said. “I love the Y because it allows kids of all backgrounds to make new friends and feel like they belong somewhere.”
The day is always packed full of activities that keep the children active and engaged, as well as focusing on Christian principles through devotions. One activity is done through what the Y calls Campers Choice. Campers build confidence and feel empowered when they are given the opportunity to choose an activity they want to participate in each day. Since summer weather is usually hot, one day a week campers get to participate in a water fun day, where there are water games and activities to keep them cool. These are only a couple of examples of what happens at camp.
Courtesy photo
Camper Rhett Nicholsen enjoyed getting to paint his hands during a camp activity at YMCA summer camp last year.
“Summer Camp is by far the most amazing experience I’ve ever been a part of,” Easley Y camp coordinator Cass Ramey said. “Not only is there enough adventure for a lifetime packed into 10 short weeks, but each moment spent seeing such a diverse group of kids learn from, laugh and create life-long friendships with each other truly makes this a one of a kind experience. It is for these reasons that I am blessed to be a part of The. Best. Summer. Ever!”
At the YMCA, officials believe that every child deserves the opportunity to experience new activities and meet new people in a program that focuses on achievement, relationships and belonging. Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, and we have the responsibility to develop them. Register online today at www.pcymca.net for summer camp and receive early-bird pricing. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Visit the website for details on how to apply. For more information, call the Y at 888-835-5221.
